From the Home Place

March 25, 2026

Wow! Our weather is broken. Last night’s low in Lusk, Wyoming was above 40 degrees. Today’s high is predicted to reach 86 degrees, with 50 mph wind gusts! In all of my years, never have I seen such hot and dry weather, for such a long period. And finding some moisture in this area is like looking for a gold nugget in our living room. From what I can find, 72 is the present record high for this date with an average temp of 32 degrees. 2026 looks to be a year of many new records???

Yesterday we visited about our spiritual temperature. Wouldn’t it be amazing if all of us would set new record highs for our spiritual temperature this year? Lest we allow the ‘ol pride bug to creep into our lives, perhaps we should talk about how to determine our personal spiritual temperature.

James challenges each of us, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” NASB translates the Greek word “paralogizomenol” as “delude.” As you pronounce the Greek word, you will recognize that it indicates that to “delude,” or to “deceive” appears to come from a word that sounds like a person who is struggling to be logical, and that would be accurate.

The Greeks were very proud of their very high intelligence. They considered themselves and their gods to be far wiser than any other group of people on the face of the earth. So, now we can understand what James was really attempting to help us understand when he used this Greek word in James 1:22. To listen to biblical teaching without applying it is like a person who has a paralyzed thought process, the ears work, but the rest of the body does not.

I have always said that if I were to apply every sermon and lesson, I have listened to, no one would recognize me. To stay with our thought process, my spiritual life would be at a way higher temperature than it really is today. I have often thought that instead of singing another song before we go home after Sunday’s sermon, perhaps we should break into small groups and discuss how we will apply what we just heard. Maybe we should talk about how to put hands and feet to the message.

Perhaps we should follow the example the Apostle Paul used in his writings of biblical texts. Read any of Paul’s books within the Bible and you will soon discover that the first half of his writings deal with doctrine, doctrine, doctrine. The second half of said writings deal with application, application, application.

For example, look at the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians. In Chapters 1-3, Paul wants each of us to understand our amazing standing as believers in Christ Jesus. Paul labors to help each believer to know in Whom they believe in for salvation, and why they believe what they believe! Now open to Chapter 4 where Paul’s first words in verse 1 are application, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” “To walk” deals with our day-to-day life; simply put, what we believe is played out in how we live.

So, I would suggest, to determine our spiritual temperature we should not be so concerned with how much we know, but that we should be determined with how much of what I have heard is transferred into how I live. If my spiritual knowledge isn’t transforming the way I live, I’m just attending church.

Stop here and read the rest of Ephesians 4, the application of chapters 1-3. Because of the great high calling God has placed upon believer’s life, we should “walk” with “humility, gentleness, patience,” and “tolerance.” You see my friends, the words “patience” and “tolerance” are how we are to apply our biblical knowledge with an attitude of “humility, gentleness,” and “patience.”

O.K. back up the turnip truck – By using the word “tolerance” Paul is not following today’s mindset of that word. Remember the first three chapters deal with proper doctrine, now Paul challenges us to be “tolerant” with folks who need help learning how to correctly apply what they have just heard. First, we have to make sure that such a person has heard correctly, and now we are to humbly and gently, invite others to “come follow me as I follow Christ.” Application, application, application!

Now, each of us is ready to read Ephesians 5 & 6, not so we know more about Jesus, but so that we will show more of Jesus to the world around us! For it is only as we correctly apply biblical truth that our spiritual temperature sets record highs.

Applying as we learn with you, Neal