Praying like Elijah

By | May 7, 2026
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James encouraged his listeners to pray at the end of his very practical letter to suffering, scattered believers:

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (James 5:13-18).1

He told them to pray regardless of the situation—suffering, cheerful, sick, or sinning. James practiced what he preached. In fact, he was nicknamed “Old Camel Knees.” According to the church historian Eusebius (c. 260-340 A.D.),

“[James] was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel, in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of God, and asking forgiveness for the people.”2

To the suffering, James told them to pray. To the cheerful, he told them to sing praise. To the sick—whether physical or spiritual, whether caused by sin or God’s providence—he told them to ask for prayer by the elders of the church. If they were sinning, James encouraged them to confess their sins to one another and to pray for one another. True confession before God would result in forgiveness.

Then James moved on to why they should pray to God for themselves and for each other.

Why should we pray? Why admit to someone else our weaknesses? Why make personal prayer a priority? Why make praying with others a priority? Why making praying for others a priority?

Quite simply, because prayer works.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b, NIV).

How can we know prayer works? Well, says James, take Elijah for example. . .

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:17-18, NIV).

Sometimes we think that these biblical heroes of the faith were super-humans, but all of them had trials and some had huge personal struggles and failures. James tells us that Elijah was a man just like us:

  • Hungry (1 Kings 17—God provided food from ravens and water from a brook. When that dried up, God sent him to a widow who provided him the bread and water he asked for.)
  • Afraid (1 Kings 19:3—He was afraid and ran for his life from Jezebel.)
  • Depressed (1 Kings 19:4ff—He wanted to die; he was done running, and he thought he was the only one left serving the Lord.)

This prophet—a man just like us—has several prayers recorded in the Old Testament.

The Prayers of Elijah

In 1 Kings 17 Elijah promised King Ahab of Israel that there would be neither dew nor rain until the Lord commanded it. James tells us that Elijah actually prayed that this would be so:

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth” (James 5:17).

During this time of famine God provided for Elijah at a brook by ravens whom God commanded to feed him. When the brook dried up, God told Elijah to go to a widow whom God also commanded to feed him. While Elijah was staying with the widow, her son died. Elijah prayed:

“O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again” (1 Kings 17:21).

The Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy revived. When the widow saw her son alive again, she told Elijah that now she knew Elijah was a man of God, because the words of the Lord in his mouth were true (1 Kings 17:24).

After over three years of famine, God told Elijah to go to Ahab and tell him that God was sending rain. He told Ahab to gather Baal’s prophets at Mount Carmel for a stand-off with Elijah. These false prophets quite unsuccessfully called on their gods for fire from heaven, and then Elijah called on the one true God and prayed:

“O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:36-37).

Again, Elijah’s prayer and the miracle that followed pointed to the prophet’s mission to direct others to the true God. When the people saw God’s answer to Elijah’s prayer, they recognized the one true God.

After the following slaughter of the false prophets of Baal, Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel to pray again.

“Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees” (1 Kings 18:42).

What was Elijah doing as he bowed himself with his face between his knees? He was likely praying, as James tells us:

“Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit” (James 5:18).

Elijah was certain God would answer his prayer. Seven times he sent his servant to check the sky. The seventh time, lo and behold, there was “a little cloud like a man’s hand rising from the sea” (1 Kings 18:44). This little cloud developed into a whole storm system:

“And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain” (1 Kings 18:45).

Praying like Elijah

None of us are going to pray and raise someone from the dead. None of us are going to pray fire from heaven to prove that God is the true God. While we might pray for rain and see God answer that prayer, we don’t normally see miraculous changes in nature as a result of our prayers. So why is it that James used Elijah as an example of prayer for church members who are sick, suffering, or sinning?

When James described Elijah’s prayer that it would not rain, he said Elijah “prayed fervently/earnestly.” The Greek word for prayed is proseuchomai. The Greek word translated as fervently or earnestly is proseuchē. You can see how closely related the Greek words are. Literally Elijah “prayed with prayer.”

Doesn’t that feel a bit more doable? No, prayer is not a magic spell that invokes whatever we ask for. James reminded us that the prayer of the righteous is effective (James 5:16). As we stand in the righteousness of Christ, he intercedes before us to the Father (cf. Hebrews 4:14-16). But the idea James is communicating is that Elijah—a man just like us—prayed to God and that prayer worked.

“Here the point is not that Elijah put up a particularly fervent prayer but that praying was precisely what he did. . . . To encourage frequent use of prayer, we will not naturally urge how hard, but how manageable, is the effect we must emulate. Verse 16 is not calling for ‘fervent’ prayer: but that mistaken notion is probably part of the reason for the common translation ‘prayed earnestly’ in v. 17. We submit the true force of these verses is as follows: ‘When a righteous man prays, it is very powerful in operation. That is precisely what Elijah did, and that, let me tell you, is how it worked.’”3

If you are suffering, pray. If you are sinning, pray and confess. If others have needs, pray. Remember Elijah’s example of a regular man praying to a powerful God. Pray!

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  1. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes ESV. [↩]
  2. Eusebius of Caesaria, “The Church History of Eusebius,” in Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1 of A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890), 125. [↩]
  3. James B. Adamson, The Epistle of James, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 201. [↩]

Praying for Comfort and Encouragement

By | April 23, 2026
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Whether we are experiencing a major trial, a “blah” day for no apparent reason, or anything in between, we are people who need comfort and encouragement. And if we are in need of encouragement, it is very likely that the people around us are too.

Paul prayed such a prayer for the encouragement of the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

We will take a quick look at the reasons for Paul’s prayer, his previous teaching, the prayer itself, and some takeaways for ourselves.

The Reasons for Paul’s Prayer

Paul had good reason to pray for the Thessalonians’ comfort and encouragement. They had been undergoing persecution, and he encouraged them to persevere:

“We ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5).

Not only were they being attacked by persecution, but the believers in the church were fearful because of false teaching being circulated about the Lord’s coming:

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a).

Paul’s Previous Teaching

Paul corrected the Thessalonians and explained that the day of the Lord had not yet come, so they did not need to fear. Then he gave reasons that he was thankful to God for them. Perhaps these reasons were another roundabout means of encouraging them:

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

He encouraged them by recalling their past: God had chosen them to salvation. In the present, they were sanctified by the Spirit. And they were called in the future to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ! This reminder of the what God had done for them through the Gospel should then motivate them and call them to the action Paul calls for next—to stand firm:

“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Because they had been chosen, sanctified, and called to obtain glory, they were to stand firm and hold fast to truth. These gospel truths would not just call them persevere, but they would encourage them as well. And this is why Paul prays, asking God to comfort them.

