“Have To” Or “Get To”

October 14, 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. 

The first church Jesus addresses in the Book of Revelation are the saints in Ephesus. He says to them—

     I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (Revelation 2:1-4) 

The Ephesians were known for a very admirable list of qualities:

  • good deeds 
  • hard work 
  • perseverance 
  • not tolerating evil people to remain in the church 
  • weeding out false apostles 
  • enduring hardship without growing weary 

But it appears that like the Israelites in Isaiah’s day, these qualities had ceased being delights and had now become mere duties—items to simply check off their spiritual To Do list. 

Listen to what God said through the prophet Isaiah—

     “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship Me, who asked you to parade through My courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing Me your meaningless gifts…. Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about Me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. (Isaiah 1:11-13; 58:2) 

Just like the people of Ephesus, the people in Isaiah’s day were dutifully checking all of the boxes that they thought religious people were supposed to check, but their heart was no longer into it. 

Love for Jesus—our First Love—is seen not in what we think we have to do, but in delighting in what we get to do. 

Jesus calls us to show mercy in following God’s commands (see Matthew 9:9-13; 12:1-8). But when we have a “Have to” attitude, we can easily become judgmental of anyone who is not checking off the boxes the way that we are. Judgmental people don’t love others and serve them, but they condemn them for doing the “Have tos” the wrong way. 

Jesus calls us to closely monitor our attitude about our motivation to do what we do. We need to have a loving “I get to do this” attitude, not a “I have to do this and so does everyone else” attitude. 

The “Have to” attitude, Jesus says, forsakes His love for our way of doing things. But the “Get to” attitude is fueled by our devotion to our First Love. Let’s all check our attitude to make sure our “Get tos” never becomes our “Have tos.” 

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Abiding In Worship

October 12, 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. 

Peter is giving us an important progression of virtues that supercharge our Christian testimony in the world and our ability to encourage fellow saints. We’ve looked at the first four (faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control) and now I see a place for a warning. 

A saint that is growing in their faith, in their goodness that shows itself as a Christian gentleman or gentlewomen, increasing in their knowledge of the things of God, and staying within the guardrails of self-control is probably starting to get noticed. They are seeing their own growth in maturity, and their old friends are also seeing it. This is a place to be on guard! 

I think this is what Jesus described in Mark 4:3-7, 14-19. 

  • A little knowledge can make us proud of what we’ve accomplished and tempt us to run too far ahead before we’re ready. This is the people with shallow roots. 
  • The worries of life can be giving too much attention to what others say or think about us, or how they begin to treat us. We become unfruitful when we pay attention to those things. 

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

Look at our progression in 2 Peter 1:2-6. The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to list perseverance in the perfect place in this progression! 

This is called patient endurance in the NLT and steadfastness in the AMPC, but I like to call it stick-to-it-iveness. The Greek word is interesting: hypomone = by (hypo-) + abiding (-meno). 

This word for remain or abide appears 11x in John 15:4-11! 

  • Scripture teaches us, but hypomone turns truth into hope (Romans 15:4) 
  • Hypomone keeps me living obediently to God’s Word (Hebrews 10:36; Revelation 14:12) 
  • Hypomone turns the seed of God’s Word into a bountiful harvest (Mark 4:8, 20) 
  • Hypomone keeps me peaceful—and therefore focused on God—during trials (Luke 21:19 AMPC) 

When Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin, those leaders could tell they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13b), so too with Stephen (6:15). The virtue that follows perseverance is godliness. Peter has already used this word to describe Jesus (2 Peter 1:3) and so does the Septuagint in Isaiah 11:2. 

The Greek word literally means “good worship” because godliness is a lifestyle—a lifestyle of worshipping God and magnifying the immeasurable worth of our Savior! 

To fully describe this word, godliness in the NT is typically linked with another attribute: 

  • godliness + power (Acts 3:12) 
  • godliness + reverence [righteousness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness] (1 Timothy 6:11) 
  • godliness + knowledge of the truth (Titus 1:1) 
  • godliness + zoe life (2 Peter 1:3) 
  • godliness + holiness (3:11) 

Remember that make every effort is not my ability to supply myself, but my choice to ask, receive, and apply. 

