If the Bible says something more than once, we should pay attention. How about if it says something 17 times in the span of just one chapter? This is what happens in Psalm 136, where God’s people basically tell the story of God’s care and redemption. Then, between...
Love compels us. That’s what Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians. But what does it compel us to do? Well, it compels us to love God and to love neighbor. And the best way to do both of them is to tell people about Jesus. And Paul actually shows us the way one...
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. These traits, listed in Galatians 5, make up the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit, the evidence of being followers of Jesus. Who doesn’t want to have these attributes defining their...
Judas had seen Jesus. He had been with Jesus. He had heard Jesus. He had seen Jesus raise the dead and walk on water and heal people. He had seen Jesus do all these amazing things and yet Judas betrayed him. He ended up in the night. (That’s such a powerful line in...
Where’s your happy place? The beach on a warm summer day? A quiet spot at the coffeeshop where you can read uninterrupted? A party where the conversation and food are flowing? The Washington Post recently analyzed some data about where people are most happy, and the...
You’ve strayed from Jesus. Now what? Are you hesitating to turn to Him because you’re not sure how (or if) He will receive you? Maybe you think He’ll be disappointed, stern, angry. Maybe you think that He won’t even want you back. Don’t believe it. Jesus once told a...
Looking for the best New Year's resolution of them all? The Apostle Paul already wrote it: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." That's what he told the church at Corinth in one of his more pointed letters....
I have never been a huge fan of Bible-reading plans, those yearlong lists that take you through the entire Bible in a year. Truth be told, I’ve not been a fan because I’ve been so bad at using them. Year after year, I’d pick one out and then get days and weeks behind...
Imagine ... Sitting at a table with a portion of scripture on one hand and a pen and paper in the other, copying out each word, each line, verse by verse. This is no exercise for a medieval monk cloistered by candlelight in a dark monastery somewhere, but rather...
I find it hard to slow down. I really do. It's a hectic world we live in, and I love to stay busy, but it really is important that we slow down at times. It's important that we take time for rest and time to meditate, and one of the ways we can do that is with God's...