Charles Wesley wrote some wonderful hymns. “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” was written in 1738 on the first anniversary of his conversion to Christianity. In 1888, a man named Ralph Hudson took lines from three verses of Wesley’s hymn text, mingled them with the phrase “Blessed be the…

I’m good at stumbling. I can trip over a piece of lint. But James didn’t mean physical stumbling. Here, “stumble” means to offend, err, or make a mistake. Unfortunately, I can be pretty good at that, too. It’s so easy to speak—to bandy about our opinions and our feelings and…

There is power in words. I can still recall statements from decades ago, some that edified and some that decimated me. I’m sure you can, too. When those statements come from people in authority, they seem to carry more weight with us. Those in authority should “know,” so we tend…

If a body is not breathing, it is a dead body. If a person who claims to possess faith isn’t serving the kingdom, his is not a living faith. Works—those acts that carry ethical and religious consequences—set us apart as believers. Now, to be clear, works aren’t what we do…

Are you willing to learn? I imagine James’ heart ached as he penned that question. We all know people who are stubbornly set in their own belief system that isn’t scriptural and therefore is leading them down a road to condemnation. We want so much to change their course, but…

HYMN DAY! This wonderful hymn was written by John Henry Yates, who was already preaching in churches at the age of 21…40 years before he was officially ordained. My favorite line in this hymn is the end of verse 3: “We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night in Jesus’ conq’ring…

This is a strong statement, isn’t it? It can make a person sit back and think, “Whoa…” But it’s an important statement. There are many people who think they’re okay because they believe in a “higher power.” That’s basically belief in a creed rather than personal trust in a Savior.…

If we wanted to define the word “works” for context here, we would say “behavior with ethical and religious consequences.” I think we can all agree that evil deeds eventually lead to condemnation. On the other hand, good deeds lead to commendation. But good deeds in and of themselves don’t…

As I said on Tuesday, I’ve personally experienced the justice and mercy of the cross. Because I’ve received mercy, I know how to give mercy. As receivers of God’s mercy, we’re expected to extend mercy to others. Showing favoritism for any reason is never merciful. Let me see with His…

Speaking and acting covers our interactions with others. We are free to behave however we please. We are free to say whatever we want to. But we will be judged for the things we do and say—most especially those things that grieve the Lord. As His children, we are to…