“At the end of the day, therefore, when the apostle as teacher has done all he can by way of reassuring argumentation, he clearly recognizes that all is in vain without the enabling work of God—Father, Son, and Spirit—on their behalf.”1

Paul’s Prayer

The Basis for Paul’s requests

Before we get to the content of the prayer, we shouldn’t miss to whom Paul prayed: our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father. Himself is an emphatic pronoun, so it literally reads, “Himself Lord, our Jesus Christ.” As Lord, he is God who rules all things sovereignly. As Jesus, he is a man like we are who sympathizes with our weaknesses. As Christ, he is the Messiah, God’s anointed one. And to personalize these great truths, he is ours!

God is our Father, and fathers give good gifts (cf. James 1:17; Matthew 7:9-11). The Thessalonians had turned to him “from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). They understood the hopelessness of serving and praying to an idol (cf. Isaiah 44:9-20).

The very nature of who Jesus Christ and God the Father are and what they have already done for us provide the bases for Paul’s requests.

The Father and Son loved us.

While we could look at a million ways this is true, here are just a handful of ways in which we see their love:

  • The Father loved us by predestining us for adoption (cf. Ephesians 1:3-6).
  • The Father loved us by sending his Son to die for us (cf. 1 John 4:10).
  • Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ (cf. Romans 8:37-39).
  • Christ loved both the church (cf. Ephesians 5:25) and individuals (cf. Galatians 2:20) by “giving himself up” for them.

A.W. Pink captures well this reminder of God’s love:

“That [love] is what the apostle eyed first as he was about to make intercession for those tried saints, and that is what our faith must never lose sight of, for nothing else will keep our hearts warm and our affections fresh to God. All of God’s dispensations to and all of His dealings with us should be considered in the light of His infinite and unchanging love for us. Yet that is only possible as faith is daily exercised regarding these facts. When God’s providences are contemplated and interpreted by carnal reason, unbelief clouds our vision, and we give the devil an advantage to inject into our minds, poisonous and blasphemous aspersions against God. It is one of the enemy’s favorite devices to induce a Christian to entertain doubts of God’s love toward him—especially so in a time of trial or tribulation—and nought but ‘the shield of faith’ can stop his fiery darts. Faith resists his evil suggestions, looks away from the things seen, and lays hold upon the declarations and promises of Him who has covenanted with His people, ‘I will not turn away from them, to do them good’ (Jer. 32:40). There is solid ground to rest upon amid the storms of life. This is an unfailing cordial for the fainting heart.”2

The Father and Son specifically loved us by giving us eternal comfort and good hope.

At one point, we had no hope.

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ. . . having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, emphasis added).

Many people have a misplaced, fragile hope.

“So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider’s web” (Job 8:13-14, NASB, emphasis added).

Believers do not just have temporary hope.

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19, emphasis added).

Instead, believers have an eternal and living hope.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5, emphasis added).

This eternal comfort and good hope that the Father and Son give us is through grace.

Paul brings us around full circle. Our hope is found in grace, which grace is found in our Savior Jesus Christ:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

The Requests Paul Makes

We finally get to Paul’s requests. He asks that Jesus Christ and God the Father “comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

As we’ve seen in the first part of Paul’s prayer, God had already given them eternal comfort, so why does Paul ask that God would comfort their hearts? Paul wanted the very real truth, hope, and encouragement of the truths of God and the gospel to take place in their hearts.

“The supplication was that they might have inward enjoyment of the same, that the glorious contents of the gospel should be brought home in power to their hearts, that the substance of their consolation and the object of their hope would be made so real and solid as to fill them with peace and joy. Paul desired that they might have such a satisfying and blissful realization of the divine love and its manifestations to them that no tribulations and sufferings should be able to rob them or even becloud the same in their apprehensions.”3

The word comfort comes from the Greek parakaleō, which means “to ask to come and be present where the speaker is, call to one’s side” or “to instill someone with courage or cheer, comfort, encourage, cheer up.”4

The word establish is sometimes translated strengthen. It is the Greek word stērizō, a similar word from which we get the word steroids.

Paul prayed that God would instill the Thessalonians with courage and comfort and strengthen their hearts, so that they would be able to do and speak good in the midst of difficulty.

Paul had actually sent Timothy to them to be a means of establishing them and comforting them:

“And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort [same Greek word as comfort] you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this” (1 Thessalonians 3:2-3, emphasis added).

Takeaways

Whether our trials are as heavy as the persecution the Thessalonians were facing or whether we are faced with small issues that bother us, we have free access to the throne of grace to ask for comfort and encouragement.

  • Remember to whom you pray: Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father.
  • Remember the Father’s love to you in Christ.
  • Take hold of the eternal comfort and hope you have in Christ.
  • Ask God to apply that eternal comfort and hope to your own heart (and others for whom you pray). This can bring comfort and encouragement, enabling obedience and perseverance.
  • You can even be the answer to a prayer that God would comfort, exhort, and encourage someone. As Timothy was sent to the Thessalonians, you can not only pray for others, but you can even be part of the means in answering that prayer!

As he has already done, may God continue to give us hope, grace, comfort, and strength so that we may stand firm and obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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All quotes ESV

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Image by Pexels from Pixabay

  1. Gordon D. Fee, The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 309–310. [↩]
  2. Arthur Walkington Pink, Gleanings from Paul Studies in the Prayers of the Apostle (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005), 309–310. [↩]
  3. Ibid., 314. [↩]
  4. William Arndt et al., in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 764–65. [↩]

Why Should You Be a Member of a Local Church?

By | April 9, 2026
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Christ will build His church, and as the gospel spreads, so will the membership of His church.

And yet, the idea of church membership has fallen on hard times, even among Christians.

This is not surprising. Human nature prizes personal autonomy and sneers at submitting to a higher authority. In our highly-customized, hyper-personalized, self-satisfied way of life, it’s all about self and personal preferences.

We expect to see this mentality in our greater society and culture, but sometimes churches cater to this mentality as well. “Come as you are, leave as you were, whatever keeps you coming.” The idea of church membership and submitting one’s way of life to a group of Christians seems laughable.

