My wife has a favorite sermon: Dave Edwards’ message “THE SIN OF COMPARISON.” Twenty years ago she bought a copy on cassette and played it for years.[1] Edward’s point was we need to stop comparing our lives to lives around us. Nothing will make you unhappy faster! We learn as children to measure ourselves byContinue reading “The Sin of Comparison. Matthew 20:1-16.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
THE SINNER’S PRAYER. Luke 18:9-14.
Joel Osteen concludes each sermon with a prayer: “Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior.” Then Joel looks at the camera and says, “If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe ya’ got born again. Get in a good, Bible-based church…” That always seemsContinue reading “THE SINNER’S PRAYER. Luke 18:9-14.”
GRATITUDE. Luke 17:15-16.
When I fell out of the garage rafters as a child and hit my head on the iron car bumper, I was happy not to be paralyzed. I was on the concrete floor doing sit-ups (to shake off the pain) with my hands clasped behind my head, and I was so thankful not to beContinue reading “GRATITUDE. Luke 17:15-16.”
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES ARE NOT VERY SPECIFIC. Luke 17:26-36.
The Pulitzer-winning novel GONE WITH THE WIND opens with the Tarleton twins courting Scarlett O’Hara. It is April of 1861, and the 19-year-old brothers have been expelled from the University of Georgia. “It don’t matter much. We’d have had to come home before the term was out anyway.” “Why?” “The war! The war’s going toContinue reading “THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES ARE NOT VERY SPECIFIC. Luke 17:26-36.”
CAMELS. Mark 10:17-25.
“As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before Him, and asked, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to be saved?’” Mark 10:17. Jesus eventually told him to sell all he had and give to the poor—“and the man went away sad, because he had many possessions”v.22. And JesusContinue reading “CAMELS. Mark 10:17-25.”
DO YOU WANT HARDWARE OR TOOLS? Mark 10:42-45.
Remember baseball tournaments? Coaches would rally the team by inspiring them with talk of hardware: Come on, boys, let’s go get some hardware! We love to win trophies. We love certificates, plaques, ribbons, medals, scholarships, ranks, promotions, and more. Even the disciples wanted hardware. “But Jesus called the disciples over and said, ‘You know thatContinue reading “DO YOU WANT HARDWARE OR TOOLS? Mark 10:42-45.”
Biblical Manhood is Kingdom Childhood. Mark 10:14.
I admire two ministers and a layman.[1] First, Johnny Derouen. Our youth minister loved his family, and was determined to obey Jesus in all things. He also had a gift for loving people, listening to people, and showing compassion. He was full of joy and when you were around him, you knew following Christ wasContinue reading “Biblical Manhood is Kingdom Childhood. Mark 10:14.”
WORDS MATTER. Matthew 19:4.
I wrote a book of study tips. One tip encourages visual learners to make the content from their classes visual if possible. But visual media have their limits: “IF YOU DON’T KNOW ANY OTHER WAY TO STUDY, THEN CONVERT YOUR NOTES TO DRAWINGS AND DIAGRAMS. If you’re a ‘visual person’ (everyone says they’re a visualContinue reading “WORDS MATTER. Matthew 19:4.”
CHOOSE THE HUMBLE PLACE. Luke 14:8-11.
One weekend, our church choir recorded a new album for Word Music. Microphones were pointed at the first row. The minute you walked in, you knew: the best singers were already on the first row. That was the all-star team. I’d like to say I did not think about it, that I was not ambitious.Continue reading “CHOOSE THE HUMBLE PLACE. Luke 14:8-11.”
DILUTED. Luke 14:34-35.
Merchants are famous for diluting things. They put water into wine to make the wine last longer (thus the phrase “watered down”). They mix grain into sausage so it appears to contain more meat than it does. To increase volume, drug dealers mix (or “cut”) cocaine with powdered laundry detergent, laxatives, and meat tenderizer (amongContinue reading “DILUTED. Luke 14:34-35.”
Household Words: 