March 10, 2026

Matthew 3: 13-15 (NIV)

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

Christ’s baptism might create misunderstanding, just as His associating with publicans and sinners did. He was content to be misunderstood.*

According to the apostle John in chapter 1, verse 33 of his gospel, John the Baptist was not surprised to see Jesus coming to him for his services. So perhaps we shouldn’t read this as John the Baptist’s attempt to talk Jesus out of being baptized but as a sign of the man’s humility and his recognition that Jesus wasn’t just his cousin.

There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate any significance to the role of baptizer. Jesus could have quietly had his baptism conducted by one of his disciples but he needed to make a point and John provided a very public platform from which to deliver his message.

When we present ourselves to be baptized, we confess our sinfulness and repent from it. Jesus had no sin so he had no need for confession or repentance. We are baptized for the washing away of our sins; Jesus was already clean. But he submitted to baptism the same way he submitted to every command of his Father. 

As observed by another writer, Jesus’ purpose was to be the sacrifice for our sin, and not so much to be an example of how to live a sinless life - since we can't. There are “crucial aspects” of his life, this writer claims, that are "unique about him” and we cannot imitate them.* Jesus’ baptism is not one of those things that we are unable to imitate. He was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” If he had to do it, why shouldn’t I?

It is indeed correct to say that baptism is a washing away of sins, but the expression is too weak and mild to bring out the full significance of baptism which is rather a symbol of death and resurrection. For this reason I would have those who are to be baptized completely immersed in water as the Word says, and as the mystery indicates.*

March 9, 2026

II Corinthians 6: 1 (NIV)

As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

Paul understood the value of companions and teamwork.*

For most of you, the dreaded “being picked last” is your worst memory about growing up. Not me. When our PE teacher made us choose sides for basketball, I anxiously hoped for that moment when everyone else had been chosen and both teams were fully “womanned” and they didn’t need me. Being picked last didn’t hurt my feelings at all because 1) I would not have been an asset to the team so why would they pick me? 2) I hated playing basketball; 3) there were other types of teams for which I would have been chosen first so my self-esteem was intact.

Paul’s life provides plenty of examples of the value of teamwork – he seldom traveled alone. But God is the ultimate teammate. Paul claims to be God’s fellow worker and you know that whoever got to choose first would pick God to be on their team. Being God’s fellow workers means that we are on the same team - he works alongside us; we work beside him. We know that with him on our side, we are going to win the championship!

You will receive a lifelong blessing when you follow the instructions of the Lord and join Him at work in His favorite fields.*

March 8, 2026

Isaiah 29: 13 (NIV)

The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Some of the things we think are important are just part of a church culture we’ve constructed around the faith, similar to what the Pharisees did.*

Genuine worship comes in two styles: private and public. It is probably true that even the most judgmental among us have no problem worshipping God at home, in our own way, on our own schedule; but public, corporate worship seems to bring out the passive-aggressive in us!

●Ushers and servers must wear ties. ●Women can’t help take up the offering. ●Communion must be served before the sermon. ●Communion must be served after the sermon. ●You must sing an “Invitation Hymn” after every sermon.● No running in the church! ●You must sing, “Now I Belong to Jesus” after every baptism.

The people who live by these rules attend church services faithfully. They go through the motions of worship but they are robbed of their joy if any of their rules are broken. I shouldn’t sound so critical because I have my personal preferences, too, and when I don’t get my way, sometimes it interferes with my worship. We are a sad bunch of Christians if this is what we think worship is all about!

Read the gospels and see what Jesus said we should and shouldn’t do in a worship service. Having trouble finding it? Turn to the Book of Acts and read the list of rules that Peter proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost. . . Well, seriously, you should read the Book of Acts and what you will find are some suggested activities as practiced by the early church. You won’t find an “order of worship” as often seen in our Sunday bulletins. No mention of “Sunday School.” I don’t think you will read about pews or choir robes or that the sermon has to have three points. But you will read about sincere worship, unity, and joy.

Several statements found on his lips in the Gospels suggest that Jesus was most concerned about pure worship, not misguided tradition.*

March 7, 2026

Song of Solomon 5: 9 (NIV)

How is your beloved better than others?

When we love someone, we take the entire package.*

Ah! Young love! Who can explain it? What makes that particular person the object of your devotion? I tried to solve the mystery of love when one of my sons started dating the girl who eventually became his wife. I asked, “Why her? What made you decide she was so special?” His reply, “Because she thinks I’m the coolest.” I don’t know if that clears it up for the rest of you but it worked for them – they dated through his senior year in high school, through four years of college, and have been married for almost 17 years. They are still such a cute couple!