Whatever the world may think of church membership, and even if some churches downplay or deny its necessity, I believe God makes clear through Scripture that we should practice church membership today. In no apparent order, here are twelve reasons why.

  1. The idea of church membership stems from a sound theology of the church.

The universal church is all Christians in heaven above and earth below. The historical church is the church on earth at a given point in history. The local church is a group of believers, organized with its own membership and officers (pastors and deacons). Scripture has letters to a single local church (e.g., 1 Cor 1:1) or a single letter to multiple local churches (e.g., Gal 1:2; Rev 1:4). Even a minimalist definition of a local church includes the ideas of a group of Christians in a certain location. More than that, these churches are spiritual families and flocks that worship God, minister to each other, and carry out the Great Commission (cf. 2 Cor 6:18; Acts 20:28).

  1. The church knows and even counts who its members are.

Every church practices church membership somehow, even if their formality is to practice informality. Christians gather. Someone preaches. Some sort of cohesion takes place, and things carry on.

But the New Testament commends greater precision than this. The early churches in Jerusalem and beyond clearly kept track of individuals, shown by numbers and descriptions of addition. The Jerusalem church began with 3,000 people, increased, grew to 5,000 men, and increased even more (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 21:20). Gentile churches were clearly being planted and multiplying as well (Acts 9:31; 11:24; 13–14; 16:5; 17:4; et al). They kept track of who joined, how many, and their numbers as churches.

  1. The church affirms its members through baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

At Christ’s command, the local church administers baptism and practices the Lord’s Supper (Matt 28:18–20; 1 Cor 11:23–26). Baptism pictures our union with Christ in His death and resurrection, and, as we believe and are baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit (1 Cor 12:12–13), so also Christian baptism (immersion) brings one into the membership of the local church (by the approval of the church). Just as a believer identifies with the beliefs of the baptizing church by undergoing baptism, so also the baptizing church identifies with this new believer and his shared beliefs by administering his baptism. As baptism brings one into the local church, so also the Lord’s Supper continues to express the fellowship of the church.

  1. The church shows itself by gathering weekly on Sundays to worship.

The churches in the New Testament gathered on Sundays to worship (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2), a gathering that God commands us not to neglect (Heb 10:24–25). For a church to have any sense of coherent, consistent existence, it has to know who these people are, that they confess Christ as Savior, and that they will gather regularly for worship. A building that hosts a preacher and audience with no sense of membership is more of a chapel than a church. Worse, if a “church” follows a business model, it will put on a show to attract a crowd. The habit of Christians to gather weekly to encourage one another to love and good works—this is the habit of a group of people who are members of one another as a church.

  1. Voting on church matters requires knowing who church members are.

Churches vote to appoint their officers, include new members, and exclude unrepentant members (Acts 6:3; 14:23; Matt 18:17). Paul even spoke of a “majority” that once put a man out of the Corinthian church (2 Cor 2:6). Receiving a vote and determining a majority within the vote is only meaningful if a church knows first who its members are.

  1. The identity of subgroups within the church assumes that the church knows who all of its members are.

The New Testament identifies multiple subgroups within churches, one of them being widows. Not only did Paul commend “a list” of widows for church care (1 Tim 5:9), he even made it clear that these were known to be faithful widows within the church (1 Tim 5:3–6). As in Ephesus where Timothy received these instructions, so also it was in Jerusalem in Acts 6. The church knew its membership as a whole and thus its widows within the church (Acts 6:1–7). Other subgroups within the church include its pastors and deacons (e.g., Phil 1:1).

The above examples are positive. We could support the idea of membership from subgroups by using negative examples as well. As a church knows its membership, sinful divisions are easily apparent. A subgroup could prefer one leader to the exclusion of others (e.g., 1 Cor 1:12) or hold to an aberrant doctrine (e.g., Acts 15:1, 5). In one sense, a subgroup defined by error implies church membership all the more as this subgroup defines itself apart from what it once held in common with the membership as a whole.

  1. The offices of pastor and deacon assumes a body of people to lead and serve.

A pastor shepherds a flock, a specific group of people allotted to his charge (1 Pet 5:2). Pastors know every soul for whom they will give account (Heb 13:17). Likewise, these Christians recognize these men as their pastors (1 Thess 5:12–13). As for deacons, they likewise serve the church, knowing who these people are and meeting their specific needs (e.g., Acts 6:1–7). The thought of having pastors and deacons with no thought to who they lead and serve simply doesn’t make sense.

  1. Members of the church hold each other accountable for the Christian life.

One of the means of grace is mutual accountability to one another (Rom 15:14). Not everyone is diligent enough to avoid every significant sin. We snatch some from the fire (Jude 22), turn the wanderer back to the truth (James 5:19–20), and restore the one caught in a trespass (Gal 6:1). While it is enough that we are safe in the hands of God and His Son (John 10:28–29), sometimes God’s keeping hand is exercised through His people. But if you do not commit yourself to the membership of a church, its pastors and people may not know you as a sheep, and you hinder yourself from the help that God gives through the members of a church.

  1. We use our spiritual gifts to minister to the members of our church.

Spiritual gifts can be used beyond one’s local church, but they are primarily used to edify the members of one’s local church. Each individual part works together to build up the whole (Eph 4:16). A singular member cannot be a church unto himself (cf. 1 Cor 12:14). As God has gifted us spiritually, we use these spiritual gifts to serve one another for His glory (1 Pet 4:10–11). This variety of gifts and unity in Christ is one of the means whereby God helps the church to look more like His Son (Eph 4:11–16).

  1. Making disciples takes place in the context of the local church.

If a Christian without a church wins someone to Christ, what pastor will that new convert have? Where will he meet to worship? Who are the other Christians to edify him with their gifts? The soulwinner is not a church unto himself. Evangelism is greatly hindered, and an intentionally isolated Christian cannot strongly show his love for his fellow Christians if he refuses to join a church (John 13:34–35).

  1. Church membership promotes unity around the gospel and key beliefs.

The New Testament bears memorable sayings and maxims that give the idea of a standard articulation of truth even then (e.g., the “trustworthy sayings” of the Pastoral Epistles). Sound creeds and statements today can provide a point of unity for a local church to know who they are by what they believe (cf. Eph 4:4–6). I believe a statement of faith for the local church is essential in our day and age when heresies and differences abound. Church members finds clarity and precision in doctrine and practice by agreeing to some kind of statement of faith and practice.

