Divine Partnership

September 21, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

Having worked in and consulted with various businesses, I know there are a variety of configurations of businesses that people will choose for different reasons—there are S-corps and LLCs, and there are several types of partnerships. 

The two most basic partnership arrangements are a general partnership and a limited partnership. In a general partnership, all of the partners share equally in the risk and the reward, and all partners have a say in how the business is run. Typically, partners with more shares of stock have more “voting power” in making decisions, and they will usually benefit more if the company is successful. 

In a limited partnership, one general partner manages all the decisions, with the limited partners being merely passive investors. The limited partners can invest as much or as little as they feel comfortable doing, but they don’t have a say on how the business is run. If the general partner is a savvy operator, everyone will be rewarded handsomely; if the general partner isn’t quite as successful as others had hoped, the limited partners’ losses are limited to only as much as they invested. 

Although these types of business relationships didn’t have these names in the time Peter was writing, he used language that would be very familiar with today’s business attorneys when he wrote that we “may participate in the divine nature.” Participate literally means partnership—it’s the same word Peter knew for his partners in his fishing business (Luke 5:9-10).

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

I believe Peter would call our partnership with Jesus a spiritual limited partnership, with Jesus as the General Partner. He is the One who makes the decisions and calls the shots. 

But what about us as “limited partners”? What investment can we make to this partnership? Only what Jesus has already given us. We saw this last week—HIS divine power has GIVEN US everything we need for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3-4).

This is unheard of in today’s partnerships! The General Partner is giving the limited partners everything they need to invest in the partnership, and then He is allowing the limited partners to reap all of the rewards of His work (see Matthew 19:29)! 

Last week we said Jesus did the work so that we could do the work. We could modify this to say, Jesus gave us everything we need to reap the rewards of this partnership. 

The amazing benefit of this partnership is stated in the next verse: He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature (v. 4). 

Look at some blessings…  

  • recipients of the Holy Spirit—Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13 
  • heirs of His Kingdom—Galatians 3:29 
  • eternal life—Titus 1:2; 1 John 2:25 
  • a perfect Mediator—Hebrews 9:15 AMPC 
  • power to access every single promise in His Word—2 Corinthians 1:20 

Peter says we are participating in His divine nature. Literally, Theios physis. The NLT says, “the promises that enable you to participate in the divine nature.” 

In his first letter, Peter quoted Leviticus, when God said, “Be holy, because I am holy” (see Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Investing in this divine partnership releases to us the promises that empower us to participate—to be a partner in—God’s perfect holiness! 

Our participation in this divine partnership allows us to “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (v. 4b). The word participate or partnership can be used negatively (1 Corinthians 10:18-21). But Peter uses it positively. Prior to salvation our desires aligned with demonic desires, but now a new and infinitely superior power is at work in us. This power changes our desires from temporal things to eternal things (Galatians 5:17 NLT). 

Jesus told a story of a master who gave money to his to invest. The ones called wise were also welcomed into the master’s presence forever. They realized that their best investment was to use what their master had given them in partnership with their master, so they went all in. They invested everything their master had given them. 

Peter tells us essentially the same thing: Be all in with the investment Jesus has given you! Don’t hold anything back—make every effort. Don’t let Jesus be merely your Savior, but let Him be your Lord. Trust Him as the General Partner to do what is best. Give Him complete control of all the great and precious promises He has given you, and then allow the Holy Spirit to make you holy inside and out! 

Check out all of the other messages in our series based on 2 Peter called Friends of the Faith. 

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Intimate Knowledge

September 7, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

Remember that Peter’s first letter was to instruct Christians how to interact with non-Christians, but his second letter is about Christians interacting within the community of faith. It’s a precious faith that we share with precious friends. Our dear friends encourage us to think wholesomely, have informed perseverance, remain pure, and stay on guard until the very end.  

You can sense Peter’s longing for his dear friends of the faith to grasp this. He even says in this letter that it is his second letter to keep reminding the saints about the richness in Jesus, and he says as long as he has breath in his lungs he will keep on reminding us (2 Peter 1:12-15). 

(Click here to see all of the Scriptures in this post.) 

Peter uses an almost identical greeting in both letters: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2). This sentiment of linking grace and peace was almost universal, with all but five New Testament books greeting their audiences with the dual blessing of grace and peace. 

Let’s talk about these dual blessings. 

James Thayer defines this Greek word for peace: “According to a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.” 

