Weekly Thoughts From Outside the Boat

Hey guys, This week’s Thought comes from 1 John 5:21. There John says, "Dear brothers and sisters, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.” He's writing this to the church, to Believers who want to have God at the center of their life. I was with a group of guys recently, and I asked them, “What is it that takes most of your attention, your focus, or your time?” They responded with answers like My wife. My kids. My job. My responsibilities. One gu

Hey guys, This week’s Thought comes from the second part of Romans 2:29. Paul says, “a change of heart is produced by the Spirit, and a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.” That sounds very similar to Paul’s words in Galatians 1:10, “Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of men or people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.” Most of us fall victim to seeking approval from other people at some p

Hey guys, This week’s Thought comes from 2 Timothy 4:5b. There, Paul says, “Work at telling others the good news and fully carry out the ministry that he has given you.” The phrases work at and fully carry out bring forth the image of high effort and follow through. It's the idea of using the gifts that God has given us, using the opportunities that He's given us, to share the Good News. It's not a reactive type of mindset, it's proactive. You're on offense instead of the de

Hey guys, This week’s Thought comes from 2 Timothy 3:17. There, Paul says, “God uses it to prepare and equip us for every good work.” Well, the obvious question is, what is it that Paul is referring to here? If you look back at verse 16, Paul tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and divinely inspired. It is useful for correcting, teaching and showing us what is right and wrong. So, in verse 17, he is saying, God uses Scripture to prepare and equip us for every good w

Hey guys, This week’s Thought comes from the second part of 2 Timothy 2:22. There, Paul says, “Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”Honestly, I have always paid so much attention to the first part of verse 22 that I've never noticed the last sentence. In the first part of verse 22, Paul tells Timothy, "Don't just flee youthful lusts but pursue righteousness.” I've taught that and counseled people through that many times. If all we do is run