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FROM TONY’S WRITINGS
Continue your study in the source writings.
Volume 5 includes this written series. Explore the complete book free.
Open the source →These writings connect with this collection’s theme. They are not a numbered sequence of the original series; use the complete-book link above for that series.
Reflection · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, He spoke as one who had authority, and not as one of the scribes (Matthew 7:29). What does this mean? Well, the sermon in Matthew chapters 5–7 was a master class on Kingdom living. No parables.…
Published post · About 21 min
Written post
Sometimes we need to hear the same history again, not because the facts have changed, but because our circumstances have changed the questions we are asking.
Published post · About 18 min
Written post
What happens when God gives us what we once thought would finally make life secure, successful, and settled?
Published post · About 15 min
Written post
That question sits near the heart of 1 Samuel. Sometimes we think we need visible strength. Someone impressive. Someone who looks capable. Someone who can take control, silence the threat, protect our interests, and give us confidence when…
Published post · About 17 min
Written post
We may lose something important, experience the consequences of our choices, and promise that everything will be different if we have the opportunity to rebuild. Yet once the crisis passes, we can restore familiar routines and repair…
Published post · About 14 min
Written post
What happens when God keeps warning us, and we keep finding reasons not to listen?
Published post · About 16 min
Written post
What happens when the king God chose still cannot carry the full weight of our hope?
Published post · About 16 min
Written post
It is possible to remember the story of God’s faithfulness while resisting the life that story calls us to live. We can celebrate His deliverance, speak confidently about belonging to Him, and still fail to recognize how our treatment of…
Published post · About 22 min
Written post
Jerusalem has been besieged. Sacred vessels have been carried from the temple into the treasury of a foreign god. Young men from Judah have been taken from home, given Babylonian names, taught Babylonian literature, and prepared to serve…
Published post · About 21 min
Written post
There are seasons when God seems unmistakably present. A door opens, a prayer is answered, or a hidden path becomes clear, and we can look at what happened and say, “God did this.”
Published post · About 20 min
Written post
Sometimes we imagine restoration as the moment everything damaged is finally made whole. The door opens, we go home, what was destroyed is rebuilt, and life becomes what it should have been all along.
Published post · About 18 min
Written post
Few sights are more devastating than a faithful spouse carrying love for a covenant the other person has betrayed. The vows still matter to one, but not to the other. Love remains at home while the wandering heart gives its affection,…
Published post · About 21 min
Written post
Isaiah speaks into a world where kings appeared powerful, armies seemed unstoppable, and cities and temples looked permanent.
Published post · About 14 min
Written post
There are moments when what we see makes it difficult to hold on to what God has promised.
Published post · About 10 min
Written post
Some people become known by what has held them. Not by their name, not by their family, and not by who they were before everything fell apart, but by the thing that seems to have taken over their lives. Over time, the bondage becomes the…
Published post · About 10 min
Written post
Sometimes we want to live for Jesus, but we do not know how to get from where we are to where we want to be.
Book section · About 20 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
Sometimes we need to hear the same history again, not because the facts have changed, but because our circumstances have changed the questions we are asking.
Book section · About 17 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
What happens when God gives us what we once thought would finally make life secure, successful, and settled?
Book section · About 16 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
We may lose something important, experience the consequences of our choices, and promise that everything will be different if we have the opportunity to rebuild. Yet once the crisis passes, we can restore familiar routines and repair…
Book section · About 13 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
What happens when God keeps warning us, and we keep finding reasons not to listen?
Book section · About 15 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
What happens when the king God chose still cannot carry the full weight of our hope?
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
Let me take you through a fictional Tuesday. It’s one that I have thought about many times and one that fills me with both joyous anticipation and acknowledged fear. To the best of your ability, see yourself in this fictional Tuesday.
Book section · About 16 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
It is possible to remember the story of God’s faithfulness while resisting the life that story calls us to live. We can celebrate His deliverance, speak confidently about belonging to Him, and still fail to recognize how our treatment of…
Book section · About 18 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
In this post, I want to offer a perspective on the story Jesus tells in Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus. This post will seek to provide the following as a possible interpretation of the story Jesus told:
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
In Luke 14, Jesus speaks of banquets and invitations. In back-to-back illustrations, He speaks to us when we are the host and when we are the invitees. In each perspective, Jesus speaks to things He wants us to learn which are essential…
Book section · About 9 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches a lesson on Kingdom living. At the beginning of the sermon, He teaches the importance of being salt and light. Light represents the influence that followers of Jesus have on the world. We are seen,…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
In Matthew 12, we read something that should scare anyone who reads it. Jesus speaks of the unforgivable sin. Think about that for a moment. A sin so bad that no forgiveness will be given for it. What is so bad that the sin will be with us…
Book section · About 51 min
The Sovereignty of God
I struggled with the title of this chapter. It would be either “God’s Sovereignty Seen In Daniel 4” or “God’s Sovereignty Over The Nations.” In the end, I chose to stick with Daniel 4 because it is the perfect prooftext for the principle…
Book section · About 10 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
In Hebrews 11:24, the writer tells us that Moses “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” There came a point when Moses could choose to live as a prince or choose to suffer mistreatment with the people of God. This choice led…
Book section · About 22 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
Jerusalem has been besieged. Sacred vessels have been carried from the temple into the treasury of a foreign god. Young men from Judah have been taken from home, given Babylonian names, taught Babylonian literature, and prepared to serve…
Book section · About 15 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6 ESV).
