Born for a Purpose

One Another Ministry Clergy over the laity mindset, excessive pastoral authority, a cultural lack of community, an emphasis on individualism, market-driven church ministry philosophies, a modern consumer mindset to Christianity–all of these and more contribute to what I believe is the greatest need in churches today: the “one another” ministry. What is the “one another” ministry? It is the mutual encouraging and exhorting, indeed even admonishing, which is to be woven throughout the life of a church. It is the pattern we see over and over in the NT ( Acts 2:44-47 ;  4:32 ;  18:27 ;  Jn. 13:34-35 ;  Rom. 1:12 ;  12:10 ,  16 ;  13:8 ; 15:1-7 ,  14 ;  1 Cor. 12:25 ;  14:26 ,  31 ;  2 Cor. 13:11 ;  Gal. 5:13 ;  6:1-2 ,  6 ;  Eph. 4:2-3 ,  32 ;  5:19 ;  Phil. 1:27 ;  2:2 ;  Col. 3:13 ,  16 ;  2 Thess. 1:3 ;  Heb. 3:12-14 ;  10:24-25 ;  James 5:16 ;  1 Pe...

God’s sovereignty does not begin at death… It should be evident, however, that God’s sovereignty does not begin at death…His sovereign direction in our lives even precedes our births. God rules as surely on earth as He does in heaven. He permits, for reasons known only to Himself, people to act contrary to and in defiance of His revealed will. But He never permits them to act contrary to His sovereign will. In support of the statement I have just made— God never permits people to act contrary to His sovereign will— consider the following passages of Scripture: In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)  Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Prov 19:21)  There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. (Proverbs 21:30)  Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? (Ecc 7:1)  Who can speak and have it happen if the L...

Friends In The Night Do you have someone you could call in the middle of the night if you needed help? Bible teacher Ray Pritchard calls these people “2 a.m. friends.” If you have an emergency, this kind of friend would ask you two questions: “Where are you?” and “What do you need?” Friends like that are crucial during difficult times. Jonathan was that type of friend for David. Jonathan’s father, King Saul—who was filled with envy at David’s popularity and God’s blessing on him—tried to kill him (1 Sam. 19:9-10). David escaped and asked his friend for help (ch. 20). While David hid in the field, Jonathan sat at dinner with his father and quickly realized that Saul did indeed intend to kill David (vv.24-34). Because of their deep friendship, Jonathan “was grieved for David” (v.34). He warned him of his father’s plan and told him he should leave (vv.41-42). David recognized what a good friend he had in Jonathan. The Bible says they wept together, “but David more so” (v.41). T...

The Good Life Beauty, wealth, power, love, marriage, and pleasure are good things, but they’re not the best. The best is loving God and taking in His love—bringing Him glory and making Him our friend for life. That leads to the best possible life because it gives us satisfaction and joy now (John 10:10), and it’s what Christians are going to be doing forever. That’s why we should make time for God and rest in His love—the love that made you and me. It is the reason for our existence and the means by which we will make the most of our lives. I like the way the psalmist put it: “It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works” (Ps. 73:28). In other words, the good life is drawing close to the One who loves us like no other. And how can we “draw close” to Him? Here’s a practice I began many years ago: Take a few minutes every morning to read some verses from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and note what Jesus s...

Real Love A few years ago, my friend’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Since then, Beth has been forced to make tough decisions about her mom's care, and her heart has often been broken as she watched her vibrant and fun-loving mom slowly slipping away. In the process, my friend has learned that real love is not always easy or convenient. After her mom was hospitalized for a couple of days last year, Beth wrote these words to some of her friends: “As backwards as it may seem, I’m very thankful for the journey I am on with my mom. Behind the memory loss, confusion, and utter helplessness is a beautiful person who loves life and is at complete peace. I am learning so much about what real love is, and even though I probably wouldn't have asked for this journey and the tears and heartache that go with it, I wouldn't trade it for anything.” The Bible reminds us that love is patient and kind. It is not self-seeking or easily angered. It “bears all things, be...

CELEBRATION! | Psalm 46:1  Psalm 46:1   God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those who just don’t feel like getting out of bed today . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those who have been blown over by a hard-hitting storm and are having a difficult time getting up . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those who have lost a loved one . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those who just received some not so good test results from the doctor . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those going through what seems to be a hopeless separation or the finality of a divorce . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those wondering if life is worth living . . . God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. For those wonde...

