God’s People Can’t Afford To Be Quitters

by Kevin Burton    Had some fun Friday with National Quitters Day.  It sounds like a fun way to get the baser aspects of the world out of your face for at least a day.    Today let’s take a more serious look at it from a Christian perspective.    I actually found out about …

Have A Real Christmas My Friends

by Kevin Burton    Christmas is real. Always has been.     The Christmas they show you on the soft drink and credit card commercials, if that Christmas exists at all, it’s fleeting.     Christmas is a day we Christians set aside to remember and give thanks for the birth of Jesus. Imagine, God loving us …

God The Gift Giver, Jesus The Greatest Gift

by Kevin Burton    Tis the season of gift giving and that makes you a gift giver. By now you’re way deep into it, I’m sure.    Are you done with the shopping?  Do you have some anxiety about the gifts you don’t have purchased yet?  And what about the shipping?  You still have some …

What A Blessing To Be A Child Of God

by Kevin Burton    In my moments of despair, my wife will remind me that I am a child of God.  But what does that mean?    Let’s look at it in two ways today, first by peeling the phrase apart, second by taking it as a whole.    What does it mean to be …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Self-Control

by Kevin Burton    Self-control is the final Gift of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. It is potentially the most confusing.    This is the ninth and final part of our series.    Self-control is an easy enough concept, but the self part could throw us off. The power is not in self. It …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Faithfulness

by Kevin Burton     One who is faithful is “steadfast in affection or allegiance” and “firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty.”    Those are the first two definitions given by Merriam-Webster. Mine is “consistently reliable.”    God is all these things and more. A Christian yielded to the Holy Spirit will …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Goodness And Godliness

by Kevin Burton    The English word “good” is not derived from the word “god” etymologists tell us. But for the sake of defining reality, keep those two words linked.    That which comes from God, or submits and conforms to the word of God is good. All else is not. That’s the message of …

God Works Beyond Our Limitations

by Kevin Burton    The book of Mark records perhaps the most eloquent prayer in all the Bible.  At least it’s the one I can relate to best.    It’s a prayer that speaks to faith, the limits of human faith and the power and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus.    Parents, what would you …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Joy In Serving God

by Kevin Burton    The fruit of the Spirit is the outgrowth of a life surrendered to Jesus Christ and in consistent pursuit of His will.      Last month we went to Galatians 5:22-23 to look at that fruit (“Shopping For Fruit With Paul In Galatians,” June 12). We return to our series today to …

We Have Hope Because Of God’s Grace

by Kevin Burton    God’s grace is truly amazing. But what does it look like in everyday life?    Here is a poem, written by an anonymous elementary school teacher, that paints us a great picture: A New Sheet He came to my desk with a quivering lip the lesson was done“Have you a new …