HUMBLING HIMSELF, HE BECAME OBEDIENT (AUGUST 21) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/humbling-himself-became-obedient-august-21/ "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). GOD COULD NOT HAVE DIED AN ATONING DEATH FOR OUR SINS WITHOUT BECOMING A HUMAN BEING. There was only one sacrifice that could save us, and He had to take upon Himself human form in order to make that sacrifice. From our limited ...
Aug 21, 2025•3 min•Ep. 234
HUMBLY RECEIVING THE WORD (AUGUST 20) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/humbly-receiving-word-august-20/ ". . . take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation" (James 1:21 Bible in Basic English). GOD’S WORD, COMMUNICATED TO US IN THE SCRIPTURES, IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL. But in addition to His word, God has also given us freedom. Depending on the choices we make as we respond to the Scriptures, we will become either more receptive or m...
Aug 20, 2025•3 min•Ep. 233
NONE OF US HAS ANYBODY WE CAN LOOK DOWN ON (AUGUST 19) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/none-has-anybody-we-can-look-down-on-august-19/ "The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector'" (Luke 18:11). OUR “FORGETTER” IS A BLESSING, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE A CURSE. Some things it is best not to forget. In the above text, for example, the Pharisee felt good when he compared himself...
Aug 19, 2025•3 min•Ep. 232
IS IT POSSIBLE TO "DRIFT" AWAY FROM CHRIST? (AUGUST 18) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/possible-drift-away-from-christ-august-18/ "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:1-3). IN CHRIST, WE ARE SECURE IN HIS LOVE AND PROTECTION, B...
Aug 18, 2025•3 min•Ep. 231
REVERENCE VS. PICK AND CHOOSE (AUGUST 17) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/reverence-vs-pick-choose-august-17/ "But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge" (James 4:11). CONFRONTED BY GOD’S LAW, THERE IS A CHOICE WE MUST MAKE BETWEEN TWO ATTITUDES. Will we submit to it (and be “under” the law) or will we pick and choose which commandments to obey (and be “above” the law)? Most people obey God’s law occasionally, if and when it suits them, but very few are willin...
Aug 17, 2025•3 min•Ep. 230
THE ESSENTIAL TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S SON (AUGUST 16) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/essential-truth-about-gods-son-august-16/ "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (2 John 9). THE GNOSTICS IN THE FIRST CENTURY, WHO DENIED THAT JESUS WAS GOD IN THE FLESH, PRESENTED THEIR TEACHING AS BEING MORE ADVANCED. But John was emphatic: if we leave the teaching of Christ, we do not go...
Aug 16, 2025•3 min•Ep. 229
WHAT IF WE DENY THE INCARNATION? (AUGUST 15) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/what-if-deny-incarnation-august-15/ "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist" (2 John 7). WE CANNOT ACCEPT THE GOSPEL WITHOUT EMBRACING WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT HIS BEING GOD. This may go against the modern mindset, in which there is no proposition that is not negotiable, but when it comes to...
Aug 15, 2025•3 min•Ep. 228
WHICH SINS DO WE PREACH AGAINST THE MOST? (AUGUST 14) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/which-sins-preach-against-most-august-14/ "For all that is in the world -- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life -- is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16). SOME SINS OPENLY FLY THE FLAG OF CORRUPTION AND REBELLION, WHILE OTHERS DO THEIR DAMAGE MORE PRIVATELY. Sins like pride and greed, for example, are every bit as destructive as sexual immorality ...
Aug 14, 2025•3 min•Ep. 227
GOD’S WRATH IS A PART OF HIS CHARACTER (AUGUST 13) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/gods-wrath-character-august-13/ "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:9). HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED BY CHRIST’S BLOOD IN THE PRESENT, WE SHALL BE SAVED FROM THE WRATH OF GOD IN THE FUTURE. It’s true that salvation in Christ is a present reality (Ephesians 2:8), but Paul is speaking in Romans 5:9 of a future event: our b...
