Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” She came like a dog, begging Jesus for a morsel of mercy. She broke all the rules. This woman. This Gentile. But she was desperate. Her daughter Continue Reading…
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” I was on my two-mile walk the other morning when I witnessed something that caused a double-take. A Continue Reading…
Mark 9:50 “Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other.” An argument ensues among the disciples as to which one of them is the greatest. Someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name offends them because he is not in their circle. They have to be warned not Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Every year at the college where I teach, a student is chosen to win the “Public Bible Reading Award.” From the moment I knew I had the Continue Reading…
1 Chronicles 9:22 “The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust….” My daily Bible reading had taken me to Chronicles. I love reading the word of God, but I have to admit, I tend to fleet through the long lists of genealogies. However, nine and a half Continue Reading…
Philippians 4:8 “…whatever is true…think about such things.” From drawings of Will Smith’s enlarged ears to Bill Clinton’s bulbous nose and Angelina Jolie’s voluptuous lips…we’ve all seen them: caricatures. A person’s overall appearance is dwarfed in order to accentuate a particular feature. Jutting jaws become “juttier,” toothy grins become Continue Reading…
Isaiah 50:10-11 “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches Continue Reading…
I Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Seventeenth century Bible scholar Matthew Henry is said to have penned these words upon the theft of his wallet: “I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because Continue Reading…
John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be….” We yield our will at Gethsemane and decide to “pick up our cross and follow.” Self-denial and cross-bearing are far from once-and-done entities. We’re presented with the opportunity to follow Jesus every day, actually, every Continue Reading…
Luke 9:23 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Had there been no Gethsemane, there would have been no Calvary. Gethsemane thrust Jesus into the once-and-for-all crucible of decision. Gethsemane—where sorrow pummeled him to the ground with Continue Reading…