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
The book of Job is a stunning portrait of suffering and sovereignty. It all began when a wealthy, faithful servant of God caught Satan’s eye. The accuser claimed Job’s devotion was hollow—that it was only as strong as the hedge of blessing…
Book section · About 20 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
In the synagogue of His hometown, Jesus stood up to read. It was a moment pregnant with expectation. The scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled it with purpose. This was no random selection.
Book section · About 13 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
This post has been in the making for a while. The parable of Jesus in Luke 16 about the dishonest steward has long been a source of consternation to me. I have read commentaries, watched videos, listened to sermons and interviewed…
Book section · About 16 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
Well, it’s finally here. Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, Election Day in the United States. I have seen a lot of Christians write on this topic and the conclusions run the gamut. Some say it’s a sin not to vote, while others say it’s better…
Book section · About 21 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
There are seasons when God seems unmistakably present. A door opens, a prayer is answered, or a hidden path becomes clear, and we can look at what happened and say, “God did this.”
Book section · About 19 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
Sometimes we imagine restoration as the moment everything damaged is finally made whole. The door opens, we go home, what was destroyed is rebuilt, and life becomes what it should have been all along.
Book section · About 25 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
Life has always had things to worry us, hasn’t it? Often, it centers on survival itself. Where are we going to sleep? What are our children going to eat? What are we going to wear? These are the fundamental issues people have worried about…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Often, when we jump into a new commitment, we feel overwhelmed and very inadequate compared to the people who have been doing things for a long, long time. And that feeling can cause us to question whether we have it in us to stick with…
Book section · About 8 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
We were already doing the math in our heads before we even stopped walking.
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
When we talk about grace, we often use the language of unmerited favor. This has caused a lot of consternation in Christendom as good people argue over the nature of God’s grace. What exactly is meant by unmerited? Does that word mean…
Book section · About 18 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
Few sights are more devastating than a faithful spouse carrying love for a covenant the other person has betrayed. The vows still matter to one, but not to the other. Love remains at home while the wandering heart gives its affection,…
Book section · About 18 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
**It’s been a while since I shared an excerpt from my book, The Sovereignty of God, but I thought this would be a good one to share. It speaks to God’s sovereignty seen in the book of Job and deals with the common motif of suffering. This…
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
We know that. We know this is His world. We know we are His creation. We know He rules. We know He is sovereign. That’s not where the tension is.
Book section · About 6 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
We wake up with a quiet sense of pressure already sitting on our chest.
Book section · About 20 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
Isaiah speaks into a world where kings appeared powerful, armies seemed unstoppable, and cities and temples looked permanent.
Book section · About 16 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
Before we get into this post, let me say that I am a huge Tony Robbins fan. I think he has tapped into a part of the human psyche that helps people learn how to take action to achieve their goals. One thing he says is that our destiny is…
Book section · About 13 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
We remember the circumstances that led to this passage. And when we read it, we celebrate the humanity of God’s Son. He laughed and He cried. He felt and experienced all that His creation experienced, which makes Him the perfect High…
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
There are a lot of people who teach that we are saved by grace and there is nothing we do for our salvation. Even though Jesus said to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), many say that we…
Book section · About 8 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
Phrases like these are meant to express how much we love someone. But words are easily said and much harder to act upon, aren’t they? Would we really do anything for someone? Would we really take a bullet or give our right arm for someone?…
Book section · About 13 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
In the book of James, the author tells us something sobering. He warns that not many should become teachers, and he tells us why:
Book section · About 6 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
There are moments when we hear the words of Jesus and feel two things at the same time. We are drawn to Him, and we are unsettled by Him. His teaching sounds beautiful, but it also sounds impossibly high. We want to live the way He…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
Every day we are given is a gift—an opportunity to live, not just as inhabitants of this earth, but as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. With Jesus as our King, each day becomes more than a string of obligations and routines; it…
Book section · About 5 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
He does not start with mild irritation or everyday frustration. He does not begin with people who are hard to like or awkward to be around. He speaks directly into the places we protect most carefully, the places where real harm has been…
Book section · About 14 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
One of the most fundamental truths of Christianity is that Jesus is God. Yet many deny this truth, claiming Jesus never referred to Himself as divine or that His disciples didn’t see Him that way until centuries later. They argue that the…
Book section · About 15 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
In the second half of Mark’s Gospel, the evidence of Jesus’ deity grows even more striking. Mark continues to present Jesus as Yahweh in the flesh—demonstrating power over nature, authority over life and death, and fulfilling the…
Book section · About 14 min
The Story of Faith, One Book at a Time — Volume 1: The Old Testament
There are moments when what we see makes it difficult to hold on to what God has promised.
