With every fresh new year, it is natural to desire better things, especially when the past has been filled with pressure. It is to the confused, heartbroken, weary, and exhausted that Jesus’ promise of rest sounds sweetest of all. To them, Jesus bids, “Come to Me.”
Read More
Something had to be done about those making a difference for the Lord, and for Peter, that meant jail. The Roman Empire was losing its grip, not so much on nations they had conquered or the vast wealth and power they had accumulated, but on the hearts and minds of men. When the message of Jesus Christ came to Rome, it didn’t shake the pillars of the senate or crack ...
Read More
What if you could know the day of your death? Would it be a good thing? The psalmist’s request, “teach us to number our days,” shows that only the Lord knows the number of days given to us in this life. It’s strange to think that today brings us one day closer to the day He has appointed us to enter eternity.
Read More
There are some things in life you can only read about. The scripture above is one of them. A bush was ablaze with flames all around, yet not consumed. Our imaginations can scarcely conceive such a fantastic yet terrifying sight. But Moses was undeterred and discovered it was the glory of the Lord burning bright. God spoke to him there, and passion was ignited.
Read More
“Eat your vegetables,” was a familiar command of my mother. She might as well have said, “take a bath,” or some other edict that no ten-year-old boy wanted to hear. Both instructions were for my benefit, but I had other things in mind. Fast forward to my years of parenting, and I found myself issuing similar decrees with the same response from my children as I once had. It’s not ...
Read More
What an incredible picture of Satan and Jesus petitioning the Father for the same man. One with malicious intent to destroy him, the other standing as his Intercessor. The request to sift Peter as wheat is unparalleled in the New Testament—his adversary asked to shred him, literally!
Read More
This verse sounds a little suggestive at first glance. Ruth had been instructed to draw near to the man Boaz and assume a close, but respectful position. Little did she know that he was to become her husband. Boaz was a man of influence, a man whom people loved and looked up to. But Ruth knew only of his gentle kindness and favor shown by him in her new country.
Read More
Never in human history have people been so busy saying so much that, in the end, means so little. From morning to night, we make phone calls and texting. Our cars have become extensions of our offices, and even in-flight airline passengers are able to talk to those on the ground. The business of life is unavoidable, but what about the most important business of all… that of our Father?
Read More
Beloved—Paul said it, Peter said it, and so did James, John, and Jude. What did these men know beyond a shadow of a doubt? They were loved by God, and so are you. Your Heavenly Father announces that you, His child, are singled out, favored, and altogether loved by Him.
Read More
…Take care to recognize the order and magnitude of blessings mentioned in these verses. First, the Creator God of all has selected us to be His own. Second, because of His ownership of us, He has declared us to be holy, just as He is holy. Third, He has adopted us into His family by His predetermined knowledge. And finally, as Christians, we are bound for heaven, and that is ...
Read More