  1. Church membership benefits the whole Christian.

The church does not just provide instruction but gives blessings in all of life. God’s people care for one another in every way—as children or elderly (Eph 6:1–3; Titus 2:1–3), single or married (1 Cor 7:7–8; Eph 5:22–33), orphan or widow (James 1:27), rich or poor (1 Tim 6:17–19; James 2:5). We persevere through trials together, serve one another, and will one day spend eternity together. Why would we not begin to enjoy that fellowship in the present?

Conclusion

To call one’s self a Christian while refusing to join a church—this kind of thinking is dangerous, sinful, and wrong. God forbids anyone to exist as a lone ranger Christian apart from the church. Church history calls the Christian with no church home an “irregular Christian.” Maybe he doesn’t even attend anywhere and simply “does church” somehow online. A profession here, a video of a service there—he’s got all the God he needs. Folks, this is not the way.

From all of the reasons above, Scripture commends us to be members of one another in the local church. Formal church membership may look different from one church to the next and from one culture to the next, but the basic concept exists. If you’re not one already, become a member of a spiritually healthy local church!

Praying for Wisdom, Part 2

By | April 2, 2026
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Last time, I began with an attempt to begin to answer the question, What are we really asking for when we pray for wisdom? We looked at definitions of wisdom, the source of wisdom, and the outcomes of wisdom.

This time, we will look at some examples of praying for wisdom as well as a command to pray for wisdom when we need it.

Examples of Prayers for Wisdom

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

We cannot talk about wisdom and praying for wisdom without mentioning Solomon. Solomon had just inherited the throne of the kingdom of Israel from his father, David, when God appeared to him in the night and told Solomon to ask what God should give him. Solomon asked for wisdom:

“You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chronicles 1:8-10, ESV).

Solomon asked God to give him the wisdom to fulfill the task God had given him to govern God’s people. God answered his prayer and gave him not only wisdom to rule well, but also a great capacity for knowledge and understanding in many areas of life, including literature, music, and biology:

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men. . . and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees .  . . of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” (1 Kings 4:29-34, ESV).

First Kings 10 tells of the Queen of Sheba’s breathless reaction to the wisdom she noted in Solomon’s house he built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, their clothing, etc. He was wiser than any other king or wise man. And this wisdom was put into his mind by God.

“Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind” (1 Kings 10:23-24, ESV).

It seems that God gave Solomon a great amount of wisdom about practical things in life, things that would help him rule well and cause him to be esteemed by surrounding nations. And God used his great wisdom to bless and flourish the kingdom of Israel. But Solomon in his old age deviated from true wisdom when he disobeyed and turned from the Lord. Along with his increase in wisdom, he accumulated wealth, a great number of horses and chariots (forbidden by God for Israel’s kings in Deuteronomy 17), and many foreign women who turned his heart away from the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 11).

In Solomon, we see an example of God answering a prayer to give wisdom. God seemed to give an extraordinary amount of wisdom and capacity for knowledge to Solomon in order to help him fulfill his God-given role. But we can also learn from his example that simple knowledge and “wisdom of the world” is not enough. If these things are not tied to obedience and faithfulness, they prove themselves to be empty (Solomon himself noted this in his old age when he wrote Ecclesiastes; cf. Eccl 1:12-18.). In the end, Solomon summarized what true wisdom really looked like:

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ESV).

Paul’s Prayers for Wisdom for Believers

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would have wisdom in the knowledge of Christ:

“Remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:16-20, ESV).

We noted this passage last time when we looked at the source of wisdom being the knowledge of Christ. In knowing Christ, we have the Spirit of wisdom. Note what Paul prays would be the results of this wisdom. When believers have wisdom from God they live life knowing:

  • The hope to which God calls us
  • The riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints
  • The immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us

So, we could say that, as we grow in our knowledge of Christ, we grow in wisdom, which results in living hopeful, God-empowered lives with an eternal focus.

Paul also prayed for the Colossians to be filled with wisdom:

“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:9-12, ESV).

Again, we see a connection between knowledge and wisdom. Paul also emphasizes here what it looks like to have wisdom—to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. This walk:

  • Fully pleases the Lord
  • Bears fruit in every good work
  • Increases in the knowledge of God
  • Is strengthened by God’s power to endure with patience and joy
  • Gives thanks to the Father for his saving work

In reality, according to what we have seen in Scripture, we have full access to wisdom already. We don’t need to search our hearts for it. We certainly don’t need to search the internet either. We need to search the Scriptures, know Christ, and know what pleases him through what he has told us in the Word. As we have this solid foundation, we can make decisions (those decisions that we say we need wisdom to decide) with the wisdom we already have access to.

Now, what about when we are still faltering, still wavering, still unsure? Well, God graciously speaks to us in this condition and tells us what to do.

A Command to Ask God for Wisdom

James wrote a letter to the believing Jewish people who had been dispersed due to persecution. He told them what mindset they were to have as they encountered all sorts of trials:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:1-4, ESV, emphasis added).

Because the intended result of trials is the testing of our faith that produces steadfastness, we should consider trials to be a thing of joy. This joy is not joy for the hardship but for its outcome, the full effect: our perfection, completion, our lacking in nothing.

Of course, this perfection and completion will not happen for some time; in fact, it will not happen completely until we are glorified in heaven (so keep expecting trials until you die!). Since our perfection has not yet come, we will also probably still lack something. And James speaks to this lack as well:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8, ESV, emphasis added).

So James just said that trials produce steadfastness, with the goal that we should be perfect, complete, and lack nothing. And that should bring us joy. Have you ever failed to be steadfast in a trial? Have you ever complained instead of rejoiced in what God is doing through a trial? Have you ever failed to live out the wisdom of living with an eternal mindset with patience, joy, and endurance when undergoing hardship? I have!

Well, James speaks to us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” Now we know that we have the riches of wisdom in Christ through the knowledge of his word. We know that we should be lacking in nothing. God certainly knows this too. When we ask him for the wisdom that we should not be lacking in (but we are), maybe we expect God to reproach us. Kind of like what an adult may say to a child: Well, you should know better than to ask for that, but I guess I will give it to you.

