Put on the Whole Armor of God

Posted on December 17, 2025 by russellmckinney

Ephesians 6:10-17 is the famous “armor of God” passage. There Paul tells us that we must put on the whole armor of God if we are to be successful in the midst of spiritual, demonic warfare. That armor consists of: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (the word of God), and footwear that keeps us prepared to share the gospel.

Why does a Christian need a belt of truth? It’s because Satan is the great deceiver. Why does a Christian need the breastplate of righteousness? It’s because a breastplate protects the heart, and if a person’s heart isn’t protected by a covering of righteous living that person will be easy pickings for Satan. Why does a Christian need the shield of faith? It’s because Satan is constantly shooting his flaming arrows.

Why does a Christian need the helmet of salvation? It’s because a helmet protects the head, which houses the mind, and Satan is constantly trying to get the Christian’s thinking off base. Why does a Christian need the sword of the Spirit, the word of God? It’s because God’s word is the only offensive weapon that can strike a damaging blow to Satan. Why does a Christian need footwear that keeps one prepared to share the gospel? It’s because any good soldier who truly believes in the cause for which he is fighting will try to recruit others to that cause.

Obviously, each item of the whole armor of God is of vital importance. It is noteworthy, though, that each one is mentioned only once. On the other hand, what the passage mentions no less three times is the idea of standing. Here are the verses (emphasis mine):

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11, N.K.J.V.)

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness… (Ephesians 6:14)

You see, Paul didn’t say, “Put on the whole armor of God so that you can charge toward the devil.” He didn’t say, “Put on the whole armor of God so that you can go on a seek-and-destroy mission against Satan.” Instead, he said, “Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the wiles (the schemes, the methods, the plans, the strategies) of the devil.” In other words, there’s no doubt that Satan is going to bring the fight to you, so you’d better have your battle gear on when he does. If you don’t, your stand is going to become at best a retreat or at worst an all-out fall.

So, Christian, I know that you’ve got salvation (the helmet of salvation) covered. If you don’t, then you are not an authentic Christian. But how are you doing in the areas of truth, righteous living, faith, Bible study, and evangelism? If you are lacking in even one of these areas, then you really aren’t wearing the whole armor of God. And that’s a problem that you need to get shored up because if you aren’t wearing all the armor, Satan is a worthy enough adversary to find your weak spot and do some real damage.

Posted in Bible Study, Commitment, Deception, Demons, Discernment, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Work, Perseverance, Personal Holiness, Righteousness, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, The Bible, The Devil, The Gospel, The Heart, Trials, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Give God Time

Posted on December 15, 2025 by russellmckinney

The Bible makes no attempt at all to contradict the statement: “Timing is everything.” It tells us that God the Father didn’t send Jesus to the earth until “the fullness of the time had come” (Galatians 4:4, N.K.J.V.). It tells us that Jesus died for the ungodly “in due time” (Romans 5:6, N.K.J.V.). It tells us that there is “a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, N.K.J.V.). It tells us that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, N.K.J.V.).

What is it that you are waiting on God to do? Perhaps your unrequited waiting has caused you to conclude that what you are waiting on is never going to happen. You’ve started telling yourself, “It must not be God’s will; if it was, it would have happened by now.”

Well, I’d be lying if I promised you that God always says, “Yes” to our requests. Sometimes He really does say, “No” even to requests that make perfect sense to us not only logically but spiritually. But this post is all about those instances in which the fulfillment of His “Yes” gets delayed so long that it takes on the false appearance of a “No.” It’s these situations that require great patience on our part as we are forced to wait for His timing.

I have lived long enough to learn that God isn’t in a hurry. I’ve seen Him bleed a “Yes” out for years, even decades, before finally bringing it to pass. Why does He do this? Does He just like watching us squirm? No, His reasons are far more loving than that. He makes us wait because He loves us enough to put in the necessary time to teach us, instruct us, mold us, shape us, train us, mature us, and season us. You see, God isn’t satisfied to merely grant our request; He wants to make sure that before we receive it we have reached a state where we can properly appreciate it and use it as He wants us to use it.