I must make every effort to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to persevere. I must make every effort to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit to display more Christlikeness. 

As I add goodness to my faith, and add knowledge to my goodness, and add self-control to my knowledge, and add perseverance to my self-control, and add godliness to my perseverance, people should see in me what John the Baptists desired: He must increase, but I must decrease. 

My growth in godliness is best seen by an attitude to persevere to see even more godliness in me. 

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

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Knowledge Under Control

October 5, 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. 

Years ago, I read a book by Tim Elmore called Artificial Maturity. The premise of his book is that youth have access to so much information that they can sound informed and educated, but because they don’t know what to do with all that knowledge, they remain unprepared to handle the situations they face each day. 

If we’re not careful, we Christians can be described as artificially mature. We know what the Bible says, we can quote a lot of passages, but if we don’t know how to actually apply that knowledge in our everyday lives, we are immature. 

So we have to do something. One of the things we have to do is use our brain. God wants us to be fully engaged so that we can love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. So there needs to be a recognition of what we don’t know so that we can know how to apply what we know. 

We don’t know what we don’t know until we know someone who knows something we don’t know (Romans 7:7). 

(You can see all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

But once we know that we don’t know, we have a choice: (1) Seek knowledge so we can know what we don’t know, or (2) Seek someone who can help us both know what we don’t know and know how to apply what we’ve learned. The Holy Spirit is that Someone (John 16:14-15). 

We’ve already looked at one word for know in 2 Peter 1:2—epignosis is how to apply what we know. Remember the progression (vv. 2-5). The word for knowledge in v. 5 is gnosis: this is moral wisdom. So gnosis is having the knowledge; epignosis is how to apply that knowledge. 

When we perceive the goodness—the gentlemanliness—of Jesus and we see ourselves in comparison, it makes us want to: (1) throw in the towel, (2) try to improve ourselves (which will ultimately make us want to throw in the towel), or (3) submit to the Spirit’s sanctification process. 

God loves to help those who admit that cannot help themselves. In 1 Peter 5:5, Peter quotes Solomon, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” God stands back from those who say, “I know how to do this myself,” but He rushes in to help those who say, “I know I need to change, but I don’t know how” of “I need wisdom to apply what I know.” 

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’” —C.S. Lewis  

So we make every effort to add goodness to our faith, we make every effort to add knowledge to our goodness, and we make every effort to add self-control to our knowledge. 

Self-control literally means “with strength.” Knowledge without strong self-control can be dangerous—just like a curvy road without guardrails. 

In Titus 2:12, Paul ties together a sound mind with sober behavior. So it appears that self-control starts in the mind that is taking in new knowledge. Remember that knowledge is Spirit-breathed, so the strength of self-control must also be His strength. My strength fails, but God’s strength sustain me (Isaiah 40:29-31; 41:10, 13). I can know that…

  • God’s strength is my assurance in spiritual battles—Ephesians 6:10 
  • His strength gives me longsuffering patience and joy—Colossians 1:11 
  • The same strength Jesus used is given to us—Hebrews 2:14, 18 

My knowledge won’t help unless it’s Spirit-illuminated. My self-control won’t stand unless it’s Spirit-empowered. 

Our “make every effort” is to ask, receive, and apply. And then do that again, and again, and again with the Holy Spirit’s illumination and empowerment. 

Check out all of the other messages in this series by clicking here. 

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No Fear Of God’s Holy Mountain

August 24, 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. 

Looking at King David, we can see an imperfect picture of our perfect King Jesus. 

Let’s be honest: Coming into the king’s presence can be a fearful activity. Does he know something about you that you don’t know? Is he in a good mood? For the law-abiding citizen of Israel, coming before King David was without fear or punishment, but with a healthy respect of who he was. But with King David, we see a healthy, loving attitude that the people had. 

