Bible Commentary & Daily Devotional

 Titus 1 - Leadership Priorities Good leadership is marked by what we do - and don’t do.  We see that principle of Christian leadership throughout Scripture.           The Holy Spirit-guided leader has God’s law written on his heart.  God never changes.  Jesus is God.  He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8 and 22:13), the beginning and the end.  Before the world began God planned for and promised eternal life to all who would have faith in His Son (1:2).  God’s amazing message, His Good News.  All time, from the beginning to today, is but a moment to God. To be a Christian leader requires that you know God’s message, trust His message, teach His message, and live to promote God’s message. We can look at God’s standards and commands in the OT to illuminate His teaching in the NT.  For example, we see God’s message to the king of Judah in Jeremiah 22.  God directed the prophet Jeremiah to send a message containing a conditional covenant to the king.  This is my paraphrase of Go

  Titus 1 - Self Evaluation Self-evaluation is a Christian principle; it’s a standard for Churchmen (Romans 12:3, Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:16, 1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6, James 1:26, etc.).  We’ll see that in this chapter. The best life is lived with God.  He shows us how to live godly lives, and He gives us joyful confidence in this life to come.  It takes work to appoint elders.  These are real supermen - shepherds, and servant leaders.  Dads, husbands, good sons, and brothers - proven disciples of Christ.           It takes a lifetime really; frankly, the standards are so high here it’s amazing if anyone is qualified.  Indeed, many in the modern church have proven by the way they live that they do not meet these standards of a churchman.   May we all, from a young age onward aspire to be approved by Jesus.  May He give us His grace and peace.  God requires churchmen to step up and lead.  You can’t have a healthy church without servant leaders and elders. But church, do you eve

  Titus 1 - Funerals and Leadership I am eager to get into Titus as it hits at the core of servant leadership characteristics.  But before we jump in, just a short comment today. Our 23-year-old son, Solomon, graduated with his undergrad in Psychology last December.  One of Sol's best friends from his Psych classes is a beautiful young woman named Jess, from Clinton, North Carolina.  Her family gave Sol a pup from their litter of lab/shepherds a few years back.  So I guess we are related through dogs.           Jess texted Solomon last Wednesday with the tragic news that her brother had just died in a car crash.  Jared was 24 years old. Kari, Sol, and I drove the four hours down to Clinton yesterday for Jared’s funeral.  There is nothing like a funeral for a reality check on the meaning of life (Ecclesiastes 7:2).  We didn’t know Jared.  But we wept through the entire service as pastors and family members shared joyful stories of his life, passions, talents, and dreams.   T

 2 Timothy 4 - A Clear Mind in Every Situation No one wants to be disrespected, abandoned, deserted, left out, ignored, or spoken to with contempt.  Yet, shockingly, that is how God’s people treated God.  They said to Him, “'Don’t waste your breath.  We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires'” (Jeremiah 18:12). Serious question.  Do our actions say the same thing today?  I sure hope not.  The church is God’s pride and joy and I am confident that the Kingdom of God is forcefully advancing across the globe today, giving honor to God’s name.  May God’s holy church be wholly devoted to our Saviour and our King.  Reliable, consistent, faithful. As Paul explains (4:3-4) don’t be surprised when people refuse to listen to sound and wholesome teaching.  Yes, it is frustrating.  And no, you are not insane.  People will indeed reject the truth and chase after myths as Paul says they will. We serve the One True God.  God is preparing for a vi

 2 Timothy 4:1-8 - The Race 5k with my son, Sam's work team           Our lives are a race.  If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are a runner, metaphorically at least.  We do not know the time of our death (the length of our race).  The hour may be quite near - or far.  Either way, we must work through the course, fight through the pain, and keep on.  We must finish the race of life; we must remain faithful to Jesus Christ for He alone assigns the prizes.           Each saint will receive a crown of righteousness from the righteous judge.  Each of us eagerly looks forward to Jesus' appearance.  God says that each of us will receive a prize as we deserve (2 Corinthians 5:10).  Your prize will be different than mine, just as your path and your race are different than mine.           We may run together for a while and I pray that we are together when Jesus sets up His new Kingdom (4:1).  Jesus will set up His Kingdom.  On the judgment day of the Lord, all of the elements w

 2 Timothy 3:14-17 - Wait and Work for Your Crown           With Kari in Mexico.  Live life on adventure!           Patience.  Endurance.  Steadfastness.  Remaining faithful.  This letter from Paul solemnly urges us to preach the holy Scriptures and to preach that salvation comes by trusting in Christ - God's plan as proclaimed in Scripture.  All Scriptures means all 66 books - the OT and the NT.  All means all; that’s all, all means.           We know from Scripture that God is just.  He hates evil.  We read time and again that it is a terrible thing for those who have turned their back on God to persevere in their sin.  Terrible indeed to face the just sentence of God, disgraced and humiliated by sinful conduct (Jeremiah 15:9).  There will be deep sorrow for the justice God decrees against those who stubbornly reject God's grace.  God's “angler blazes like a fire that will burn forever” (Jeremiah 15:14).           But as Paul tells Timothy, that is not your story.  That i

