Devotionals

When Jesus came to this earth, he faced a lot of opposition. Different groups were vying for power and one of those was a religious group called the Sadducees. We first hear...

We live in a violent and tumultuous world—for now. Surprisingly, it’s one of the byproducts of grace. Had God chosen to destroy every sinner at the moment of his or her sinful intent, our world would indeed be free from all the horrible headlines, but it would also be unoccupied. Instead, God graciously and mercifully provides...

Rightly understanding and properly responding to the gospel is of paramount importance. Nothing could have broader or more profound consequences than being right or wrong about the content and demands of the message that determines our placement in eternity. While that seems

We intuitively like to think that what we do is right. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,” the Bible says (Proverbs 21:2). But when we honestly reflect on our lives we know that we are not always right, and what we do is not always what we should do...

Prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. Many of us hope that our lives will be used by God to lead people to the place of repentance and faith in Christ. But if we learn anything from the example of the evangelists in the New Testament, we learn that this is not likely to ever happen unless

Accomplished athletes make their sport look easy. But for all of us who have tried to advance in a sport, we know there is nothing easy about reaching a level of proficiency in athletics. Some people can make godliness look easy. They seem to effortlessly love God and do what is right. But the Bible is clear that like athletics, reaching a level of proficient godliness requires a lot of hard work. Paul wrote, “train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). The word that

There is little debate that “there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Even the most godly Christians are quick to concede that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Thankfully, when it comes to imperfect people engaging in imperfect fellowship the Bible tells us “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Unfortunately though

We all like easy answers. Yet the Bible tells us that “It is the glory of God to conceal things” (Proverbs 25:2). That may appear to be a cruel portrayal of God, who is lauded for stealthily hiding important matters from his creatures. But think for a moment about how loving parents routinely and strategically choose to refrain from simply handing over the answers to their children’s homework questions. Parents and teachers alike intuitively recognize

“Why me?” That’s a question we usually mutter in bad times, but it’s actually a great question to ask when things go well. Of course the theological answer is easy and concise – namely, God’s grace. But beyond that, asking “why me?” when you are blessed may have practical and more specific answers that are worth discovering. In the Old Testament the question was asked

The Bible tells us that the prayer of Solomon “pleased the Lord” (1 Kings 3:10). It’s a simple phrase that we can read without giving it a second thought. But we ought to. Consider what a big statement that is. The content of Solomon’s prayer evoked pleasure in God’s heart. To imagine that something we ask for can have an impact on the way the Almighty God feels is a remarkable

Occasionally when reading the words of Christ we come across some jarring statements. For instance, in Revelation 2:6 Jesus says to the church in Ephesus, “You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Sentences like that should slow us down to consider the powerful concern motivating such strong language. Think of it, “hatred” in this case was praised as godly when directed toward the behavior of a group of

The Bible makes a sweeping and comprehensive point when we are rhetorically asked, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Consider the magnitude of that question. Scripture goes on to definitively clarify that the Source and Purpose of all the things we tend to feel