My hero E. Stanley Jones was encouraged by the thought that any time a spiritual enemy appeared in order to attack him, if he leaned in and looked at the enemy’s neck, he could see there the footprint of Jesus, from the day when He overcame that enemy. Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with […]
The next time you see someone (especially a believer) doing something that makes you angry or annoyed, consider that it is possible you are writing the script for how things will go in response to your next mistake as you respond to their mistake, because the measure you deal out to them is likely to be what comes to you, […]
Does the world no longer need to be turned upside down (Acts 17:1-7)? If it does, what are we missing about the strategy or the structure or the power that caused the first believers in Jesus to be accused of having done that? What could we change about our individual lives or our corporate intentions that would improve our abilities […]
We humans think that we only need two things to be noble: the knowledge of how to master the mysteries of life and make them obey us; the knowledge of how to master our identities and make them produce purpose in life. The one thing we need above both of those pursuits is knowing the One Who wrote the mysteries […]
An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked. (Proverbs 29:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) It is God Who works in you both to want to do and to be able to do what pleases Jesus (Philippians 2:12-13). You are going to be annoying to somebody. Get it right.
In Matthew’s account of good news (Matthew 20:20-28), Zebedee’s wife approached Jesus to ask on behalf of her sons that they would be given prestige in His Kingdom. She was not talking about church, and His response was not referring to church. His response could have used Joseph, son of Jacob, as the example. Joseph became slave of each person […]
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!” (Matthew 23:23-24 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) Jesus […]
John did a great job of proclaiming the Law and the Prophets. He finished the project, in fact. Being the least in the Kingdom of Heaven, however, he didn’t proclaim any details about that Kingdom. He did announce that it was at hand, and that a required preparation for encountering it was a changed mind (repentance). Now it’s your turn […]
John knew the law given to Moses. He knew what righteousness from the law should look like. When he saw the Kingdom begin to manifest under the authority and work of the King, it concerned him that it was not stacking neatly into his columns of right and wrong. He knew Jesus was the Lamb of God, Who had come […]
Jesus seemed to expect that His trainees would have spoken to the storm instead of crying out to Him to save them (Mark 4:35-40). Those trainees included men who owned no testaments, old or new. That was irrelevant to most of them, because they could not read. Why would we presume that He does not expect more from us, rather […]