Frank W. Boreham was a highly influential pastor of another day. I offer the following quote from him as an encouragement to anyone who is right now waiting out God’s timing for the fulfillment of a “Yes.” (I’ll even add in the scripture references for the Bible stories that Boreham references so that you can read them for yourself and draw encouragement from them.) Boreham wrote:

Give God time, and even when the knife flashes in the air, the ram will be seen caught in the thicket (Genesis 22:1-13). Give God time, and even when Pharaoh’s host is on Israel’s heels, a path through the waters will be suddenly opened (Exodus 14:1-31). Give God time, and when the bed of the brook is dry, Elijah will hear the guiding voice (1 Kings 17:1-9).

And so, dear reader, my closing advice to you is very simple and direct: Whatever that “Yes” is that you are waiting to be fulfilled, give God time. Oh, and while you are waiting be sure to cooperate with Him fully as He does the work inside you that will prepare you to make the most of the request once you receive it. Remember, waiting carries with it great rewards if you do it God’s way. You just have to trust His process and not lose faith.

Posted in Desires, Disappointment, Doubt, Faith, God's Timing, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Impatience, Patience, Prayer Requests, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Depression

Posted on December 12, 2025 by russellmckinney

Depression is a real thing. According to the website http://www.healthline.com, it’s estimated that 21 million adults in the United States have at least one major bout with depression each year. Of course, that number is probably low given the fact that many depressed people don’t talk about their problem and therefore don’t end up a statistic in a poll.

I personally know some good people, Christians, who struggle with depression. One of the best church members that I ever had called her depression “the pit.” It robbed her of her Christian joy and caused her to isolate herself from people, an isolation that cut completely against her normally outgoing nature. Each time her depression came upon her all she wanted to do was lie on her bed in a completely dark room.

Ralph Barton was perhaps the most popular cartoonist/illustrator of America’s roaring ’20s. His caricatures of celebrities and New York socialites were featured in various magazines such as Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and, most notably, The New Yorker, where he served as an advisory editor. He also drew the illustrations for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a wildly popular book of the decade.

Barton had fame and money, hobnobbed with celebrities (he and Charlie Chaplain were very close friends), traveled the world, dated and married beautiful women, and enjoyed the finer things of life. And yet on May 19th, 1931, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in his penthouse apartment in Manhattan. He was just 39 years old.

The truth about Barton is that he was a deeply troubled man who suffered from chronic depression and mental illness. The suicide note he left is one of the most famous ones ever written, having been published many times in many places. I offer it here as an illustration of the depths to which depression can take a person. Barton wrote:

Everyone who has known me and who hears of this will have a different hypothesis to offer to explain why I did it. Practically all of these hypotheses will be dramatic – and completely wrong. Any sane doctor knows that the reasons for suicide are invariably psychopathological. Difficulties in life merely precipitate the event – and the true suicide type manufactures his own difficulties. I have had few real difficulties. I have had, on the contrary, and exceptionally glamorous life – as lives go. And I have had more than my share of affection and appreciation. The most charming, intelligent, and important people I have known have liked me – and the list of my enemies is very flattering to me. I have always had excellent health. But, since my childhood, I have suffered with a melancholia which, in the past 5 years, has begun to show definite symptoms of manic-depressive insanity. It has prevented my getting anything like the full value out of my talents, and, for the past three years, has made work a torture to do at all. It has made it impossible for me to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that seem to get other people through. I have run from wife to wife, from house to house, and from country to country, in a ridiculous effort to escape from myself. In doing so, I am very much afraid that I have spread a good deal of unhappiness among the people who have loved me.”

Barton’s glamorous life and tragic death prove that no one is immune from depression. Even the Bible backs up this truth. Take the time sometime to read the following passages:

  • Israel’s King Solomon voices his depression in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11.
  • Solomon’s father, King David, does the same thing in Psalms 42 and 43.
  • The prophet Elijah asks God to take his life in 1 Kings 19:1-4.
  • Jonah asks God to take his life in Jonah 4:1-3.
  • Job asks God to take his life in Job 6:8-9.
  • Moses asks God to take his life in Numbers 11:10-15.

Charles Spurgeon was one Christian who had a different take on depression. He was England’s most famous preacher during its golden age of preachers, the Victorian age, and his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London is sometimes referred to as the world’s first megachurch. However, Spurgeon suffered from great bouts with depression that plagued his ministry and life. As the The Spurgeon Center website puts it:

Spurgeon owned more than thirty books on mental health. He read about depression, wrote about depression, and suffered from depression. Spurgeon’s letters contain numerous references to his sinking spirits. He often called himself a “prisoner” and wept without knowing why.

