"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you." – Colossians 1:3When you read Colossians 1, one of the first things you notice is Paul’s tone. Before he gets into instruction, encouragement, or even correction, he starts with thankfulness. He thanks God for the believers in Colossae, for their faith in Christ, and for the love they have for others. Paul’s gratitud...  Read More

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." – Revelation 3:15-16Following Jesus is not a halfway commitment. He never called anyone to dip their toe in the water or test the temperature. He called people to drop their nets. To leave everything. To die to themselve...  Read More

"Jesus said to him, 'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." – Matthew 19:21-22The story of the rich young ruler is one of the clearest examples in Scripture of someone who wanted to follow Jesus, but not badly enough. He ...  Read More

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." – Luke 9:23There is a difference between accepting Jesus and actually following Him. We live in a culture that’s gotten pretty comfortable with the idea of “believing in God” without ever truly submitting to Him. You can ask a room full of people if they believe in Jesus, and most hands will go up. But...  Read More

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6I want to talk about something that might make someone uncomfortable. There are so many believers who say they trust Jesus for eternity, but then spend every day here on earth trying to control everything themselves. They’ll say...  Read More

"For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time, behold, now is the day of salvation." - 2 Corinthians 6:2There is no more dangerous decision than to delay surrendering your life to Jesus. I know people push it off. They think there’s more time. They think they’ll get serious later, when life slows down or when t...  Read More