Sin
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There Can Be No Ceasing of Hostilities Where Sin is Concerned
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. – 1 John 3:6 John gets straight to the point, doesn’t he?! He doesn’t say anything about a true Christian being sinless. Every believer still battles the presence of sin and often grieves… Continue reading
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Judas: Divine Sovereignty or Human Responsibility?
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the… Continue reading
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Remember Your Chains
“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” – Colossians 4:18 At the end of his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul calls his faithful brothers and sisters in Christ to “remember my chains.” He wasn’t seeking their pity; he was trying to encourage those who… Continue reading
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The Echo of a King’s Failure: Thoughts on 2 Samuel 11-18
I’ve been revisiting 2 Samuel this week (namely chapters 11-18). And man… talk about how one terrible decision can lead to so much heartache and destruction! Two passages of Scripture stand out to me. The first is at the very end of chapter 11 (v.27). After David commits adultery with Bathsheba, she becomes pregnant, and… Continue reading
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The Darkness We Must Confront in Genesis 19
Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to… Continue reading
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The Most Dangerous Judgments We Make
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”– Luke 7:39 Luke places this moment inside an ordinary dinner and exposes something that’s anything but ordinary. Jesus… Continue reading
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Genesis 4: Eve’s First Words After the Fall
A few days ago I started a new Bible in One Year reading plan for 2026, and yesterday I was reading in Genesis chapter 4. And the very first verse in chapter 4 (where Eve gives birth to Cain) got my attention: “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Now, the… Continue reading
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Does God View All Sin the Same?
It’s a question that a new Christian might ask, perhaps out of confusion, or maybe even fear: Does God really see all sin the same? We sense the weight of the question because we know, instinctively, that not every wrong feels equal. Yet Scripture leads us to a deeper, more careful answer – one that invites… Continue reading
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Beware of Falling Objects
Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from… Continue reading
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No More Guilt and Shame
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1 If anyone knew what it felt like to live with regret, it was the Apostle Paul. He did everything in his power to destroy the early church. Imagine the memories that must have haunted him – the faces of… Continue reading
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Why “Just Follow Your Heart” is Horrible Advice
“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” – Jer. 17:10 In Jeremiah chapter 17, the Lord’s prophet draws a sharp line between those who trust in human strength and those who trust in the Lord. Judah’s sin was… Continue reading
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A Hard Truth Followed by an Irrevocable Promise
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 When someone makes a promise to you, do you take that person at their word and trust that they’ll follow through? Or do you treat them… Continue reading
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Don’t Forfeit Your Blessings!
But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ Your wickedness has deprived… Continue reading
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Lessons From the Prodigal: A Son’s Foolish Request and a Father’s Astonishing Response
“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. – Luke 15:11-12 In the opening of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which is nestled within Luke’s trio of stories about the lost being… Continue reading
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Guard Your Soul Before You Scroll
I’ll never forget the day I first got internet access at home back in the mid-90s. I was clueless, fumbling with a screeching dial-up modem that sounded like a cat arguing with a fax machine. Honestly, even now, I’m not sure I’ve cracked the code on this whole internet thing. I keep hearing about “the… Continue reading
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The Modern-Day Tower of Babel
The Humanist lives as if this world were all and enough. He is not otherworldly. He holds that the time spent on the contemplation of a possible afterlife is time wasted. He fears no hell and seeks no heaven, save that which he and others created on earth. He willingly accepts the world that exists… Continue reading
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Kudos to Those Who Didn’t Rob a Bank Today
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Cor. 10:13 Temptation is like sailing into a… Continue reading
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Maybe Someday…
They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led… Continue reading
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Sometimes We Need a Worm
But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. – Jonah 4:7 I’ve had moments in my life when I’ve acted just like Jonah. God gives me a clear command, but instead of obeying with a grateful heart, I grumble. I focus on what I don’t… Continue reading
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A Heart Broken by Sin
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Psalm 51:3 A life surrendered fully to God is one that faces sin head-on, not with excuses but with a heart broken by its offense against a holy and righteous God. Here in Psalm 51, we see King David, a man after God’s… Continue reading
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God’s Spiritual Conditioning Program
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. – Luke 4:13 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 As we come to Luke 4:13, we find a sobering moment in the life of… Continue reading
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The Problem with “Just Follow Your Heart”
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?Jeremiah 17:9 Have you ever stood at a crossroads in life, feeling a strong pull in your heart to go one way, certain that it was the right choice? Maybe it was a decision about a job, a relationship, or perhaps even… Continue reading
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A Nation Deteriorates Without God. That Includes Us, Too.