And what was the different take that Spurgeon had concerning depression? He called his depression “a prophet in rough clothing.” In his Lectures to My Students, he says:

Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron…but surely the rust frets even these.

Basically, Spurgeon looked upon depression as something with which everyone, to some degree or another, must wrestle. But he viewed bouts with depression as helpful experiences for the Christian. As he saw it, fits of depression cast Christians down to keep us humble before God so that we might not be egotistically exalted above measure (2 Corinthians 12:7). They teach us that we have the power of Christ upon us the most when we are the weakest, not when we are the strongest (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). They strip us of our overrated wisdom as we learn that we don’t really have all the answers to life’s troubles. They reveal the inferior quality of our supposed courage as we grow scared that we can’t overcome our depression. And they force us to face the reality that even though the born-again experience has equipped us to feel true Christian joy, sometimes we are not even happy, let alone joyous. 

I have to say that the more I study Spurgeon’s attitude toward depression the more I see the blessing in it. Surely, it’s no coincidence that God was able to use the man so mightily. Needless to say, I would like to have some degree of that same uncommon spiritual power upon my own ministry.

But what if that power only comes by way of bouts of depression? What if it takes those bouts to keep me humble and cause me to understand the fullness of Jesus’ words, “…without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5)? Well, that’s another matter altogether, and it’s one that I have to come to grips with one way or another in my own life.

I really don’t believe that God wants us to desire depression. Furthermore, I don’t believe that depression comes from Him. I do believe, though, that He can use a person’s depression as a tool to do outstanding spiritual work not only in that person but also through that person. We might think of this as God redeeming depression and bringing good out of it. It’s just a shame that so few depressed people actually understand this, and therefore they never reach the place where they can benefit from that good.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Brokenness, Depression, Discipleship, Encouragement, God's Work, Humility, Loneliness, Ministry, Perseverance, Preaching, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What I Didn’t Know Back Then

Posted on December 10, 2025 by russellmckinney

I was 27 years old when I accepted what is commonly referred to as “the call to preach.” 32 years have passed now. And what have I learned in those years? I’ve learned what I didn’t know back then.

What I didn’t know back then was that God’s call to preach would be housed inside His call to pastor. Preaching and pastoring are not the same thing. When you accept God’s call to preach, you envision yourself standing before congregations, open Bible in front of you on the pulpit, sharing the message that God has given you for the hour. What you don’t envision is all the messy stuff that comes with pastoring.

Preaching requires studying your Bible. Pastoring requires studying your church members. Preaching means spending time with God in prayer. Pastoring means spending time with your church members. Preaching locates you in a pulpit. Pastoring locates you in hospitals, rehab centers, and nursing homes. Preaching involves the question, “Is this the message that God wants me to preach?” Pastoring involves the question, “How can I get more people to attend church?” Preaching incorporates effective introductions, illustrations, and conclusions. Pastoring incorporates effective leadership, motivation, and results.

When you accept God’s call to preach you don’t understand about contentious business meetings. You don’t take into account church budgets, committees, and problem people. You don’t realize that “stepping on toes” with a sermon will usually be followed by mending a broken relationship with an in-home “let’s make up” visit. You assume that all your church members have the same innocent motivation and deep commitment to Jesus that you have, and then you come to the wildly disappointing realization that they don’t.

According to the gospels Jesus spent a lot of His time preaching. But according to those same gospels, He spent every bit as much of His time, if not more, ministering. He didn’t isolate Himself in an ivory tower, only coming down periodically to preach a powerful sermon. Instead, He moved in and out among the common folk of the land, visiting them in their cities, towns, and villages. He held one-on-one healing sessions with sick individuals. He touched lepers that no one else would even approach. He cast demons out of actual human beings who had actual names. He showed love to a country full of people who weren’t getting it from the Romans, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, the priests, the tax collectors, or the merchants.

