“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5)
John 17 must be considered the highest of high prayers, made just before Jesus went to the cross, and in it we find some of the richest nuggets of spiritual truth contained anywhere in the word of God. Among them we find a couple of statement in verse 4 which point to Jesus’ definite awareness of His Deity: Continue reading
It is most helpful whenever God defines terms for us in scripture. Hebrews 1:14 is an example of that, as it gives us a Biblical definition of angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
In John 17:3 we find another definition, from the lips of Jesus Himself, as to what “eternal life” really is. He said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Continue reading
“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you.” (John 16:23)
It is interesting how many Christians totally ignore the first part of this verse, in their rush to claim the second part of it. Continue reading
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8)
The word “He” in this verse is important for a couple of reasons: Continue reading
Our son Michael shared his first public solo in church this morning, and Cheryl & I 
were extremely proud of how well he did. He taught himself to play the guitar this past year and has been developing both vocally and in his playing. But I am actually as proud or more so of the lyrics he composed for the song he presented. Michael wrote gospel lyrics to the tune of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. I believe they are worthy of your reading and meditation — and perhaps as alternative lyrics to the song in your church or gospel meeting: Continue reading
When Cheryl & I brought our grand daughters Corley Jane and Lottie up to the
hospital to meet their newly born sister, Josephine Grace, the girls were filled with excitement and wonder. And pondering her little sibling for the first time, Corley made a poignant observation: “She has a nose; just like us!” That statement immediately made me think of another birth, over 2000 years ago — the birth of Christ. Continue reading
After Jesus shared with His disciples the importance of “Abiding in Him” in the first verses of John 15 (“abide in Me … apart from Me, you can do nothing”, etc.) one might ask, “But HOW do I ‘abide in Him?’”. The answer Jesus gave to that question in :10 may surprise a number of us: Continue reading
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. SELAH.” (Psalm 62:8 NASB)
Psalm 62 opens with a contrast between the wickedness and deceitfulness of men, and the faithful refuge that God can be to His people. That is why David says in :5 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is in Him.” David knew his deliverance was not going to come from people, but from God. And so is ours today!
And just what kind of hope and refuge is God for His people? We see here in :8: Continue reading
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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