For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14) I'll never forget my first official job. I was a soda jerk. Working at a local cafe, my job was to serve food and dip ice cream. I'll never forget the experience because of the person I worked for. Generally, the owner was a nice man who had a desire for ... [Continue Reading]
Becoming Foolish (1 Corinthians 1-4)
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. (1 Corinthians 3:18-19a) There is a foolishness that isn’t foolishness at all. In fact, it comes as a result of recognizing one’s place in the whole scheme of ... [Continue Reading]
Who Gets The Glory? (Acts 11-12)
They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:22-23) Any time a leader becomes idolized by the people he or she is leading, that leader finds him or herself in a very dangerous position. The danger is this: when we praise ... [Continue Reading]
Fighting God (Acts 5-6)
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39) There are people, who with good intentions, end up opposing God. It’s a scary thought, ... [Continue Reading]
Evil Doesn’t Wait (Matthew 27)
Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. (Matthew 27:1) It's interesting to me that the chief priests and elders didn't waste any time in making their plans for having Jesus executed. Rather than taking time to think through the ramifications of their actions, their minds were set, and nothing ... [Continue Reading]
Are You In the Closet? (Mark 11; John 12)
...for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (John 12:43) The miracle involving raising Lazarus from the dead was a pretty convincing sight for those who hadn’t yet decided what they thought of Jesus. It’s hard to deny the deity of a man who is able to bring someone else back to life. John (as well as other Gospel writers) tells us that the Pharisees wanted ... [Continue Reading]
Keep Your Stones to Yourself (John 7-8)
When they kept on questioning [Jesus], he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) It's amazing how quickly people turn against one another. Just watch an episode of “Survivor” or “The Bachelor,” and you'll see people who are seemingly friends suddenly ready to attack one another. In the ... [Continue Reading]
How Much Do I Trust? (Matthew 9-10)
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2) Trust seems like such a simple thing, and in some respects it is. It's simple to trust that the chair I'm sitting in won't collapse under my weight. After all, I have lots of experience sitting in chairs. It's ... [Continue Reading]
A Hidden Treasure? (Matthew 13; Luke 8)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44) Jesus told a story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. He realized the great value of what he had found, so he quickly gathered as much money as he could by selling his ... [Continue Reading]
What Kind of Tree Are You? (Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 3; Luke 6)
Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. (Luke 6:44) Trees are very predictable. If you plant an orange tree, then you can expect juicy oranges to eventually grow from it. If you plant an apple tree, you can expect apples. Peach trees grow peaches. My guess is that you get the idea. What's really cool, ... [Continue Reading]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »
Connect with Me