God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). Human beings, we know, are born with an innate need to be loved. In certain Newborn Intensive Care Units, for example, volunteers come at scheduled intervals to hold the tiny preemies […]
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years (John 5:2–3, 5, esv). The hardest part of a trial is not always […]
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops (2 Timothy 2:6, esv). In his second letter to Timothy, Paul used a string of work analogies to show what it’s like to follow Christ Jesus. He spoke of Christ-followers as teachers (2:2), soldiers (2:3), athletes (2:5), and farmers (2:6). […]
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 […]
“Do you want to be healed” (John 5:6, esv)? Whether you’re in the midst of a rough marriage, a health crisis, or just feeling the weight of our sin-worn world, nothing in your life is going to change until you change the way you think. You have to care enough to hope for something better. […]
Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed […]
“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if […]
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21, esv). Wouldn’t you love for someone to describe you as authentic? “She is authentic—completely true to herself.” “I think of him as authentic—the real deal.” Authentic refers […]
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, esv). Have you ever heard people quote Isaiah 9:6 and skip the sentence about government? It’s understandable—we’re […]
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (Psalm 29:1–2, esv). Some Christians claim worship is more than singing—that making a meal, cleaning the car, helping a neighbor are all acts of […]