You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5, esv). Have you made a few enemies in your lifetime? The right answer to that question should be, “I hope so.” Please don’t get me wrong—we don’t enjoy having enemies, and we […]
My beloved is mine, and I am his (Song of Solomon 2:16, esv). We all start out in life as selfish, prideful people, wishing the world would revolve around us—what we want, what we need, what we think is right, what we hope will happen. That’s just one of the reasons that the introduction of […]
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to […]
“May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me” (John 17:21, hcsb). All of us want to see more of our prayers answered, don’t we? That’s why we ought to be praying for […]
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, nkjv). We cannot appreciate the glory of Christmas unless we understand the depth of the problem it […]
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 When a royal child is born he is not immediately king, but even as a baby he is […]
When Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4, esv). It’s not hard to imagine the desperation of these two biblical sisters, Mary and Martha, who sent a messenger to Jesus, […]
And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her . . . ” (Genesis 25:21–22, esv). Everyone is born with a disposition, but it doesn’t always show up as dramatically as twins warring in […]
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18, esv). You can never wring quite as much refreshment from a week’s vacation as you anticipated in the months leading up to it. You can never maintain the thrill and excitement of a big weekend football game, […]
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46–47, ESV). “My soul magnifies the Lord,” was the opening line in Mary’s worship song. It wasn’t a random thought. She was expressing what we all know to be true: there is more to us than just who we […]