Oh, and did I mention how Jesus’ loving ministry ended? He got nailed to a cross. That is how this world treats God’s servants, and anyone who is feeling “the call to preach” should be made aware of this. It’s not all nice suits, expensive cars, big salaries, and congregations who can’t wait to hear and apply what you have to say. Instead, it’s trying to minister to needy people who oftentimes don’t understand their need and other times don’t appreciate your help even if they do understand their need. Thankfully, there are exceptions to this rule, but the exceptions simply prove the truth of the rule. That, of course, is something else I didn’t know back then.

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, God's Work, Ministry, Personal, Preaching, Service | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Fresh Word from God

Posted on December 8, 2025 by russellmckinney

Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. (1 Samuel 3:1, N.K.J.V.)

The Hebrew word translated as “widespread revelation” in this verse is hazon. It’s a word that refers to divine revelation. Most typically in the Old Testament it is used in reference to a prophetic vision such as the ones God’s prophets received from Him.

Therefore, our text verse is describing a time in ancient Israel in which God wasn’t doing much talking. A fresh word from Him was rare and God-sent visions were scarce. The nation was forced to operate from old revelation, the revelation that God had given them centuries earlier through Moses by way of the Mosaic law.

And what was the cause of Israel’s sad spiritual state? The main problem was that Israel’s priesthood had turned corrupt. The High Priest, Eli, was old, and he was allowing his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to handle most of the priestly duties. Unfortunately, Hophni and Phinehas were wicked men.

For example, even though the Mosaic law allowed for Israel’s priests to receive designated portions of the Israelites’ animal sacrifices (Deuteronomy 18:3), Hophni and Phinehas always greedily took more than the share the law allowed (1 Samuel 2:13-17). Also, they commonly had sexual relations with the women who served at the Tabernacle, Israel’s God-ordained place of worship (1 Samuel 2:22). The elderly Eli did make some attempt to rebuke his sons, but they ignored the old man’s words (1 Samuel 2:23-25). How bad were Hophni and Phinehas? For one thing, they didn’t even know the Lord in a saving way (1 Samuel 2:12). For another, God wanted to kill them (1 Samuel 2:25), which He did by means of an Israelite battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1-11).

Is it any wonder, then, that a word from the Lord was rare in the days of Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas? Is it any wonder there was no widespread revelation during that time? Why would God bother to share new revelation when Israel’s priests weren’t even living up to the old revelation?

Interestingly, our word hazon is also used in Proverbs 29:18, which famously says in the King James Version: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” The teaching of the verse is that a fresh word from God (a revelation) is the difference between perishing and thriving. A situation is lying stagnant, and then all of a sudden God speaks a fresh word into it. He says, “Here’s how things are and here’s what I’m going to do about it.” Without that fresh word (that God-sanctioned vision, that divine revelation) the situation will continue to trudge along in its pitiable condition.

It is also worth noting that the Hebrew word translated as “perish” in Proverbs 29:18 of the King James Version is para. It’s a word that means “to run wild and unrestrained.” You see, what the original Hebrew of Proverbs 29:18 tells us is that where there is no fresh word from God, people run wild. As the New International Version renders the verse: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…” The New Living Translation gets even more blunt, saying: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild…”

You say, “Okay, but what does all this mean to me?” First, it means that if your life is marked by unrepentant sin, you needn’t expect a fresh word of guidance from God. Why should He impart new guidance to you when you aren’t even living up to the guidance that He has previously shared? Second, it means that without that divine guidance you are running unrestrained and wild. You aren’t in God’s will. You aren’t living a life that He can ideally bless. You aren’t in a place where He can share with you all the wonderful insight that He has for you. Only when you repent of your sins and start living up to the spiritual light that God has already given you will He be able to impart to you a fresh word of guidance that will allow you to move to a higher level in your living.

Posted in Backsliding, Character, Commitment, Confession, Discernment, Disobedience, Faithfulness, Fatherhood, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Word, Greed, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Scripture, Sex, Sin, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Trouble with Family

Posted on December 5, 2025 by russellmckinney

The Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant (Genesis 16:1-16). The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah, the wife he took after the death of Sarah (Genesis 25:1-2). Over the course of time, the Ishmaelites and the Midianites intertwined to the point where the terms “Ishmaelite” and “Midianite” became interchangeable (Judges 8:22-28).

This brings us to the story of Joseph, where we’re told that Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to a group of Ishmaelite/Midianite traders headed south to Egypt to do business there (Genesis 37:25-28). Once in Egypt, the traders sold Joseph to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard (Genesis 37:36). Obviously, the Ishmaelite/Midianite traders had no qualms about trafficking in human beings. To them, Joseph was just another item to be bought for a good price and sold for a better one.