Aug 13, 2025•3 min•Ep. 226
THE VALUE OF THE GOSPEL IS IN THE RESURRECTION (AUGUST 12) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/value-gospel-resurrection-august-12/ "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19). IT’S AN AGE-OLD QUESTION WHETHER THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL HAS TO DO WITH THIS LIFE OR THE LIFE TO COME. In our age, the emphasis is so lopsided in favor of the here and now, one hardly ever hears from the pulpit about eternity, and there are many ...
Aug 12, 2025•3 min•Ep. 225
IF GOD COMMANDS IT, WE CAN BE COURAGEOUS (AUGUST 11) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/god-commands-we-can-be-courageous-august-11/ "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). FACING THE FEARS THAT LAY AHEAD OF HIM, JOSHUA WAS TOLD TO BE “STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.” I can hardly read this text without thinking of my son Brock, whose favorite song as a child was “Dare to Sta...
Aug 11, 2025•3 min•Ep. 224
FAITH: WHAT END IS IT MEANT TO HAVE? (AUGUST 10) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/faith-what-end-meant-to-have-august-10/ ". . . obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9). FAITH IS A PRINCIPLE OF SUCH IMPORTANCE, WE MIGHT HOPE THAT EVERYBODY WOULD UNDERSTAND IT. But many people do not. And one of the most misunderstood things about it is what Peter here calls the “outcome” of faith. Before we go any further, surely we can see that this point is impo...
Aug 10, 2025•3 min•Ep. 223
WHAT ABOUT THE 'CHURCHES OF CHRIST'? (AUGUST 9) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/what-about-churches-of-christ-august-9/ "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:1). WE HAVE LOOKED AT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE “TOGETHER” PART OF CHRISTIANITY. Now let’s tackle another, more specific, question: if a new convert to Christ is searching for a faithful congregation (as we talked about yesterday), one tha...
Aug 09, 2025•3 min•Ep. 222
WANTING TO ASSOCIATE WITH FAITHFUL DISCIPLES (AUGUST 8) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/wanting-associate-faithful-disciples-august-8/ "And when [Saul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples" (Acts 9:26). IN TODAY’S READING AND TOMORROW’S, I WANT TO RAISE TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH THE IDEA OF “CHURCH.” The first is this: when a person obeys the gospel, is it necessary to associate oneself with a congregation of Christians? I’d be less tha...
Aug 08, 2025•3 min•Ep. 221
CHRIST TO HIS PEOPLE: CONGREGATE! (AUGUST 7) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/christ-to-his-people-congregate-august-7/ "For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians" (Acts 11:26). MANY THINGS ARE NOW SEEN AS UNNECESSARY (AND EVEN HARMFUL) THAT USED TO BE VIEWED AS ESSENTIAL. One of these is marriage. Chelsea Sullivan, a friend who used to manage a Starbucks in Vermont, said that when customers would ...
Aug 07, 2025•3 min•Ep. 220
I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH (AUGUST 6) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/will-build-my-church-august-6/ "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). PETER HAD JUST CONFESSED THAT HE BELIEVED JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH. When Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (v.15), Peter had spoken up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v.16). Following Peter’s confession...
Aug 06, 2025•3 min•Ep. 219
THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (AUGUST 5) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/household-of-god-august-5/ ". . . the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). THIS MEANINGFUL PASSAGE POINTS TO THE IDENTITY OF THOSE WHO ARE CHRISTIANS. Let’s look at it phrase by phrase: HOUSEHOLD OF GOD. It is not the church building but the members of the family who make up God’s “house,” as made clear by the translation “household” in the ESV. This...
Aug 05, 2025•3 min•Ep. 218
GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED (AUGUST 4) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/grace-help-time-need-august-4/ "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). FOR THOSE WHO HAVE OBEYED THE GOSPEL, THE THRONE OF GOD SHOULD ALWAYS BE THOUGHT OF AS “THE THRONE OF GRACE.” Needing help in so many ways and wanting our obedience to Christ to be steadfast, we can’t do without the confidence of which the H...
Aug 04, 2025•3 min•Ep. 217
AFTER BECOMING A CHRISTIAN, THEN WHAT? (AUGUST 3) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/after-becoming-christian-then-what-august-3/ "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:15,16). THE MOMENT A PERSON PASSES FROM SPIRITUAL DEATH T...