 2 Timothy 2:19 - Foundation Stone           Scripture is the best teacher.  I’m convinced that the Holy Spirit uses Scripture to “teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (3:16).  I need Scripture for my eternal salvation - it is that important.           There is nothing like Scripture because it quickens our senses.  God speaks directly to our minds, our reasoning, and our consciences.  Through Scripture God reminds us that He sees all that we do, He warns us not to shipwreck our faith, and He coaches us on to the finish line.           Without reading hearing and understanding Scripture it is very hard to escape the devil’s traps.  We are insufferably stubborn.  Yet Scripture brings us back to God’s will so that we will not be arrogant.  So that we will acknowledge God in all we do and so that we, as we hold fast to Jesus, will bring glory to God.           You see, the devil wants

 2 Timothy 2:15-19- Lead Dog           When I was young we moved to Whitehorse, Yukon.  My dad was a High School industrial arts teacher.  My parents packed three young boys into a green station wagon and drove over 2,600 km for six days toward the Arctic (much of it over gravel roads).  An adventure we'd never forget.  Five years in the Yukon defined us in many ways and embedded Yukon culture into our family.  The Land of the Midnight Sun.  It’s where Mom and Dad experienced the love of Christ from the church family.  The Yukon was where our young family made friends with people from all over the world who moved there to work and explore.           A big part of our winter life in the Yukon was dog sledding.  Dad got into it.  He made a sled, entered races, and bought all the dogs.  My favorite dog was ‘Polar,’ a white Siberian husky with a pink nose.  Polar was smart, brave, and hardworking.  He was our lead dog - the front dog that listens to the musher and drives all the other

 2 Timothy 3 - Are You a Christian, Christian?           Early in my legal career (I'd been practicing about five years and about five years into my Christian walk) I had an interesting encounter with the CEO of one of our firm’s clients.  It was 2001 and technology companies were thriving.           My neighbors in S.W. Calgary were Lebanese immigrants and faithful members of their mosque.  They were some of the best neighbors we’ve ever had.  They owned a bakery that made Pita bread.  I’ll never forget the day we took possession of that house.  As they often would in the eleven years we lived there, they brought me a big bag of fresh bread.  We shared many good conversations with them over the years.  I love them and I pray God blesses them.           My neighbors had a friend from the mosque who was the CEO of Wi-LAN - a publicly listed tech company that held patents for technology that was key to the Blackberry - and later many other mobile phones.  Wi-LAN made many in the mosq

 2 Timothy 2:11-18 - Work Hard           Well, if nothing else modern church is brazenly confident.  It is good to be confident, but it depends on the object of that confidence.  We hear in Romans 12:3 and Galatians 6:3-6 a warning against being prideful, arrogant, and stubborn.  Instead, we are warned not to get puffed up and to think we are more important than we really are. We are to think sensibly and have a sober, honest assessment of our faith and our work.  This passage warns us against dysfunction and bad theology.  It spreads like a cancer.             We hear that even in the early church there were false teachers and those with corrupt minds, trapped by the love of money - Satan’s trap.  Many have turned their backs on God.  Their claims and arrogance are outrageous.  To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy (1 Timothy 6:5).           So yes, take it to the bank, just like in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus people can and do leave the path of truth (2:

 2 Timothy 2 - Grit - Luctor et Emergo           It is honestly fairly easy to drift from the goal.  My purpose is to grow in Christ and to work hard for the growth of His Kingdom.   In my second year in the WHL, I got sent down to the SJHL early in the season.  I was devastated, but it was the best thing that could have happened to me.  I thought I’d be in Wilcox, SK for a few weeks, months at best.  Instead, I was there the entire season - and my entire grade 12 year.           Thank God, really, for I learned a lot at Pere’s miniature yet mighty hockey school.  God’s people were there.  Loving, hard-working people.  I didn’t know it, but the Hound of Heaven was definitely hounding me.  Our motto as ND Hounds is “Luctor et Emergo,” struggle and emerge.  It’s a good motto for Christians.  We need to be gritty.  Hardworking men and women.  Like love, grit should characterize anyone who claims Jesus as their Savior.           I guess I’m easily distracted.  Paul wasn’t.  He knew that th

 2 Timothy 2 - Unchained Growth           The good news is that “Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead” (2:8).  Jesus Christ, our God, reigns.  The Lord of Heaven’s Armies (Jeremiah 8:3) is growing His Kingdom.  It gets better.  Jesus expects us, His people, to go and make disciples.  God’s prepared many good works for us to do as we go and build alongside the Master Builder.           It doesn’t always go well.  There are hard times.   There are times when it seems that everyone has deserted us (1:15) and we are all alone.  Can you imagine being a pioneer in Northern Saskatchewan like my ancestors?   Man, they were tough.  Yet we are never alone.  The Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised, is within us.  He loves us and gives us the power, discipline, wisdom, and motivation necessary to hold onto the promise of God and to obey God until Christ’s return.           Do you ever wonder, what's next?  Are you ever worried that you are wasting your life or bus