Did Jesus Claim to Be God? Matthew 10:40–42 A convincing piece of evidence of Jesus’ divinity is his self-perception, revealed in statements like  Matthew 10:40 , in which he claims that he and God are one in the same. The Gospels record many statements made by Jesus that confirm he knew of his divinity; however, some interpreters claim that Jesus never intended to make such shocking statements. Do Jesus’ words really confirm that he thought he was God? On many occasions, Jesus made claims with unprecedented authority. Although God communicated his message through many prophets in the Old Testament, they all knew that their teachings were not their own; they were merely messengers (see  Isaiah 44:24–26 ;  Haggai 1:13 ). Jesus, however, knew he was more than God’s messenger. Ten times in Matthew, Jesus corrected misunderstandings of the law or overruled Jewish custom by his own authority, saying, “But I tell you” (see, for example,  Matthew 5:22 , 28 , 32 ). ...

I had a very interesting conversation with my friend yesterday. She told me she was in the white house (as i call it) obeying the call of nature. Soon as she is finished and is reaching out for the necessary accessories she hears a splashing sound only to realize her jisty phone had taken a dip in the loo. Without a second thought or any kind of hesitation, she yanks her hand into the toilet and comes out with the phone, needless to say it was not the only thing she came out with. grooossssss!! The phone is rinsed and blow dried and yes…….you guessed right. It is still working. (Thank God people cannot smell anything when they call you.) I thought that was a good topic for blog, depending on what angle you tackled it from. So i tell the gross story on my breakfast show and i ask if anyone else has been in the same situation. Just as i suspected, the super spiritual started condemning. One text said: surely you have nothing else to discuss on blog deMulli? A comment on ...

Teaching with Symbols | Joshua  4:20 -22 Joshua 4:20-22 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.  He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?'  tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’” On a shelf in my study is a large piece of a brake drum from a semi-truck. One night as Lori and her family were traveling south on 1-35 from Kansas to Oklahoma this five-pound piece of metal flew from a truck and through the front window of their car, shattering the glass. The deadly object went over Lori’s head, hit the top of the interior roof and went out the back window, just missing Lori’s mom.  None of the seven people in the car were injured (Lori actually wrote about this “Night of the Miracle” in Young Ambassadors when she was 11 years old, becoming a published writer long before me).   Like the twelve stones that Joshua set up, this piec...

Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar, Rezzar  [Nĕbu chad nĕz'zar]— nebo, defend the boundary .  Son of Nabopolassar and king of Babylon , who figures prominently as an enemy of God’s people ( 2 Kings 24:1 ,  10 ,  11 ;  Dan. 1-5 ). The Man Whose Pride Turned Him Mad This first Gentile monarch was the one who captured Jerusalem and destroyed both city and temple. The inhabitants were carried into Babylon as slaves. Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in Dura, and the three Hebrew youths who refused to bow down to the image were thrown into the fiery furnace but divinely preserved. Drunk with pride, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams Daniel interpreted. Driven out for a time from men, and living among oxen, he became a new man and turned from his humiliation to honor God. The encyclical letter written by the first head of Gentiles, for Nebuchadnezzar was “a king of kings,” reaches far and wide in the lesson it teaches to all Gentile powers, until the times of the Gentil...

Be Strong and Courageous | Joshua 1:9 Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. In 1933 the Great Depression reached its depth. Americans, looking for hope, had elected a new president. Franklin D. Roosevelt well understood the challenges that faced our nation. “Only a foolish optimist,” he said, “can deny the dark realities of the moment.”   In his inaugural address Roosevelt didn't mince words. He began his now famous speech by addressing the fear that permeated our country. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, whi...

The Word of God is full of encouraging verses that give us hope and strength for every situation we’re in.  Whether you’ve found yourself out of a job, struggling with your relationships, or nervous about an upcoming test or project at work, I’d encourage you to turn to these encouraging bible verses. There are over 100 listed here, so I’m sure you can read through one that resonates with your situation!  I’d encourage you to bookmark this page or save these verses somewhere where you can quickly reference them when you need encouragement. My 20 Favorite Encouraging Bible Verses As I read through each of these verses, I pulled twenty encouraging scriptures that really stood out to me as inspiring.  Here they are in order of where they are in the Bible. Psalm 23:4   Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 34:8   Taste and see that the LORD is...