After my 17 years of poor-motivation and a general lack of achievement, God dramatically led me to make the most of twelfth grade. That fall, I studied like never before, and though my spring grades would not count toward class rank, I kept at it, motivated by my own goal of making a 4.0 forContinue reading “Jesus Was Not Defeated by the Lethargy of Senioritis. Luke 19:41-46.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
THE WHITE-STALLION MOMENT. Matthew 21:5.
Have you felt a moment of glory? Circling the bases after a home run? Walking into a room, knowing you’re the best dressed? Playing a leading role on stage? Driving an amazing car. Or riding up on a crowd while sitting atop a magnificent horse—that feels like glory. Do you know that feeling? Riding anContinue reading “THE WHITE-STALLION MOMENT. Matthew 21:5.”
Leave Things Better. Matthew 21:18-22.
My Boy Scout troop went camping one weekend of every month. As we packed up to go home on Sunday mornings, we would “police the area,” picking up even the tiniest specks of trash. Some bits of trash—such as cigarette butts—were clearly not dropped by any of us, but we picked them up anyway. OurContinue reading “Leave Things Better. Matthew 21:18-22.”
REVIEW SHEETS. John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10.
How do you respond when professors give you review sheets? Do you study with them, or do you ignore them and study what you want? If you have not figured it out yet, let me tell you: FOCUS ON THE REVIEW SHEET. Don’t be distracted by your usual habit of outlining your notes. That’s anContinue reading “REVIEW SHEETS. John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10.”
PREPARE. Mark 14:33-38.
Before cooking, you prepare ingredients. Before a battle, you prepare a battle plan. Before a test, you study. We know preparation matters. And sometimes you have to stop in the middle of something to prepare. Remember the cliché—if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. When Jesus faced the final hours of His life,Continue reading “PREPARE. Mark 14:33-38.”
DON’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE.
In high school, my brother Dennis and I talked about our faith a few times with the boys on our street. One of them said the Bible was too boring to read. “I’m waiting for the movie to come out.” We answered by talking about the chorus of a Christian song that had just beenContinue reading “DON’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE.”
Sing. Matthew 26:30.
Think of the film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. Jesus was a tough, courageous warrior who went to the cross for you and me. He was scared enough that He sweat blood (an actual condition known as hemahydrosis)—but He did not run. He did not call 10,000 angels to rescue Him. He went forward boldly,Continue reading “Sing. Matthew 26:30.”
ANOINT. Matthew 26:6-12.
Anoint. There’s a word we don’t use every day. It means “set apart.” When you anoint something, you dedicate it for special use. The high priest, the temple, and the things in the temple were anointed for special service. Christians anoint the sick by placing olive oil on their foreheads, following James 5:14. Others anointContinue reading “ANOINT. Matthew 26:6-12.”
THY WILL BE DONE. Mark 14:36.
Often our greatest hurts come without warning—you break a bone, lose a loved one, fail a task. The pain is real, but the triggering event is behind you. But what about when horror looms ahead of you? In some ways, dread is so much worse. Before the crucifixion, “Jesus knew everything that was about toContinue reading “THY WILL BE DONE. Mark 14:36.”
REPETITION. Matthew 26:39,42,44.
Have you noticed repetition in the Bible? Song of Solomon says over and over: “Do not awaken love until the proper time.” Why the repetition? For emphasis. God repeats it so you will see how important it is. Flee lust. Remember that you’re too young, or remember that your circumstances are not right. Avoid theContinue reading “REPETITION. Matthew 26:39,42,44.”
Household Words: 