Book section · About 8 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
Jesus gives great care to ensure that citizens of His kingdom understand that we will be different from earthly kingdoms in many ways. Foremost is how we treat and relate to one another. It pleases our King that we prefer one another and…
Book section · About 9 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
We live in a world that is increasingly determined to get what it wants right now. We no longer have to wait weeks for packages to arrive. Most will be delivered in 2 days, and some will deliver in hours.
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
In Mark 4, Jesus tells a parable where He compares the Kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed. Even though it starts off small, it will grow into a tree large enough to be a home for the birds of the air.
Book section · About 10 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Let me preview what I have planned for the next few weeks on my Facebook posts. For years, I have struggled in my walk with God. I approached my relationship with Him in a self-centered, checklist fashion that had my duties on one side of…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Last Tuesday, we discussed how important it is to seek out daily service moments to help prepare our hearts for Kingdom living. That is one way we can make a difference in the lives of others. But to better prepare our hearts for Kingdom…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Well, we have come to the end of a seven-week journey. I have endeavored to share with you what I do to prepare my heart for Kingdom living. As you recall, nearly two months ago, I shared with you that I came from a place where I had ended…
Book section · About 14 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Last Tuesday, I discussed the importance daily Bible reading had in helping me establish my heart. But communication is a two-way street, and communicating with God is no different. Reading the Word allows us to hear His voice, Him…
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Last Tuesday, I talked about how prayer has been an important part of how I am preparing my heart for Kingdom living. Having an avenue to speak to the Creator is an awesome and powerful tool for me. But today, I want to share the next…
Book section · About 15 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Last Tuesday, I said I would share with you the things I did to help create in me a heart prepared for kingdom living. I talked about how I had hit rock bottom spiritually and had a choice to make. Sin had taken over my life so much.…
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 2
Last Tuesday, we showed how important it is to take control of our thoughts and to control what we choose to let into our minds in order to prepare our hearts for Kingdom living. Today, I want to share another thing I learned to do that…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
The decision to kill Jesus is set and the course of history and prophecy is now in motion. Jesus, God’s Son, sees everything that is about to unfold from a heavenly perspective. And those who think they win have indeed lost. And those who…
Book section · About 5 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
They take different shapes depending on our season of life, our culture, our responsibilities, or the moment we find ourselves in. Some of us worry about provision, others about health, relationships, the future of our children, or the…
Book section · About 5 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
There is a quiet fear many of us carry that we rarely name out loud.
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
When James says, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18 ESV), he’s not inviting us into an abstract theological debate. He’s talking about loyalty—allegiance—the kind of faith you can…
Book section · About 23 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
Let me begin by saying that I know not everyone will agree with what I will discuss today, and that’s okay. While it is my firm belief, I will give grace to you if you disagree with me, and I hope you will give grace to me as well. In…
Book section · About 18 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
When the Holy Spirit started the church on the day of Pentecost, some fundamental, historical events had just occurred. Jesus had just laid down His life for the sins of the world. Do we truly get the impact of that single event? No…
Book section · About 5 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
I am in the book of Judges in my daily Bible reading, and those who have studied this book see the downward cycle of Israel's obedience and disobedience to God. When they obeyed God, they prospered in the land He gave them. But when they…
Book section · About 10 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
A word spoken that cannot be unsaid. A betrayal that reaches deeper than we expected. A business matter handled unfairly. A family wound that lingers long after the moment has passed. A friend who knew enough to do better and did not. In…
Book section · About 17 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
From the very beginning, God intended for us to have life—real life. Not just the life that comes from breath in our lungs or the beating of a heart, but a life that is inseparably tied to Him. A life that is whole. Complete. Unbroken.
