The Blog

Read Colossians 1:1 through 3:4 Sometimes when we read the New Testament or the history of the Early Church, we do so with idealistic filters. We imagine the early Christians as almost sinless dynamos of faith who risked everything in order to follow the Lord. But Christians then, like Christians today, were sinners redeemed by God’s grace. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs …

Read  Song of Solomon 1:1 through 8:14 Most people have at least one “lost-as-a-child” story. I have two. I was gazing at a huge wall of linens mother was buying. Suddenly a cold dread struck me as I realized that she, and the shopping cart holding my younger sister, had vanished. The solitude, the fear one feels when one is …

Read  Proverbs 21:1 through 24:34 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). In the midst of life’s struggles have you ever asked yourself, “How much should I do, and what should I wait for God to do?” God expects us to trust Him. There is no success in the …

Read  Proverbs 10:1 through 14:35 Twelve-year-old John lived in an abusive home and often had behavior problems in school. Many teachers told him he would probably end up in prison—except for the woman who taught math. Being a strong Christian, she knew the influence of words. She took him aside, placed an arm over his shoulder and said, “John, God …

Read  Romans 14:1 through 15:13 Denise hurt for all the boys, including her own, every time their soccer coach shouted at them. Confrontation wasn’t her style, yet she couldn’t stand by as they crumpled in discouragement. One violent outburst had the younger team members in tears. Denise knew it was time to speak up. Saying a silent prayer, Denise approached …

Read  Psalms 110:1 through 118:29 God can soothe our wounded spirits when we praise Him. This is a true mystery. Suffering may pierce us with financial reversal, spousal abandonment, debilitating sickness, and other devastations. We may find ourselves tossed into uncharted territory; even Christians can experience emotional numbness, not knowing how to proceed. While waiting for direction we can choose …

Read  Psalms 71:1–24; 89:1–52 God’s faithfulness is the secure foundation we walk on. It is the reason we can go on singing when our earthly expectations are dashed on the rocks below us. God established His faithfulness in heaven, a place not subject to change. Throughout the psalms, songs of God’s faithfulness were sung by people who declared Him to …

Read  Psalms 55:1–23; 58:1–11 Have you every wanted to run; to drop everything and make a break for a quiet place, or a safe place, or anyplace for that matter? You’re not alone. What a comfort it is to find one of the greatest heroes of the Bible expressing that same common desire to escape. King David was walled in …

Read  2 Corinthians 1:1 through 7:16 The morals of our society have slipped to a rock-bottom low. This is apparent to anyone familiar with popular entertainment; people pay to watch others saying and doing things that dishonor God, and go on in their daily lives to imitate the sinful patterns they have seen. When they are constantly surrounded by the …

Read  Psalms 24:1 through 26:12 Walking onto the playground was not something Josh wanted to do. Every day that week a couple of boys picked on him, shoving him around and calling him names. He hated being bullied. If I were as big as they are, they would leave me alone, he thought to himself. The problem was, he wasn’t …