“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'” (John 14:6)
This isn’t “just” a verse about Jesus being the only way to heaven — although it does indeed teach that. There could not be a stronger statement of the centrality of Jesus as everything we need, than in this verse: it says He is “the way, and the truth, and the life”. Continue reading
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3)
No wonder these words are among the most beloved in scripture. They describe for us the blessing of heaven: it is being WITH HIM! Continue reading
“From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when does occur, you may believe that I am He.” (John 13:19)
This is true not only regarding Jesus’s impending death and resurrection, but of ALL Christian prophecy. WHY did God give these words? “so that when it does occur, you may believe.” Prophecy demonstrates that something Divine is indeed operative here on earth: Continue reading
I want to begin by congratulating Dewey Phipps, Josh Peterson, and Anthony Burdick for completing the Bear Run last week. If you aren’t familiar with that, it is a 5-mile run ALL UPHILL on Grandfather Mountain. I can’t imagine how challenging that run would be. When you are out driving up a little hill in your car, you don’t think much of it — If you saw someone out there running up that “little hill”, you might think, “That wouldn’t be too hard.” But when you are actually out there, running up any kind of an incline — it’s a lot harder than you think!
There are a lot of things in life that are a lot more difficult than we think. We often talk like getting to heaven is easy; that almost everyone is going there — “they’re going to a better place” — but are they? Are WE? If Jesus shows us ONE thing here in the last part of Matthew Chapter 5, it is that having the righteousness that actually gets you into the Kingdom of Heaven is a lot harder than many people think! Continue reading
Although it is a relatively unknown verse, John 13:17 should actually be one of the most important in the whole Bible, because it really all comes down to this:
“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Continue reading
“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)
Jesus is infinitely above us in rank. Therefore, if He condescends to do something for us lowly human beings, how much more should WE be willing to follow in His steps, and do these things for each other?
This is true in a number of ways: Continue reading
“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” (John 13:15)
Here Jesus gave His disciples — and all us reading His word today — one of the most important lessons about leadership: lead by example. SHOW those who are following you, what to do by your own example. Continue reading
I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!
