By Jerry Price
Retired Pastor, Spring Hill

Focal Passage: Romans 11:33-12:2; Eph. 1:4-6

I really like two college football teams. I’ll not name them. I’ll leave you free to guess. I mention that because every game begins with a coin toss. One of the team captains gets to pick which side he thinks will land face up. The head referee then tosses the coin in the air. If the coin lands with the side up that the captain called, he gets to choose whether to receive the ball first or defer to the second half. The other team then gets to decide which goal they will defend.

Whether a regular coin is used or one specially made for the occasion, each side is different, being inscribed with different symbols. While each side is different, they are the same coin. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired Pastor, Spring Hill

Focal Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-12 

God chose Abraham and his descendants to be His special, separate people. It was to be a unique relationship which excluded all others — made clear in commandment number two in Exodus 20:3 (see also Deuteronomy 5:7; 6:14; II Kings 17:35). 

There were several reasons for that. One is that God knew the negative influences the peoples of other nations who worshiped pagan gods would have on His people. Many of those neighbors’ worship included some variation of fertility practice. Many provided their own temple prostitutes — female, male, or both. Engaging in sexual activity was said to please the fertility god or goddess and insure a bountiful harvest. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired Pastor, Spring Hill

Focal Passage: Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-17

Some of you, like me, are old enough to remember the old Sunday Blue Laws. Most businesses were closed except a few that sold essentials. Even most gas stations were closed. Sunday was set aside for worship and rest from the busy week.

I remember one particular weekend when the power went off in our house during the night on Saturday. The temperature was in the teens and we woke up to a very cold Sunday morning.

I discovered that one of the old 220 volt fuses (there were no circuit breakers to reset) had burned out. I couldn’t buy one anywhere. I finally had to call the emergency service line at the power company to get the fuse replaced but even that took some persuading to get them to come. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired Pastor, Spring Hill

Focal Passage: 1 Timothy 6:6-11, 17-19

The Jan. 3, 1955 issue of Sports Illustrated contains the story of one of the most unusual plays in football history. It occurred in the 1929 Rose Bowl between Georgia Tech and the California Golden Bears.

During the second quarter, with the game tied at 0 to 0, Roy Riegles picked up a Georgia Tech fumble and headed toward the Tech goal. But he got turned around and headed toward the Cal goal. His teammate, Benny Lom, finally caught him and tried to tackle him at the ten-yard line and finally brought him down at the three-yard line. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired Pastor, Spring Hill

Focal Passage: Philippians 4:10-20

The late Dr. E. Stanley Jones once wrote: “The art of living is the least learned of all arts. Man has learned the art of existing, of getting by somehow with the demands of life, of escaping into half answers; but he knows little about the art of living, about being able to walk up to life, with all its demands, humbly conscious that he has within him a mastery that is able to face this business of living with adequacy” (from The Adequate Man: Paul in Philippians, Paul S. Rees, (Fleming H. Revell, 1959).

Paul’s adequacy was dependent on the life of Christ within him (Philippians 1:21). His adequacy produced contentment because he knew that everything he needed was already provided by Christ Himself — whether he was in the lap of luxury or the pit of poverty (“well fed or hungry … in abundance or in need”).

Where did Paul make this statement? While in prison. When did he make it? Not long before he faced the executioner.

He was confident that he was in the hands of an omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful God who had and would continue to take care of him in any and all circumstances. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired pastor

Focal Passage: Philippians 4:4-9 

I met one of my best friends in 1964 at Park Avenue Baptist Church in Nashville. We have been to school together twice, worked in the same place twice, and shared an apartment together at one school. He was the best man at my wedding 46 years ago. There is not a lot that we don’t know about each other. Someone once asked me if he and I were brothers. I replied, “Only in the Lord. But if you want to know anything about him, ask me. If you want to know anything about me, ask him.” 

If someone had asked me if I knew him a month or so after we met, I would have said, “Yes!” In hindsight, it would have been more correct to say we were acquainted. But over the last 55 years, I truly have gotten to know him. How did that happen? We have spent hours upon hours talking about life, our likes and dislikes, our hopes and dreams, our highs and our lows, our families, etc. [Read more…]

By Jerry Price
Retired pastor

Focal Passage: Matthew 6:25-34 

Merrill Tenney, my major professor at Wheaton Graduate School, often admonished those in his classes with this familiar statement: “Any text, taken out of context, is nothing more than a pretext.” He hammered that point home so often that it became ingrained in me and my fellow-students. So, it has become natural for me to ask: “What is the context of the passage under consideration?”

The tip-off in this passage is the word “Therefore” (literally, because of this) in Matthew 6:25. The word always points backwards. It indicates that what follows is related to that which came before it. In the preceding verses (vv. 22-23), Jesus indicated that a person can serve God or material things (“mammon”) — not both.  [Read more…]

By Mike Kemper
Retired Baptist Pastor & Director of Missions

Focal Passage: II Chronicles 17:1-13

Living life that sets a good example for others, especially for your own children and family is a worthy effort. King Asa, though he had his failures, had sought to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

He had acted with courage strengthening himself and his people commanding religious reform, destroying idols and renovating the temple. The result was blessings from God, giving victory over enemies and a time of peace and prosperity.   [Read more…]

By Mike Kemper 

Focal Passage:  II Chronicles 16:1-13 

In review, we have learned that King Asa was the third king of Judah, the first “good” king. He had determined to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, torn down idols, renovated the temple and commanded the people to seek the Lord. As a result, Asa and the people of Judah had times of peace and they strengthened themselves and prepared for future enemies. 

When the Ethiopian enemies came against them, they were greatly outnumbered, and Asa did the right thing by calling on the Lord God to “help.” Indeed, God did help and gave them victory plus the spoils of victory.  [Read more…]

By Mike Kemper

Focal Passage: II Chronicles 15:10-19

As King Asa began his rule he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. However, before his time, worship and an obedient relationship with God had been token if at all.  King Asa repeatedly insists that the people “seek the Lord.”

Though Asa had been successful to a degree, turning the hearts of the people back to their God, Asa obviously felt the need to “take it to another level.”

The timing was right, as it was time for the Festival of Weeks also known as Pentecost.  By “seeking the Lord” they had been blessed with peace and plunder over enemies, so they had every reason to worship God and express their gratitude by sacrificing to the Lord.  [Read more…]