A friend recently asked for advice about fatherhood. Over the years, I’ve done some things right and some things wrong. I had much to share, but I wanted to reveal the best, the most important thing. Here it is: There will always be time to work late, volunteer more, take it easy, or do the […]
The Bride of Christ Today’s passage: Revelation 21:9–27 Focus verse: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:9) An angel—one of the angels who carried a bowl filled with one of the seven plagues—invites John to come with him. The messenger has something exciting to share. The angel whisks John […]
Offer Ongoing Adoration to Our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer The book of Revelation tells of John’s spirit being whisked into heaven. Four living creatures spend all their time—day and night—praising God. They chant, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8, NIV). The threefold repetition […]
The young girl gazes out into the desert. Something comes towards her. It is Solomon, her lover, traveling by carriage. He is accompanied by a protective band of weapon wielding warriors, tested and poised for whatever threat awaits them. With Solomon—and his army—she will be protected. In a spiritual sense, this is how it is […]
The Father Is the Destination and the Savior Provides the Path Jesus tells Thomas, “I am the way.” The only way to get to the Father is through the Savior (John 14:5-6). He’s not a way. He’s the only way. Though many people uphold the Christ as the primacy of the Trinity, we must remember […]
When Christ Speaks, We Should Be Ready to Listen What Jesus says is important to us as his followers. The passages in the Bible that we need to pay the most attention to are the words of Jesus. Some Bibles even highlight Jesus’s words by putting them in red. We call these red-letter editions. People […]
How We See Ourselves May Differ from How Our Heavenly Father Sees Us I was recently reminded that God’s perception of us can be quite different from our own self-perception. The pressures of life overwhelmed a friend. One concern, a second, and then more conspired to weigh her down and steal her joy. She emailed […]
Exploring Doctrine, Theology, and Systematic Theology There are three religious terms I don’t care for. Hearing or reading about them has a negative impact on me. These words are doctrine, theology, and systematic theology. I don’t like them because they take the awesome mystery of God and try to provide structure to something that transcends […]
Which Part of the Godhead Do You Focus On? Though the Bible doesn’t use the word trinity, most followers understand God as a three-in-one deity, made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is three persons in one. Though implicitly equal, most adherents more readily embrace one form […]
Our Focus Should be on Our Heavenly Father Most Christians revere Jesus and place him at the center of their faith. Indeed, all of history revolves around Jesus’s saving work that he did for us—for everyone—when he died in our place, sacrificing himself for the wrong things we’ve done. The Old Testament builds up to […]