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Is our faith a set of ideas about Jesus? Or is faith a personal connection with Jesus? That it can be the latter is suggested by Jesus when he says that he is the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and urges us to “eat his body and drink his blood.” (John 6:54-56) With this dramatic... Read More →

“Our struggle,” says the apostle Paul, “is not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil on a cosmic scale.” (Ephesians 6:12) We struggle against all sorts of negative spiritual forces in life—temptation,... Read More →

Does the cross of Christ change life? If so, how, since the world is still full of trouble? The cross indeed changes life, and in three distinct ways— The cross changes life by addressing human problem number one—sin, that is, the spiritual brokenness and alienation from God... Read More →

“The cross is the only place where the loving, forgiving, merciful God is revealed in such a way that we perceive that God’s holiness and God’s love are equally infinite.” (Emil Brunner, The Mediator) God comes to us in Jesus Christ; and on the cross, Jesus takes upon himself the... Read More →

When dealing with our problems, human beings tend to do one of two things—1) We project “the problem” as being something beyond ourselves. We focus on the misdeeds of other and blame others; or 2) We ignore or overlook the problem. Particularly when it comes to our own... Read More →

How can the cross be a sign of salvation? It was an instrument of execution! How can a man’s death on a cross help us? You can understand why, as Paul said, people have considered the message of the cross to be “foolishness.” (I Cor. 1:18) But when we truly see what is happening... Read More →

In the mysterious timing of the Holy Spirit, a long-planned sermon about a barrier—the River Jordan blocking the entry of the people of Israel into the Promised Land—coincided with the White House travel ban that blocked the entry of numerous people into America. We experience... Read More →

Are you in need of healing? The Bible speaks many times of how God works to heal – healing bodies, minds, and hearts, and healing relationships and whole communities. One common place of healing in the Bible is at a river or a pool. The image of flowing water is a poignant symbol... Read More →

Have you ever had times when you wondered, “Where is God?” The ancient Israelites asked this question when they were wandering in tough circumstances in the wilderness. But God gave them a decisive answer—an answer that would come to its ultimate expression in Jesus Christ. The... Read More →

“Give thanks in all circumstances.” So declares the apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 5:18. But how can we be thankful if our circumstances look bad? One of the most dramatic Biblical stories on that theme is in II Chronicles 20. The people of Judah, facing a massive foreign... Read More →

Last week’s election shocked almost everyone. Some were elated at the result. Others were devastated. For all of us, our situation is rather much like that of the people of Israel when they were heading into the wilderness—we are journeying into uncertain territory. So we can... Read More →

We are in the midst of a political storm. This presidential campaign has delivered a barrage of endless negatives, and our nation is sharply polarized. Can faith enable us to navigate the storm? We can find sound guidance in the Scriptures. Flawed political leaders are nothing... Read More →

Can the story of a shipwreck be a story of hope? It is when the travelers had been lost on stormy seas for weeks, and the ship’s crash lasting was on an inhabited island, bringing all the travelers to safety. This is the story of Paul’s voyage to Rome—the most dramatic sea voyage... Read More →

With the evils that rage in today’s world, it is easy to fall into an age-old pattern—to classify human beings as the good or the bad, the righteous or the unrighteous, and to decide that the way to improve the world will be to eliminate the unrighteous. The church in the Middle... Read More →

If you ever find yourself in deep despair, read the book of Lamentations. You will find that the prophet Jeremiah was right where you are! But in the midst of despair, Jeremiah reached to God in faith and said, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The... Read More →

The Biblical writers knew what it meant to be in times of trouble. Of the many different types of Psalms, the most common is a psalm of lament – a cry to God out of the midst of trouble. These psalms can be very helpful for us, because they not only connect with our life... Read More →

One of the greatest challenges in dealing with any issue is when nothing is happening—when there is no progress day after day, and no resolution of the issue in view. This is a key element in the story of Noah’s Ark. When people think of the story of Noah, they often think of... Read More →

The idea of “blessing” is not much in vogue today. People want “the good life” more than “the blessed life.” The “good life” is a long, pleasant life with lots of nice stuff. You gain it for yourself through your own effort and some good fortune. The good life is prosperity and... Read More →

Happy are the persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:10) That’s one way of translating what Jesus says in the final “beatitude,” and it points to a central teaching of the Bible – happiness is found, not in our outward circumstances, but in our connection with... Read More →

“Blessed are the pure in heart,” said Jesus, “for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) What is purity of heart? “Purity of heart is to will one thing,” said the Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard, in a classic book by that title. Our problem is that very often we will more than... Read More →

The words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), gain heightened relevance in the face of the terrible violence that we have been witnessing, from the Middle East to Dallas. But how can you be a peacemaker when it seems that people never stop fighting? The Bible... Read More →

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12) What does a nation look like that is blessed by God? The Bible lifts up two key features: a nation that is blessed will be godly and good. Concerning godliness, the Scriptures are clear that it is only through trusting... Read More →

What are you seeking in life? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,” said Jesus, “for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) To “hunger and thirst” after something means much more than to just have a casual interest; it means to be focused, passionately and... Read More →

Can a time when we are feeling low in life become a time of blessing? Jesus said that it is just such a time when we may especially experience the blessing of God. In the Beatitudes, the eight “blessed are” sayings that begin the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew,... Read More →

One of the foundational stories of the Bible is when God says to Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you . . . so that you will be a blessing . . . and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” [Genesis 12:2-3] What does it mean to be... Read More →

Are you just randomly wandering through this earth, or does God have a calling for your life? The Bible affirms that God has for you a life purpose, and the Bible encourages us to be receptive to God’s direction. But how do we discern God’s call? In the many “call” stories in the... Read More →

Have you ever been at a wedding reception, waiting for the bride and groom, and the wait is very long? This is the scenario in one of Jesus’ parables. People are waiting expectantly for the bridegroom (and the bride), but there is an unexplained delay. The bridegroom in the... Read More →

. . . the people who dwell in a land of deep darkness . . . (Isaiah 9:2) The Bible consistently uses the image of darkness to describe the spiritual waywardness and sin of humanity. When we consider all the evils in today’s world, we see that human beings are indeed “in a land of... Read More →

How can we possibly win the victory over evil, since we are assailed by evils, both in the world at large, and within our personal lives? We need a Savior. We need a power beyond ourselves that can rescue us from our bondage to sin and death, and deliver us from the power of... Read More →

“Many deceivers have gone out into the world,” says II John 1:7. We encounter deception all the time—in business, in politics, and in religion. We are constantly subjected to lies. But lies only work on us if they can masquerade as truth, which is why deception is a major concern... Read More →

Do people confront demons today? Ask a drug addict, or someone who battles thoughts of suicide, or someone whose anxieties bring sleepless nights whether they “wrestle with demons.” We may not think of demons as personal “evil spirits,” but we still confront negative forces in... Read More →

In the massive wave of Islamist terrorism that is plaguing our world, we see an old Biblical truth painfully clear—there are dark powers, spiritual forces of evil, sweeping the globe. Paul summed up our situation well in his letter to the Ephesians: “Our struggle is not against... Read More →

What is your destiny? Can you hope for life beyond death, and if so, what is the nature of the afterlife? Since the dawn of humanity, human beings have had a “sense of the eternal”—a vision of life beyond the grave. It part of our basic God-given spiritual awareness. Yet in... Read More →

Some of Jesus’ simplest messages are the most radical and transformational. “Love your enemies.” It is only three words, but it is world-changing; and it represents an enormous movement from typical human behavior. Our human condition is dramatically depicted in the opening pages... Read More →

In the book of Acts, the disciples are described as “the people who have been turning the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) “Turning the world upside down” is what God does in every age, and it is particularly what God does through Jesus Christ. Christ brings about a thoroughgoing... Read More →

The Bible says that we receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. For Christians throughout the centuries, from the apostle Paul to Martin Luther to John Wesley, this truth—that we are saved by faith—has been transformational. Yet there are many people today who “believe in... Read More →

We need salvation; and we cannot save ourselves. Too often people try to muddle along on their own. But we find ourselves as human beings in truly dire straits – alienated from God, in conflict with one another, and faced with serious troubles of all kinds and the final onslaught... Read More →

Do you want God to give you what you deserve? Most people, if thinking long, hard, and honestly about that question, would answer, “Please no!” We all fall well short of perfect goodness. With the life and blessing God has already given us, we certainly have not earned endless... Read More →

Can people be good without God? In the midst of all the moral confusion and wrong of our world, the Bible points clearly to how human beings can live genuinely good lives. Key Biblical points are: God gives to all human beings a basic awareness of right and wrong. We are created,... Read More →

Is the universe governed by uncaring forces, or is there a good God reigning over all? The truth is declared in the Bible—God is good—and that truth is transformational when we take it to heart. It means that our life is not just a meaningless flicker in an uncaring universe, but... Read More →

We can point to many sorts of troubles that afflict our human condition, but the Bible in its opening pages addresses the fundamental question: What is the problem? What is the root cause of the anxiety and insecurity, the enmity and the fighting, the basic spiritual malaise that... Read More →

Many people will tell you that you are here on this earth by accident, and that there is nothing “special” about human beings. The Bible declares a truth that is transformational – that you are created by God in the image of God. The Bible affirms that human beings are one with... Read More →

With the new Star Wars movie setting records, it is a good opportunity to note the connections between Star Wars and the Bible. We can readily see the following parallels between the Star Wars epic and the Biblical story: There is a cosmic battle going on between the forces of... Read More →

How are you doing in your walk with God? During the exile (6th century B.C.), the Israelites realized that they had done quite badly. They had strayed from God, broken God’s commandments, and as a consequence had fallen prey to the Babylonian Empire, which had destroyed the... Read More →

One of the prophetic images that we often lift up during the Advent season comes from Isaiah 52. It is the image of watchmen standing on a city wall, who see a messenger coming, bringing good news. The image reminds us of how people were expectantly watching for the Messiah, and... Read More →

There is a lot of negative sentiment in our society about the “institutional church.” Why be a part of an institution – the church, with all its flaws and its demands for money and time – when you can just believe and be nice to people on your own? In our Bicentennial Celebration... Read More →

There is much in our world that can cause us fear. Whether we look at the troubling happenings around us, or whether we look at the troubles and threats in our own personal lives, we have almost endless reasons for anxiety. The Bible gives us the answer to fear. One of the most... Read More →

How can you be thankful when the world is full of bad news, or if your life is full of bad news? From the Biblical prophets—who lived in the midst of bad news and yet were thankful to God—we can learn the following principles: Take note of the good that you have! We so often... Read More →

Some situations look hopeless. The Middle East. The Browns. Maybe some situation in your personal life. Things looked completely hopeless for the people of Israel during the Exile, when they had lost just about everything. They were in such trouble and despair that in one of the... Read More →

Does your wallet have holes? It may seem that way! The Bible uses exactly that sort of picture to describe our personal finances. Our wages “go into a bag full of holes,” says the prophet Haggai. (Haggai 1:6) With our finances tight, there is not much available to give for God.... Read More →