  • David and all Israel celebrated when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:5). 
  • And the way David blessed all the people following this would have raised the level of esteem they had for him. 
  • God was pleased with David too: The Lord gave David victory wherever he went (8:6). 
  • David continued to do the right thing (8:15). 
  • At the end of David’s life the eyes of all Israel were on David to see who he would select to sit on his throne after him. 

(All of the Scriptures in this post may be viewed by clicking here.)

Psalm 99 appears to be one that was written during the reign of King David. This royal psalm looks at the limited reign of David to see a better picture of the throne room of King Jesus. 

The opening words tell us “the LORD reigns” (v. 1a). The word tremble can have two definitions. The first is to be perturbed or disquieted. This is addressed to the nations who don’t bow their knee to Yahweh, as a result they shake in fear. Second, this word tremble can also mean to be excited about coming before the King. 

King Jesus is called “great, exalted over all the nations” (not just Israel), and He is said to have a “great and awesome name.” 

“He IS holy,” which means He is the undisputed standard of all that is right and wrong, and no one can question His ruling. The nations that don’t know the King as their King tremble and shake, but those who do know Him as their King praise His awesome name (Revelation 5:13). 

In many translations the word King is capitalized in v. 4, but we don’t know if this is referring to God or David. Since v. 2 refers to the “LORD in Zion,” that would appear to be a capital “K” King. But v. 4 mentions Jacob (not Zion), so I believe this is a lower case “k” referring to David. Let me restate verse 4 this way: “David is mighty, David loves justice—David has established equity; in Jacob David has done what is just and right.” 

David’s own prayers also bear out this interpretation (see Psalm 20:6-9; 21:1-7). This is what the royal psalms do: Point us to David to show us a better picture in Jesus. 

This is the end of stanza 1 which ends with this call to worship (v. 5). 

Verses 6-7 give us another example (prior to the era of the kings) of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. These priests could call on God’s name and expect to receive an answer from Him. They lived obediently to all God spoke to them (v. 7b). Then v. 8 reminds us that God still speaks and forgives, but He is also the final Judge who will punish “misdeeds.” These verses clearly speak to Jesus who is both King and Priest before God’s throne. 

This is the end of stanza 2, which has a similar call to worship as stanza 1 (v. 9). 

I want you to also notice some places of worship: 

  • between the cherubim (v. 1)—God’s mercyseat. This is where sin was atoned every year under the old system of David’s era, but where Jesus has has presented the once-for-all atonement for all who will believe on Him. 
  • His footstool (v. 5)—another name for the ark of the covenant of the LORD (1 Chronicles 28:2). 
  • the pillar of cloud (v. 7)—the covering of God’s presence and the reminder of His protection. 
  • His holy mountain (v. 9)—see Hebrews 12:18-29. 

Remember Psalm 99:4 in the AMPC—The strength of the king who loves righteousness and equity You establish in uprightness; You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob (Israel). 

King Jesus is the perfect King of justice and righteousness (Isaiah 9:7; Revelation 5:12). 

One day every knee will bow at the footstool of God’s holy mountain. They will either bow in despair and shaking because they did not put their faith in Jesus, or they will bow in humble adoration for the atonement that King Jesus made for them. 

For those who don’t know Jesus—Away from Me, all you evildoers! There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. (Luke 13:27-28) 

For those who know King Jesus, there is no fear (Luke 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57)! 

Christians must live every day exalting and worship God, bowing gratefully at His footstool. This lifestyle of adoration of the great and awesome King is our testimony to a skeptical and searching world. 

If you’ve missed any of the other Royal Psalms we’ve discussed in this series, you can check them all out here. 

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Your King Is The Perfect Judge

August 10, 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. 

There’s a scene in The Princess Bride that rings true for us. As the grandfather is reading the story to his sick grandson, he has just revealed that the hero in the story has died. The grandson stops his grandfather, “Wait, grandpa, you’re reading that wrong.” This young man wants what all of us want: For the good guys to be vindicated and for the bad guys to get what’s coming to them. 

