God’s word is applicable in each generation, and surely there are ways to apply God’s word today that the original hearers would not have considered thousands of years ago. But the encouragement, the commands, the original intentions are the same.   It is a glorious task to search out God’s word. “It is the glory... Continue Reading

The travelogue of Nehemiah 9:8-31 chronicles God’s personal involvement in their lives as His people to deliver, sustain, rescue, and lead them. Though they were faithless, He remained faithful. Don’t believe it? Look at the pictures. Open the family album and behold the glory of your God.   “And You divided the sea before them,... Continue Reading

Astonishment receives God’s word with humility. We have no claim to our Creator’s words, no right, yet he speaks to us freely, opening his heart to us, showing us his character, inviting us to fellowship with him. By such gracious speech, he shatters our pride and sheds light on our dark ways.   A new... Continue Reading

The Lord Jesus was innocent, was perfectly righteous. He suffered more than you and I can ever imagine, and remember what God’s Word tells us? ‘When He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.’   Twelve-year-olds Peter, James, and John... Continue Reading

Paul is showing us that human beings are always serving something. The question isn’t whether we will serve but what we will serve. When we’re liberated from sin’s dominion, we’re not set free into autonomous independence but into life-giving dependence on God. This is why, in God’s upside-down kingdom, true liberty comes through submission to... Continue Reading

In light of the fall, it was a great kindness from God to Adam to allow him to see so many of his descendants—even to the seventh generation. This is heightened by the fact that Adam’s first son murdered his second son. How kind was our God to show Adam something of His covenant faithfulness... Continue Reading

Who could possibly be opposed to a religion that calls everyone to be nice, compliant and tolerant?— a religion that helps people?—a religion that makes the world a better place?—a religion unencumbered by “superstition, dogma and an unscientific metaphysic?” This, of course, is the attractive ideology of communism: to be good, to help people, to... Continue Reading

When praise meets godly desires, it does not deflect the gracious words. Praiseinspires gratitude towards God. One telltale sign of our maturity is how easily we transfer honor to God, recognizing him as the source and power of our performance. Why? Because when the heart is tested by this praise, it reveals we did it... Continue Reading

The discipline of our bodies, according to Paul, is for no other reason than to ensure that we will not be rejected by Christ on the last day. Of course, Jesus’s standard isn’t the body-mass index or how many pushups we can do. That is ridiculous. Paul’s point is that the physical discipline he endures... Continue Reading

The best seats are those that are near to others. It’s easy to fill up seats at church like a tube carriage, dotting ourselves around the room, leaving big gaps. On the tube, it would be weird to go and sit right next to the only other person. But, church isn’t like a tube carriage.... Continue Reading