In those days Israel had no king… – Judges 19:1 The opening verse in Judges 19 sets an ominous tone: “Israel had no king.” Of course that was true in a monarchial sense. But the nation as a whole had become a godless cesspool. Morality had collapsed. As society crumbled, the family structure disintegrated. No… Continue reading
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Tread Carefully
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.… Continue reading
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A Call to Holiness
“You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. – Deuteronomy 7:16 This verse can be difficult to understand, especially when viewed through modern sensibilities. Why would a loving… Continue reading
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A Good (But Dangerous) Prayer
Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.– Psalm 139:23-24 David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he knew his own heart was not always pure. He was committed to following God’s ways, but… Continue reading
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Purify My Heart, Lord
For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.” – Exodus 12:19-20 God commanded the Israelites to… Continue reading
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“Did God Really Say…?”
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what… Continue reading
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A Complaint about Complainers
Have you ever noticed how complainers have a way of finding each other, like pigeons flocking to a park bench covered in breadcrumbs? One minute you’re stuck in line behind someone griping about the weather, and before you know it, someone else chimes in with, “Oh, you think that’s bad? Let me tell you about… Continue reading
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Sin Is Never Casual
Imagine you have a friend who was struggling with an unhealthy habit, and after many months of hard work – maybe even years – they were able to break free from it. But one day, they toyed with the idea of going back just once because they thought they had the strength to walk away… Continue reading
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The Parable of Two Politicians
In Luke 18:9-17, Jesus tells a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee, confident in his righteousness, compared himself to the tax collector and began to thank God that he wasn’t like him or other sinners. But Jesus says it was the tax collector, humble… Continue reading
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Are There Cracks in the Foundation?
Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.” – 2 Chronicles 8:11 Solomon was know for his… Continue reading
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The Danger of a Heart Unchecked
As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. – John 13:30 Judas Iscariot walked with Jesus for three years. He saw the greatest life ever lived, up close and personal. He witnessed miracles that many could only dream of seeing – Jesus calming the storm, feeding the thousands,… Continue reading
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The Breakfast Sandwich Confessional
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,… Continue reading
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We Can’t Blame the Devil for Everything
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” – James 1:14 We often misunderstand temptation as an external force that overpowers us. But James 1:14 makes it clear that temptation begins within us. It is the enticement that arises from our own selfish desires, a lure… Continue reading
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The Dirt Didn’t Matter.
“So [Jesus] got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” John 13:4 Years ago we had a cleaning lady come over to our house for… Continue reading
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When The Evidence is Undeniable
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep… Continue reading
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Memorializing Sin
Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” – 1 Samuel 15:12 Just because we have a clear conscience isn’t a testimony… Continue reading
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When All is Not Good in The Neighborhood
So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for… Continue reading
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An Unpalatable Truth
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from… Continue reading
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The Boundless Reach of God’s Grace
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love… Continue reading
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Ain’t You Tired?
If you’re looking for an easy and enlightening read this summer, I highly recommend Brant Hansen’s book Unoffendable. Today’s devotional is an excerpt from one of the stories in his book, (p.59-60). Brant writes: “[God] wants to know us, and he wants us to know Him. He wants us to want Him. Not ideas or… Continue reading
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Just Say Yes
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” – John 4:10 There were a lot of reasons why I justified my alcoholism. Anxiety, depression, fear, failure, loneliness, insecurity, unworthiness… alcohol just seemed to be… Continue reading
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Why Do You Call Me Good?
“I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV) Do you consider yourself to be a good driver? Of course you do. Everyone does. In fact, the… Continue reading
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Keeping the Cross on Our Minds
“For he gave himself for us, that he might set us free from all our evil ways, and make for himself a people of his own, clean and pure, with our hearts set upon living a life that is good.” – Titus 2:14 (J.B. Phillips NT Bible) Satan is a master deceiver. When he tempts… Continue reading
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Don’t Take God’s Grace For Granted
So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the… Continue reading
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Wounded Trees and Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is a beautiful word, until you have something to forgive.” – C.S. Lewis Shortly after the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee ran into a woman in Virginia who complained to him that Yankee artillery had severely damaged a beautiful tree that was in her yard. She was so livid about it that she… Continue reading
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The Best Friends are Friends of God
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by… Continue reading
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Removing Our Sandals
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31 When Moses saw the flames coming from the burning bush but noticed that it wasn’t being consumed by the fire, he went over to investigate. Suddenly God’s voice called from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am,” Moses replied.… Continue reading
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What Does it Mean to Grieve the Holy Spirit?