Aug 03, 2025•3 min•Ep. 216
THE CHURCH MANIFESTS GOD’S WISDOM (AUGUST 2) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/church-manifests-gods-wisdom-august-2/ ". . . so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10). IF GOD’S GLORY IS SEEN IN THE HEAVENS, HIS WISDOM IS SEEN IN THE CHURCH. And as Paul points out, it is not just to human beings that the church reveals God’s wisdom; it is also “to the rulers and authorities in the he...
Aug 02, 2025•3 min•Ep. 215
CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS (AUGUST 1) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/christs-ambassadors-august-1/ "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). SPEAKING AS ONE OF THE APOSTLES, PAUL SAID, “WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST.” This is a statement worth contemplating. An ambassador is an authoritative spokesman for a government. When he speaks for the government that is behind him, his w...
Aug 01, 2025•3 min•Ep. 214
ISRAEL'S DAY OF ATONEMENT (JULY 31) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/israels-day-atonement-july-31/ "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement" (Leviticus 23:27). ONCE A YEAR, THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WERE TO OBSERVE A “DAY OF ATONEMENT.” The Lord required them to make special sacrifices for sin on this day, and on this day only, once a year, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle with the blood of the sacrifices. All of the observances on thi...
Jul 31, 2025•3 min•Ep. 213
LOVE’S FIRE (JULY 30) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/loves-fire-july-30/ ". . . for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised" (Song of Solomon 8:6,7). JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, “IF YOU LOVE ME, YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS” (JOHN 14:15). This is not only a requi...
Jul 30, 2025•3 min•Ep. 212
ONCE SAVED, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE LOST? (JULY 29) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/once-saved-possible-lost-july-29/ "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandmen...
Jul 29, 2025•3 min•Ep. 211
THERE AROSE ANOTHER GENERATION (JULY 28) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/arose-another-generation-july-28/ ". . . there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10). THE LAND OF CANAAN FINALLY HAVING BEEN GIVEN TO ISRAEL, THEY ENTERED UPON A TIME OF PEACE. “The people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the...
Jul 28, 2025•3 min•Ep. 210
DELIVERED BY A STRONG HAND (JULY 27) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/delivered-by-strong-hand-july-27/ "They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand" (Nehemiah 1:10). THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM OF WHOM NEHEMIAH SPOKE HAD BEEN DELIVERED FROM THEIR CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON. But this deliverance, as great as it was, foreshadowed a much greater deliverance: the redemption of the human race from slavery to sin. To “redeem” is to rescue ...
Jul 27, 2025•3 min•Ep. 209
JOB’S FAITH (JULY 26) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/jobs-faith-july-26/ "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:25,26). JOB WAS A MAN WHO RESOLUTELY REFUSED TO GIVE UP HIS FAITH IN GOD. Having seen, when the sun was shining, that there were strong, compelling reasons to trust God, he did not let go of those reasons when the darkness closed in. He hung on to ho...
Jul 26, 2025•3 min•Ep. 208
HOW DO WE “REND” OUR HEARTS? (JULY 25) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/how-rend-our-hearts-july-25/ "'Yet even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments'" (Joel 2:12,13). JOEL’S MESSAGE FROM GOD, LIKE THAT OF ALL THE PROPHETS, WAS THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD TURN AWAY FROM THE SINS THAT HAD CUT THEM OFF FROM GOD. Even when God’s long-delayed judgment had fallen upon them, it was possi...
Jul 25, 2025•3 min•Ep. 207
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL BE RECEPTIVE (JULY 24) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/never-know-who-receptive-july-24/ "And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them" (Jonah 3:5). JONAH WAS RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT THE ASSIGNMENT TO GO TO NINEVEH AND PREACH A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE. But finally he did go, and the people of Nineveh recognized that what Jonah said was true. They repented, turning away from what was...
Jul 24, 2025•3 min•Ep. 206
THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM (JULY 23) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/refuge-in-him-july-23/ "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness" (Nahum 1:7,8). IT IS A DIFFICULT WORLD. The expression “survival of the fittest” would never have been coined in a world where there was no resistance to be met, a world where every...
Jul 23, 2025•3 min•Ep. 205
