“The servant-leader is servant first . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” Robert Greenleaf’s approach and influence on leadership has become an international phenomenon both in culture and in the church (Servant Leadership). Ironically, his inspiration for the term and the method, by his own explanati...  Read More

The prophet Micah asks, “What does the Lord require of you?” He replies, in part, with the key phrase, “to act justly” (Micah 6:8). The principle of justice figures prominently throughout the beautiful Psalm 37. I believe that our psalmist shows us how to live by the principles of God’s justice while we await the fulfillment of His promises. Such faithfulness to God bears present and eternal divid...  Read More

“The hub that holds Galatians together is its treatment of the gospel” (HCBC). I will also claim the same thing for the Church, today. The Apostle Paul risked his life for the gospel, which we all know, but more importantly, he staked his eternity on it! He was the right person for that hour of great need. Let me explain why I have selected this passage today. Paul, according to tradition, was “a ...  Read More

Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “The soul is healed by being with children.” The disciples ironically sought to prevent Jesus from walking the road of suffering and death and now they want to keep Him from trouble and fatigue. They were insensitive to many things that the Spirit would later correct (cf. Acts 2). Jesus wanted children to come to Him because “children in their receptivity and dependenc...  Read More

Dallas Willard once said, “There is no avoiding the fact that we live at the mercy of our ideas. This is never truer than with our ideas about God” (Hearing God). The Jews held some curious notions about God that both prevented them from experiencing true union with Him and kept them from being a true light to the world. They managed the things of God, but they didn’t really know a thing about Him...  Read More

Voltaire once said, “Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.” The French philosopher and atheist was not a believer, but his words apply figuratively and literally to Paul’s life. This missionary of the gospel was literally blazing a new trail of hope for the world, and he was being persecuted for it by J...  Read More

Spinoza once said, “He alone is free who lives with free consent under the entire guidance of reason.” Well, maybe so, or, in a Christian sense, not exactly. We do know that God gave us minds with which to reason and make choices; however, I also know that Christians will yield to the guidance of the Spirit. Today is “Theology Wednesday!” Our devotional will develop a key understanding of Pneumato...  Read More

Opening sentence alert! A long quote follows, but it is precisely what we need to read to capture the essence of today’s devotional. “We must devote, not only times and places to prayer, but be everywhere in the spirit of devotion; with hearts always set toward heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing everything as His servants; living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and al...  Read More

Jesus taught His disciples that our Heavenly Father, who loves us much more than any earthly parent does, will not toy with us but give us what we need (Matthew 7:9). Our focal passage today seems to contradict those words and may leave some people scratching their heads wondering what God was doing to Israel.The people were parched, and God gives them a principle for living under His leadership. ...  Read More

The reply is, “Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” There! I have written the answer to the big question for today prior to stating the question, so please bear with me. We have just stepped into masonry class and today’s lesson covers the how and why of brick-making, so get your shop aprons on! Instruction in such a class typically begins with a teaching segment followed by practical skill trai...  Read More

“There is an intimate connection between the life of the Christian here and the enjoyment and the glory in the day of Christ’s appearing” (George Müller of Bristol, 430). That man of faith, George Müller, certainly summed up a biblical worldview. This series of devotionals and this writer hold to the same way of seeing the world. We must not doubt that there is a coming day of reward for the faith...  Read More

How effectively do we engage in “kingdom peacemaking?” Jesus displayed His authority by His teaching and by His power over disease, nature, death, and sin. He was showing people that He was God’s Messiah over and over through each display of power. Sadly, His followers did not avail themselves of that same power in ministry. We too often limit Christ’s impact by quantifying ministry (e.g., benevol...  Read More