We can understand the concept of life offered in Psalm 121 as it is understood in the famous words of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Lord is not guaranteeing physical safety from all... Continue Reading

It is easy to confess that you are a sinner in a general sense. After all, as we are all sinners, you are not actually confessing anything personal or unusual. I think growth in godliness requires more than this. If we want to get better at resisting temptation or dealing with the sins we commonly... Continue Reading

“Why must I waste time washing dishes when I could be leading a Bible study?” We categorize our work as either secular or spiritual. However, our thoughts do not match God’s thoughts regarding the mundane. God made man to work—to do mundane tasks. God intended Adam and Eve to care for the garden, to bear... Continue Reading

If we are not growing in our faith and knowledge of the word or, in other words, if we are not maturing in the faith, then there are consequences. There will be certain teaching from Scripture that is helpful and beneficial that we will not be able to understand and apply. Spiritual immaturity squelches our... Continue Reading

There are a few resources we have in this life that are incredibly scarce. Money is one, and time is another. Money comes and goes, but time always goes and always seems to be in slim supply. Yet time and again, you gave me time. You sat down with me and discussed creation over lunch.... Continue Reading

Taking up the cross, like taking up the yoke, requires something from us – empty hands. We cannot pick up the cross, or take up the yoke, if we are still holding onto our opinions. Our supposed rights. Our own wisdom. These are all things still in our hands, and ironically, many of the things... Continue Reading

Paul focused on love in Romans 12:9-16, but since love is the core of the Christian life, he returns to it in 13:8-10. Reading 13:8-10 slowly, we notice that “love” appears five times, three times as a verb, twice as a noun. The passage has a sandwich structure. 13:8 and 13:10 both say love fulfills... Continue Reading

There is an intensification of contrast between the wicked and the righteous in the first 40 psalms that begins to thin out and give way as the book progresses to the last 50 psalms, which focus on praise. There is a movement in the book from conflict to blessing, from lament to praise. When you... Continue Reading

Throughout the Bible the Lord warns us of listening to prophets that He did not send (4). But sinful man has itching ears and desires to hear false prophecies because they tell us what we so often want to hear rather than what is true (5). Thanks be to God, with the coming of Christ,... Continue Reading

Everyone tries to save themselves, and every one fails to do so. The scriptural story repeats this idea through its narratives—kings rise, kings fall. And it took Jesus to liberate us from the fear of death. As Hebrews notes, humans “were held in slavery by their fear of death” until Christ came (Heb 2:15). Ernst Becker... Continue Reading