Acts 2:24 “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him…. What a profound truth! Sometimes I race past familiar scripture with the Continue Reading…
Luke 19:38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna to the Son of David!” shouts the crowd as Jesus enters Jerusalem. He’s riding on a colt, just as it was prophesied centuries before the Messiah would do (Zechariah 9:9). Some lay their cloaks on the Continue Reading…
Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Wasted time. Irritation. Helplessness. Impatience. Ever have any of these responses when you have to wait? Most of us hate to wait. And our fast-paced culture doesn’t help matters. It Continue Reading…
Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” “Say something you like about the speech, then offer one suggestion for improvement.” Those are the instructions I give my Public Speaking students when I ask them to critique each Continue Reading…
Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Not a suggestion. Not an option. Not even an inch of wiggle room. Jesus makes it pretty clear that one of the duties Continue Reading…
2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” I recently told someone who worried about being irresponsible, “You couldn’t be irresponsible if you tried. It’s just not in your DNA.” I think the same way about God’s faithfulness. The limitless, unfathomable Creator of Continue Reading…
1 John 1:6 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” Love without sacrifice is like food without nutrition. No sustenance. No life. Christianity rests on the foundation of sacrificial love. Continue Reading…
Job 1:22 “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Satan hurled everything he could to throw Job off track and derail his relationship with God. He will try the same strategies with us… First, Satan sends invaders to kill Job’s servants and steal his livestock. Continue Reading…
Mark 10:8 “ and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” My wife just left me. She was my best friend. The love of my life. Those were the painful words spoken to me recently by an acquaintance. I knew this man viewed his Continue Reading…
Luke 4:14 “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit….” The temptation Jesus encounters after his baptism sounds like a sword fight—a duel more profound than any graphic arts designer could capture, even with the finest visual effects possible… Satan begins by wielding his blade of doubt… If you Continue Reading…