Jesus, your King, never surrendered to anyone but His Father. When it was time to be betrayed, He instructed Judas regarding his part in the process. When it was time to be handed over to the leaders of the nation, He was clearly in charge: declaring “I AM” threw His adversaries on their backs on the ground. When He was […]
Humility is not looking down on yourself – it is not looking at yourself. The place in which you may expect to receive much grace, which you will need desperately if you are serving people, is in the humble place. Sometimes your authority to be in charge of a situation is not noticed by the people nearby, but is still […]
Revelation 8:1-6 Your prayers will one day be cast to the earth from the altar in Heaven where they currently are an unfailing offering on a gold altar in front of Yahweh’s throne. When a messenger fills an incense burner with them, mixed with incense from Heaven, and prophetically declares, “So be it,” the earth will be filled with thunders, […]
When Israelis looked at Matthew, they saw a traitor, who was destroying the prosperity of his countrymen, and empowering their enemies to use their resources to abuse them. When Jesus looked at Matthew, at the time he was guilty of the charges of his fellow citizens, He saw one who would record His words, “All authority has been given to […]
Self-help resources that leave us as the answer to our needs have failed us, even if they happen to improve our life. Self-help that succeeds at adding value to our lives is help that moves us to Holy Spirit-help. Once David and his gang of mighty men did some mercenary work for a couple of kings, and when they returned […]
Humanity’s first failure was not eating the fruit of the tree of death. Eve sinned when she doubted Yahweh. She didn’t even really submit to the deceiver – she simply removed her submission to Yahweh.
Your identity can only be defined by your relationships and your work. Where you live is an indication of your relationships. Your sexual identity is not specific to you – it describes your identity by contrasting it to the opposite sex. Referencing your parents, your children, your neighbors, and what you are doing with your life are ways of saying […]
Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God. (Psalm 90:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©)
It is a serious insult to our “good news” that members of ISIS or the Taliban are more devoted to a demon they call “Allah” (“god”) than we are to the Creator of all that is and the Redeemer of all that has been reclaimed through His blood. Repeatedly, we are called to the level of devotion to Jesus that […]
I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and […]