The Prayer of Faith
“He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say…” (Luke 11:1–2) We’re in a series of sermons discussing faith. Faith is the foundation for life of […]
Don’t Put God in a Box
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:52) In this passage, Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus. If you’ve spent any time reading the gospels, you know Jesus healed a lot of people. In fact, there are some 31 specific recorded […]
You’re Not Alone
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:22–23) As the disciples headed out across the Sea of Galilee, they were caught in […]
Remember Mercy
“Lord, I have heard the report about you; Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy!” (Habakkuk 3:2) When God revealed His plans to Habakkuk, the prophet falls to his knees in the fear and awe of the […]
Wait, What?!
“O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.” (Habakkuk 1:12) When the prophet Habakkuk complained to God about the wickedness of Judah – and God’s seeming indifference – God’s response […]
The Power of Prayer
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) The Stoic says: Know thyself The Hedonist says: Indulge thyself The Buddhist says: Lose thyself The Muslim says: Submit thyself The Humanist says: Improve thyself The Modern man says: Be thyself But the Christian embraces […]
On Behalf of the Choir
“…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” (Philippians 1:19) What is the secret to sustaining one’s spiritual strength in order to keep on keepin’ on when things get tough? The Apostle Paul describes it […]
Holy Wednesday
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Bethany was astir. People were talking. Why wouldn’t they? After all, not long before Holy Week, Jesus showed the world his power over death by raising his friend Lazarus from a tomb in Bethany. A week before […]
It’s the End of the World as We Know It
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] It is Tuesday morning and Jesus returns to Jerusalem with his disciples. As they pass the withered fig tree, Jesus reminds them of the importance of faith. They’re going to need it in a couple of days! […]
Authority and Power
The ekklesia had an inauspicious beginning: They were hiding in the upper room. True, they were praying, but I bet there was no small measure of fear in their group. Luke doesn’t mention their fear, but I think we can assume it was there. A conspiracy against this band of disciples reached the highest positions […]
Week of Thanksgiving
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) This is one of my favorite verses in one of my favorite passages of Scripture…and probably never more relevant than today! We are all learning a new vocabulary, aren’t we? COVID-19, Corona Virus, […]
Time and Money
“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.“ […]
