“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, ESV) Right now, you may wonder where you stand. None of us exhibits continual self-sacrificial love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us have moments when we mistreat the brethren by our actions – neglecting them in time of need, lashing out at...

“Your house is flooded,” said my friend over the cell phone. Graphic images flooded my mind, given that Houston, Texas, had devastating flood damage from Tropical Storm Harvey, dumping up to fifty-two inches of rain in some areas. Many from our church spent days removing muck and damaged personal items from the homes of flood victims. Rushing home, we discovered that the term “flood” is subject to interpretation. A new water filter in a new...

Timothy was a young man who traveled with Paul on his ministry travels and became the pastor of the church in the city of Ephesus. In a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he offered this warning: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous,...

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not...