The next Royal Psalm assures us that our Judge will perfectly balance His scales of justice. King David (sort of) gives us a picture of this. 

King David’s son Absalom had usurped the throne, and David is fleeing the city with his trusted inner circle. Along the way he is confronted by a man named Shimei, who was from the same family as King Saul (2 Samuel 16:5-12). David gives us a good foretaste of King Jesus in the way he initially responds to this attack (19:18b-23). Sadly, David apparently hung on to these slights and asked his son Solomon to keep an eye on Shimei (1 Kings 2:8-9). So I’m going to guess that our Royal Psalm was written between these two incidents. 

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

Psalm 98 is a call to sing our praise to our King and Judge. First, we are to sing to Him and about Him because of what He has already done: 

  • He has done marvelous things (v. 1) 
  • He has provided salvation (v. 1) 
  • He has made His salvation known (v. 2) 
  • He has revealed His righteousness (v. 2) 
  • He has remembered His love for us (v. 3) 
  • He has remembered His faithfulness toward us (v. 3) 
  • the earth has seen His salvation (v. 3) 

Then we are called to keep on singing in anticipation of what He is going to do: we shout for joy and burst into jubilant song (v. 4), make music (vv. 5-6a), shout for joy (v. 6b), and see creation praising all around us (vv. 7-9a). 

All of this singing because He comes to judge? Does that sound right? 

It sounds right when judgment is in the hand of the Perfect Judge. The Bible describes judges who are looking for bribes, or who are swayed by personal feelings (like King David), or Jesus even identified a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people.  

But God on His throne isn’t any of these things! Isaiah prophesies Christ’s first Advent as one of peace (Isaiah 42:1-4). Even when Jesus was maligned and mistreated even more hatefully—and without having done anything wrong—than David, He still didn’t retaliate (1 Peter 2:21-23). 

Jesus entrusted Himself to Him Who judges justly, which is what Psalm 98 calls us to do. 

  • He comes to judge [vindicate] the earth [creation], which has been groaning for this (Romans 8:21-22). 
  • He will judge [acquit or declare guilty] the world and its peoples (Matthew 25:31-32; Revelation 20:12). 

His judgement will be with righteousness and equity—

  • righteousness = the perfect standard 
  • equity = the perfect consequence (see also Isaiah 42:10-13) 

In light of the perfect judgment from the perfect King that is coming, how should we live today? 

  • He will handle retribution then—so don’t retaliate today (Isaiah 11:1-5). 
  • He will handle vindication then—so forgive today (1 Peter 2:23; Luke 23:34). 
  • He will call you to give an account then—so change your words and actions today (Matthew 12:36). 
  • He will forgive blood-washed saints then—so forgive today (Matthew 6:14-15). 
  • He will judge perfectly then—so don’t be judgmental today (James 5:9; Romans 2:1-3). 
  • He will reward perfectly then—so don’t look for applause from the world today (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Matthew 25:34). 

Our King has won our salvation, and He is going to balance the scales perfectly when He returns, so we should be singing His praise every day until His return! 

If you’ve missed and of the other messages on these Royal Psalms, you can find them all here. 

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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. 

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

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Our Confidently Humble King

June 29, 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. 

The psalmists of the Bible foresaw the coming of the King of kings, especially in the example they had in their King David. The Royal Psalms are the ones that look at the up-close example of David as a means of better seeing King Jesus. 

I think our idea about our leaders can be summed up in this observation from Queen Victoria who said of William Gladstone, “When I am with him I feel I am with one of the most important leaders in the world.” On the other hand, of Benjamin Disraeli she said, he “makes me feel as if I am one of the most important people in the world.” We want strong, confident leaders that can lead us, but we also want humble leaders that care for us. We want leader who are for us. 

This was the leadership of King David—

[God] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens, from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:70-72) 

Do you see the confident humility in this description? David remained a shepherd with a heart of integrity (humility) and skillful hands (confidence). 