But not God. He gives to all without reproach. And he doesn’t give sparingly; he gives generously! He knows our fragility.

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14, ESV).

If we are going to ask God for wisdom though, James does give a few qualifiers. We should ask in faith. We must truly believe God. We must ask without doubting. The doubting one is someone who is divided—someone who asks God for wisdom, but really wants something else. Perhaps this person is still clinging to his own wisdom or that of the world. If we really want God to give us wisdom, we have to really want it and be willing to take it and live the life that accompanies a wise person.

In a way, this study was more of an encouragement to help us realize that we already have wisdom readily available through the Spirit and through the knowledge of Christ as found in the Word. Yet there are times, especially difficult times during trials, when we lack the maturity we should have to view these times as a joyful means of “steadfastness production.” In these moments, we can confidently ask God for wisdom, knowing he will give it.

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Praying for Wisdom, Part 1

By | March 26, 2026
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In continuing the Wednesday night lessons on prayer for our ladies, we studied examples of and a command to pray for wisdom. When I introduced the lesson, I asked what it is that we are really asking for when we pray for wisdom. Usually, I’m thinking: Please, Lord, tell me what to do! Help me decide what the best choice is.

But my question was whether God is going to always do that. Is God going to tell me (for the example I gave in class) which vaccination schedule is best for my child? Well, no, he’s not. There will be no direct revelation from God to help me on that one. So what are we asking for when we ask for wisdom?

These questions in my own study led me to look (generally) at wisdom in the Bible. If we are praying for wisdom, then we should know how the Bible talks about it. This first post will focus on wisdom itself: What is it? How do we get it? Where do some try to find wisdom? What does it look like when we do have the wisdom of God?

Definitions of Wisdom

The Hebrew word for wisdom is chokmah, which means “skill in technical matters, experience, shrewdness.”1 This word was frequently used in describing the skills that the workers of the tabernacle had in building, sculpting, embroidery, etc. (cf. Exodus 28:3; 35:26, 35; 36:1).

The more commonly recognized Greek word sophia is defined as “the capacity to understand and function accordingly.”2

I have frequently heard (and you probably have too) wisdom defined as “the practical application of knowledge.” My question regarding this definition was this: If biblical wisdom is the practical application of knowledge, what is the knowledge that we are applying?

The Bible connects knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7 tells us:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Likewise, Psalm 11:10:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

The Source of True Wisdom

Wisdom Belongs to God

Daniel ascribed wisdom to God. He then exemplified how God shows that wisdom, tied to his might:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2:20-23, ESV).

The apostle Paul describes God’s wisdom in terms of depth and richness:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:33-35, ESV).

God Gives Believers Wisdom

In Daniel’s description above we not only saw that wisdom belongs to God but also that “he gives wisdom to the wise.” Any wisdom we have is sourced in God.

The book of Proverbs—a book chiefly interested in wisdom—also tells us that God gives wisdom to the upright. Then Proverbs describes what it looks like to have wisdom in your heart:

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways” (Proverbs 2:6-15, ESV).

Christ is God’s Wisdom

Paul also tells believers that we are in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, ESV). Christ then becomes to us wisdom from God:

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV).

God Gives Wisdom to Believers Through the Knowledge of Christ

God is the source of wisdom. God tells us he will give us wisdom. Christ is God’s Wisdom. We are in Christ, thus we have the wisdom of Christ. So, Paul says, know Christ and you will have wisdom:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17, ESV, emphasis added).

Alternate Sources of “Wisdom” 

Apart from knowing Christ and His Word, people attempt to gain wisdom from other sources. But what they find is not wisdom at all.

Self-wisdom

Especially with the start of the industrial revolution and the advances made in the early 20th century, many people began to think that science and man’s mind were sufficient and powerful. Richard Tarnas, a cultural historian, wrote:

“Man was responsible for his own earthly destiny. His own wits and will could change the world. Science gave man a new faith—not only in scientific knowledge, but in himself.”3

This self-reliance on man’s wisdom did not begin with the industrial revolution, however. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the ancient Babylonians:

“You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me’; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me’” (Isaiah 47:10, ESV).

These ancients had replaced the great I AM (cf. Exodus 3:14) with themselves.

Jeremiah gave God’s warning to Israel to not boast in their human wisdom, but rather in knowing God:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, ESV).

Paul echoes these thoughts in exhorting believers in Corinth, telling them that they shouldn’t deceive themselves into buying in to their own and the world’s wisdom:

“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile” (1 Corinthians 3:18-20, ESV).

The World’s Wisdom

If the world does not know God, then they cannot know true wisdom. Whatever the world calls wisdom is actually not wisdom; it is foolishness:

“For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:19-21, ESV).

James actually goes so far as to describe the “wisdom” of the world (and its accompanying characteristics) as not only foolishness but as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic:

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:14-16, ESV).

It is no wonder, then, that Paul pleads with and questions the believers in Colossae for accepting the wisdom and worldview of the world:

“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:20-23).

Paul clearly warned the believers to be captivated by Christ, not by worldly philosophy and wisdom:

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8, ESV).

Human wisdom—the wisdom of the world—and the wisdom of God through the knowledge of Christ are mutually exclusive. So, the source of a believer’s wisdom must be God alone, through the knowledge of Christ, by the means of God’s Word.4

The Results of Wisdom

If we partake of the world’s wisdom, as James practically reminds us (see James 3:14-16 above), doing so will reveal itself in unspiritual practices in our lives. But true wisdom, wisdom sourced in God, is different. James contrasts the outcomes of earthly wisdom with the wisdom from above:

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:17-18, ESV).

Scripture is full of what wise living looks like. The book of Proverbs in particular contrasts the lives and outcomes of foolish and wise individuals. Beyond this, the Church itself shows the “manifold wisdom of God” (cf. Ephesians 3:7-13). And believers within each local church can teach and admonish each other in wisdom, as they have the source of that wisdom—the word of Christ—dwelling richly in them (cf. Colossians 3:16).

Next time, we will look at some examples of prayers for wisdom, as well as a command to pray for wisdom when we lack it. But for now, we can be encouraged to know that in the knowledge of Christ through his Word, we already have wisdom. As we shun the world’s wisdom, take in God’s Word, believe it, and do it, we will also manifest a life of wisdom.

