On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples […]
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah (1 Samuel 16:13, ESV). Our culture disrespects the ordinary. If it’s not special, superior, showy, or shocking, then […]
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end (Ecclesiastes 3:11, esv). More than three thousand years ago, a king named Solomon chronicled his search for fulfillment. He was the wisest […]
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, […]
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16, esv). How’s your prayer life been this week? How many breakthroughs are you experiencing with the items on your list? How much light is God starting to shed on certain areas that perhaps have been unclear […]
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind” (John 9:1–2, esv)? What a thing to ask. Whose sin is this poor blind guy paying for? Jesus’ healing provided the eye-opening answer to it. He […]
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught” (John 21:9–10, esv). The disciples were destitute. After His resurrection, Jesus had appeared to them several times. Then, inexplicably, He was […]
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with […]
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:6–7, niv). Love protects. Real, biblical love always protects others. When we abandon protecting love, our relationships unravel. The Apostle John reminds us of that with a graphic illustration: “For this is the […]
Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4, esv). “Trees don’t grow to the sky,” economists sometimes say. This expression suggests that things in life reach a maximum rate of return, above which they’re not able to achieve any […]