“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). It took three nails to crucify our Savior to the cross. God says that if we are to allow Christ to live through us then the old man must be crucified. We can each voluntarily crucify our

“Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them” (Matt 21:2-3). In Bible times, donkeys were a primary means for distributing goods

“Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7). Charis, my sixteen-year-old daughter at the time, was now driving age. She had saved her hard-earned money to match her father’s contribution to buy her first car. It was time to begin

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). James Rutz, author of MegaShift, tells a wonderful story of God’s supernatural hand in answering prayer. “I have a good friend named Barclay Tait who sells vacation real estate in Niceville, Florida. Back in 1977, he was a 36-year-old Florida basketball coach. That

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; youhave made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me inpleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance” (Ps 16:5-6). Most of us will have many jobs over our lifetime. As I look back over my past, I’ve had quite a varied history

“When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold. The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. Then David asked the Lord, ‘shall I go out and fight against them? Will

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD” (Ps

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). I have always found the above verse very intimidating. It says that if we are truly living in Christ, we must walk as Jesus did. How did Jesus walk? He healed the

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:5- 6). I travel a lot. One of the greatest modern-day inventions I’ve appreciated most is the GPS system for cars. GPS stands for Global Positioning

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25-26). It didn’t take long for non-believers to realize I was different in the secular workplaces where I’ve worked. I didn’t participate in the jokes, the dirty language, or criticism of management. I didn’t

“Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart” (Ps 36:10). Someone once said, “Success is when those who know you the best are those who love you the most.” Years ago a self-assessment tool was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingram called the Johari window. The Johari

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). In the work world, we are trained to press through obstacles, no matter the cost. However, perseverance that

“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter? When you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Is 58:7). For many years, I have read this passage without responding to it personally. I read it

“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). I walked into the doctor’s office for my pre-opt visit. The doctor came in and told me all about my procedure of arthroscopic knee surgery. “So, doc. I have been told this is pretty routine. If that is the case, I have a golf outing I am

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned;struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Cor. 4:8-10). It’s hard to find anyone in

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). In his book, When Heaven Invades Earth, Pastor Bill Johnson makes an insightful observation about Jesus. “He could not heal

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 6). A distinguished Indian evangelist named Sadhu Chellappa was on a mission trip to a village north of Madras, when in the middle of the night he suddenly sensed God speaking to him: “Leave this house quickly and run away!” Not

“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things” (Isa 45:7). God will use pain in order to create a love relationship with His creation. This statement may challenge your theology. However, consider that God allowed Jesus to experience incredible pain in order to

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” At once they left their nets and followed him (Matt 4:19-20). Do you recall how good it felt when you were chosen to be on a team? It makes one feel special to be preferred over another. During the time of Jesus

“He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light” (Job 12:22). One of the great mysteries of the Kingdom is how God uses the darkest times in our lives to reveal greater depths of understanding of His ways. The only way we can receive these deeper things is to be

“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water” (Num 20:7-8). The Bible says that Moses had a unique walk with God. God said Moses was the most humble man on earth and He spoke with him

“The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt 23:11). Ken Blanchard, the author of the One Minute Manager, once shared a story about what can happen when individuals in a company model servant leadership, no matter where they are on the totem pole. A business consultant was training more than 3000 employees of a

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22) Jesus did all of His miracles as a man, not as God. Let that sink in. This is a profound truth that has major implications for

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) The murderer was condemned to life in prison. Then one day something amazing happened. The guard came and opened the jail cell. “You are free to go. Someone else is

“Jesus answered: Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?’” (John 14:9). The disciples had been with Jesus for three years. They’d seen miracles – dead men came back to life, the sick were healed, and water was turned to wine. These were but a few of

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor 9:8). Have you ever been given an assignment at work that was beyond your perceived ability? When I was in my late

“I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword” (Zech 9:13). In the early church there was an emphasis on developing a heart toward God. This was the Hebraic way. The

“The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan” (Josh 5:12). God calls you to eat from the fruit of your own work. During the exodus from Egypt, Israel had to eat

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’” (Acts 9:15-16). Sometimes we can place the idea of calling too much on the

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:2-4). Hello, my name is Dr. Bengel. “I am a Christian, masquerading as a dentist. What is your name?” I laughed as I met this