Falling in love and getting married has not always been the course of matrimony – and in some cultures it still is not the way things are done. Families arranged marriages for political, social, and financial reasons, and the happy couple had no say in the matter. And yet, written in a world that operated like that, the Bible still speaks of love between husbands and wives.

Perhaps there is some practical application of this verse for those of us living in enlightened times and a liberated society. Before you jump into marriage, ask yourself the question: How is my beloved better than others? Your answer should help you determine if you are making the right decision.

If your marriage is in trouble, try to remember how you would have answered the question when you first fell in love. Before you give up and abandon your marriage, try to recall what made your spouse special back then. What changed – you? Your spouse? Or are you just not willing to make the effort to deal with the inevitable changes that life brings? Is it easier just to blame your partner? If your spouse asked himself or herself the question about you – how are you better than others – how would you fare in the comparison?

No marriage can be dissolved without someone failing, either one party or both, to some degree.*

March 6, 2026

Joshua 24: 31 (NIV)

Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

Personality is a prime factor in natural leadership. . .The Spiritual leader, however, influences others not by the power of his personality alone but by that personality . . .empowered by the Holy Spirit.

It is sad that the nation of Israel could only maintain their momentum during the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who had been with him. Where was the next leader? Why was there no one ready to fill the void left by the death of Joshua?

There are dangers for dynamic leaders. Even a truly godly minister runs the risk of having church members who are more loyal to him than to Jesus Christ. Another hazard for successful leaders is the ego trap. How many megachurch preachers have gone from being humble servants of God to becoming arrogant, greedy, and impure? Oh, but this is no reason to keep a good man down. We need men of God to rise to positions of leadership - men who have prepared themselves for the job, just like Joshua did . . . well, men who are prepared by God, that is!

My home church is a growing and thriving congregation, thanks in no small part to the efforts and personality of our former senior minister. He was energetic, innovative, and preached the truth week after week. His church family had a responsibility to pray for him, encourage him, and hold him accountable. We also need to be praying that God has prepared his replacement to fill the void and that the congregation will support him - so that no one sadly says of our church, “They served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Jim.”

We are called to worship him, not the music, the preacher, the sermon, or the children’s program. God alone is deserving of worship.*

March 5, 2026

I Timothy 1: 9-11 (NIV)

The law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the glorious gospel . . . which is entrusted to me.

The moral laws of life are just as immutable as the natural laws.*

Years ago, someone called my attention to this list of sinners and pointed out that liars were included among these most heinous of offenders. That made an impression on me. What never got my attention was the inclusion of slave traders in the list.

As an American and a Christian, I am appalled that there are people who profit from the sale of other humans and that these same humans have no rights to themselves. But until recently I considered slavery to be one of those unnamed “whatever else is contrary to the glorious gospel” items because I was not aware of any scripture which actually condemned it. But, even before I was aware of this list, I knew slavery had to be wrong because it is clearly in conflict with the two “greatest” commandments: love God and love others.

Any questionable principle or activity, whether specified as sin or not, could be held up to the light of these two greatest commandments to determine if it is right or wrong. We should ask ourselves: Could someone who loves God participate in this activity? Could I ask for God to bless me while I am taking part in it? Would others be hurt by my actions? Could I accept a principle that is detrimental to others? What would Jesus do?

It is in the light of God’s Word that ethical decisions must be weighed and made.*

March 4, 2026

John 21: 25 (NIV)

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

In an era when new religions were a dime a dozen, the Christian faith became a worldwide phenomenon.*

After more than 30 years, I got together with my college best friend, and of course we took that stroll down memory lane. I know we didn’t remember everything that we did back then but it was enough to make me ask, “When did we have time to go to class?”

Jesus’ “classmates” in his three-year ministry must have had a similar feeling when they looked back on the experience. “How did the 13 of us manage to accomplish so much back in Jerusalem?” they might have wondered. Jesus changed the world with 12 seemingly-ordinary men in fewer years than it took me to get a college degree. Trying to capture and record all those memories would be daunting – and unnecessary. The inspired writers of the gospels told us everything we needed to know about their exploits. As someone has observed, “The Gospels get their facts straight, but they’re not written to say everything about Jesus and to say it in chronological order.”* We should also note that, since John begins his account of Jesus’ life by saying that all things were made by him, we would have to go all the way back to creation to begin filling in the missing details!*

And Jesus isn’t finished with his activity in this world. John records Jesus’ promise to send his Spirit to be in us (John 14: 16-18) – and we still have work to do (Matthew 28: 19, 20).

Do you know how this world would be changed if we simply did what Jesus told us to do, simply because he said so?*