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Before a downfall, the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 18:12 Most of us are familiar with the biblical proverb that warns, "pride goeth before destruction (KJV)." Here we see the “flip side” of that truth stated as, "humility comes before honor." Both remind me of an old Mac Davis' hit, "O Lord, it's hard to be humble." Isn't it, though? How often do we think more of ourselves than we ought? Not just in achievement, but in comparison to o

I have many things to write you, but I don't want to write to you with pen and ink. - 3 John 13 In this verse, John repeats a statement that he had made in his second letter. Obviously, communication was important to the apostle and John preferred a personal visit to a personal letter. No doubt, he preferred some communication over none at all. In this present "information age" there is no excuse for a lack of communication. We have laptops, smart phones, Messenger, S

One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. - Proverbs 18:1 Although I have often spoken of the mistake one makes when they depart from or avoid Christian fellowship, I just recently took note of this valuable proverb. Perhaps it is because we always seem to be blinded to those spiritual truths that affect us directly. It seems I am just as prone to isolation as the next guy and this verse, unfortunately, reminds me why. I am

Demetrius has a [good] testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true. - 3 John 12 One thing I have learned over the years is that not everyone who opposes me is my enemy. For example, Demetrius opposed the work of John, but John said that he had a good testimony from everyone, including himself! He even stated that Demetrius' was a true follower of Christ. These two men had disagreed, but John refu

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18 In 1995, God took me down "a notch or two." From the moment I had been called into God's vocational service, I had wanted to be effective and completely sold out to all He had for me to do. Having had a "career" in business, I never really considered the ministry a job. It was definitely a calling. In the early 90's I had been blessed to be part of a church that grew exponentially (in a cont

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. - 3 John 11 Someone once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If this is true, then the things we imitate are honored in our hearts and minds. Which, of course, begs the question, "What are we imitating from our culture?" What has the church imitated or borrowed from the culture in which it exists? Who should be imitating w

When Yahweh takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them. – Proverbs 16:7 I have learned through years of serving the Lord that it can, at times, be unpleasant. I've also learned that serving Christ is not a popularity contest. It isn't. Serving the Lord can often be difficult. I've seen and experienced conflict, strife, and opposition. Every “family” has a little from time to time, and this includes the family of God. Still, for years

This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. - 3 John 10 I have never met anyone who really "liked" conflict; however, conflict has always been a part of the life and church. There will always be differences of opinion between one person and another, and c

All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord evaluates the motives. - Proverbs 16:2 Justification can be good or bad, depending upon your perspective. For example, justification in the biblical sense is a wonderful thing. It is the righteousness of Christ imputed to the regenerate sinner, the declaration of innocence by a just and holy God. On the other hand, justification (when used to describe our motives behind less than stellar decisions or actions) can be a terrible

I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive us. - 3 John 9 As play on the infamous words of Abraham Lincoln, "You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time!" In my 40 years as a minister of the gospel, I have seen a lot of opposition to my plans and ideas. Often, the opposition was necessary in order t

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. – Proverbs 15:28 As a pastor, I have been (at times) led by the Holy Spirit to lead in ways that were not well-received by some "members" of the church. The result was that some "gushed evil." For example, over the decades I have been called (among other names) an "arrogant dictator" and a "bulldozer." One very refined, elderly lady once told me that "every dog has his day and that my

Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we can be co-workers with the truth. - 3 John 8 While serving as missionaries in Africa, my wife and I would sometimes attend meetings of the Baptist pastors in our country. It was an opportunity for us to catch up on country-wide efforts and to also be reminded of the partnership we shared in the ministry there. It is not possible for one person, even one ministry or denomination, to accomplish all the work that the gosp

A man takes joy in giving an answer; and a timely word — how good that is! - Proverbs 15:23 So, you're having coffee or whatever (coffee is more spiritual) with a friend, when he or she asks, "Could I get your advice on something?" At first, you are intimidated (possibly) because you don't want to answer wrongly. Perhaps you're even honored that your friend considers your counsel to possess some value. Then there is even, I might call it, "the impossible, third possibility,"

... since they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from pagans. - 3 John 7 In West African culture, before a person is allowed to leave the home of someone they have been visiting, the visitor must "ask for the road." Sometimes, the person being visited will respond, "I give you the half," meaning that he or she looks forward to your speedy return. John wrote that some Christians in his day had "set out for the sake of the name (of Christ)" and they had

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. – Proverbs 14:29 I used to have a bad temper and would often "fly off the handle." As a child, I was known to "pitch fits" and throw rocks, a great equalizer when your brother and cousin are twice your size! Perhaps, it was frustration over being bullied or just a way to “scare” away an “enemy,” but like the old cartoon character, Yosemite Sam, being loud and crazy sometimes worked. Wi

... they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.... - 3 John 6 For most of my ministry as a pastor, our family lived in a parsonage, also known as the "fishbowl." Due to the proximity of our house to the physical church building, we often felt like we were being watched. We literally lived "before the church" each and every day whether we wanted to or not. Was this a bad thing? Often, we ha

There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty. - Proverbs 14:23 We have a saying in America that goes like this, "Talk is cheap." This, of course, means that it is easy to talk about doing something (or talk about having done it), but a lot harder to actually do it. I have for many years asked the question, "When all is said and done, what will have been said and what will have been done?" Has God told you to do something, which you have not done?

Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers.... we ought to support such men, so that we can be coworkers with the truth. - 3 John 5,8 In the late first century, men of God traveled from church to church preaching the gospel and expanding the work of God into new frontiers. These men were often totally dependent upon local congregations of believers to meet their needs in order that they might continually devote themselves to the work of the

Where there are no oxen, the feeding-trough is clean, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox. - Proverbs 14:4 Living as I do (in the middle of Pennsylvania farming country) it is easy to understand that it (farming) is a messy business. A gentle breeze on a summer day often carries the pungent reminder that cows, pigs, and chickens produce more than milk, ham, and eggs! In other words, if you want a "clean" job, then don't farm. The same can be said about

Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers, and this [you are] doing for strangers.... - 3 John 5 In the southern US, when a child behaves badly, we often say that he is "acting up." Of course, we all feel that bad behavior should be corrected, just as good behavior should be encouraged and yet I was just thinking this morning that it might not be a bad thing to "act up" every once in a while. Let me explain. John told his friend that when he