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There once was a kingdom ruled by a Great and Mighty King, perfect in wisdom, justice, mercy and love. He reigned from a vast city, bright and beautiful, its massive towers, shining and eternal, rising upward out of sight into the clouds. The white wall encircling the city rose hundreds of feet...

One day, the Artist decided to paint a portrait of himself. He went into his studio and, after searching for just the right-sized canvas, found it leaning up against a wall, hidden from view behind a dusty stack of odds and ends. The dirt, and stains, and rents in the canvas indicated it had...

1 Timothy 4:1-2 1 Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron “Let your conscience be your guide.” I’ve heard...

1 Corinthians 10:13 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Carl’s hooked. Badly. He didn’t intend...

Isaiah 26:3-4 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. God loves us. And because He does, He is determined that we would walk with Him in the way He made us to do. This means that...

Romans 1:20-23 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give...

Hebrews 3:13-15 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice...

Isaiah 9:6 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There was a time, decades ago now, when almost every home I passed...

2 Timothy 3:1-5 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of...

1 John 4:16-17 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we...

I read a book a couple of years ago now written by a woman who was a missionary to the Philippines in the 1950s (and 60s). She recounts in her book that once she had gained the ear of the leaders of the tribe, they would gather every day to hear about the Gospel. They would ask her questions and...

As a long-time discipler, I have encountered certain concerns and questions from new/immature believers over and over again. The most common concern/question, though, is: How do I know I'm really saved? Am I truly born-again? How do I tell if I am? No one wants to get this bit wrong. No one...

Romans 6:12-13 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for...

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same...

John 7:24 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. There are segments of the Christian community who have taken up the notion that Christians ought not to judge each other - or anyone, for that matter. It's unloving, you see. Intolerant. Arrogant. Of course, when...

The title might lead you to think of the Final Judgment, but what I mean by the "Great Reckoning" has nothing to do with judgment but, rather, with faith. In Romans 6, the apostle Paul laid out the spiritual state-of-affairs in every genuine born-again believer's life, explaining that all true...

Matthew 3:8 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. It's been my observation that the matter of repentance can become a murky thing, a mixture of conviction of sin, guiltiness, some crocodile tears, confession of sin, restitution at times, vows to forsake sin, recommitment to Christ, and so...

John 7:24 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. There are segments of the Christian community who have taken up the notion that Christians ought not to judge each other - or anyone, for that matter. It's unloving, you see. Intolerant. Arrogant. Of course, when...

Ecclesiastes 10:1 1 Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. It's been observed that, if two parallel lines aren't perfectly parallel, over sufficient distance they will diverge enormously. At first, the lines may look the same, the...

Matthew 11:28-30 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." We are creatures made to...