Leave it to Paul to find a way to encapsulate both the majesty and the simplicity of the gospel in one verse. “Mystery” comes from the Greek word mustērion. While to us “mystery” means something that is concealed from the viewer, the New Testament meaning is the exact opposite. A mustērion is something that was … Continue reading Wonderful and Simple
What if we could go back in time and visit Joseph in prison, and let’s say we could ask him one question: “Joseph, don’t you think what’s happened to you is unfair?” I think if we were to ask him that, he’d be puzzled by the question, not because he didn’t understand it, but because … Continue reading Life’s Unfair! How to Deal with It. Part3: We worship the same God Joseph does
For Joseph, living for the Lord was the worst thing he could have done with his life. Well, from the perspective of casual observers that’s what it looked like. Because Joseph went from being his father’s favorite and God’s chosen to being his brothers’ enemy number one, then to being sold into slavery, then for … Continue reading Life’s Unfair! How to Deal with It. Part 2 (Or, Wait! It gets worse.)
I would not be surprised if when we get to Heaven and ask Peter about 1 Peter 4:19 that he would tell us “I was thinking about Joseph when I wrote it.” Because if anyone epitomized this verse, it was him. Looking at his life, however, you never would have guessed it. His life was … Continue reading Life’s not fair! How to Deal with It. Part 1 (Or, A snippet of what I’m going to teach in Growth Group this Sunday)
Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah. His name means “Jehovah judges,” and he did his best to live up to that name. During his reign he brought about many reforms. He set judges over the people, men appointed to judge civil cases, and set them on notice: 2 Chronicles 19:6-7(6) And said to the judges, … Continue reading Tie a knot in your rope and hang on!
Their question identified their problem: unbelief. Jesus said as much: “I told you [Who I was], and ye believed not.” He had even given them ample proof: “the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me” (John 10:25). The problem these naysayers had was not lack of evidence. It was … Continue reading Isn’t it obvious?
This is another passage from the Book of Isaiah where the prophet is addressing a generation he’ll never know, the generation that would one day get to return to the Promised Land. But this time, instead of speaking directly to His audience, the Lord has the prophet record a private conversation between Himself and His … Continue reading Lord of Promise
When David and Jonathan first met each other, the Bible says, “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” It is the Bible’s way of saying they were kindred spirits. This happens sometimes between believers. The two might never have met before, but something in the heart of both, a shared faith … Continue reading For Jonathan’s Sake
You know how in action movies you have the hero, the bad guy and the person the hero is protecting? You know that scene where the hero has to confront the bad guy and the hero and the person he’s protecting are in a car outside the bad guy’s place? What does the hero almost … Continue reading Turning to Our Rock
You would think the common sense truth: "Don't kick fire hydrants" would be pretty obvious. But people do it all the time. The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth [rages] against the LORD. (Proverbs 19:3) The simplicity of Proverbs is its genius. Its truths are straightforward and approachable. It is a book … Continue reading Don’t Kick Fire Hydrants
Grace in Waves 