Steven Wales

You Have to Make Time. Luke 6:12

Do you pray and worship and sing to the Lord and read and study and memorize scripture only when you have a problem? Does God only hear from you when something goes wrong? If then? Or do you spend time with Him daily? Do you talk to Him like a friend, sharing your hopes andContinue reading “You Have to Make Time. Luke 6:12”

DARKNESS REDUX. Luke 5:31-32.

“The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light. To those living in the Shadow of Death, a LIGHT has come” Matthew 4:16. Our world is filled with darkness. War. Famine. Epidemics. Cancer. Even the Christmas story includes Herod’s “Slaughter of the Innocents,” a massacre so heinous that for centuries Herod was named byContinue reading “DARKNESS REDUX. Luke 5:31-32.”

FAMILY. Mark 3:21, 31-35.

Sara was baptized at 8. Her drunken father, standing at the back of the sanctuary, shouted, “Hooray for Sara!” as she came up out of the water. Sara figured baptism was proof of salvation: you believed in Jesus, and proved it by baptism. But she writes that what neither she nor her father understood wasContinue reading “FAMILY. Mark 3:21, 31-35.”

JESUS’S SECRET. Luke 5:15-16; 6:12.

YouTube is a parade of infomercials—ads for diet secrets, health secrets, stress-reducing secrets, and more. The one I hate most is a muscular young man in a selfie video: “If you’re a guy between 25 and 55, listen up,” and he begins explaining why cardio won’t work, but don’t worry, he has the secret toContinue reading “JESUS’S SECRET. Luke 5:15-16; 6:12.”

GODLY MANHOOD. Matthew 12:18-20.

Is manhood the power to terrify and defeat enemies, or the power to act rationally regardless of passions? Is it dangerous violence or dignified silence? Yes, men are leaders. You get to be Dad, Boss, and Hero. The Bible says “the Lord is a Warrior. Warrior is His Name,” Exodus 15:3. But Jesus modeled somethingContinue reading “GODLY MANHOOD. Matthew 12:18-20.”

WORDS: Sticks and Stones. Matthew 12:36-37.

As children, we learned to chant things at each other. There were favorites I’ll never forget: “Takes one to know one.” Or “I’m rubber and you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks on you.” Or “I know you are, but what am I?” I remember girls singing the best ones back toContinue reading “WORDS: Sticks and Stones. Matthew 12:36-37.”

BE CAREFUL ABOUT ATTRIBUTION AND MISATTRIBUTION. Matthew 12:24,32.

Attribution comes up when you write a paper and give credit to someone whose words or ideas you include. It means naming your source. You can attribute both credit and blame. We do this to God. Sometimes when a good thing happens we forget God is behind it. The Bible says “every good and perfectContinue reading “BE CAREFUL ABOUT ATTRIBUTION AND MISATTRIBUTION. Matthew 12:24,32.”

Do You Want to be Normal? Matthew 12:48.

Has anyone ever told you “don’t get carried away?” People can be that way about sports—especially during the World Series. “Let’s not get carried away…” But if you love your team, being carried away is normal, right? What if you eat at the same place every day? That’s not “normal” right? That’s getting carried away.Continue reading “Do You Want to be Normal? Matthew 12:48.”

The Old Testament. John 5:45-47

Do you consider the Old Testament outdated, somehow less than the New? It is God’s Word too. It deserves your full respect. Jesus quoted the OT all the time. When He disagreed with the Jewish leaders, He pointed out that Moses was the authority. “Do not think that I accuse you to the Father. YourContinue reading “The Old Testament. John 5:45-47”

FAMILY TREES. John 4:37-38; 1 Peter 2:9.

Things you think about while working on a family tree: The Bible contains two truths on this subject: First, your close family members will shape your life. You will reap what they have sown. “One sows and another reaps…. Others have labored and you have reaped the benefit from their labor” John 4:37-38. THANK GODContinue reading “FAMILY TREES. John 4:37-38; 1 Peter 2:9.”