“When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:1–3, CSB) In ancient times, mountains were often considered holy places, where heaven […]
Dangerous Reefs
“These people are dangerous reefs …” (Jude 12) Not too far from Australia and the Great Barrier Reef lie at least five ships at the bottom of the ocean. The reefs that caused these tragedies became known as the Wreck Reefs. They are so dangerous because they are so hard to spot. Jude was writing […]
The Suffering Servant
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3) This was how Isaiah describes Jesus some 600 years before his birth that first Christmas: the “Suffering Servant.” Have you ever wondered […]
A Weary World Rejoices
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV84) Have you ever seen Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs chart? It is a visual representation of what Abraham Maslow described as “human motivation.” It describes the things in life that drive us. At the bottom are the […]
Who is Jesus?
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”” (Matthew 16:13) Who is Jesus? This is a question that has been asked for two centuries. Who is he? He’s the most controversial person in history. And everyone seems to have an opinion […]
Watching and Waiting
“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”” (John 5:6) Of all the “Questions God Asks,” this one is the most shocking. John tells us this invalid was brought daily, for 38 years, to the […]
Fire from Heaven?
“When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54) I’ve got to be honest with you: This is sometimes my default response when things don’t go my way. In this passage, a village refused Jesus entrance. They rejected […]
Streams of Living Water
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:38) I believe it was Shakespeare who made famous the phrase “too much of a good thing.” In ancient history, Greek explorers discovered a great lake in the Arabah wilderness. They named it Thalassa Thanatos, or […]
Pages of Presence
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The other day a self-declared humanist/atheist friend tagged me in a Facebook post about the “errors” in the Bible. Rather than battle him with memes and GIFs, I offered to buy him coffee and discuss the […]
God’s Crowbar
“(His parents did not know that this [Samson marrying a Philistine] was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)” (Judges 14:4) Samson, Samson, Samson, smh. This guy is a real piece of work. Still, God used him. The author of Judges […]
Slaves to Sin
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:14–15). The Bible ties together the ideas of sin and slavery throughout its pages […]
Forgetting God
“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs (Judges 3:7, NIV).” Sounds like a familiar problem, doesn’t it? We might not serve Baals and Asherahs anymore. We have different, more modern idols we serve. But, like Israel, we do tend […]
