Faith in Action

People are typically impressed by those who take decisive action on important matters. So why do people so often imagine that faith in God is something passive? Real faith expresses itself in action! Methodist founder John Wesley identified central action areas for faith in three...
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From Terrible Loss to Sure Hope

How do you find hope in the face of unexplained suffering? Through the ages, people of faith have found the answer, not in getting an “explanation,” but in experiencing the presence of God. Sometimes we confront suffering which appears to contradict God’s goodness. Certainly this...
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The Crowd and the Witnesses

The most positive incident involving a crowd in the Bible was on Palm Sunday, as a crowd in Jerusalem acclaimed Jesus as King. But that crowd was fickle. In short order, the crowd either vanished or turned against Jesus, so that a few days later there was a crowd shouti...
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The Way Forward for Our Church

Many United Methodists nationwide have reacted with dismay to the recent action of the General Conference, which, instead of “finding the way forward” concerning our church’s stance on human sexuality, took a bad stumble backwards. Some are talking schism, and many are concerned...
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Those We Are Not to Judge

At the recent General Conference of the United Methodist Church, a narrow majority of the delegates upheld church rules stating that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” The traditionalists who voted that way typically claimed that they were...
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The Unlikely Recruit

What sort of people should we welcome to church? In Old Testament days, the emphasis was on spiritual purity, and so the people of Israel were called to separation. Jews were to be separate from Gentiles. No Gentiles were allowed in the temple. Men were to be separate from women....
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What the Bible Says

Today, January 29, Asia Bibi was fully acquitted after an appeal of her case. I referred to the case of Asia Bibi last fall, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan first acquitted her of charges stemming from a 2010 conviction. Asia, a young Christian woman, had been condemned to...
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Sodom and Gomorrah—Repeated Today (but not how people think)

A key Biblical commandment is to welcome the stranger. As the book of Hebrews put it, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels unawares.”  (Hebrews 13:2) The reference is to Abraham, who welcomed three strangers who showed up...
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Rightly Explaining the Word of Truth

Paul in his letter to the Galatians put forth a list of fifteen sinful behaviors—fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing.”  (Galatians 5:19-21) It is notable that...
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Salty Believers

People would like to “make a difference” in the world. But how can you make a difference if you are small and ordinary? Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.”  (Matthew 5:13) Salt is small and ordinary.  When it is used on something it becomes invisible.  Yet it has a...
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Be Ready

For what are you waiting in this Advent season? Perhaps you are waiting for a package to come, or relatives to arrive, or for the hubbub of the whole season to be over! The Bible encourages us to “wait for the Lord.” The good news of Christmas is that the Lord comes to us with...
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When the Kingdom Will Come

How can we arrive at a better world? Some look for a change in governments or institutions. Some look for God to bring this age to a close and make a whole new start. But Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17:21) The point at which the world changes is within...
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Goodness and Mercy Will Follow Me

There is one word in the Old Testament used more than any other to describe the character of God. It is the Hebrew word, chesed, which means steadfast love – love that never quits, love that never gives up, even in the face of disappointment, love that is poured out, even when it...
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The Overflowing Cup

Is your cup half full or half empty? The Bible says that when you have faith in God, your cup overflows. As it says in Psalm 23, “My cup runneth over.” This means that no matter how difficult the times God will abundantly provide. And because God graciously provides we can share...
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God’s Abundant Table

There is a hungering in the soul that can be answered only by God. Jesus pointed to the people of Israel in the wilderness. They ate manna that fell from heaven as a miraculous gift; but still they died.  (John 6:49) “I am the living bread that comes down from heaven,” said...
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Comfort in Uncertain Times

There is much in life that brings us discomfort. The Bible encourages us that we will find real comfort in God. David acclaimed the Lord as his Shepherd, and said, “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4) The shepherd’s rod and staff were used . . . to guide the...
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No Fear

There are times when we find ourselves in a dark valley. There is much in this world that can cause us to fear. But the Scripture says, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.  (Psalm 23:4) The answer to fear is to trust...
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The Right Paths