There is a power in these three words: God chose me. The “God chose” part gives me the confidence to lead because of God’s empowerment, but the fact that He “chose me” reminds me to be humbly grateful that He would use me! 

David shows this humility and this confidence in Psalm 86, which is labeled as, “A prayer of David.” 

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

Notice David’s humble reliance on God in prayer—answer me for I am poor and needy … Your servant who trusts in You … have mercy … I lift up my soul … hear my prayer … I will call to You … there is none like You (vv. 1-8). 

I want you to also see how God-saturated this prayer is. All but three of the verses in this 17-verse psalm mention God by name: 

  • “LORD” in all caps is YHWH or Jehovah—vv. 1, 6, 11, 17 
  • “God” is Elohim = the Triune God—vv. 2, 10, 12, 14 
  • “Lord” is Adonai = the publicly-used name for YHWH—vv. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15 

What exactly is David praying for? It’s not for wisdom. It’s not for success in battle. It’s not for healing. I believe David’s desire is for all the kingdoms of earth to know the King of kings. 

Look at the middle verse: All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, Lord; they will bring glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God (v. 9). 

Because of David’s humble prayer in vv. 1-8, we now see a confidence in his lifestyle—I will walk in Your truth … I may fear Your name … I will praise You … I will glorify Your name … grant strength to Your servant … for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me (vv. 10-17). 

David is confident of his sins being forgiven (v. 5), of others coming to know this merciful King (v. 15), so that all nations will glorify God together (v. 9). 

Remember that these royal psalms are to point us through David to Jesus. 

The Old Testament prophecies tell us about Jesus: There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him (Isaiah 53:2 NLT). Indeed, Jesus came to earth in confident humility—

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage, rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7) 

David’s prayer begins this way in the NLT: Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer. 

Jesus bent down to serve those He loved—He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him (John 13:4-5). 

He also stooped to the most undignified form of execution (Matthew 26:39; Philippians 2:8). 

The well-known Christmas carol The First Noel says, “Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord, Who hath made heaven and earth of naught, and with His blood mankind hath bought.” 

Jesus said it this way: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

As a result Jesus is exalted (Philippians 2:9-11) and all nations can serve Him (Revelation 5:9, 7:9), just as David prayed and believed (Psalm 86:9). 

We need to live with the same confident humility that God chose me—In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). Like David, we make prayer to our King unceasingly for all people to see the glory of Jesus, and for our confidently humbled lives to help point the way for them—

Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. (Philippians 2:14-15) 

Let us use the pattern of this Royal Psalm to help us pray and live in a way that helps others see the King of kings for themselves! 

If you would like to check out the other Royal Psalms we have already unpacked, please click here. 

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Empowered Understanding And Application

June 15, 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. 

The baptism in the Holy Spirit brings an empowerment that nothing else can—You will receive POWER to be My witnesses (Acts 1:8). 

I remember sitting with a group of leaders who were discussing personnel issues that was slowly becoming nothing more than a gripe session. I shared a story from the Book of Acts about some disagreements between some saints, and then made an application that caused all of these leaders to look at me in wonder. One said, “I had no idea that was in the Bible,” and another added, “I knew that story was there, but I never thought of applying that to this situation.” That wasn’t me, but the Holy Spirit who opened up His Word to that situation. 

My friend Greg and I are writing a series of books for the business community called Business by the Book, where we are applying biblical insights to every “box” of a typical corporate flowchart. People who have already reviewed sections of our book are having a similar response: “I had no idea these examples and applications were there!” 

We are surrounded by messages right now—messages we cannot hear. There are some persuasive arguments, some angry rants, some happy tunes, and some special sporting events. But we cannot tune into those messages with having a radio receiver set to the precise frequency. The Holy Spirit does the same thing for Christians. 

Check out David talking about the speech of Creation in Psalm 19:1-4. 

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

Jesus used Creation too—telling us to look at the birds and flowers (Matthew 6:26, 28) or to consider the farmer sowing seeds (Matthew 13:3-9). 

