Love God, love neighbor, make disciples. doug@pastordougolson.com
Our scripture this morning is 1 Timothy 6:12-14. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a …
Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. Paul, who usually had more than enough words for every situation, is uncharacteristically brief in this passage, but completely to the point. The Corinthian church has suffered disagreement and division …
Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:14-16. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same …
Our scripture this morning is Psalms 42:1-2. As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? This psalm compares the deer searching for a stream to our need to be with God. Our lives …
Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:18-19. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first. John is the author of …
Our scripture this morning is Philippians 2:3-5. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Humble and bold are not words …
Our scripture this morning is Matthew 18:20. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. The section heading for this passage in the New Living Translation is “Correcting another believer”. Other versions call it “Restoring a brother” and “Discipline and prayer”. Reading the complete lesson (Matthew 18:15-20) is …
Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 27:17. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. While Proverbs is made up of mostly short lessons, there is a lot to learn from these wisdom statements. In this single sentence there is much to consider. It speaks to us of our relationship with God and …
Our scripture this morning is Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Our relationships with one another are important to God. He said in Genesis 2:18 …
Our scripture this morning is Luke 6:37-38. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room …