Our Spiritual Health Should Be Our Most Important Healthcare Concern Many people today worry about their health. This can relate to their physical health, mental health, or emotional health. They have less concern, however, about their spiritual health—if they give it any consideration at all. But our spiritual health is the most critical of all […]
Discover How People in the New Testament React to God’s Good News Jesus Was Loved. He Was Hated. But He Was Never Ignored. Some people think Jesus was easy-going. Hardly. Everything he did and said sparked passionate reaction. He polarized people. Some adored Jesus to the point of dying for him. But those who feared […]
Today’s destination is a tiny country church. Their pastor resigned a couple months ago and some families left as well. Another church from their denomination (some forty miles away) has come alongside them, providing assistance in their revitalization. Three couples from this other church now rotate in leading their Sunday services. “We’re in a rebuilding […]
Peter returns to Jerusalem, amazed at what God has shown him: God doesn’t just want to save Jewish people, but non-Jews (Gentiles), too. He has a heart for all people. Imagine that. The Jewish believers, however, are quick to criticize Peter. Even though Jesus set the tradition-breaking precedent of embracing non-Jews, when Peter veers from […]
Hide God’s Word in Your Heart God gave us the Bible so that we might learn about him and draw closer to him. While some people think of the Bible as God’s instruction manual for right living and proper performance, I think of it more as a love letter. Because God loves us (Romans 5:8) […]
(Formerly published as Dear Theophilus, the Dear Theophilus series, book 1) A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke You’ve Never Seen the Gospel of Luke Quite Like This You may have read the gospel of Luke. But you might have missed a few things. Maybe more than a few. […]
We only recently learned of today’s congregation, discovering them in a printed directory of churches. Their rural location seems further removed from us than our 8.8 mile drive. Their scripture for today is Habakkuk 3:17-19. Verse 17 recaps the dire conditions of the day, with a transition occurring in verse 18 when the prophet proclaims, […]
Discover What the Bible Says and Doesn’t Say We’re supposed to tithe to the local church, to give 10 percent of our income, right? Hold on. Not so fast. What does the Bible say about tithing? The Bible talks a lot about tithing, of giving one tenth of what we have to God. However, there […]
The Evil Queen, Her Good-Bad Grandson, and the Influential Priest In today’s passage we read about Queen Athaliah, her grandson Joash, and the priest Jehoiada. Here’s their story. The Evil Queen Athaliah Athaliah’s son Ahaziah is King. As with most mothers, she influences her son. But she doesn’t have a positive impact on him. Instead […]
God’s Promises to Us Reveal His Character The Bible talks a lot about covenants. In a generic sense a covenant is an agreement or compact. But in the Bible, it takes on an elevated meaning. In Scripture a covenant is a promise from God to his people. There are two types of covenants. One is […]