Did you know that the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, has a personality? He has the ability to feel joy, sorrow, and anger just like we do. Given that God sees each Christian as His holy temple and has given them His Spirit to dwell inside them, we believers are to live… Continue reading
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The Fruit of Goodness
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.“– Luke 18:18-19 Today’s meditation is on the fruit of Goodness. And I think it’s important for us to look at this fruit from two different perspectives:… Continue reading
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His Victory is Our Victory, Too.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were… Continue reading
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A Sight For Sore Eyes
One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful. – 2 Samuel 11:2 Reading the tragic story of David’s affair with Bathsheba, the Bible reveals something remarkable about temptation: seldom does it ever present… Continue reading
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Christmas Through the Prism of Easter
A pastor who I greatly admire stated in a recent sermon, “It is sometimes good for us to read the Bible backwards.” In short, he was suggesting that reading backwards (through the guidance of the Holy Spirit) helps us to better understand Jesus’ words, and also helps us better understand Old Testament Scripture in the… Continue reading
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Once Takers, We Became Givers
“Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” ~ Alcoholics Anonymous, Step Nine In the grip of our addictions, our sole focus was satisfying our cravings, blinding us to the needs of others. We earned a reputation as “takers,” willing to lie, cheat, and even… Continue reading
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I’m a lot like Jonah.
“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent… Continue reading
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Blindsided by Money
“Now, y’all would guess that more often than not, the highest paid player on an NFL team is the quarterback. And you’d be right. But what you probably don’t know is that more often than not, the second highest paid player is, thanks to Lawrence Taylor, a left tackle. Because, as every housewife knows, the… Continue reading
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Avoiding the Drift to Enmity Toward God
Just as a boat without an anchor becomes subjected to the laws of the sea, so too is the unanchored soul who subjects himself to the whims of the world. And yet as Christians we are called to live and serve God in a fallen world where corruption and sin abounds. The apostle James issued… Continue reading
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He Ran Straight into the Arms of Trouble
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” – James 1: 14-15 When I read these two verses from the Book of James, I immediately think… Continue reading
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God’s Jealous Eye
When a company decides to hire a new talent from the outside instead of promoting someone from within, it can potentially result in increased productivity and a much-needed boost in morale for the entire team. Sometimes all that’s needed to get to the next level is finding the right person who has some fresh ideas… Continue reading
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Our Addictions Hurt Others
“Pick me up and throw me into the see,” Jonah replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” One of the most selfish things you will ever hear an alcoholic or an addict say is, “My drinking (or using) affects only me.”… Continue reading
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The Pharisee Who Prayed to Himself
Jesus said: Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people – cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice… Continue reading
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Don’t Get Stuck in Your Suffering
As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was blind?” – John 9:1-2 One of the most difficult questions that a Christian faces when they’re talking to an unbeliever about Jesus is the question why. “Why do bad… Continue reading
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Body and Soul
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of the summer.” – Psalm 32:3-4 Those who work in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and social services are often confronted with… Continue reading
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Acknowledging the Bad While Accepting the Good
“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all… Continue reading
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Paul’s Dilemma
“I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that… Continue reading
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When I start thinking I’m a good person…
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39 “Just because I’ve done some bad things doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. It just means I’m… Continue reading
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Jesus Never Canceled Anybody
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – Ephesians 5:1-2 One of the hardest things for any of us is to experience genuine empathy for someone; to put… Continue reading
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Complaining without Grumbling
“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.” – Psalm 142:1-2 (NIV) When David was fleeing from Saul, he would often cry out to the Lord in desperation. Tired of being on the run,… Continue reading
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When Your Mind Goes On a Test-Drive
“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”” – Genesis 39:7 It’s not a sin to be beautiful, nor is it a sin to be wealthy. But arguably no two attributes known to man can make him more vulnerable… Continue reading
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Half the Size, but Twice the Man
“Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord… Continue reading
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A Freedom that Shines
“It goes back to what I said about Andy wearing his freedom like an invisible coat, about how he never really developed a prison mentality. His eyes never got that dull look.” – Red, from Shawshank Redemption A few times per month I’m given the privilege of going to a place where most people have… Continue reading
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Has God given America over to a depraved mind?
In a little over three weeks, our country will celebrate 247 years of sovereignty. We the People have elected 46 men to lead our nation during this enormous span. But there has never been a single US president during this time who has worked so passionately to completely erase the Christian values that have ultimately… Continue reading
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The Man Who Had Been There The Longest
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going, another steps down before me.” – John 5:7 (ESV) One day, Jesus went to the pool in Bethesda to see a man who had been crippled in one of his legs for most… Continue reading
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Stop Signs and Chameleons
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:7-8 It’s one thing to not notice a stop sign and mistakenly drive right on through the intersection… Continue reading
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To Thine Own Self Be Leery
Psalm 139: 23-24 –“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. David was aware that he couldn’t recognize all of his own sin. Some of it went much deeper than he… Continue reading
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The Hardest Open-Book Test
2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (ESV) The church in Corinth was giving Paul some serious headaches. One report after another, he would… Continue reading
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Who is Your Nathan?