This means that Christians who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior have peace with God (Romans 5:1), and that peace guards our hearts against all fear (Philippians 4:7). 

The other blessing in Peter’s greeting is grace (see also Romans 5:2). This is—quite simply and quite profoundly—God’s favor toward us. God’s grace is unearned by our efforts, undeserved despite our sins, and unending for all eternity. And it comes coming in wave after wave (see John 1:16; I especially like it in the AMPC). 

Peter’s greeting in his second letter adds a phrase from his first letter: “…through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” It’s fitting that this is in his second letter, showing he is still growing in his knowledge of Jesus. 

We don’t get more grace and peace through knowledge, but we realize and can apply more grace and peace through this growing knowledge. The tap of God’s blessing is already open full—no more can come out. As we grow in the knowledge of this, we find it increasingly precious and valuable. 

The Greek word for knowledge here is epignosis. This is knowledge through personal experience.

I once worked with a man who was a retired Air Force officer. Before flying one mission, he walked into the flight control building—a huge hanger-like structure—where dozens and dozens of personnel sat staring at screens to forecast the weather. 

Lou asked a private for the forecast: “Sir, you have clear skies and excellent visibility for your mission,” he dutifully reported. 

“Private,” Lou shouted, “on your feet!” The young man snapped to attention. “Follow me,” Lou ordered and began marching toward the door of the hanger. When they got there, Lou ordered the private to open the door, step outside, close the door behind him, and not to re-enter the hanger for 60 seconds. 

One minute later that private stepped back inside and stood before Lou dripping wet. “Now, private,” Lou demanded, “what is my weather forecast.” 

“It looks like rain, sir,” the young private reported. 

Epignosis is not book knowledge about Jesus, but personal, intimate, experiential knowledge of Jesus. That Air Force meteorologist only knew about weather from his radar screen, but once he got drenched outside, he knew of the weather conditions from personal experience. 

Peter says this epignosis is ours (2 Peter 1:3-5). 

There’s only one thing that keeps us from growing in our knowledge of God’s abundant grace and peace: Complacency. In v. 5, Peter says we are to “make every effort.” 

It’s not our effort that brings God’s grace, but it is our effort that allows us to know His grace—to know Jesus personally. Notice the progression:

  • (v. 3) Christ’s divine power has give us everything we need by His own glory and goodness 
  • (v. 4a) Through these gracious gifts He has given us His great and precious promises 
  • (v. 4b) Through His promises we can participate in His divine nature 
  • (v. 5) For this very reason, we are to bring our best effort, our diligent interest, and our total attention 

Peter concludes his letter exactly as he starts it: Keep growing in your epignosis (3:18). 

The more you grow in epignosis, the more intimate knowledge you will have to encourage your dear friends of the faith—

And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life. (1 John 5:20 NLT) 

Then like Paul, we can pray for ourselves and for our dear friends for a continual growing in this intimate knowledge of Jesus (see Ephesians 1:15-19). 

Check out the other messages in this series from 2 Peter called Friends of the Faith. 

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Royal Robes

July 6, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

I know we’re not supposed to judge by appearances, but the fact is that we do make quite a few mental assessments by what we see. 

I heard about a recently-hired flight attendant who hadn’t received her uniform from the airline before she worked her first flight. Can you imagine what passengers were thinking when someone dressed just like them was giving pre-flight instructions, passing out snacks and beverages, or asking passengers to buckle up? I’m sure they made an assessment about her because of what she wasn’t wearing. 

The first mention an article of clothing is when God clothes Adam and Eve to cover the shame of their sin (Genesis 3:21). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I reference in this post by clicking here.) 

There is no mention of the garments and accessories that would be worn by kings, but we see how these things had become recognized outward symbols (1 Samuel 18:1-4). And then there were the kingly crowns (2 Samuel 12:29-30). As we saw last week, David knew God had chosen him to lead Israel, and whether it was symbolic or literal, David saw his kingly crown as coming from God (Psalm 21:1-3, 5). 

Swords and crowns were mostly symbols of authority, but there are also garments that show intimacy. We first see this with the priests who were to serve before God in the Holy of Holies. They were given special garments to distinguish them from everyone else (Exodus 28:1-3). These robes would also be saturated with the aroma of the unique incense that the priests offered in God’s presence. So both the appearance and aroma spoke of close intimacy with God. 