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Image by reenablack from Pixabay

  1. Ludwig Koehler et al., in The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 314. [↩]
  2. William Arndt et al., in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 934. [↩]
  3. Richard Tarnas, The Passion of the Western Mind (New York: Ballantine Books, 1991), 319. [↩]
  4. This is not to say that we cannot gain information from the facts we can gain from the world. John MacArthur spoke to this in a sermon on Ephesians 1:15-23: “Now I know that when you think about the world, you think there’s a certain degree of sophistication in the world; and on some level there is. There certainly is from the hard sciences and things like that, mathematics and so forth. But when it comes to philosophy, which is a way to understand the world while ignoring God or rejecting God, you get nothing but empty deception, and you get nothing but human ideas passed down from one person to another person” (John MacArthur, “Our Great Savior, Part 1.” Gty.org, 8 Aug. 2021, https://www.gty.org/sermons/49-5/our-great-savior-part-1). [↩]

Leadership Lessons from the Lists of the Twelve Disciples

By | March 11, 2026
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Jesus called twelve men to follow Him as His disciples and to send them out as His apostles. Their number is a staple in their name. Sometimes called the twelve disciples (Matt 10:1; 11:1; 26:20) or twelve apostles (Matt 10:2), these men were often simply called the twelve (Matt 10:1, 2, 5; 20:17; 26:14; Mark 3:16; 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10, 17, 20, 43; Luke 6:13; 8:1; 9:1, 12; 18:31; 22:3. 47; John 6:67, 70, 71; 20:24; Acts 6:2; 1 Cor 15:5).

After Judas’s death, they were called “the eleven,” “the eleven disciples,” or “the eleven apostles” (Matt 28:16; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:9, 33; Acts 1:26), but they could still be called “the twelve,” even before Matthias made them technically twelve again (John 20:24; cf. Acts 1:26; 6:12; 1 Cor 15:5).

In the coming millennial kingdom of Christ, the twelve apostles will sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28; Luke 22:30). In the New Creation, the wall of the New Jerusalem will sit upon twelve foundation stones that bear the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev 21:14).

Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us lists of the twelve (Matt 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, and Acts 1:13), and though John does not, he calls them “the twelve” and describes them as chosen by Jesus (John 6:67, 70, 71; 20:24).

Digging some details out of these lists, we can make some interesting observations:

  • The twelve are always divided into the three groups of four apostles, the three groups always being in the same order, and though variation exists for the order of each set of four names, each group is always headed by the same person.
    • Group 1: Peter, James, John, and Andrew
    • Group 2: Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Thomas, and Matthew
    • Group 3: James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddeaus (Judas, son of James), Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot
  • Peter is always first in the list, and Judas Iscariot is always last with a note that he betrayed Jesus. Acts 1:13 notably exempts Judas due to his death.
  • Some of the apostles were related to each other, and two were related to Jesus.
    • James and John were brothers and sons of Looking beyond the lists, it seems Salome was their mother, Mary’s sister. This relationship indicates that James and John were cousins to Jesus (Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:26–27).
    • Peter and Andrew are also brothers.
    • Some suggest Thomas Didymus (literally, “Thomas the twin”) was twin brother to Matthew since their names are usually together in the lists. Some suggest Philip and Bartholomew (Nathanael) were brothers for the same reason. But for both sets, nearness in these lists is not a definitive reason to conclude a familial connection.

Having dumped out all of our data, let’s organize it into some practical lessons for us today.

A group works well with a single leader. 

Peter’s name is always first in the lists of the twelve. He led the disciples in Acts 1. He preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  He was the first among equals. And even before his leadership, Jesus was leading the twelve. This arrangement often works well in groups, whether the church as a whole (e.g., James in Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18), a group of Christians ministering together (e.g., Paul and his companions in Acts 13:13),  or as here with Peter and the apostles.

A single leader can share his leadership with an inner circle over the group. 

Peter, James, and John are often called “the inner three.” They joined Jesus for the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37), His Transfiguration (Matt 17:1–8), and the night before His death (Matt 26:37). Sometimes Andrew is said to be part of an “inner four” because of his listing with the first group of four and was because he with Jesus as He taught in various settings (Mark 1:29; 13:3). As Jesus sometimes spent time with only three or four of the disciples, a leader might sometimes find his greater fellowship and strength in key relationships within a group.

Groups may form within a group and can have leaders among themselves. 

In addition to Jesus and His inner circle among the apostles, the apostles had three groups with a leader for each one: Peter, Philip, and James (son of Alphaeus). Perhaps this order was a way to remember a list as recorded in the Gospels, and perhaps it reflected a leadership arrangement that Jesus put in place among the apostles. Whether one or the other or both, sometimes people within a larger group will pair or group together due to family ties, similar personalities, or other commonalities. As groups divide into further groups, it can help to have a leader among each of these groups. As these leaders do well with their responsibilities, these subgroups can function as training grounds to see who leads well and might be capable of greater leadership in time.

Unity and success in any Christian group is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everything above is descriptive and not necessarily prescriptive, as helpful as these observations might be. We have been looking at narrative details and not normative demands in Scripture. What we certainly share with the apostles, however, is that they all followed the Lord Jesus Christ, minus Judas Iscariot, whose treachery was revealed in the end. With a firm commitment to loving Christ and obeying His Word, whatever the nature of the group and whatever its endeavors may be, we will find our unity and success in Him.

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How Do I Love God?

By | February 26, 2026
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How do I love God?

I was recently asked this question by one of my children, shortly before I was asked to speak at a Valentine’s Brunch. A few days later I was asked to speak in our school’s elementary chapel. With this question in my head and Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I definitely knew my topic.

We talk about love a lot in our home. On the wall of our old home, we had Deuteronomy 6:5-7 as a wall decal, visible right as we walked in the front door and right before we could walk up the stairs to our bedrooms:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

We want the love of God to be the primary focus as we do everything we do as a family. This focus on loving God governs how we deal with sibling squabbles as well. We remind them of what the two most important commandments are, as Jesus answered the lawyer in Matthew 22:37-39:

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Thus, we ask our kids if they were loving their sibling when they did {whatever unkind act or word}. No. Our follow-up question is always, Then were you loving God?

All that to say, this brings up a lot of conversation about loving God when you live in a home with 4 kids (and 2 sinful adults as well!). So, when my child asked me this question, my first thought was to send her to the book of 1 John.

