As we consider how we worship, we need to acknowledge that God calls each one of us to sing. We are to sing even if we are untrained, even if we are unskilled, and even if we are self-conscious. And if we are to sing, don’t you think God means for us to sing out,... Continue Reading

Even in the midst of his dark trials, Job maintained faith in God. He believed in God for salvation and continued to believe God during his suffering.   Introduction Why does God allow suffering? This question has been asked and debated across the centuries. Some believe that a Christian should never suffer—to them, suffering indicates... Continue Reading

God has given us many tasks that are both a duty and a blessing. God blesses us to be able to fulfill His will/desire for our lives. This involves bearing the image of God to the world around us. Video games take me away from those types of thoughts and fill my mind with a... Continue Reading

Luke’s Acts and Paul’s letters give but a few snippets from his life of missionary service. Timothy would at times be separated from Paul (Acts 17:14–15), sent to churches with specific tasks (Acts 18:22), such as checking up on them (1 Thess 3:1–10), helping in handling their problems (1 Tim 1:3), and doing so in... Continue Reading

The topic of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is way too long for a daily devotional. There are too many references to even list them all. But they all point to getting good and evil backwards—calling Holy things evil and evil things good. It makes sense that this would be a fatal error since it’s... Continue Reading

Why would an old man dig wells? Why would he plant a tree that he would never live to see the good of? A tamarisk tree is one of the best for providing a cooling shade, but Abraham would never sit under it. Yet Abraham understood something of the pilgrim life. He understood that things... Continue Reading

John’s presentation of the Pierced One as Feast is not merely a fascinating example of the Christocentric hermeneutic through which the apostolic mind reads Scripture, it is also a direct answer to the soul-hunger of the human race—to your soul’s hunger and mine.  Humanity is Hungry Food is the first gift explicitly given by God... Continue Reading

Luther understood that marriage and child-rearing take place in a world deeply marred by sin and death. He sees parenting as pleasing to God, a divine service for which sinners are “not worthy.” When Christians parent their children by faith in Christ, “God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling.” Luther believed that the... Continue Reading

We should not wait until some medical emergency or tragedy hits us before we start taking God and our relationship with him seriously. We need to live a life of service here on earth, but always with a view to eternity. Too many folks simply think in these terms: “Life is short, better enjoy it.”... Continue Reading

We’re to be a household, even a stronghold, of prayer, and the officers of our congregations need to take the lead here. Prayer, public and congregational or private and individual, is not just a duty; it is a privilege. More than that, it is a means of grace.   The challenges that confront the congregations of... Continue Reading