What makes this story all the more tragic is the fact that Joseph and his brothers, like the Ishmaelites and Midianites, were descendants of Abraham. Abraham had fathered Isaac through Sarah (Genesis 21:1-3), Isaac had fathered Jacob through Rebekah (Genesis 25:19-26), and Jacob had fathered Joseph and Joseph’s brothers through four different women (Genesis 29:13-30:24). So, by doing all the math, we learn that every man involved in Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery could trace his ancestry back to Abraham.

This shows us that family can sometimes be a detrimental thing in a person’s life. Family members can take advantage of their fellow family members, use them, cheat them, lie to them, manipulate them, steal from them, and work to hold them down in life. This isn’t heartwarming news, but it is the reality of living in a fallen world.

Therefore, the takeaway application from this post is two-fold. First, be the kind of family member that helps your fellow family members rather than hurts them. Second, don’t let any of your family members keep you from being the person God wants you to be and living the kind of life He wants you to live.

It’s not that I’m suggesting that all of your family members are trouble. Much to the contrary, your family will oftentimes be one of the greatest sources of blessings in your life. But sometimes, as in the case of Joseph, your immediate family (Joseph’s brothers) or your extended family (the Ishmaelite/Midianites) can create real problems for you.

The encouraging news, though, is that no matter what wrongs your family members perpetrate on you, God is big enough to use that evil for His good and your betterment (Genesis 50:19-20). This is the great overarching promise of Joseph’s life, and it’s one that anyone whose family has caused them trouble can claim. Hopefully, you’ll never need to claim that promise, but it’s always there for you if you need it.

Posted in Adversity, Children, Family, Fatherhood, God's Sovereignty, Husbands, Motherhood, Parenting, Perseverance, Polygamy, Problems, Slavery, Wives | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is It Time for You to Make a Change?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by russellmckinney

People often fall into one of two erroneous camps in regards to making changes. One camp holds that change is never good, while the other camp holds that it is always good. But the truth is that sometimes change is of God and sometimes it isn’t. The problem is that we have trouble discerning the difference.

Churches, of course, are not immune to this problem. Sadly, it is all too common for churches to fight or even split over changes to music (traditional vs. contemporary), Bible translations (the King James version vs. any other version), and missions giving (local vs. foreign). And then there are those fights over more practical changes: pews vs. chairs, hymnals vs. video screens, choir robes vs. regular attire, a piano/organ vs. a praise band, and blue carpet vs. red carpet.

I once met with the pulpit committee of a certain church. After our initial discussion the members of the committee took me on a tour of the church building. When we came to the sanctuary, they pointed out that it featured two different types of light fixtures, with the differing types being set in a pattern of alternating rows in the sanctuary’s ceiling.

On the plus side, the fixtures did the job of lighting the sanctuary. On the down side, they made for an odd-looking ceiling. But I understood the ceiling’s layout perfectly once the committee members explained that there had been a disagreement among the church members over replacing the sanctuary’s original fixtures. As a compromise half the rows of the original fixtures had been kept and the other half had been updated with a more modern style of fixture. The pastor that had moderated that compromise must have had a knack for politics.

Perhaps right now you are facing a decision regarding a potential change. It could be a change in where you live, where you work, where you go to church, or where your child goes to school. Or the change could involve some other area of your life. Whatever your potential change is, my advice to you would be to pray what David once prayed when he found himself in a tight spot. He prayed:

…Cause me to know the way wherein which I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee (Psalm 143:8, K.J.V.)

Notice that David’s request was built around three implicit truths. Truth #1: There was a singular, specific course of action that David should take. It wasn’t a multiple-choice type of deal wherein God didn’t have a preference which path David chose. Truth #2: God knew precisely what that course of action was. Even though David was a bit overwhelmed by his circumstance, God knew exactly what David needed to do. And truth #3: God would cause David to know exactly what that course of action was. David wouldn’t have been asking God for guidance if God wasn’t the type to give it.

David was smart in that he knew that he didn’t have to figure everything out for himself. All he had to do was ask God to show him the way and be obedient to whatever answer God gave him. That’s a marvelously simplistic way to live! It’s a way that worked for David, and it’s a way that will work for you as well, no matter what potential change you are facing.

