Churches once had a slogan: keep the main thing the main thing. That means—Focus on Jesus. DO NOT be distracted by the little side issues that scream for your attention every day. As one pastor puts it: “We don’t want to be Christians that jerk our heads around and yell, ‘Squirrel!’”[1] What side issues areContinue reading “LET’S KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING. 1 Timothy 4:1-2,7”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER AS MUCH AS YOUR ACTIONS. 1 Timothy 6:4.
No one understood grace the way Paul did. Yet no one demanded good behavior the way Paul did.* But Paul is not merely concerned with behavior. He knows that not only are there all sorts of temptations in your path, there are also wrong ideas and controversies that may draw your focus off of Jesus.Continue reading “YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER AS MUCH AS YOUR ACTIONS. 1 Timothy 6:4.”
AVOID FOOLISH DEBATES. Titus 3:9
I love a good debate. We could talk for hours about law and grace, or about predestination and free will. We could spend the weekend debating all the ways God demonstrates His sovereignty over things that seem totally random and absurd. Or we could while away the hours expressing gratitude for the infinite mercies HeContinue reading “AVOID FOOLISH DEBATES. Titus 3:9”
SOCIAL MEDIA. Titus 3:8-10.
Each of us could list ten convincing reasons to avoid social media. But social media also provides opportunities to share love, hope, joy, and the light of Christ. Still, even with the best of intentions, how often do we open Facebook or another platform and turn around and discover we just wasted an hour andContinue reading “SOCIAL MEDIA. Titus 3:8-10.”
READ THE EPISTLES. Titus 2:2-8.
When I read the Bible as a college student I gravitated toward the epistles—the letters to other believers. Others my age had different favorites. One young lady I knew loved the Old Testament for its amazing histories. Some loved Proverbs because you can always find one or two nuggets to think about the rest ofContinue reading “READ THE EPISTLES. Titus 2:2-8.”
GOD’S DESIGN FOR MANHOOD. Titus 1:6-9; 2:2.
What does God expect of us? In the year 2000, with a pandemic raging and people rioting across the nation, more than one of my friends said “this is a time for action,” by which they meant violence. I disagreed. When I need to understand culture and current events, I ask myself a pair ofContinue reading “GOD’S DESIGN FOR MANHOOD. Titus 1:6-9; 2:2.”
WHAT IF YOU WERE THE BOSS? Titus 1:5-9.
Imagine: you have advanced in your career to a place of responsibility. You have a budget and need to do some hiring. Who will it be? How do you choose between applicants? Imagine that you have scheduled interviews with a dozen candidates—and let’s pretend all twelve are people you know today. Can you picture 12Continue reading “WHAT IF YOU WERE THE BOSS? Titus 1:5-9.”
Is There Tension Between Law and Grace? Titus 2:14.
My friend Blake writes on Facebook that the Ten Commandments are irrelevant to Christians today. What do you think? I disagree. First, the obvious answer: nothing in the Bible is irrelevant. Second, there is something special about the Ten Commandments. First, God chiseled them on two stone tablets. After Moses broke the tablets in angerContinue reading “Is There Tension Between Law and Grace? Titus 2:14.”
DOES EVERY SECRET NEED TO BE EXPOSED? Ephesians 5:11-12.
One writer describes Wikileaks as “a whistleblowing platform … established to obtain and disseminate classified documents … from anonymous sources.” But should every secret be told? Imagine if it were. Believe it or not, the Bible counsels that some secret things should not be talked about. “Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, butContinue reading “DOES EVERY SECRET NEED TO BE EXPOSED? Ephesians 5:11-12.”
Give Alcohol to the Man Without Hope. Proverbs 31:4–7.
Photo above: New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach (right) watching agents pour liquor into the sewer following a raid, c. 1920. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-123257) Please allow me to speak from personal opinion on the matter of drinking. First, IContinue reading “Give Alcohol to the Man Without Hope. Proverbs 31:4–7.”
Household Words: 