Rarely do I write a lesson. . .

Rarely do I write a lesson without including a Max Lucado quote. He is such a communicator. With the indexing available in Logos, if Max ever said anything about this week’s verse (he probably did) I will likely find it.

Rarely do I write a lessons without asking these two questions:

• What are the benefits to us in following God in the area of . . . [this week’s topic]

• What does it cost us if we don’t follow God in the area of . . . [this week’s topic]

God is a rewarder. I it always in our best interest to live the Christian life. The commands are given, “So that it may go well with you.” This phrase and ones like are repeated many times in Scripture.

I don’t do it every week. . . I need to this more: include one funny story in every lesson. Rare is the communicator who can connect with an audience without some humor.

I often ask: how does your translation have . . . [verse of the day]. We are blessed with so many good translations. And, with smart phones, we have dozens of translations readily available. Many times words in one language do not have an exact equivalent in another. Reading in several translations is one of the easiest ways to get a sense of the meaning.

Asking, “What do you want to do about what we discussed today?” Teach for application. Teach them to do. We are not out to make smarter sinners. We are out to create saints.