For a period of time, the ark of the covenant of the Lord was housed in a temporary location, but David wanted to bring it to Jerusalem. As he undertook this, notice his clothing choice (1 Chronicles 15:27). David then offered praise to God extolling His glory (16:8-10), His strength (vv. 11-12), and His majesty (vv. 24-29). 

Psalm 93 is a royal psalm—taking what people knew about King David and pointing past him to the King of kings. Notice the same themes in this psalm of this eternal King’s glory, strength, and majesty as David mentions in 1 Chronicles 16. God is referred to exclusively as YHWH (5 times) in this psalm. 

David recognized his kingly majesty came from his intimacy with the majesty of God. 

God’s clothing of Adam and Eve—the covering of the ravages of sin—was a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do for us. Check out this prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3, 10. Jesus quoted this in His very first recorded sermon.  

Jesus has a royal crown and robe that shows both His royalty and His intimacy with His Father’s majesty (Revelation 6:2, 19:13). And Jesus gives this same crown to His saints (2:10, 3:11). 

Remember we said earlier that we naturally make an assessment of people by their robes? What do people assess about you? In the middle of the Isaiah 61 prophecy about what Jesus would do for us is this testimony—

Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed (v. 9). 

Our soiled robes have been exchanged for the King of king’s robe of pure righteousness (Ephesians 5:25-27). Because He is also our High Priest, our robe of righteousness is saturated with His aroma (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV; 1 Peter 2:9). 

Revelation 22:14 should be our desire—Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 

But we should also desire what Jesus desires: That no one misses out on this—

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17). 

So let’s make sure our robes are clean and bright, and that the aroma of our life is a pleasing aroma that points others to our King! 

If you would like to check out the other Royal Psalms that we’ve already looked at, you can find those here. 

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Maturing Or Declining?

April 13, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week I reminded you about the greeting in the early church. One saint would say to another, “He is risen!” and the other person would respond, “He is risen indeed!” 

That word “indeed” is important. In Greek, the word is ontōs—in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended or fictitious. Our English dictionary says something similar, but adds something I think is memorable: in fact; in reality; in truth—used for emphasis, to confirm and amplify a previous statement. 

The word ontōs is only used a few times in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah, God speaks to His people, calling them to return to Him. The people respond, “We will come to You. Indeed the world is deception; indeed You are our salvation” (see Jeremiah 3:22-23). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

In the New Testament, Paul said that if the law could have saved us, there would have been no reason for Jesus to die on a Cross and be resurrected back to life—Galatians 3:21-22. When He died for our sins, the Roman centurion overseeing His crucifixion recognized that Jesus was indeed the righteous Savior (Luke 23:47; Matthew 27:54). Jesus said of Himself that He came to give freedom indeed (John 8:36). 

When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we are indeed saved from the death penalty that our sins deserve. We are justified through our faith in our crucified and risen Savior. We are now free indeed to participate in the eternal life Jesus gave us! 

The Bible uses three pictures of the life we are now free to enjoy. Since we camped out in the Book of Ephesians last week, let’s return there to see these three pictures—

(1) The Building of the Lord—Ephesians 2:19-22 

We have to stay on the foundation of Jesus, if we want to build something lasting (Matthew 7:24, 26). This means we have to submit to sanctification process of the Holy Spirit (or as I like to say this word: “saint-ification”). When guests come over, you dust and vacuum. If you don’t clean again, dust will accumulate. Jesus isn’t a one-time or occasional Guest, but He wants to abide in us (Revelation 3:20). 

(2) The Body of Christ—Ephesians 4:3-6, 12-13, 16 

Look a the phrases “…make every effort … works of service … become mature….” These are all ongoing processes which we need for healthy growth (Hebrews 5:12-13). As our physical bodies age, we lose 3-5% of our body’s muscle mass every year unless we are actively working to add muscle. Body building requires (a) protein intake, (b) exercise, (c) rest and recovery—God’s Word applied and resting in the work of the Holy Spirit. 

(3) The Bride of Jesus—Ephesians 5:25-28, 33 

We don’t want to be like this out-of-touch husband, whose wife said to him on their 40th anniversary, “I remember on our wedding day how you told me you loved me. How come you never say that any more.” The husband replied: “If anything changed, I would have let you know.” We need to be continually falling in love with our Bridegroom! Listen to how Jesus addressed these saints at Ephesus. He tells them they have persevered through the difficult times (Revelation 2:1-3), yet they have forsaken the most important thing: their first love (v. 4). If we’ve done this, we need to remember, repent, and return to Jesus (v. 5). 

