Dear Friend, How might Isaac have explained to his young sons, Jacob and Esau, why God had commanded his father, Abraham, to offer him as a burnt offering (Genesis 22)? *** “Father, tell Esau to stop shooting at me!” Isaac…

What do you regret? That question can trigger some vivid memories. I don’t like to think about them. I wince as I remember things I wish I had never done—terrible, wounding words I spoke, confidences I betrayed, dark lusts I…

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find an example of what we would call a “healthy family” in the Bible? It’s a lot easier to find families with a lot of sin and a lot of pain…

God is not content for us just to understand the idea that nothing is too hard for the Lord (Jeremiah 32:17). He wants us to have the overwhelming joy of experiencing it. But the sometimes agonizing period between his promise…

Missionary to India, William Carey, once exhorted a Baptist gathering in England by saying, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” I love that quote But we must heed the Bible’s warning through Simon the Magician: if…

Jesus… marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:9) Jesus, the “founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), once marveled at…

“Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27) In the race of faith that Jesus has called you to run (Hebrews 12:1), doubt is a weight you simply can’t keep running with. You’ve got to drop it. Today. But first, let…

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth…

The reason there was a “Palm Sunday” was because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 12:17–18). It was perhaps the most powerful, hope-giving miracle Jesus ever performed during his pre-cross ministry; the capstone sign of who he was (John…

You know that part of you that you really want others not to see — that stubborn weakness, humiliating failure, embarrassing illness, horrible past event, or present struggle with sin? There’s very good news for you in the story of…

Demas and Mark are contrasts in failure. One provides us a word of warning, the other a word of hope. And as people who stumble in many ways (James 3:2), we need both. Demas What happened to Demas? We don’t…

For the first forty years of his life, Moses lived in a place of strength. As a member of Pharaoh’s household he had social prestige, wealth (Hebrews 11:26), and youthful strength. When he became aware of and troubled by his…

The old hymn says it beautifully: “Grace, grace, God’s grace; grace that is greater than all my sin.” But the grace of God is not only great enough to “pardon and cleanse within.” It is so powerful, as Joseph’s older…

Every day, as we seek to follow Jesus, we deal with incessant weaknesses in our bodies, emotions, relationships, families, vocations, and churches. We are “beset with weakness” (Hebrews 5:2). And they tempt us to discouragement, sometimes exasperation. But one of…

The greatest commandment is to love God (Matthew 22:36–37). But what that looks like can shock us, as it did Simon in Luke 7:36–50. He had the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 54:5) in his house, reclining at his table…

Is there a fear staring you in the face right now? Are you finding your faith in God’s promise shaking? If so, you are likely praying desperately for God to be with you. God will answer you. But you might…

Genesis chapters 37–41 only tell the low and high points of Joseph’s Egyptian slavery and imprisonment. But he spent at least 12 years there before he suddenly became the Egyptian Prime Minister. And during that terribly lonely, desolate time, things…

The following story is drawn from Matthew 14:13–33 and John 6:1–21. The day had been another mind-blower for the disciples. As they rowed toward Capernaum it was hard to stop talking about what they had seen. Five thousand men, plus…

“…when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away” (1 Corinthians 13:10). Another year is passing away. Thank God. Not only for the massive amounts of unquantifiable grace we have received from him, but also because we are one year…

This imaginative story, including character names, was written as a sort of prequel to John Piper’s moving story, The Innkeeper. The first Christmas night was a holy night. But it was not a silent night. All was not calm…