Grief, loneliness, waiting—these feelings and experiences of wanting and lacking are all a gift from God. They show us our lack of control and our need for help outside ourselves. When we make it our goal—always unspoken—to avoid any trace of these feelings, we lose a powerful guide. We reject pictures and lessons from God... Continue Reading

Because we entrust ourselves to this Savior, we neither attempt to control death as the world does nor “grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). We face death honestly, soberly—even tearfully—but not hopelessly.   We do not do death well. We avoid it. We deny it. We even pretend we can... Continue Reading

In the United States, many pastors never speak of God’s discipline or God’s judgment. God expects pastors to care for people’s souls. We must do so in a Biblical way. Sin is rebellion against the King of the universe. It is disrespect for his person. Despite such disrespect, God still loves people. He does forgive... Continue Reading

The church is called to preach the gospel, show mercy, care for the needy, and love the stranger. Individual Christians can and should find ways to help immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through charity, ministry, and hospitality, but should never break the law in doing so.   Immigration is one of the most emotionally charged... Continue Reading

Celsus reminds us that the world may be watching more than we think. The point here is not that Christians should just cease all theological debate and pretend differences don’t matter. No, as already noted, some truths are so central to faith that they are worth battling over. At the same time, it is also true... Continue Reading

When God saved you, he united you to Christ. And you are so closely identified with Christ that his story has become your story. He died, and you died with him. He rose, and you rose with him. In Christ, we have died to sin. Our former life in bondage to sin is over, and... Continue Reading

“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (vv. 6–7).   Juxtaposed as it is next to 2 Timothy 4:1–5, verses 6–8 convey an important motivation for Timothy and... Continue Reading

If my goal is to reach San Diego, I’m not going to be content to be in Cleveland. So, let’s improve upon this idea. How about: “There are many successes on the journey to success.”?   You’ve probably heard something like: “Success is the journey and not the destination.” When I hear this, it seems to... Continue Reading

David names what we often avoid naming: sin. Not as a small mistake, but as a real weight between us and God. And he names the mercy God gives: forgiveness, covering, cleansing. The good news is not that we have managed to become impressive. The good news is that God is willing to pardon.  ... Continue Reading

Psalm 11 is David’s confession that the Lord sees all things, works through all things, and will one day bring justice. When the wicked or unjust attempted to disturb his peace, these truths gave David confidence to take refuge in the Lord rather than fleeing in fear (v. 1). The familiar car pulled into the... Continue Reading