“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6 When David had Uriah killed, he thought very little of it. After all, he gave Uriah a chance to live. Had he only gone home to spend some time away from battle with his wife, like David had suggested…… Continue reading
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Naughty? Or Nice?
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31 For many years I somehow had this idea that God was against me. Perhaps it had a lot to do with my misunderstanding as a small child, sitting in a pew at church one Sunday morning and listening to our pastor preach… Continue reading
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A Spirit Renewed
Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.” Something ain’t right. I feel off. I have no spiritual energy and I’m just going through the motions. The people around me can sense that something’s awry. “You don’t seem like yourself. Everything okay? What’s going on?” I… Continue reading
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Reprogramming Our Minds
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” – Phil. 4:8 I knew I had really stepped in it big time. I said something to my wife… Continue reading
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Holy Monday: “Not in My House!”
“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” – Luke 19:45-46 As I read this passage, a childhood memory comes back to… Continue reading
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Nine out of Ten Lions Prefer Satrap Succotash Over Jewish Jambalaya
“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” – Daniel 6:4 King Darius liked Daniel. And for good reason.… Continue reading
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When God Stops Listening
“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.” – Jeremiah 11:14 No matter how rebellious and disobedient an adolescent becomes, the responsible parent never stops loving, caring, and praying for their child’s wellbeing. But… Continue reading
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Teacher, Who is My Neighbor?
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Jesus asked. – Luke 10:36 The parable of the Good Samaritan that Jesus tells (Luke 10:25-37) is one that seems foreign to some Christ followers in today’s culture. Few things hinder the spreading of the… Continue reading
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Sometimes You Gotta Hug the Cactus
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” – 1 Corinthians 13:7 Alcohol brought me peace and freedom early on. But near the end I found myself thinking not of joy on a daily basis, but of death. A life that had once promised me more than I… Continue reading
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The Alcoholic’s Eden
Regardless of how much time in sobriety one has, every recovering alcoholic hears two voices. The voice of reason says: You are at liberty to drink whatever you want, but you must not drink alcohol. For if you drink it, you know what awaits. Trouble, followed by more trouble, surely followed by an alcoholic death.… Continue reading
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Avoid Dabbling
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” ~ Mark 8:36 Ahab was considered the worst king ever in Israel’s history. 1st Kings 16:30 reminds us, “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.” He repeatedly disobeyed… Continue reading
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Do I Truly Hate My Sin?
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ~ Romans 12:9 There are few things more frustrating to me than watching a highly competitive sporting event between two teams that ultimately ends in a tie. Perhaps this is why I’ve found it impossible to develop more than a mere casual… Continue reading
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The Writing on the Wall
“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” ~ Daniel 5:5-6 Different… Continue reading
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When Enough Isn’t Enough
“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:10 Ever wondered what your life might be like if you ever won the lottery? Perhaps it’s not the Happily Ever After story you might otherwise assume it to be. True Story. He had… Continue reading
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The Thing About Sin…
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?” ~ Jonah 4:11 Have you ever felt God urging you to do something that you were so… Continue reading
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“I Don’t See Your Name.”
The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.” ~ Exodus 32:33 “Everything’s set! Friday evening, 7pm,” I told her. It had been a long while since my wife and I last had an evening to ourselves. And this evening was going to be special! A new… Continue reading
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What is your Miss?
“My grace is sufficient for you,” says the Lord. “For my power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 The slice: It is the bane of most every recreational golfer, his Achilles heel. If he is truly bitten by the golf bug, he will desire to learn how to hit the ball straighter.… Continue reading
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Putting Down the Shovel
“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction… and He set my feet upon a rock.” ~ Psalm 40:2 The holes we dig ourselves into in life can be incredibly deep. And some of them can become so deep that we need help climbing out of them. Within a couple of years of… Continue reading
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Gracefully Unforgettable
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” ~ Isaiah 43:25 I was at a recovery meeting years ago, and the guest speaker that evening wasn’t aware that he only had 30 minutes to narrate his personal story of recovery from alcoholism. I… Continue reading
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I Was There.
“Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him (Jesus) over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him… Continue reading
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Not Paroled, but Pardoned!
“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” ~ John 8:11 She had been caught in the act. The Pharisees apprehended her and brought her before Jesus, exclaiming, “Teacher, we caught her red-handed! This woman is guilty of adultery! The Law says that she is to be stoned… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!
Former Blackout Artist 