On the day that the believers discovered that Jesus was no longer dead or in the tomb where His body had been placed, two disciples were leaving the Passover festivities in Jerusalem and heading home 7 miles by foot to Emmaus. As they discussed what they had seen and heard in the previous few days, they were joined by Jesus. […]
Jesus left the earth so that He could send His Spirit to the church – to give us power from Heaven (John 16:7, Luke 24:49). Just having super powers doesn’t make us super heroes, though. Most of our heroes and heroines are messed up people who have learned to maximize some strength. Even many people who are believers, who have […]
Consider the last ten years of your life. Many things have happened! What were the most valuable activities you have engaged in? What were the most costly, or wasteful? As Paul wrote to the congregations in Corinth, what we can see is temporary, and what our physical eyes can’t see is the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). There may be another […]
What was the greatest loss in Eden? What would it be like to walk with Yahweh every evening? What would He have to say to us? What questions would He ask us? His words are not far away and hard to hear, though. Jesus has restored our relationship with our Father, and taken it to a new level. Remember that […]
Two of the words that have been translated “salvation” or “saved” in the New Testament writings are “sozo” and “soteria.” Both are translated in a variety of ways, including “health,” “salvation,” “deliver,” and “save.” It is important as we think about the salvation offered by the Lord, that though He did come to save or deliver us from sin, He […]
In his book “Leaders Eat Last,”* Simon Sinek told a story about a former undersecretary of defense who came to a revelation about the differences between personhood and position. The man was invited to speak at a large conference. He was met at the airport, escorted to his hotel room where he had already been checked in, and picked up […]
Look back and see How the kingdom you came from Surrendered to your God. Look back and see How the blood of the lamb saved you From the grip of death. Look back and see How the water that saved you Destroyed your enemies. But don’t look back very long, Or you’ll return to being a slave! Don’t look back […]
Mountains are exposed to all the harshness nature can offer. Wind, sun, rain, snow, ice, earthquakes, meteorites, and lightning batter them before moving on to the lower targets. The valleys between the mountains benefit from the damage sustained by the mountains, which are sometimes simply laid bare and broken. When we are called to leadership, we are thrust out into […]
The earth produces fruit when a seed dies in it. The life is still at work in the seed, even when it dies. Until it dies, though, the transformation cannot happen that allows it to spring up, be seen, bear fruit, and multiply. You don’t need to struggle to try to do what someone else is doing to succeed in […]
One of my heroes passed from this life last year. I picked up a couple of his books to give him fresh opportunities to influence me. I knew his voice from hours of listening to him teach in large groups, small groups, and in conversations that he and I had. As I read what he wrote, I don’t hear my […]