How many times do we hear that we need to have great confidence in ourselves to complete big tasks? Most of us grow up with a message, at least from our culture, that we need to believe in ourselves and step out into the world with confidence. If...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
One of my favorite accounts of Jesus’ miracles in the gospels is John’s account of raising Lazarus from the dead. It grabs our attention because death is death, and no human can defeat it. When Jesus raises a man from the dead we...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Matthew 18:1-3 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Some time ago I wrote a poem that conveyed my thoughts about a husband’s love for his wife along side his longing for heaven. So often when we think about heaven, we can reduce it merely to the sentimentality of seeing loved ones and miss...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
First century zealots were a group of people who were intense Jewish nationalists and outraged at Roman rule. There were various conflicts and uprisings led by one main family of Zealots and they all ended in tragedy. Whether the zealots liked it...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
People have often asked me about how I teach the doctrine of election as it relates to human responsibility. I often say, “When the text clearly states the doctrine of election, I preach it, and when the text clearly states human...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Hebrews 1:1-6 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In Matthew 21:21-22 and 17:20 Jesus tells his disciples that if they have faith (even little faith) and do not doubt, that they will move mountains. I have faith, even if it’s a little faith like the tiny mustard seed, but I cannot move...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” In what many regard as the Magnum Opus of...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
When Zechariah was prophesying to the returning exiles, he was motivating them to continue with the building program for the temple and city in their worship of God. Under the inspiration of God and through a series of visions, Zechariah gives a...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
