The word “servant” sounds demeaning to us. A servant serves people above them to do work that is beneath those being served. Yet Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). The apostle Paul viewed himself as a servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1) and therefore a…

Having worked in a factory that sawed oak and cherry wood designed for expensive French furniture, I know how irritating it is to get a speck of sawdust in my eye. Jesus asked, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your…

Thousands of years ago, in a most beautiful Garden, lived a man and a woman. Made in the image of their Creator, they lived solely to reveal him to the rest of creation and to each other and thus glorify God every moment of the day. They humbly accepted themselves as created people in submission…

A godly African Christian told a congregation once that, as he was climbing the hill to the meeting, he heard steps behind him. He turned and saw a man carrying a very heavy load up the hill on his back. He was full of sympathy for him and spoke to him. Then he noticed that…

Two intriguing images of Jesus are provided through the ministry of John the Baptist. John saw Jesus approaching him one day and declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). As John then baptized Jesus, he gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven…

How encouraging in our spiritual journey to know that we do not walk the path with God alone. Others walk with us. We walk in fellowship with Christ. And we walk in fellowship with other Christ followers. Our fellowship is linked. When we draw closer to God, we also draw closer to one another. And…

In our spiritual journey, we at times slip off the Way of Holiness because the road is narrow (Isaiah 35:8). Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road…

Walking the Calvary Road, the Highway of Holiness, is a continual journey and a constant choice. Only the clean can walk the Highway. Throughout the day we may be tested. And God nearly always tests us through other people. Someone says or does something to us that really bothers us. Instead of reacting, we make…

The prophet Isaiah paints an inviting picture of the Christian journey: “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it” (Isaiah 35:8). This is not…

When people make themselves the center of life, they are in a disconnect mode with God and others. Turning away from God “to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6), our world becomes full of tensions, barriers, suspicions, misunderstandings, clashes, and conflicts. In contrast, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross connects us with God and…