We read the Bible through the lens of individualism. I often preach that way. A discipline I am learning is to read, think, pray, and live corporately. Here's an example. The past couple of weeks at Grace we have considered passages in Philippians 4 that address...
A couple of times in my life I have been driving in my car and suddenly realized that I didn't recognize where I was. I had become so deep in thought that I made driving decisions without conscious awareness of where I was going. Thankfully...
Some of the most difficult sermons to preach are those that touch on human emotions and experiences that are raw. These can also be the most difficult ones to listen to. Why is that? Consider the passage we will deal with this Sunday. Philippians 4:4-7 tells...
Be honest. There are some people you prefer to be with more than others. And there are some people you prefer not to be with at all. There are some people you find agreeable. There are others with whom you disagree. OK, be really honest....
Fear and impatience can cause us to do things we later regret. This is a big issue for Christians who are called to eagerly await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are pressing on in faith, growing in Christ-likeness, proclaiming the gospel, and serving others....
One big temptation we face as Christians is to set our affection on earthly things and to forget about the things of heaven. We feel the tension of living in two worlds the moment we read about this temptation in Philippians 3. We live on...
If you like the big picture view of things, you will love Philippians 3. This chapter presents the whole life of a Christian, from beginning to end, in the space of a paragraph. I must clarify: Philippians 3 will not give you the details of...
There is an aspect of our human nature that is rarely realized and almost never acknowledged: we all are self-righteous. The only difference between people is the standard we use to assure ourselves that we possess some sort of rightness in this world and with God....
Joy is more than a feeling. It is a necessity. "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). We need strength of mind, emotion, and resolve. We need strengthened hope for today and tomorrow. We need strengthened confidence that our past will not...
We humans have a tendency to rely on anything other than God. This tendency may be the most evident aspect of our fallen nature. It is certainly our fundamental sin. There are many ways to put words to this tendency. We can say that we seek...
