single-minded devotion – Household Words:

Cherish the Opportunity of Your Youth. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35.

Josiah was 8, David and Jeremiah were youths, John the Baptist and Jesus were young, John Calvin was 25, George Whitfield was 21, the “Jesus Movement” of the 1970s swept through American youth … Every great movement of God began with YOUNG PEOPLE. Yet Christian singles are usually more concerned about finding a spouse thanContinue reading “Cherish the Opportunity of Your Youth. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35.”

IS THERE A BEST TIME TO BE DEVOTED TO CHRIST? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:32-34.

Is there a time of “peak performance” in your spiritual life? Everyone knows peak performance in sports happens while you are young—early teens for female gymnasts, to 20s for runners and tennis players, and perhaps 20s and 30s for baseball and football players. The peak time for academic achievement is college and grad-school years. IContinue reading “IS THERE A BEST TIME TO BE DEVOTED TO CHRIST? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:32-34.”

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.”

ARE RUINS IN YOUR FUTURE? Matthew 7:24-26.

I just re-read Matthew 5-7, Jesus’s first recorded sermon, commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount.” There is so much in there! It is as if Jesus packed a year’s worth of sermons into three chapters. Imagine the millions of sermons based on these well-known scriptures. He touches on so many topics: worship, fasting, giving,Continue reading “ARE RUINS IN YOUR FUTURE? Matthew 7:24-26.”

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.”

CALLED TO SOLITUDE, EVEN LONELINESS. Mark 1:12.

Sometimes God calls us to solitude, times when life is reduced to a single relationship: me and God. He may use physical isolation—some move to a new city or take a long journey. Others never leave the city, yet find themselves alone. Don’t despair. Godly solitude is a time to draw near to God; aContinue reading “CALLED TO SOLITUDE, EVEN LONELINESS. Mark 1:12.”

A Whole Heart.

Distracted attention: when you are looking at your phone and walk into a wall—that is distraction. Just as your attention can be distracted, so also your HEART can be distracted. Is your heart wholly loyal to God and His calling for your life? When David’s life was coming to a close, he commissioned his sonContinue reading “A Whole Heart.”