We’re accustomed to thinking about the gospel in terms of the conflict and conquering experienced by Jesus. Whether His opponent was Satan, death, or sin, Christ met with and triumphed over them all. We’ve traveled down the paths of Scripture that develop these truths many times and have benefitted greatly from the journey. But thereContinue reading “A Roman Cross and a Jewish Carpenter (1)”
Category Archives: Coming to God
Living A Fast Paced Life (1)
Prayer and fasting are often joined together in Scripture (see Ezra 8:23; Nehemiah 1:4; Acts 13:3,14:23, for a few places). Immediately after He gives the model prayer, Jesus turns His attention to fasting (Matthew 6:16-18)—undoubtedly because of their close association. And He did say, When you fast rather than If you fast. Yet unless I’m misreading things, fasting is not partContinue reading “Living A Fast Paced Life (1)”
The Cross: Punishment or Suffering?
Did God punish Jesus at the cross? When you put it that way it sounds rather stark, doesn’t it? I think there would be unanimous agreement that God didn’t punish Jesus for anything He personally did. He had no sin (Hebrews 4:14ff). But after this, there would be some significant divergence. There would be more thanContinue reading “The Cross: Punishment or Suffering?”
Nice Prayers or Good Prayers?
When we have prayed over every wart, pimple, and problem of people both known and unknown, have we really ministered to them? Have we done what God would have us to do for them? Is this the essence of what the church is to be about? Curiously, there’s nothing in the New Testament to sanction the fervorContinue reading “Nice Prayers or Good Prayers?”
Until He Comes
Francis Scott Key was a lawyer in the Baltimore-DC area and something of a Washington insider. He served as the United States District Attorney for the District of Columbia during the Jackson administration. Of course, we know him best as the man who wrote the words to our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. InContinue reading “Until He Comes”
Pain Management
When you mention this phrase, most of us think of a situation where someone is experiencing a significant amount of pain and discomfort. Pain management speaks to whatever approach they implement to deal with their condition. It might include medication, physical therapy, exercises, counseling, and other elements. It’s not uncommon to hear of people goingContinue reading “Pain Management”
Lost and Found
I’m convinced that when we see God one day, we will be absolutely and utterly overwhelmed by His glory. It will be like nothing we have ever seen or imagined. There are plenty of texts that nudge us in this direction: Moses’ request to see God’s glory (Exodus 33), Isaiah’s vision of God in theContinue reading “Lost and Found”
The God Who Believes In Man (1)
I remember something remarkable in the College Softball World Series some years ago. I’ve been interested and involved sports all of my life so there’s not much that genuinely impresses me—but this did. Here was the situation: the score was 2-0 and it was in the bottom of the fourth inning of a seven inning game. The team that was trailing hadContinue reading “The God Who Believes In Man (1)”
What It Means To Follow Christ
Christ calls us to make a decision about discipleship. He doesn’t call on us to simply decide if we want to accept the forgiveness He offers and get dunked in a baptistery—He calls us to make a decision to about having a relationship with Him. It is much like the decision to get married. Getting married is notContinue reading “What It Means To Follow Christ”
And how would you like that done?
Anyone who has spent any time in the Scripture knows that God’s word is so full of wonder that a lifetime of mining it will not exhaust its riches—there’s always more. Case in point: the story of Elijah and the Aramean army that is found in 2 Kings 6. I was teaching from this textContinue reading “And how would you like that done?”
