We are never more vulnerable to sin than when we achieve success, are admired by others, and are prosperous, as King David tragically discovered. It was spring again. David once had loved warm, fragrant spring afternoons on the palace roof…

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9) As Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, discovered in Matthew 1-2, that’s just another way of saying that when your plans are detoured and redirected, you find…

Someone asked a great question in response to my post last week on Simon the Pharisee Much like the two sons in the prodigal son story, how necessary is it to be the younger son to appreciate the Father? …

He had the Holy One of Israel in his house, reclining at his table. The Prophet that Moses had foretold was sharing dinner with him. The Lord of glory, the Resurrection and the Life, was speaking with him face to…

Did you wake up not feeling like reading your Bible and praying? How many times today have you had to battle not feeling like doing things you know would be good for you While it’s true that this is our…

We tend to think of following Jesus as leaving behind the familiar for the unfamiliar. But sometimes, like for the man in Luke 8:26-39, the more difficult call is to go back home For the first time in a long…

We tend to think of following Jesus as leaving behind the familiar for the unfamiliar. But sometimes, like the man in Luke 8:26-39, the more difficult call is to go back home. *** For the first time in a long…

The New Testament makes essential things crystal clear: "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name [besides Jesus] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Deny that and you…

In staff devotions recently we were in Proverbs 6. Solomon warns his son against the devastation of adultery. In verses 32-33 he writes He who commits adultery lacks sense;     he who does it destroys himself.  He will get wounds and…

Peter watched Jesus make his way toward him, washing the feet of other disciples. It had already been a confusing Passover celebration. Jesus had been unusually burdened, close to tears all day. The atmosphere during the meal was charged with…

In my previous post I reflected on this verse: "Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you" (Matthew 5:42). And the comments have been very thoughtful and helpful It's…

"Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you" (Matthew 5:42) I confess, I have not always obeyed this command. I'm a veteran urban-dweller. Having lived in an inner city…

What happened to Demas We don’t know. All we know is that some of the last words the Apostle Paul wrote before his Roman execution expressed a heartbreak: “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone…

What happened to Demas? We don’t know. All we know is that some of the last words the Apostle Paul wrote before his Roman execution expressed a heartbreak: “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone…

He had the Holy One of Israel in his house, reclining at his table. The Prophet that Moses had foretold was sharing dinner with him. The Lord of glory, the Resurrection and the Life, was speaking with him face to…

A couple years ago I shared my experience of enduring a spiritual storm, a crisis of faith. Since then I’ve had the privilege of corresponding with numerous precious saints who are enduring similar storms A common experience is that…

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. We don’t want to squander our lives on trivial, unimportant pursuits. But…

The love of our own glory is the greatest competitor with God in our hearts. And sometimes we can cloak this idol in a pious disguise. In Matthew 21, Jesus unmasked such an idol with a single question It was…

The love of our own glory is the greatest competitor with God in our hearts. And sometimes we can cloak this idol in a pious disguise. In Matthew 21, Jesus unmasked such an idol with a single question. It was…

It is humbling to remember that as Christians we are still vulnerable to Satan’s deception. One moment we can speak glorious truth and the next moment destructive, satanic words. We must be on our guard, something Peter learned the hard…

  It is humbling to remember that as Christians we are still vulnerable to Satan’s deception. One moment we can speak glorious truth and the next moment destructive, satanic words. We must be on our guard, something Peter learned the hard…

Do you, like me, have family members who do not believe in Jesus? If so, we are in good company. So did Jesus. And I think this is meant to give us hope.  According to the Apostle John, “not even…

Do you, like me, have family members who do not believe in Jesus? If so, we are in good company. So did Jesus. And I think this is meant to give us hope. According to the Apostle John, “not even…

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). We know very little about Jesus’ childhood. But as I’ve been meditating recently on what it must have been like growing up having…

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” This was a surprising question coming from John the Baptist. It’s unclear exactly when John first consciously knew that Jesus was the Son of God, whose…