Living By The Word

  The Name Above All ( October 10, 2025) “ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) God has highly exalted His beloved Son Jesus Christ and placed His glorious name above all others. Jesus is the name that saves! Through faith in Jesus, the heavenly Father extends grace to repentant sinners and welcomes us as children of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Jesus’ name is synonymous with salvation for, despite false worldly teaching, Christ is the on e way to heaven! In fact, the name “Jesus” means “Savior!” And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus loves us all and freely forgives those who confess their sins and accept His sacrifice on the cross as punishment and payment in full for them. Christ offers as a free gift something we don’t deserve and cannot earn—everlasting life to all who call upon His name, believing that His death, burial, and resurrection free us from bondage to ...

  Where Grace Meets Faith ( September 8, 2025)  “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) As sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God, Christians are called to minister to the needs of other people by faithfully engaging in acts of love, compassion, generosity, and humility. We are to use the resources, talents, and blessings that God has given each of us to positively impact the lives of family members, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, and other people with whom we cross paths daily. Once lost in our sins and dead spiritually, we have been reborn as new creations in Christ to do good deeds that glorify God, passing forward His love for mankind by addressing human needs, the greatest of which is salvation. This ultimate human need that we cannot satisfy ourselves prompted Jesus to sacrificially bear our sins on the cross to redeem us. As servants of Jesus...

  Preparing for Battle—Prayer and Praise ( June 27, 2025) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) One certainty of life is that we all have to endure hardships and trials. Jesus said, “ In the world you w ill have tribulation; but be of good cheer,   I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Since seasons of suffering are inevitable, Christians should stock up our storehouses of faith in Christ, the source of salvation and eternal hope that bolsters us when we face adversity. A biblical example of the proper response to life’s difficulties is Jehoshaphat, one of the few godly kings of ancient Israel who exhibited his faith in God in a crisis situation through prayer and praise. When an imposing enemy force came against his kingdom of Judah...

  A God Who Gets the Human Experience ( June 11, 2025) “ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) Sometimes a welcome blessing that we can share with others is our genuine compassion and understanding based on personal experience. There are difficult times when we need the empathy of a family member, friend, or other trusted person who can genuinely relate to what we’re going through. It is comforting to share our burdens with someone who has dealt with similar situations and knows first-hand how we feel. We have found such a friend when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who, above everyone else, understands the human condition. Our Savior lived among humanity as God incarnate and, unlike us all, did it without blemish so that He could become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Having trod this earth as both God and man for about 33 years, Jesus can personally relate to any circumstance that we experience in our modern da...

  A Place in Paradise (June 4, 2025) “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) In a fallen world in which human nature has been corrupted by sin, we should thank God constantly for His abiding grace. Although many are in a state of denial, God’s Word says we are all sinners who have fallen short of His glory and, as a result, deserve to suffer the consequence of our transgressions, spiritual death. Thankfully, though, God is merciful and does not will that we get what we deserve. Instead, He has offered each of us what we do not deserve—His grace—when we turn away from our sins and come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, salvation, and an eternal home in the paradise of heaven. No sin, however despicable, is beyond the far reaches of God’s amazing grace. Only outright rejection of this unmerited favor offered by the LORD condemns the unbeliever to His wrathful judgment. Crucified between two criminals on a hil...

  Make Peace in a Conflict-torn World ( May 5, 2025) Regrettably, I can recall many times in my life when my words and actions contributed to conflict rather than helped to resolve it. However, we cannot dwell upon our past mistakes, but must count them as learning experiences and move forward, purposing not to repeat them. In a world teeming with division, discord, and dissent, we should be engaged in efforts to diffuse conflicts and promote peace in our relationships with other people. As Jesus Christ’s ambassadors to the world, Christians are called to be peacemakers! “ P ursue peace with all  people,  and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. ” (Hebrews 12:14) Providing encouragement and commendable examples for us to follow are many biblical peacemakers. Joseph forgave his jealous brothers who had sold him into Egyptian slavery, saying what they’d intended for evil, God meant for good. Jonathan sought to make peace between his jealous father, ...