This letter was written by the apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John, along with 2 & 3 John. In his Gospel, John calls himself 5 times the apostle “whom Jesus loved.” What better person to write to others about loving God than the one who had experience firsthand the love of Jesus! He saw Jesus, touched Jesus, and heard the message Jesus proclaimed. He had fellowship with Jesus, and he wanted his readers to know the same love, message, and fellowship. I love reading this book, because I feel like John was talking like I do to my kids begging them to love God, encouraging them to look to Christ, and exhorting them to obey.

Without delving too deeply into the entire book, here are a couple of points, highlighting what John says about loving God.

We Must Know Who God Is.

God is Light.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

Darkness is the opposite of light. In the next few verses, John describes what it means for people who claim to walk in the light, but actually walk in darkness. He describes them as liars who do not walk in the truth. He describes those who walk in the light as being cleansed from all sin.

So, in context, God’s being light is his sinless perfection. There is no darkness or sin in him at all. The first step in our loving God is recognizing the sinlessness of God. John places God’s light, his sinlessness, in stark contrast with our sin. In recognizing the sinlessness of God, we also must acknowledge our own sinfulness.

To deny our sinfulness is to deceive ourselves and to call God a liar—quite the opposite of loving him. To deny our sinfulness also in reality denies our need for a Savior, the very essence of how God showed his love for us.

God is Love.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:8-10).

If someone is struggling with love for others and love for God, the real cause is that person’s lack of knowing God and knowing God’s love.

What John is calling people to do is to acknowledge their sin and the wrath that God has against it. As we do so, we can recognize the greatness of God’s love in sending his only Son to die for us so we can live (instead of die in our sins as our just punishment). Jesus gave himself up to be the propitiation—the appeasement of God’s wrath—for our sins. Herein is love!

If we know who God is—his sinless “light” and his sacrificial love—and if we believe that he died to take the penalty for the sin that we acknowledge is deserving of God’s wrath, how can we love him back?

We Must Obey Him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1).

In loving us savingly, God makes us his children. Children should look like their Father. John exhorts believers to obey and not to sin repeatedly throughout the book. In fact, this is one of John’s very purposes in writing:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin (1 John 2:1a).

But in the same breath (and same verse), he points us to hope for when we do sin:

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1b).

In chapter 3, when he tells believers that they—the loved of God—are children of God, he calls us to make a practice of righteousness, like our advocate Jesus Christ the righteous. Again, he gives us hope for our failures:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3:2-3).

We are going to fail in our obedience and our love; we are not now going to look like our Father as we should. But one day, when we do see him face to face, we will be like him. This very hope spurs us to purify ourselves.

This passage reminds me so much of my pleas with my own children. The encouragement and hope we have in Christ are mixed with the strong exhortations to persevere and obey:

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:5-10).

John moves from this obedient practice of righteousness as evidence for knowing and loving God to another related evidence, loving other believers.

We Must Love Others.

John reminds his beloved readers that the message that we should love one another is nothing new. Cain is the prime example of lack of love for his own brother, and Cain showed his hatred by murdering his brother. John is very strong on this point.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:14-15).

To not love is to hate, and to hate is to be on the same level as a murderer. There is no middle ground. In contrast to the negative example of Cain and his hatred that led to taking a brother’s life, John gives us the positive example of Jesus and his love that led to giving up his own life for his brothers’ lives.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16).

We must love our brothers to the point of death if need be. But as John so practically explains, love is often seen in simply giving of the world’s good that you have to a brother in need (cf. 1 John 3:17). This is how we love others and show God’s love to them. This is how we show the tangible love of an invisible God (cf. 1 John 4:12).

John calls us on us to love one another, because love is from God. If we struggle with loving others, it’s because we don’t know God (cf. 1 John 4:7-8). Or perhaps it’s because we’ve momentarily forgotten the extent of God’s love for us. When we are struggling to love others, we need to be motivated not by the worthiness of the person we are trying to love, but by the love of God for us:

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:9-11, emphasis added).

Knowing God. Believing in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Obeying God. Loving others. This is how we love God. May we better know the love of God for us in Christ Jesus so that we may love him better and love others like he loved us.

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Whose Footsteps Will You Follow?

By | February 19, 2026
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“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”

“Monkey see, monkey do.”

We all recognize that people imitate people, whatever the reason for imitation may be. It’s easy to see and do what others do.

It’s also a biblical command for one person to imitate another, especially if it is us imitating the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to imitate Christ in many ways: love (John 13:34; Eph 5:2), obedience (1 John 2:6), service (John 13:14–15), suffering (Matt 16:24; 1 Pet 2:21), endurance (Heb 12:2–3). I’m sure we could find more passage like these if we looked for them.

And then the Bible goes one step beyond that to tell us to imitate those who imitate Jesus Christ. Pau lived his life as an example before others, and as they imitated him, he said they were also imitating Christ (1 Thess 1:6; cf. 2 Thess 3:7, 9). In fact, he commanded Christians along these lines: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1; cf. 4:15–16).

This exemplary Christlikeness should be true of pastors (Heb 13:7; 1 Pet 5:3), and Paul called upon ministerial men to be examples in this way (1 Tim 4:12; Titus 2:7–8).

Added to these men, this exemplary character should be true of any Christian. All of us should leave footsteps for others to follow to walk the Christian life as we do. But this begins by us ourselves walking in the footsteps of other godly people who are walking with the Lord.

This is how Paul speaks of the matter in Philippians 3:17. Not only were Christians to “join in following my example,” said Paul, but we are also to “observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” So, as Christ walked, so also Paul walked, and we should observe those who imitate this godly living and walk the same ourselves.

In the context of Philippians 3, this example is primarily pointed towards thinking but shows up in one’s living as well.

Paul had just labeled his personal advantages and achievements as rubbish (Philippians 3:4–6). What was truly important was knowing Christ, having His righteousness, and knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection at work in the midst of his sufferings, all so that he might attain unto the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:7–11). He pressed on, forgetting these things and reaching forward for all the heavenly blessings to which he had been called in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12–14).

He thus tells the Philippians to “have this attitude” (Philippians 3:15) and to “keep living by that same standard to which we have attained,” which means to walk in line with what they already knew of Christ—a selfless, sacrificial service to one another (Philippians 3:16; cf. 2:5–8). Also, “in this way,” they were to stand firm in the Lord Philippians (4:1). Paul repeatedly called to Philippians to his example in thinking in this letter, which was to imitate Jesus Christ.

