If We’re Ready to Listen, God Can Speak to Us through His Holy Spirit In the book of Ezekiel we come across an interesting passage. Some of the leaders of the nation of Israel approach Ezekiel. They ask him to seek God’s input for them. They want to hear God, but they can’t do it […]
Today’s passage: 3 John 1:13–14 Focus verse: Peace to you. (3 John 1:14) John ends his first letter with an abrupt instruction to keep away from idols. In contrast, he wraps up his next two letters with a smoother, more intimate farewell. To both recipients he expresses his desire to see them in person and tell them […]
We Must Welcome All Who Follow Jesus Most Christians spend time with believers who think like they think, who act like they act, and who share a common perspective. I get this. It makes sense. It’s comfortable. Yet this limits their understanding of God and in living their faith to the fullest. Instead, they need […]
Meeting in a Public-School Building Two weeks ago, as we drove around frantically searching for a church to attend, my wife suggested Church #2. They had just relocated from their cozy storefront location in a small strip mall to rented space at the local school, a temporary meeting place as they raised funds to build […]
Psalm 181 from Beyond Psalm 150 After disobeying God and running away from what he was supposed to do, we know that Jonah spends a three-day timeout in the belly of a large fish. From this dire location, he prays. Jonah’s prayer is a poetic testimony of what he did and the disaster that followed […]
Discover What to Do When You Go Through Dark Times in Life The book of Lamentations is a five-chapter collection that contains a quintet of laments. A lament is an expression of grief, mourning, or sorrow. Each chapter of this book contains one such communication. They read like a poem, a psalm even—a psalm of […]
Today’s passage: 3 John 1:11–12 Focus verse: Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. (3 John 1:12) After cautioning Gaius about Diotrephes, John instructs Gaius to not imitate evil but what is good. Given the context, with this following the warning about Diotrephes, we realize that John is calling Diotrephes evil. Before […]
God Opposes the Proud We hear a lot about pride, as if it’s a good thing. It’s not. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, also known as a capital vice or a cardinal sin. Pride is not something to treat lightly. Traditionally, it’s viewed as one of the seven ways of eternal death. […]
Another Change in Service Times After striking out at two churches who changed their starting times and dismissing three more, I remember Church #4. Next door to Church #5, I think they have a 10:30 service, and my notes confirm that. We agree to go there, more as a default option than anything else. With […]
Psalm 180 from Beyond Psalm 150 The book of Ecclesiastes shares Solomon’s personal journey of trying to find meaning and purpose in his life. It’s a dismal saga, discouraging and void of hope. Early on Solomon shares a pessimistic view about the seasons of life. He opens acknowledging there’s a time to be born and […]