So, is God for that change that you are dealing with these days? I don’t know. What I do know is that He has a will in each situation and He’ll make it known to you if you sincerely seek it from Him. This, then, is your assignment. Seek God’s will regarding your potential change and do whatever He says to do about it. Anything less than that and you might just wind up with two different types of light fixtures in your ceiling.

Posted in Change, Choices, Church, Desires, Discernment, God's Guidance, God's Will, Obedience, Personal, Prayer, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Posted on December 1, 2025 by russellmckinney

Colder weather and the holiday season bring an uptick in requests from various causes and ministries. That makes this time of year a good time for a word about “the social gospel.” So, I’d like to use this post to offer that word.

The intellectual and political movement associated with the term “the social gospel” began in the 1870s and peaked in the early 1900s. Its promoters were liberal ministers in the mainline Protestant churches of America. These men preached that Christian principles such as love, compassion, and charity should be actively applied to very real-world problems such as: war, poverty, crime, child labor, alcoholism, financial inequality, health, and education.

Most of these ministers held to a postmillennialist view of prophecy, which meant they believed that Christ’s Second Coming to walk this earth again would not happen until the entire world was more or less a realm of Christendom. In order to create such a world, social evils had to be eradicated. Therefore, these ministers preached about fixing what we might call “the dirty here and now” rather than longing for “the sweet by and by.”

The problem, however, with “the social gospel” was that it was built upon the premise that people are basically good and their inner goodness simply needs to be given the right environment in which to flourish. While this premise does tickle our ears, it most certainly does not align with either recorded history or the Bible. According to the Bible each individual is a sinner by conception, birth, nature, and choice. In other words, each of us is a far cry from being basically good.

This explains why Jesus, during His earthly ministry, did not spend His time doing social reform. As evidence of that even though many of His followers wanted Him to lead an overthrow of the wicked Roman government, He constantly refused to do so. He didn’t even work to eliminate the slavery of His day despite the fact that there were multiplied millions of slaves scattered throughout the Roman empire.

Jesus focused, instead, upon spiritual matters. He did this because He understood that the heart of the problem with each person is the problem of the heart. Did Jesus cure the sick? He did in many instances, but He didn’t heal every sick person in Israel. Did He feed the hungry? He did on a few occasions, but He didn’t eliminate all hunger worldwide. For that matter, even those people for whom He provided healing and food would eventually get sick and hungry again. Such is the state of this world.

Rather than trying to preserve the popularity His miracles brought His way, Jesus used His ministry efforts as a platform to tell His audiences about their need of the salvation offered in Him. He preached on hell more than any other preacher in scripture, and He openly called people to repentance. The point is, He didn’t just open His hands to help needy people; He also opened His mouth to tell them about their greatest need. Even as He ascended back to heaven following His death, burial, and resurrection, He said to His followers, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). That’s different than telling them to, “Go into all the world and do good things.”

While the Bible does teach that we, as Christians, are to be concerned about justice, inequality, and the needs of others, it never once hints that we can solve all the world’s problems by making prisons more humane, building hospitals, staffing soup kitchens, funding homeless shelters, promoting rehabilitation centers, etc., etc., etc. Why is that? It’s because these things merely make this world a better place from which to die and go to hell if those who benefit from them don’t believe in Jesus as Savior after hearing a clear presentation of the gospel. You see, somewhere there is a right balance to be struck between our social work and our evangelizing. Admittedly, finding that balance requires a lot of prayer and spiritual discernment, but we must find it if we are going to practice Christ’s brand of evangelism. And that, my fellow Christians, is the only way we can keep the main thing the main thing.

Posted in Balance, Christ's Second Coming, Christ's Miracles, Christ's Return, Communication, Discernment, Doing Good, Evangelism, God's Work, Good Works, Hell, Human Life, Ministry, Missions, Needs, Priorities, Salvation, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling with Jesus

Posted on November 28, 2025 by russellmckinney

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27, N.K.J.V.)

During my teenage years I ran around a lot with my friend, Jerry Willis. Jerry had a 1970 Chevy Nova Super Sport muscle car with a 350/300 horsepower engine. Man, that was a sweet ride.

