Devotionals

First Thessalonians 5:18 requires that Christians “give thanks in all circumstances.” While to some this may seem crazy or at least a strange kind of spiritual masochism, the Bible has good reason for directing us to be grateful even when...

You cannot have a peaceful heart if your expectations about life are inaccurate. When we seek to achieve a calm and contented spirit by asking God to fix all our problems we can be certain our lives will be filled with angst and anxiety. While it may be intuitive...

Jesus told us that we are to love God “with all of our mind” (Mt.22:37). Of course, he listed other aspects of our humanity with which we are to love God, but this one (our mind) may seem odd, especially in a day when...

This could be the year. Perhaps on God’s eschatological calendar he chose this year as the time for the completion of his Son’s work of assembling to himself a people for God’s possession. Maybe this year the Church will reach...

The “problem of evil” with which we intellectually grapple and are personally burdened will one day be a distant memory. God will “take his great power and begin to reign” (Rev.11:16). The world’s attempts...

When, in Psalm 73, the psalmist finds himself frustrated by his daily struggles and aggravated by the inequities of life, it is amazing how quickly and simply his angst is resolved. This is especially true when...

Because we live in a world that isn’t great at saying “thank you,” we tend to think that gratitude is an extra-credit Christian virtue. Like our temptation to send a “thank you” note in response to someone’s “thank you” note, we might secretly believe that God should...

I remember reading of an old-time preacher who wrote of God’s “open door of mercy” in his appeal to his readers. It may sound like an antiquated phrase, but I hope it is a perspective that will never be lost for those of us who seek to talk to our friends and coworkers about Christ. So often these days...

There is a lot going on in the room in which we sit that is very real yet unseen. Not only are we surrounded by a huge spectrum of electromagnetic radiation carrying hundreds of radio programs, television channels, text messages, and cell phone conversations, the Bible says that there is an abundance of spiritual agents, both good and bad, vying to...

Many say they love God, and yet are seemingly indifferent about the departure from and rebellion against the principles and precepts of God’s word that we see all around us. “To each his own,” “Live and let live,” “We can’t cram our convictions down other people’s throats,” you’ll hear them say. And yet the claim of sincere love coexisting with complete indifference toward mutiny against someone would be an unthinkable pairing in any other arena of life. If you sincerely love your wife...

Acceptance is a virtue that is easy to applaud. It feels good for everyone involved when we are approving, supportive, and accepting. Often that is precisely what life calls for—a broad, sympathetic, and inclusive heart that embraces someone even when they don’t deserve it (Rom.15:7; Col.3:13). But there is a complementary virtue that Jesus frequently taught us to possess...

Worship and good theology must go hand in hand. When Jesus dialoged with the woman at well in John 4, he reprimanded the Samaritans with the words, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know” (John 4:22). Paul did the same when he spoke to...