In Romans, Paul tells us that Creation is enough (1:19-20) but that God also gave us His Law (2:12) and a conscience (2:15). When men rejected these things, God sent prophets and then His One and Only Son. 

Those without the Holy Spirit are deaf to this speech, unable to understand it nor apply it to their lives, as Jesus goes on to tell His audience in Matthew 13:10-12. 

We have already talked about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth (John 16:7-15), but notice that one of the first things He does is convict us of sin (v. 8). Without this conviction, we are unable to repent of the things which are keeping us spiritual blind and deaf (Ezekiel 12:1-2). 

Oswald Chambers noted, “Spiritual insight is in accordance with the development of heart purity.” How true! And that’s exactly what Jesus went on to say in Matthew 13:13-15. Paul echoes this—

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT). 

One of the prophecies about Jesus included His reliance on the Holy Spirit—not His natural mind—to discern what God was doing and how Jesus would fulfill Scripture (Isaiah 11:1-5). 

This Spirit-empowered insight was anticipated by Solomon: If you will turn (repent) and give heed to My reproof, behold, I Wisdom will pour out My Spirit upon you, I will make My words known to you. (Proverbs 1:23 AMPC) 

We can then know the sayings of the wise and be able to understand and apply these truths (Proverbs 24:23, 32). See how Peter did this in Acts 10:17, 28. 

Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding—drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences. (Proverbs 3:13 AMPC) 

The Spirit-baptized Christian is empowered to understand God’s speech through His Word, His Creation, and their life experiences, and then to make Christ-honoring applications of that understanding! 

Why would we settle for anything less than this?! So don’t stop at salvation, but press on to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. 

If you’ve missed any messages in this series about the power of Pentecost, you can find the full catalog 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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Sabbath-rest

May 27, 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.

 

There remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9) 

The word Sabbath-rest (Greek: sabbatismos) is unique in all of Scripture. This is the place of total and complete contentment in God’s presence—uninterrupted and undiminished for all of eternity. 

This is a unique word because it is a unique rest that only Jesus made possible for us. 

This rest is exclusive to those who rest “from their works” (v. 10) and stand secure in their loving obedience of God. In other words, this rest is for those who realize that it is only faith in Jesus that can bring them into the Sabbath-rest. 

This is a rest that was promised long before Jesus made His advent on earth. The Greek word katapausis is translated into the English word “rest” and appears eight times in the New Testament—with seven of those showing up in the Book of Hebrews (3:11, 18; 4:1, 3, 5, 10, 11). These references remind us of the frustration of not being able to obtain this rest on our own efforts. 

The only other use of this word for “rest” is in Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7:49, in which he quotes God saying, “‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or where will My resting place be?’” Again, God is telling us that the place of Sabbath-rest is not within our power to construct on our own. 

Of the seven uses in the Book of Hebrews, most of them are referring to an Old Testament passage in Psalm 95:7-11, echoing the failure of the Israelites to experience the Sabbath-rest because of their sin. But the Old Testament word for “rest” (menuha) keeps pointing to the hope of the Sabbath-rest of Hebrews 4:9. 

Check out the other places menuha is used as it points to the culminating Sabbath-rest that Jesus makes possible. 

The people vainly searching for rest: So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. (Numbers 10:33) 

The realization that the place of rest wasn’t found: Since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 12:9) 

Learning that God’s rest is only available because God Himself will fulfill His promise of rest: Praise be to the Lord, Who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses. (1 Kings 8:56) 

Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd Who leads His people to His resting place: He makes me lie down in fresh, tender, green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. (Psalm 23:2 AMPC) 

Jesus is prophesied to be the One Who makes this resting place a reality: In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His resting place will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10) 

Nothing can compare to this Sabbath-rest that Jesus makes possible! No one can create this place. Jesus tells us that if we will be yoked with Him, He will take us into His rest—

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) 

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; “He will lead them to springs of living water.” “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17) 

There remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. A rest that Jesus died to pay for, and rose from the grave to show that He alone has the power to take you from the grip of sin into His flawless, eternal, perfect, all-satisfying rest! Don’t miss out on this, but come to Jesus as your Savior and Shepherd. 