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
The four Gospels were written by four men, three Jews and a Gentile, who tell the story of Jesus. Each starts at a different place in the life of Jesus as they share with the world the remarkable life of the Son of Man who came to seek and…
Book section · About 17 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
Well, you knew it was coming! Last week, we looked at how the first words that each Gospel writer recorded from Jesus told the story of the Gospel messages that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Jesus was the Messiah who would usher in…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
Easter may have passed two days ago, but the image of the crown of thorns is still lingering in my thoughts. That painful, twisted crown placed on Jesus’ head by Roman soldiers was meant as mockery. But on this side of the resurrection, we…
Book section · About 6 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
In the markets along the coast, merchants gathered early in the morning. Traders opened their cases. Small cloth pouches were untied. Pearls rolled gently across dark fabric as buyers leaned closer to examine them.
Book section · About 13 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
A man is not defined by what he does, but by what is in his heart. That may sound strange at first because, on the surface, we often judge people by their actions. A wealthy man who donates large sums to charity is seen as generous. A…
Book section · About 5 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
They are not rulers. They are not scholars. Most of them are fishermen who, not long ago, spent their days casting nets into the waters of Galilee. One collected taxes. Another had been a political zealot. None of them had commanded armies…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
There are moments in life when we feel like a dead tree stump—cut down, lifeless, left behind. Maybe life didn’t turn out the way we hoped. Maybe we’ve made choices we regret. Or maybe we’re walking through seasons of suffering that have…
Book section · About 15 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
The more I read and study the Bible, the more I realize two things about the second greatest commandment: First, I have totally underestimated how important it is for me to have a life defined by serving others; and second, many of God’s…
Book section · About 19 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
In Luke 19, Jesus is making His triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt. I would love to have witnessed this moment. As He rode into the city that would take His life in a few days, He now is heralded as the King of the Jews by…
Book section · About 6 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
The rhythm of the day was familiar. The weight of the tool in his hands. The slow turning of soil beneath the rising sun. Dust clung to his sandals and gathered along the folds of his garment as he moved row by row across the ground.
Book section · About 16 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
We live in the Information Age. Knowledge is spread from one end of the Earth to the other in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, this communication is noble, while at other times, it is destructive. Yet there seems to be no lack of craving…
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
Roman crucifixions were designed to be brutal, slow, and public. They were meant to break the body and humiliate the condemned while warning anyone who dared challenge the empire.
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
One show I used to love watching was Undercover Boss. The show's premise has the owner, CEO, or high-ranking company official change their appearance and get an entry-level job in their own company to experience reality in a way impossible…
Book section · About 12 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
In Luke 17, Jesus teaches us a message that distinguishes between a master and his servant. It’s a message of humility and perspective that we need to understand if we are to be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. But I wonder if we are…
Book section · About 20 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
When we read the story of the Old Testament, we see how God looks into the fallen world to build His own nation of people from among the world's nations. Abraham was called out from among the Babylonian people, and through him, God would…
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 1
If you read my posts much at all, you will hear me referring to King Jesus a lot. But what does it really mean, Jesus is king? And when you couple the fact that most of my readers come from a country that doesn’t have a king, then it may…
Book section · About 13 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
We know how the story ends. That’s what makes it so easy to cast judgment.
Book section · About 18 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
In 1 Kings 18, we read of one of the greatest victories ever recorded in the story of God’s people. Elijah, the lone prophet of Yahweh, stands boldly against 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The terms were simple: the God who answers…
Book section · About 7 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 3
You don’t have to read my writings long before you see how much I focus on Jesus' return, or His Second Coming, as we often call it. Sometimes, like this, I will write a more in-depth post to focus on the event. Other times, I may write a…
Book section · About 4 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
Let’s face it, the book of Leviticus is not the most exciting book to read. It’s full of laws and expectations. While there are moments of story and history, they are few and far between. But when we slow down and read these laws,…
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
There are times when we look at our lives and wonder if there is enough there for God to use.
Book section · About 11 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
That was what made the tension so difficult. If he had been indifferent, he could have walked away. If he had been hostile, he could have joined the voices of those who opposed Him. But he was neither. He had heard Jesus teach. He had seen…
Book section · About 10 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
King Jesus will return. That is not a vague hope but a certainty, sealed in His own words: “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3 ESV). Every generation has carried this promise. And…
Book section · About 6 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
Most of the time, it happens quietly. We notice who seems to be doing more, who is more visible, who carries influence or responsibility. We admire faithfulness, but somewhere underneath that admiration we begin to assume that some…
Book section · About 3 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 5
Have you ever felt the weight of discipleship pressing on your shoulders? You’ve accepted Jesus, yet certain sins still cling to you—habits or thoughts that don’t fit a heart pledged to King Jesus. Or maybe you see another believer who…
Book section · About 16 min
Tuesdays With Tony, Volume 4
In John 13, Jesus realized His time with His apostles was growing short. Though He came to earth for this one purpose, time would not permit Him to finish all the teaching He needed to do for His followers. They were not ready to hear…