Life is like three dozen apple cider donuts!

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16, Amplified Bible (AMP) Every October my family takes a trek to Skytop Apple Orchard in Zirconia, NC, just outside of Flat Rock, NC. We love the scenic drive, we love the fresh apples (Fuji’s are our… Continue reading Life is like three dozen apple cider donuts!

God will hold you accountable for not caring about the souls of others.

…but his blood will I require at your hand. – Ezekiel 3:18, Amplified Bible (AMP) Let’s be brutally honest: most of us don’t believe Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:16-20 really apply to us. Oh, we give lip service to the importance of the Great Commission, and we give a mental nod to the idea that… Continue reading God will hold you accountable for not caring about the souls of others.

God would like you to stare at a metal plate for over a year.

For I have laid upon you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, 390 days [representing 390 years]; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. – Ezekiel 4:5, Amplified Bible (AMP) Our service to God is not guaranteed to be joyful, rewarding, or pleasant. Many times… Continue reading God would like you to stare at a metal plate for over a year.

You can be a complete failure, but God will still consider you a success.

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; – 2 Peter 2:5, KJV God does not categorize us as a success or as a failure based on how many souls we win, how many church members we… Continue reading You can be a complete failure, but God will still consider you a success.

It makes sense to obey a guy who’s been dead for over 200 years.

…Jonadab son of Rechab shall never fail [to have] a man [descendant] to stand before Me. – Jeremiah 35:19, Amplified Bible (AMP) You’ve been given a path in life to walk, and you know that the path is of God’s choosing. You are certain of the call. You follow it. But then something unsettling happens.… Continue reading It makes sense to obey a guy who’s been dead for over 200 years.

God knows how to take care of His own.

…And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion? – Esther 4:14, Amplified Bible (AMP) A missionary family in the country of Panama recently received a questionnaire from the Panamanian immigration office. After filling out and returning the questionnaire, the family received… Continue reading God knows how to take care of His own.

The gifts God gives you are yours forever.

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] – Romans 11:29, Amplified Bible (AMP) God gives us a specific package of gifts to help… Continue reading The gifts God gives you are yours forever.

Let God tell you the point of good preaching.

Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith. – 1 Timothy 1:5, Amplified Bible (AMP) There is an old saying that goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” In other words, people who are alike tend to hang out together.… Continue reading Let God tell you the point of good preaching.

You are not the recruiter. You are the recruitee.

You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing… – John 15:16, Amplified Bible (AMP) We must never lose sight of the sobering truth that we did not choose God as our Master. He… Continue reading You are not the recruiter. You are the recruitee.

God hates it when people throw away His gifts.

Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit]… – 1 Timothy 4:14, Amplified Bible God designed us all in specific ways for specific reasons. As part of our packages of design, God bestowed upon us certain gifts, and He did… Continue reading God hates it when people throw away His gifts.