by Matt Ramey | Aug 4, 2026 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling” is the call to believers out of Ephesians 4:1-8. We have a duty to uphold, being adopted sons of God and imitators of Christ. Humility is freedom from pride and arrogance. However, it is not thinking poorly of ourselves. Instead, humility is the recognition that everything we have comes from God, that we are sinners saved by grace, that we are not superior to others, and that God is the ultimate authority—not us. Humility must be learned, because our natural instinct is often to exalt ourselves. Philippians 2:3–8 gives a clear example of this humility in Christ. Paul tells believers to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but to regard others as more important than themselves. We are created to look out for our own interests, but we are also called to look for the interests of others. Jesus is the perfect picture of this. Though He existed in the form of God, He “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. ”Instead, He “emptied Himself”, took the form of a bond-servant, and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. That is maximum humility! The concept of being humble appears repeatedly throughout the Bible, and usually with an attached promise. For instance, James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” And, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE” in 1 Peter 5:5-6. This repeated lesson is simple: we must let God exalt us and avoid exalting ourselves. Gentleness is the...
by Craig McAndrews | Jul 20, 2026 | Articles, Testimonies
For most of my adult life, I have been a striver. I wanted to excel at work. In leadership. In health. In every measurable category available to me. If there was a scoreboard, I wanted to be winning. Success was tangible. It could be tracked. And over time, I accumulated some wins. But with each win came reinforcement of a definition of success shaped more by the world than by Scripture. I believed the gospel. I believed salvation was by grace. Yet I often lived as though approval—God’s and everyone else’s—still depended on my performance. Paul’s question to the Galatians challenges me: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Much of my striving wasn’t ambition. It was fear. Fear of failure. Fear of letting people down. Fear that if I stopped producing, I might matter less. Striving feels noble when people depend on you. As men, we are called to work, to lead, to take responsibility. Those are good and biblical callings. But somewhere along the way, striving can result in carrying responsibility for outcomes God never intended for us to carry. The Bible contrasts the striving of man with the sovereignty of God in Psalm 46:10: Cease striving and know that I am God (NASB1995). When we are still, when we hold loosely to outcomes and let the Lord lead, then we become more aware of God’s will for our lives. It’s not an invitation to complacency but a call to surrender. A return to fully depending on God. Ceasing to strive doesn’t mean abandoning ambition. It means to focus...
by MIMADMIN | Jun 16, 2026 | Articles
But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, ‘The first.” Matthew 21:28-31 In the closing days of our Lord’s ministry, prior to His crucifixion, Matthew records this parable given to the Jewish religious establishment. The Savior follows the parable with the following application: “Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you. that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it. repented not afterward that ye might believe him”(1) As you can see, the application centers on the response of the second son. He said he would obey his father. but did not. Was this son insincere, or was he lying? The word insincere means, “Not honest in the expression of actual feelings; hypocritical.’` Lying means, “Deliberately untruthful: deceptive: misleading.” Although a grammarian may want to distinguish between these meanings, in practice two they are synonyms. When you are insincere, you are lying; insincere people are deceptive. They mislead others regarding their intentions. Jesus applied this to His generation. They had a history of pretending to follow God, while in...
by Chris Martin | May 19, 2026 | Articles, Mentors Corner
One could correctly conclude that the overarching theme of the Bible is Authority. If it is not “the” theme of the Bible, it certainly is one of a number of themes. All men live under authority in some form or fashion. The Bible teaches us that there is even authority in the Godhead (I Cor: 11:3). A child lives under his parent’s authority, an employee lives under the authority of his employer, citizens live under the authority of their government. Biblically, we can rightly conclude that authority is good, necessary, and profitable for man. Jesus states in Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Universally, without question, all men are under the authority of Jesus Christ. However, man is afforded two differing options: the option of choosing to acknowledge and voluntarily live under that authority now, or refusing to do so and at judgement being compelled to live under and acknowledge that authority as he is cast into Hell. The immutable fact about authority is that all authority is conferred, not usurped. That is, all men during their life on earth get to CHOOSE under what authority they will place themselves. It is a choice that each man will make, whether he does so consciously, after thought and deliberation, or subconsciously, without any specific or deliberate thought. Either way, it is the individual man who chooses who will be an authority over him. Have you chosen what authority you live under? Many Christian men will readily confess, after some self-reflection and thought, that they voluntarily place themselves under the authority of God,...
by Jim Gustafson | Apr 28, 2026 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16) “it is the power of God” (1Corinthans 1:18). Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24). “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might” (Ephesians 1:19). “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:9). 1 Corinthians 15:1-6: The Gospel: 1) “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2) by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3) “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” First importance! The summing up of God’s purpose: the redemption of His own, the culmination of the power and theme of the entire Bible—the Gospel, starting with Genesis! The forgiveness of all sins! The removal of the guilt, the penalty, and overpowers the power of sin! The power of the confidence we have via the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures: the foretold coming Gospel over 100 times! 2) “And that He was buried, and...
by Matt Ramey | Apr 20, 2026 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Biblical wisdom is more than intelligence or accumulated knowledge; it is the God-given ability to rightly apply truth in a way that honors Him. While general definitions describe wisdom as discernment, sound judgement, and skillful living, Scripture presents wisdom as being rooted in who God is and how we respond to Him. The Bible refers to wisdom hundreds of times, particularly in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word chokmah emphasizes skillful and practical living, while the New Testament word sophia highlights divine insight. Together, they reveal wisdom as both understanding and practice rather than abstract knowledge alone. Proverbs 1:7 states, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” True wisdom begins with humility, submission to God, and recognition of His sovereignty. Biblical wisdom is inseparable from obedience and stands in contrast to pride and self-reliance (see Colossians 1:9-10). Scripture distinguishes between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom in James 3:13-17. Human wisdom is described as rooted in bitter jealousy and self-ambition. It is “earthly, natural, and demonic” and insufficient to truly know God. God’s wisdom, by contrast, is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering without hypocrisy.” In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, the Apostle Paul tells us that God’s foolishness is wiser than men; His ways are not ours. He also tells us that true wisdom finds its fullest expression in Jesus Christ, whom Scripture calls “the power and wisdom of God.” So, how do we become wise according to God’s standards? Biblical wisdom is obtained by asking God in faith, learning from Scripture, walking with wise people, and...
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