If we’re not maturing, we’re declining. 

If we are only going through the motions, where is the satisfaction? Where is the freedom indeed? 

Listen to these tough—but needed—words from John Piper: 

“The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world. The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on. It is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love. It is worldly-mindedness that hinders love, even when it is disguised by a religious routine on the weekend.” 

Continuing to mature in our faith makes the Building more beautiful, the the Body healthier, and the Marriage more fulfilling! Let’s keep maturing so that we honor Jesus as our Savior and Lord. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series, you can check them all out here. 

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The Visible Church

April 6, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Fifty-eight years ago this weekend, on April 4, 1968, just after 6pm on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cut down by an assassin’s bullet. A powerful voice in the struggle for civil rights for African Americans was silenced, and yet his legacy still lives on more than a half-century later. 

A couple of days ago, we remembered another historic death: the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. But unlike Dr. King, today we also celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! 

Does it matter that Jesus was raised back to life? If Dr. King’s legacy can still live on in the life of his followers, even though his body is in the grave, couldn’t the same thing happen for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth? The answer, quite simply, is “No!” This is because Jesus claimed that His kingdom was an eternal Kingdom, and that He came to bring people eternal life (John 3:16). If the Founder of this Kingdom could be held in the grave, what would His followers have to look forward to? Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19. 

(I’m not going to take the time to go through all the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus here, but I would encourage you to check out our series A.L.I.V.E. 

We have named this series after a statement from Jesus, “I will build My Church.” He made this statement before His death and before His resurrection, which tells us that He knew the outcome before those events even occurred. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Look how Paul concludes that the resurrection of Jesus is what gives meaning to the terms “saints” and “Church” in Ephesians 1:15-23. Our faith in what Jesus did for us on the Cross—namely, paying the penalty for our sins—is what justifies us, allowing us to be called saints (2:4-5). Notice how saints are to now live (2:6-10). 

Look at those two phrases: “saved…not by works” and “created…to do good works.” As my friend T.M. Moore noted, “We are not saved by good works, but we’re not truly saved without them.” Good works is what characterized the earthly ministry of Jesus (Acts 10:38), and good works are what His saints are now freed and empowered to do (Romans 7:4; 1 Peter 2:12). 

Paul goes on to say that saints are who make up the Church of Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-22). The Church is not a building, but saints following the example of Jesus to make the Kingdom of God known in the world (Acts 4:32-35). 

A hundred years later, Aristides wrote a letter to Emperor Hadrian about these saints (who were now known as Christians): 

     “They help those who offend them, making friends of them; do good to their enemies. They don’t adore idols; they are kind, good, modest, sincere, they love one another; don’t despise widows; protect the orphans; those who have much give without grumbling, to those in need. When they meet strangers, they invite them to their homes with joy, for they recognize them as true brothers, not natural but spiritual. When a poor man dies, if they become aware, they contribute according to their means for his funeral; if they come to know that some people are persecuted or sent to prison or condemned for the sake of Christ’s name, they put their alms together and send them to those in need. If they can do it, they try to obtain their release. When a slave or a beggar is in need of help, they fast two or three days, and give him the food they had prepared for themselves, because they think that he too should be joyful, as he has been called to be joyful like themselves.” 

Jesus is the eternally-living Founder of His Church, and those who have had their sins forgiven by their faith in His death and resurrection are the living stones of His Church (1 Peter 2:5). 

Coming to the Cross makes us saints. Making the Savior known by the way we live makes us the Church. 

We can’t do this unless Jesus is alive and actively empowering us (Matthew 28:18-20). 

Let me reiterate what my friend wrote, because this is how saints should live: “We are not saved by good works, but we’re not truly saved without them.” 

The resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for us to not only be delivered from trying to earn our salvation by doing good works, but to be empowered to do good works so that we compel others want to know Jesus for themselves. 

As the saints go, so goes the Church. 

Check out all of the messages in this series “I will build My Church” by clicking here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Our Cornerstone

March 23, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week we saw that the essential confession is not just, “I believe You are the Christ the Son of the living God,” but also, “I will take up my cross and follow You!” (Matthew 16:16-18, 24). Notice that these are “red letter words”—words spoken by Jesus. They are not “they say” words (like v. 14; Matthew 7:21-23). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.)

