We’re to be set apart, totally holy, totally different not in some areas but in every area of life.  Our lives are meant to be so inexplicably different, such a conundrum, to those around us that they can’t help but eventually ask us why?     How do we reach the world around us for... Continue Reading

The king gets off his throne and sits in dust. There is a decree issued for humans and animals to fast and cry out to God. The message of the Lord has had an impact on the city. And God relents.     “Can I have another go?” is an often-used phrase in our house... Continue Reading

God honors persistent prayer. It doesn’t mean he’s always going to eventually grant it. That’s not the point. The point is for us to remain steadfast, to remember his promises, to know that he is God even when we’ve lost a ring. He tells us to keep asking, so we will—even if it never happens. ... Continue Reading

Abram would be identified with God to such an extent that what people do to him, they are seen as doing to God himself. Abram would be God’s representative, if you like, as if he was in God’s family. However you treat Abram is how you treat God. Does that idea sound familiar to you?... Continue Reading

One of the humbling things about a bad morning is how quickly it reveals what is really in me. I can blame the time, the lack of sleep, and even the messy house. And those things are a pain, they really are, but I’m sure they don’t create impatience out of nothing. Instead they draw... Continue Reading

The disciples had followed Peter fishing but had caught nothing. But suddenly Jesus appeared on the seashore and instructed them, which yielded a great catch. When the discerning apostle, John, realized it was the Lord and told Peter, Peter jumped in the water and swam to shore, and the boat followed (because he was a... Continue Reading

It was their duty to protest against mere formalism, to stress moral duty, to urge the necessity of spiritual service, and to promote the interests of truth and righteousness. If the people departed from the path of duty, they had to call them back to the law and to the testimony, and to announce the... Continue Reading

We take people who are hurting, angry, confused, or offended, and instead of leading them toward Christ, we lead them deeper into themselves. We teach them to linger over evil. We nurse the wound. We baptize the grudge. We turn the complaint into a cause. We make rebellion sound like wisdom. And God calls it... Continue Reading

Every church is shaping the next generation, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Children are learning what worship means. Teenagers are learning what Christianity values. Young adults are learning what the church believes. The question is whether they are being formed primarily by Scripture and sound doctrine or by the assumptions of the surrounding culture.   This... Continue Reading

The world says, “You were born this way.” Christ says, “You must be born again.” One message chains a man forever to his desires. The other promises to make him new. One leaves sinners exactly where they are. The other raises dead men to life.   One of the most influential slogans in modern history... Continue Reading