By Waylon Bailey In almost every area of life, it’s the small things that count. Think about your marriage. What is it that really counts? Almost always, it’s the small things. A big ring or valuable piece of jewelry a husband gives to his wife probably doesn’t count for very much if he leaves out kindness, tenderness, and gentleness. I remember hearing a story years ago about a brother and sister. The brother had done something to hurt his sister and was made to apologize by his mother. He came humbly to say he was sorry, give her a hug, and say, “I love you.” I don’t think I will ever forget her response. She said, “I don’t care whether you love me or not, just treat me right.” It’s the small things that count. We can never really achieve the big things that we want if we leave out the small things. What are the small things? In our relationship with God, it is the small things that truly matter. Let me encourage some small things. First, spend time each day in prayer. Seek to pray several times during the day. You may only have a few minutes to do so. Establish your dependence on God in prayer. This may be a small thing, but it will pay great dividends. Second, go out of your way to do something … [Read more...]

By Stewart Holloway Where is your focus? We are prone to look at what is right around us, especially the struggles - the schedule, the bills, the diagnosis, the aggravating coworker, the disappointments. If it’s a hardship, we focus on it. But 2 Corinthians 4 challenges us to stop all that. Instead of looking around, we need to look UP! Our focus doesn’t need to be on the temporal things because temporal things are temporary. Instead, our focus needs to be on God and His eternal things. Lift up your eyes and look to God today. He is the source of joy, blessing, love, hope, peace, and whatever good you need. Stewart Holloway is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Pineville. This editorial first appeared on his Facebook page. … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey God’s call of Jeremiah to be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:4-10) to the nations is a treasure chest for understanding service to God. Though Jeremiah had no special abilities or background, God called him to go to the nations with the message of God. His call teaches us about serving God. What are those special lessons about serving the Lord? First, whatever God commands, He provides. Like almost every other messenger of God, Jeremiah was an ordinary person who was called not for his ability but his availability. Jeremiah knew that he didn’t have all he needed, but he soon learned that God provides what His servants need. God does not call us to do something in our own power; He calls us to do what He can do through us. That truth makes all the difference. Second, wherever God sends you, He will be there as well. God told Jeremiah that he should not be intimidated or afraid because He would be right there with him: ” ‘For I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 1: 8). Third, It’s not about me. It’s easy to get caught up in ourselves. We want “our” ministry or “my” work. None of it is ours, and it’s not about me. It is all about God. Jeremiah teaches me to be more concerned with … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14 “The Dog Days of Summer” is an expression that one hears often in baseball. The phrase comes from the very challenging days of playing baseball in the heat of the summer. Not only are players contending with the heat, but they are also contending with the length of the baseball season. The excitement of the beginning of the season has certainly waned, and the end of the season with championships on the line is too far away to make a difference. Added to this is the sad reality that some teams recognize that their championship hopes have all but been shattered. Championships are won or lost in these “dog days of summer.” I suspect that the Christian experiences our own version of the “dog days of summer.” The main difference is that the Christian’s “dog days” can come in almost any season of life. The newness of conversion unfortunately loses excitement, and the daily battle with sin and circumstances makes our ultimate reward seem so distant. How does the Christian survive the dog days? Apostle Paul seems to give us a good word: “Press on.”  We must press on in our walk with Christ. We … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- Jesus stood in the Praetorium after a night of being arrested and questioned by Caiaphas the High Priest. Now it was Pilate who asked Him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus replied, "You say rightly that I am a king" (John 18:37). And what a King! He is the King of the Jews. In Matthew, a delegation of Eastern Magi arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" Near the end of Matthew, a sign is affixed to the cross of Jesus, reading, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." He is the King of Israel. In John 1:49, Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" He is the King of Righteousness. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was prefigured by Melchizedek, the mysterious character in the book of Genesis "to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated 'King of Righteousness.'" He is the King of Peace. In the same passage in Hebrews 7, Jesus is compared with Melchizedek in his role as king of Salem, which, according to verse 2, means "King of Peace." He is the King Over All the Earth. This title is found near the end of the Old Testament, in the passage in Zechariah describing our … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn Since 1975 when I started kindergarten, every August has meant “back to school.” Every August, I have either been a student, the husband of a school teacher, the pastor of a church with a school, or the parent of a student. That is a lot of back to school prayers (and a lot of tuition). For those of us with children, I’m convinced that the first day of school marks the beginning of a new year more so than January 1. As we begin another school year, let me give you a couple of reminders about praying for your child and your child’s teachers. When praying for your child’s teachers: Pray for the teacher’s salvation. This is the most important prayer we can offer for anybody. Pray that your relationship with your child’s teacher can lead to spiritual conversations. Pray for a good relationship with that teacher. Pray that you will model Christ in all of your dealings with your child’s teacher. Pray that the teacher will always be fair. This is not always easy, because they, like you, are human. When praying for your child: Pray that your children will learn this school year. After all, learning is the reason they are going to school. Don’t pray that they will make good grades; pray that they … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey While the Epistle to Philemon is one of the shortest books in Scripture, it is one of the most powerful. We would miss so much without Paul’s letter to the slave owner about the slave. This book shows the power of God to cause people to change and move out of their comfort zone. Notice also that this story would be incomplete without the obedience of at least three people. We often forget how integral Paul was in this saga of repentance, forgiveness, and obedience. Paul put himself on the line for both Philemon and Onesimus. He also put the gospel itself on the line. Is the gospel real? Does it work? Paul put his own standing before others on the line as well. Was he asking an impossible request by asking Philemon to receive the fugitive slave and thief as a brother? What about Onesimus? By agreeing to return, he put his own life at risk. In the slavery of that day, masters had the right of life and death over slaves. On a whim, the master could have the slave beaten unmercifully and then left to die or to have the slave executed. Would Philemon be willing to take him back? What about Philemon? Was he a fool for trusting again? Could he really open his home and his arms to someone who had … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn When I was in college, I was invited to attend an “Advance” sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I had been on retreats before, but I had never heard of an “Advance.” When I asked about the meaning of an “Advance,” my leader asked if I had ever been on a retreat. When I indicated that I had been on many retreats, my leader told me that an advance was like a retreat. My leader continued that Christians are never to retreat, but always to advance. As Christians, even when we go on a retreat, we do so in order to advance. Paul said it this way to the church at Philippi. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NIV) Christians do not run away from tough times; we run toward the prize for which God has called us. Christians do not panic, but instead we pray, trust God, and react with peace. As we contemplate the back to school season and many of us get back to “normal routines,” let’s pray about how we might advance. Let’s advance first of all in our personal lives. Set some new goals spiritually. Then, let’s work together for the advance of the kingdom of God. Steve Horn is executive director for Louisiana Baptists. … [Read more...]

By Jeff Ginn Mount Everest is the world’s tallest peak. It is remote, rugged and daunting. Over three hundred climbers have died in pursuit of its peak and many of their bodies still lie frozen where they fell. Given these facts, something quite surprising happened this summer. There was a traffic jam on Everest! Due to weather, typically only a few weeks in May are suitable for the ascent. This year, bad conditions reduced that window of time to a few days. For that reason, hundreds of climbers attempted the summit on the same day. Because there is a single rope that lines the last leg of the journey, the route became terribly congested and torturously slow. In the so-called “death zone” of over 8,000 meters of altitude, that is a recipe for disaster. Eleven climbers died during this year’s window. One of the saddest cases in Everest lore is that of a British climber named David Sharpe. He was an experienced mountaineer. On his third attempt to summit Everest, he decided that he would go solo without the aid of a team or sufficient supplemental oxygen. On his way back down from the summit area, he stopped. Not all of the reasons for his pause are known. What is known is that 40 different climbers passed him on the trail. … [Read more...]