Jerry is one of the funniest people that I’ve ever met and we had some good times, but when you got into the car with him, you never knew just exactly where he’d be taking you. Oh, sure, you’d get to where you were supposed to be going (the ball field, the restaurant, the concert, etc.) What you didn’t know is what other stops Jerry would work in along the way.

It always started with him saying, “We’ve got one stop to make.” Or he might say, “I need to pull in here for just a minute.” Sometimes he’d say, “We’ve got a few minutes to kill so we might as well run by….” And there I was, in the passenger’s seat, helpless. Sometimes I objected by saying something like, “No, I don’t have time to do that.” Such objections were always nullified by the comeback, “Oh, what else have you got to do?” And I always went along with him. I understood that it was the price of riding with Jerry.

In the years since I’ve learned that walking with Jesus can be like riding with Jerry. Yes, Jesus is taking me someplace, but He very rarely uses a point A to point B approach to get me there. When He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” it implies two things. First, He has His sheep on the move. Second, He provides scant few instructions for how He will get them there.

Today’s GPS systems are designed to get us to our destinations via the shortest route possible. As I said, though, Jesus isn’t very interested in the shortest route possible. You see, whereas we’re all about the destination, He is more concerned about the development we acquire as He takes us to the destination.

And why is this? It’s because Jesus knows that delays and detours build patience and perseverance. They also give us experience, which in turn helps us acquire wisdom. So, the next time you feel like Jesus is taking way too long to get you to where He is taking you, just remember that He values the journey itself every bit as much as the arrival at the destination. Now, if I can just get Him to let me do my traveling in a 1970 Super Sport Nova!

Posted in Adversity, Commitment, Disappointment, Discipleship, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Timing, God's Guidance, God's Will, Impatience, Patience, Personal, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What Jesus Was Thankful For

Posted on November 26, 2025 by russellmckinney

The Bible specifically mentions four things for which Jesus was thankful. So, with your permission, I’d like to walk us through the list. Here we go.

#1: In John 6:11, Jesus gives thanks for the food by which He feeds the multitudes. In this passage, that food is five barley loaves and two small fishes, and those multitudes are 5,000 men. In another passage, Matthew 15:36, He gives thanks for the seven loaves of bread and few small fish that feed 4,000 men. Obviously, these stories teach us that we should give thanks for food.

#2: In John 11:41, Jesus gives thanks that God the Father has heard His prayers concerning the death of Lazarus. This shows us that we should give thanks that God the Father, despite all of His majesty, glory, and power, will take the time to hear our prayers. It’s no small thing to get an audience with the Creator of the universe!

#3: In Luke 10:21, Jesus gives thanks that God the Father hides spiritual truths from the earthly wise and prudent and reveals them to “babes.” This teaches us that we should give thanks that God doesn’t have to depend upon the world’s intellectual elite to get His message out or His work done. He is perfectly willing and able to work through common folk. (This same lesson is taught in Matthew 11:25 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.)

#4: In Luke 22:17-19, Jesus gives thanks for the symbolic elements He uses in the Lord’s Supper. The bread symbolizes His body and the cup symbolizes His blood. This teaches us that we should give thanks for Christ’s death. After all, it is because of that death that any of us have the opportunity to believe in Christ as Savior and be granted salvation (forgiveness of all sin, eternal life, entrance into heaven).

Of course, I’m not saying that Jesus never gave thanks for anything outside these four categories. Remember that the Bible in no way gives us a complete record of His earthly life and ministry. But for those of us who believe that all the words of the Bible are divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), we can find great meaning in those facts the Bible actually includes. We have to figure that if they made the cut God had a good reason for putting them in there.

So, this Thanksgiving take the time to be thankful for the same things for which Jesus was thankful. First, be thankful for the food you get to enjoy. Second, be thankful for the fact that God listens to prayers. Third, be thankful that God can work through “everyday people” to accomplish His work. And, fourth, be thankful that Jesus died a substitutionary death on a Roman cross so that anyone who believes in Him as Savior can be granted forgiveness for all of his or her sins and get to spend eternity with Him. Such thankfulness will allow you to have a better appreciation for the goodness of God, and that, in turn, will allow you to have a better Thanksgiving.

Posted in Christ's Death, Crucifixion, Eternity, God's Work, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Salvation, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment