Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (1 Peter 4:1, esv). When was the last time the consequences of sin, with all its guilt and shame and disappointment, were raining down on your head? When was […]
And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp (Numbers 11:1, ESV). Why do we complain? We would all agree that complaining changes nothing, yet […]
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25, esv). Has this ever been you? You’re running late to a meeting or a doctor’s appointment, when someone cuts you off in traffic or won’t pull over to let you pass. And before […]
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always […]
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17, nkjv). If you were to look around from your seat in church, I hope you’d see a lot of familiar faces. But most likely, if you looked a little closer, you might also realize that a familiar face is missing. Perhaps it’s not someone […]
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end . . . But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the […]
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13, esv)! What have you finally given up on? What are you thinking you’ll never see, never do, never have? Maybe you’ve been trying to salvage a particular relationship for so long now—and with so little […]
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17, ESV). Before a horse can be useful to its owner, it has to be broken. An unbroken stallion is proud and strong. It will paw and snort and let no one ride it. But then a […]
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13, esv). It doesn’t take a long look at the world around us to wonder if the whole thing has gone crazy. In the midst […]
[We are] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10–11, […]