Look at the very next red letter words in Matthew 7:24-27. Notice the two parts: hears and puts them into practice. That’s our verbal and our lifestyle confession. What are we hearing and putting into practice? “These words of Mine.” 

Jesus is our Cornerstone. The dictionary defines this as, “something that is essential, indispensable; the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.” 

Some sandy things to build your life upon: 

  • what your family practiced 
  • what your pastor preached 
  • what your friends believe 

You know how you will know how sure your foundation is? When the storms come! I recently heard a well-known scholar and Christian apologist in an interview. He was asked by a skeptic of Christianity if he had doubts, and he responded, “Sure, I have doubts. But I choose to believe what the Bible says.” And I thought, “How sad to live this way.” We have a reliable, unshakable foundation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:18-22; 1 Corinthians 15:58). 

Religions and philosophies have come and gone. 

Spiritual giants have stumbled, and fierce tyrants have growled and then died. 

Traditions and societies have changed through the millennia. 

But the red letter words of Jesus stand firm through every season and storm (2 Timothy 2:19). 

Our Cornerstone remains unmovable and we can stand on Him unshaken. This foundation…

  • …was prophesied—Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22 
  • …was fulfilled—Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11-12 
  • …is still standing today—Ephesians 2:19-20; 1 Peter 2:4-6 
  • …will still be standing for all eternity—Revelation 21:5; John 14:1-4 

So there is no need to be afraid. There is no need to get frustrated. There is no need to engage in meaningless debates with the “they say” crowd. Stand firm on the red letter words—our Cornerstone. 

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!” 

Check out all of the other messages in this “I Will Build My Church” series here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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The Vital Leadership Need For Mercy

March 18, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Paul salutes his friend Titus, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 1:4). 

I’m not sure why several English translations of the Bible leave the word mercy out of this verse, because the Greek clearly says charis, eleos, eirene. Especially when we consider that this was an intentional word Paul was inspired to pen to a specific person. 

In every letter Paul writes to a church (plus in his personal letter to his friend Philemon), he greets the saints with “grace and peace” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 3). This is also the greeting of Peter and John to the churches (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; Revelation 1:4). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post here.)

But in Paul’s three pastoral letters, he says, “Grace, mercy, and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). Only John in the New Testament uses this salutation in a personal correspondence to another church leader (2 John 3). 

From this, I think we would be wise to note that Paul feels his pastoral proteges need to keep mercy in the forefront of their minds. Not that pastors—and the “dear lady” in John’s second letter—don’t know that God has been merciful to them, but as a reminder of just how important mercy truly is to both pastors and to the saints under their care. 

Charles Spurgeon wrote that pastors need to be reminded of mercy “as if the higher the office, the greater the liability to sin.” I think one of the biggest temptations for leaders is to believe their elevated title means they are to be served by others, rather than to continually take the role of a servant serving others. 

Pastoral leaders will also do well to recall that “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:25), and that “all” includes both pastors and saints. Pastors need to quickly recognize anytime they may be straying from their servant’s role, repent, and receive God’s mercy. 

Shepherd leaders also need to guard against the frustration that can creep into their heart when they see the sheep in their flock going astray. Paul and John are reminding these pastors to keep in mind how merciful the Chief Shepherd has been to them, and how this should stir up their mercy toward the flock around them. 

Shepherd leaders have a vital need to keep mercy always in mind. 

I think a good prayer for pastors might be—

     Holy Spirit, in my moments of frustration, remind me of the “grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ [my] Savior” which has been extended to me innumerable times. May that recollection awaken in me increased depths of mercy toward the flock around me, despite how frequently they may stray. In Jesus’ name. Amen! 

P.S. If you are interested in going deeper on the topic of pastors as leaders, please check out my book Shepherd Leadership. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Practice For Precision

February 2, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

An old Sunday School song had me joyfully singing, “I’m in the Lord’s army!” I loved playing “Army” with my friends and I also loved this song and the idea behind it, but it seems like many seasoned saints today get a little uncomfortable with the idea of a militant Church. But military-like precision was drilled into everything the Church was taught from the days of Moses all through the end of the New Testament. 

Let’s just consider the precision of the movement of the tribes of Israel. For 40 years in the wilderness they were an army on the move, and they moved with precision that was drilled into them. 

