Matthew 23:28, “In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” One of the biggest issues Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders of His day was their hypocrisy.  The English word “hypocrite” comes from the ancient Greek word for…

1 Corinthians 13:6-7, “6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Many of us can relate to being hurt and disappointed in life because the people we trusted let us down.  Often times I as a pastor suffer the reproach of…

Colossians 3:9, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” Current studies show that the average person lies between 1-2x a day (and who actually knows if these numbers are true because people might have been lying).  Some people lie to make themselves look better than…

Revelation 3:16, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Some things are best served either hot or cold like coffee and milk, but when they are lukewarm they taste disgusting.  Imagine forgetting that you had left the milk out and then drank it at room…

Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” The most difficult people to deal with in the church are those who are rebellious.  Rebellious people tend to think they can “teach the teacher” and are other people’s “speck inspector.”  However, they fail to see the “log” in their own eye…

Exodus 6:9, “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.” Have you ever felt like giving up on God?  Maybe you weren’t going to become an atheist but you were tempted to stop praying and having faith for things to change in your…

Ephesians 5:16, “Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Every person on earth has the same 24-hour day. Most people sleep for eight hours, work for another eight, and then mismanage the other eight hours.  The big question is, “What are you doing with your other eight hours?”  I challenge you…

Revelation 2:4, “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first.” The most tragic thing to lose in your walk with God is your “first love.”  The first love we have for Jesus is priceless and incomparable to any kind of love in this world.  A simple definition for…