When Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, his first thesis focused on repentance: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.” Scripture is clear that repentance should be ongoing for the believer.     1.... Continue Reading

The ultimate hope for Christians is in the finished work and future return of Jesus Christ.  Death is, in the eyes of most, the worst thing that can happen to humans—it is the cessation of life itself. But, because of Christ, death is not the destination for the Christian. Death is but a brief layover... Continue Reading

For the same amount of time that the woman’s life was beset by an embarrassing and physically depleting illness that kept her from corporate worship, Jairus and his wife would have enjoyed life with their daughter. It’s also possible that their daughter had been ill most of her life, and she is finally succumbing to... Continue Reading

What are our top three priorities, is the question she says we should ask ourselves, and then shares a story about herself that I think we can identify with.     In Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing, Laura Mae Martin cites the 2018 study at Ohio University that says, people remember... Continue Reading

The ground we have of comfort under rebuke and disgrace . . . is a spirit of glory. What is that? A large spirit enlarging our hearts with inward comfort, inward joy, inward love of God. . . .     In Colossians 3:3, the Apostle Paul wrote these words: “For you have died, and... Continue Reading

“I believe in God, but I just don’t know if I can trust the God of the Bible. How can a good God have Israel wipe out the Canaanites? Or send people to hell?” I was speaking with an acquaintance at the gym when he asked me a question that many people quietly carry: how... Continue Reading

Consider the words of N.T. Wright: “We are forced to postulate something which will account for the fact that a group of first-century Jews, who had cherished messianic hopes and centered them on Jesus of Nazareth, claimed after his death that he really was the Messiah despite the crushing evidence to the contrary” (Resurrection, 562).... Continue Reading

In the meantime, we can embrace the wait because it offers an invitation to grasp the heart of God. “Love is patient,” Paul penned. To see the essence of patience is to see the essence of love, which is God.   If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,     O Lord, who could stand?... Continue Reading

How will we recognize this King? With much pomp and circumstance? Leading a mighty army? He will come “lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).Each of the Gospel account carries news of His arrival. Seated on a donkey, palm branches spread before Him, He would enter Jerusalem... Continue Reading

So, what is God asking you to trust Him for that runs completely against your normal experience? Perhaps you cannot imagine victory over a temptation that has taken you down so many times. Perhaps the financial need in front of you and the resources available simply do not add up. Perhaps a marriage is harder... Continue Reading