Interestingly, Paul’s reasoning for imitating the godly comes with a warning for what happens to those who fail to imitate the godly. They will end up like others whose “end is destruction,” “enemies of the cross” who live pleasure-driven lives, men “who set their minds on earthly things” (Phil 3:18–19). If we do not persevere, it betrays a lack of saving faith. We don’t earn our way to heaven by living godly lives, but, as we imitate the godly and thus live godly ourselves, we know that heaven is ours, Christ will come for us, and He will change us to be perfectly like Him at that time (Philippians 3:20–21).

So, scope out a godly person or two or a few to imitate and follow. As they walk with the Lord, follow in their footsteps. They walk the narrow path that leads to life, leading others to life along the way, walking like Jesus for Him to return for them and others one day.

Whose footsteps will you follow?

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Words that Hinder One Voice Glorifying God

By | February 12, 2026
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Last week our Christian school had Spirit Week. It’s a fun-filled week intended to bring unity to the individual classes as they compete against one another, as well as school unity as we cheer our school on against another at the end of the week.

Unity is a good thing in a school or any organization, and it takes work and intentionality.

Unity is also an essential characteristic of the body of Christ and, specifically, a local body of believers.

Romans 15:5-6 closes off Paul’s exhortation to the Christians at Rome to welcome each other as Christ has welcomed us—regardless of differences of opinions over debatable lifestyle matters. With eyes set on the hope we have in Christ, and with all the endurance and encouragement that God himself gives us, Paul prayed for the believers:

Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6, NET Bible)

What is striking is the purpose Paul stated for this unity: that we may with one voice together glorify God. What a beautiful thought.

On the Friday night of our school’s spirit week, the different classes who had been competing against each other all week always unite together. With one voice they cheer on our school as they compete against another school.

More importantly, in heaven one day, we will join with one voice to praise and glorify God and Jesus Christ, as John saw in his vision:

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13, ESV).

Praising and glorifying God together is what all will be doing in the future before the throne. Praising and glorifying God together with one voice is the goal of our unity now. So what is something that could hinder that “one voice”?

Our unified voices could be shattered by the individual shards of grumbling and disputing voices (cf. Philippians 2:14). The side comments about how annoying someone is. The murmurs of “I can’t believe she did that.” The questions that bring someone’s actions, words, or motivations to someone else’s attention. The gossip that bites. The eye roll or scowl that communicates just as clearly as words. The pointing out someone’s momentary lack of kindness or patience (when we all fail so often).

If you’re like me, those passing words of someone regarding someone else get stuck in my head. I may not have wanted to hear what was said. I may even disregard what was said. But they are still there, attached to the speaker and—more importantly—the one the speaker talked about. Not only do our words hinder us from speaking with one voice to God’s glory, but our words can also hinder the unity from the hearer’s point of view.

How can we with one voice together glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we regularly (or even occasionally) are using our many individual voices to criticize or tear down someone instead (or any other sin of speech)?

There are many, many verses on the power of words and the power of the tongue. A whole series could be (and I’m sure has been) written on the subject. But what is striking in this passage is the purpose of our “one voice.”

I am sure we all falter in this area of the tongue. In fact, James says, “And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man” (James 3:2, ESV). James calls the tongue a fire (3:6), and he goes on to condemn the blessing and cursing that come from the same mouth (James 3:10). Psalms and Proverbs refers to the wrong words as swords.

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts (Proverbs 12:18, ESV).

We could look at so many more convicting passages on the tongue. We could also look at what a Christian’s tongue should look like, the grace that can flow from a word in season (cf. Proverbs 15:23; Colossians 4:6).

But to me, nothing is more convicting than to know that Jesus Christ died for the church, so that we may be unified, and so that with one voice we might glorify him together. We will do that perfectly one day in heaven. May God give us endurance, comfort, and hope so that we may strive to do so now for the glory of God.

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Echoes of Jesus in Us (Philippians 2 and 3)

By | February 5, 2026
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Think and live like Jesus.

Simple enough, this theme is yet rich and one of many in the book of Philippians. And not just clearly stated, but also artfully so.

Paul gives this theme as a clear command and describes the life of Jesus in Philippians 2:5–11. Then, he gives linguistic echoes of this passage when describing his own life in Philippians 3:5–21. The subtle effect, as we will see, is to hear the echoes of Jesus in the life of Paul, reinforcing that we must imitate him and others like him, a life that is in line with Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:16–17).

The following points out the verbal echoes, putting the original language in brackets as necessary below.

  • Whereas Jesus “did not regard [hēgeomai] equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Phil 2:6), so also “whatever things were gain to me,” Paul says, “those things I have counted [hēgeomai] as loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil 3:7). We do not regard anything greater than Christ who did not regard His heavenly privileges as something to hoard instead of dying for us.
  • Whereas Jesus was “found in appearance as a man” (Phil 2:8), so also Paul’s desire was to “be found in Him… having a righteousness… which is through faith in Christ” (Phil 3:9). What Jesus did, found as a man, us allows us by faith to be found in Him with His righteousness.
  • Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form [morphē] of a bond-servant” (Phil 2:7) in order to suffer “death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). As we have faith in Him, we are “being conformed [symmorphizō] to His death” (Phil 3:10) and, thanks to our coming resurrection, we will have a body in “conformity [symmorphos]” with His (Phil 3:21).
  • “He humbled [tapeinoō] Himself” to bring “glory” to the Father (Phil 2:8, 11) so that “our humble state [tapeinōsis]” could be like that “of His glory” (Phil 3:21)
  • Jesus took on the “appearance [schēma] as a man” (Phil 2:8). Likewise, He “will transform [metaschēmatizō] the body” to be like His at the resurrection (Phil 3:21).
  • All will confess “Jesus Christ” as “Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11). So also, each one who claims “Christ Jesus” as “my Lord” will enjoy a body in “conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil 3:21).

This quick comparison between Philippians 2 and 3 is enough for us to see that as Christ lived, so also shall we as we have faith in Him. How He thought, suffered, was raised, and is Lord over all to the glory of the Father, so also as we think like Him, suffer like Him, will be raised to be like Him, and thus have a glorious body like His. What an amazing thing it is to consider these echoes of Jesus in us today!

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