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

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The Lion And The Lamb

April 20, 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. 

As we rejoin our series asking, “Is that in the Bible?” we have come to statement #16—The lion will lay down with the lamb. 

Is that in the Bible? No! 

You may be surprised by that because it is one of those phrases repeated so often that people assume it has to be in the Scripture. Even those who don’t have a religious persuasion for their life still accept this phrase as meaning world peace, where former adversaries now live together in harmony.  

There are some verses in the prophesies of Isaiah from which this phrase may have originated, like Isaiah 11:6. On the 8th anniversary of the modern independence of the nation of Israel (in April 1956), the British parliament presented a bronze Menorah to the Israeli Knesset. Benno Elkan designed this beautiful piece, modeled after the lampstand in the Holy Place of the Temple. On one of the branches, Benno portrays the prophet Isaiah, and at his feet are images of a lion, a wolf, a lamb, and a small child. 

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

But in the images on this menorah, based on so many Kingdom-anticipating passages throughout the Old Testament, is the hope for which we long. Peace is coming. It is peace purchased by the Prince of Peace and it is a peace that only He can establish and maintain. 

To see the peace that will exist in God’s kingdom, we must look back to the beginning of Time. The Book of Isaiah has been called “the Bible within the Bible.” Partly because it is near the middle of the Bible, but partly because its 66 chapters (like the 66 books of the Bible) trace the perfection of God that was marred by sin, the ravages of sin, the redemption that comes only through the Messiah, and His eternal kingdom of peace that is for all who put their faith in Jesus. So today I want us to look at the first book of the Bible, the “Bible within the Bible,” and the last book of the Bible. 

God created perfection in the Earth. Part of His plan included man and animals as herbivores (Genesis 1:29-30). At least one of God’s animals could talk (Genesis 3:1). Given the fact that neither Adam nor Eve were distressed by a talking snake, perhaps there was a way for man and animals to navigate their differences. 

This encounter with the devil led to sin, which also opened the door for further pain and hardship—self-awareness that brought embarrassment, pain in childbirth, difficulty farming the land, and removal from the Garden of Eden (3:16-19). 

Sin continued to ravage (Genesis 6:6). At the time of the Flood, it appears men and animals were still herbivores (vv. 20-21), but that changes after the Flood (9:1-6). 

Sin ravages and destroys and enslaves people in their ungodly passions. God does forgive, but many times the consequences of sin still remain—as we witness in our world today. 

Remember that after Adam and Eve sinned, they were aware of their nakedness. Their attempt to cover themselves was with what they had dominion over: fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). The very first animal sacrifice was performed by God Himself—an innocent calf or lamb had to shed its blood so that God could cover the shame of sin (v. 21). 

Sinful man tries to copy what God did without calling on God Himself, and God sees it for what it is: a sham (Isaiah 65:1-7; Revelation 7:9-10). 

Only Jesus can bridge the gulf between sinful man and righteous God (Isaiah 11:1-9; Revelation 5:1-6; 11-13). 

“[Jesus] endured death as a lamb; He devoured it as a lion.” —Augustine

(see John 1:29; Revelation 1:18)

We get a small glimpse of the eternal kingdom during the Millennial Reign (Isaiah 65:17-25), but the eternal kingdom is the Reality for the saints of God forever (Isaiah 35:8-10; Revelation 21:1-8, 22:1-5)! 

The next time you hear someone long for the day when “the lion will lay down with the lamb,” remind them that the Lion and the Lamb are one in the same. Jesus is BOTH our sacrificial Lamb that died in our place to pay the penalty of our sin AND He is the Lion that devoured death once for all! 

There is an eternal Kingdom where peace and joy and wholeness are indescribable and unending. But we only get into this Kingdom by the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Lion! 

Check out the previous statement we have discussed in this series 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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