We fail at many things and in many ways. Failure can be accompanied by feelings of inadequacy and shame that make us want to quit. The uniqueness of the gospel is not that it gets us to do something entirely new, but that it sends us back to what we’ve been doing all along, but […]
Have you ever received a pump-up speech from God? Before Jeremiah spoke a word of prophecy to anyone the Lord tells him in chapter one that He has holy plans for his life. We never make the first move, God is always previous. He assures Jeremiah through his doubt and does the biblical equivalent of […]
Wisdom doesn’t mean you always have the right answers, but rather the right responses. Here in Proverbs 4, and the beginning of chapter 5, wisdom is a guide to healthy living. When God is at the center of our lives, He helps us stay on the path of good sense and avoid the pitfalls that […]
Peace is not passive. We often view it as the absence of war, clamor, or bothersome neighbors. But here in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul teaches that God pours into us instead of removing outside circumstances. When we let God in, he doesn’t turn us into hermits, but fills us with the Holy Spirit. […]
Jacob was cunning and opportunistic. He deceived his father and stole his brother Esau’s birthright. Here, years later, he is about to encounter his older brother and is understandably terrified. In the midst of strategizing on how to survive this meeting, he wrestles with the Lord in one of the most meaningful interactions between God […]
Do you view God as a giver of rules or a living, personal presence? Jesus shows us who God is. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God is accessible through Christ. The veil has been lifted! When we’re with Christ, we’re in touch with the father and positive change in […]
We start from resurrection. If we are followers of Christ, we believe He did the unthinkable- he rose from the dead. If true, everything about how we live changes. When Jesus defeated death, suddenly the detailed prophecies and big, God-sized story of the Bible were infused with life! We simply cannot ignore the reality and […]
The brief but intense prophecy of Obadiah is an indictment of Edom’s pride and injustice towards God’s people. But the last message of this short book takes a giant step out of the centuries of hate and rivalry. We are given a higher standard for how to live in a world of oppressors and victims. […]
The entire calendar is under the sweep of God’s caring eyes. Past and future are held together by his love and his promises. Like the Hebrews moving into new land, God knows the journey you have been on. As the new year begins, do not forget his commandments and the promises he has in store […]
Matthew 1 starts with a long (dare I say boring?) list of names. 21st century readers want to skim that part to begin learning about Jesus. But the intentional detailing of Jesus’ family tree is significant. It outlines the prophetic timing of his arrival and the inclusivity of God’s family. Have you seen some of […]