  • Numbers 2 lays out the precise encampment arrangements. 
  • Numbers 10:14-36 tells us precisely how they marched out with the vanguard, supporting troops, and rearguard. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Charles T. Crabtree wrote, “As spiritual people we are to understand spiritual warfare. We are to be alert to the devil’s devices. We are not to be obsessed with demonic strategy; we are simply, through God, to understand it and be superior to it.” 

We are in a spiritual battle that requires spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-13), and we must practice for precision in which armor and which weapons to use (2 Corinthians 10:4; 2 Timothy 2:3-4). 

My friend Dan Chastain spent more than 20 years serving in the US Army, and he notices several parallels between what the Bible says about military leaders and what he learned in his long military service. He shared four key characteristics of warriors: 

  1. Dedication to honorable service 
  2. Obedience and loyalty to whom and what they serve 
  3. Integrity at all costs
  4. Selfless service 

Dan also shared the US Army’s model of Be, Know, and Do. Which is also vital for Christian warriors today. 

When Joshua—the general of the Israelite army—took over, he was given this directive by God: Meditate on God’s Word so that you can live by it (Joshua 1:6-8), and the New Testament would agree (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So we, too, will learn from the military leaders that Scripture has given us how to practice our precision in the Lord’s Army. 

Let’s make sure we can finish well. As Paul said to Timothy, “Fight the good fight of the faith. … I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). 

You can start today by applying Be, Know, and Do with the Training Manual for the Lord’s Army every single day: 

  • Be in the training Manual every day 
  • Know the Manual 
  • Do what the Manual says 

Follow along with all of the messages in our series on The Lord’s Army. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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My Brothers And Sisters

January 13, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Hello, my brothers and sisters! On this episode of The Podcast, let me tell you how much power is packed into that simple greeting. 

The biblical passages I reference in this video—Matthew 6:9; Hebrews 2:11, 14-15; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5; Acts 2:42-47, 4:31-35. 

You may also want to check out my blog posts: 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Review Your History

November 24, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.  

We saw in part one of this two-part series that we quickly go into crisis mode when we forget that God is in control, so we need to remain full of thanks all the time (Ephesians 5:20 AMPC). We called gratitude our inoculation against the pull from contentment to crisis, but inoculation doesn’t mean that we never experience some pangs of anxiety when a moment of darkness hits. Maturing Christians are learning how to spot the beginning of anxiety and move back into the contentment zone earlier and earlier (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2, 12). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

James says we “will receive the crown of life” from Jesus. There’s no doubt about that! In a trial, it’s important to be reassured that the trial can never cause us to lose out with our Heavenly Father (Romans 8:38-39). 

Psalm 107 starts out with this same assurance—“those He redeemed” (v. 2) is in the perfect tense. It’s complete and irrevocable! We walk out our redemption in circumstance after circumstance in a way that bring glory to God and draws others to Him as well. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say” is in the imperfect tense, which means giving thanks is an ongoing practice (v. 1). 

Redeemed once, but giving thanks always! 

Romans 8 gives a little snapshot of some of the situations that could have sent us spiraling into crisis mode, but remember the conclusion: None of those things can separate from God’s love. 

Last week we saw how the psalmist linked prayer and gratitude in a repeated theme. This practice is backward looking (vv. 7-8, 14-15, 20-22, 29-32). When we look back to see how God has moved and then we contemplate Who He is (Hebrews 13:8; Isaiah 59:1). 

Look at the closing verse (v. 43): 

  • heed = guard, watch over attentively; this is an imperfect verb—which means we keep on doing it 
  • consider = discern: to take apart the evidence and harvest the lessons 
  • great love = God’s limitless lovingkindness 

I love this verse in the New Living Translation: Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

That means we… 

  1. Review the history of God’s faithfulness 
  2. Rejoice over it 
  3. Apply it to your current circumstance 

We can pray, “God, You have been faithful—You have rescued me. Now help me to see that You are still Sovereign over this current situation—You are doing something in the midst of this crisis.” 

In Romans 8:28, Paul tells us that God is working together all of our circumstances for His glory and our our good. Oswald Chambers noted, “In the Christian life we have no aim of our own, and God’s aim looks like missing the mark because we are too shortsighted to see what He is aiming at.” Reviewing our history and then giving thanks helps assure our anxious heart that God is going to hit the mark (Philippians 1:6). 

Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with His godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in Him should ponder them. Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember His wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our Lord! (Psalm 111:1-4 NLT) 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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