atheists worship too

It's interesting that in the ancient Roman empire, in the first century A.D., early Christians were seen as atheists. Why? Because they had no visible gods.

The Roman pantheon comprised of hundreds of visible gods who were appeased and worshiped as part of everyday Roman culture. Christians, on the other hand, worshiped the risen Jesus, an "invisible god."

Not much has changed today. Atheism isn't "worshipping no god"; it's worshipping visible gods while rejecting the one, true, living, invisible God.

humor done right

i think the most effective humor in sermons is that which is used to disarm or explain rather than to simply entertain. Humor, done right, helps people identify with and even understand biblical truth. Humor, done wrong, is simply a joke, with no other purpose than to make the preacher feel good about himself.

serving God

a lot of people struggle with the idea of “serving the Lord” because in reality we do all sorts of things that have nothing to do with God directly. you spend 50hrs a week building database software, not reading your Bible or singing Chris Tomlin. but serving God is not just doing “spiritual” things that are directly related to God per se; serving God is simply doing whatever God wants you to do. it’s carrying out whatever God’s will is for your life, for a particular decision, in a particular situation.

when Paul talks about "serving the Lord" in Romans 12:11, he uses the word douleuo which means "to be a slave." a slave serves his master not just by shining his shoes or making his dinner, but by doing anything the master commands. so even if the master commands the slave to serve someone else, that act of service is still in fact serving the master's will.

so the way to serve God is not to unplug from the rest of the world and sing all day. It’s to constantly be asking the question, “God, what do you want me to do?” and, before even getting an answer, being enthusiastically willing to do it.

Charles Spurgeon put it well when he asked: "Has it occurred to you frequently, and does it occur to you constantly to see what the Lord would have you do?"

invest wisely

i was driving to work yesterday morning and had this thought:

Life is short. Eternity is long. Invest wisely.

actions speak louder

this thought came to mind recently and it has really been pushing me to examine myself:

our living should outdo our preaching, by far.

listen to how Paul describes himself in 1 Thessalonians 2:10 - "You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed." the people he ministered to could vouch for his LIFE, not just his sermons. but they weren't the only witnesses. he, with all integrity and confidence, had the audacity to say that God Himself would testify of his personal holiness. this is the God who sees and examines our thoughts and desires (1 Chron.28:9b), who knows our lives when noone else is watching. and paul could confidently call God as a witness to his integrity.

i want my preaching to always be lagging behind my living. not the other way around.