How can you know what is the right path in life? The Scriptures call us to look to God, who will lead us in the right way. “Good and upright is the Lord . . . God leads the humble in what is right.”  (Psalm 25:8-9) The right path is not simply the way that appears profitable, or...
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Beside Still Waters

The Lord is my shepherd . . . (Psalm 23:1) He leads me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2) Sometimes the waters of life become rough. Hurricane Florence has battered the east coast with raging floodwaters. Jesus’ disciples were once caught in a fearsome storm on the Sea of...
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Green Pastures

Many people spend their lives grasping, but still feel empty. When God is our shepherd, says Psalm 23, we will no longer be in want. We lack nothing (Psalm 23:1) because God is the answer to what we need. God enables us to “lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2), which means...
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The Lord Is My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd. With the image of shepherd, Psalm 23 illustrates who God is for us. God is near. God watches over us. God cares for us. God will guide us. God will protect us. We are invited to join in saying, The Lord is my shepherd – to put our trust in God. Sunday’s...
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The Way, the Truth, and the Life

People become aware of God in many ways, but often have misunderstandings of who God is. How do we come to see God clearly? God reveals the perfect picture of God’s reality in Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we see the great goodness and love of God, and God’s plan that we might live...
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Belief Matters

Belief matters. People who believe in God, says Psalm 1, are like a tree in an arid land planted by streams of water. They have a source of strength in tough times. They bear fruit – doing good for others. When we believe in a good and loving God, it shapes how we treat other...
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True Belief

You hear false claims all the time, in both politics and religion. Falsehoods often find a ready audience. “The time is coming,” says the Scripture, “when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but they will accumulate teachers to suit their own desires.  They will turn away...
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Leap of Faith

To believe in God means far more than accepting that God exists. It means to trust in God. Abraham believed in God, that he would have many descendants through whom the whole world would be blessed, even though he was childless and old. He was convinced that God was able to do...
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Why Is God Hidden?

If God seems hidden from view, it is in part because God is beyond human comprehension, and even more because if God appeared in full glory it would overwhelm human beings. But most of all, God is unseen because people turn from God and ignore God. Yet God gently reveals God’s...
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God’s Word Is a Light

God reveals God’s presence and power to humanity in many ways . . . through the glory of nature, or through the inward witness of God’s Spirit. But God speaks most clearly through the Scriptures. The Bible is the product of countless storytellers, writers, and editors, with its...
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God Is Good

Why do people have a sense of morality, a conviction that there is right and wrong? People act as though there is a moral Authority, establishing good versus evil. This is exactly what the Bible declares. God is the ground of all goodness, and God gives to all people a moral...
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The Spirit Bears Witness within Us

In countless ways and places and times, people have experienced the presence of God. “The Spirit bears witness within us,” says the Scripture, “that we are children of God.”  (Romans 8:16) Such deep and universal experience testifies to the Reality of God. But what about those...
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The Artistry of God

Why is it that when people look at the natural world, they marvel at its beauty? We are struck by the artistry of it all. Science can help us understand the processes by which the world took shape. But the only explanation for its artistry is that there is an Artist behind it all...
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In the Beginning God

Is this a mindless universe, here by pure chance? Or is it the product of a Creator? The more we know about the universe, the more amazing it appears. The fundamental laws of physics seem to be set just right to produce a universe that can sustain life. Many scientists have...
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Where’s the Proof?

Is there proof for God? The Bible says that there signs of God all around us; and Jesus performed many signs during his ministry. But when pressed for an obvious, incontrovertible sign, or proof, Jesus refused. He knew that when people demand proof for God, they are putting...
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Why Believe?

Since the dawn of time, human beings in every place and culture have been religious. They have sensed a divine Reality behind and beyond all things. They built worship centers that were more prominent than anything else they built. Why have human beings had this fundamental...
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God’s Plan for the Human Race

We may find ourselves in dark and distressing times, but the Bible says that God has a plan. It is a plan to give us a future with hope. That plan unfolds through Jesus Christ, who triumphs over evil and death. The plan unfolds further through us, as we put our trust in Christ,...
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Find the Pearl

Jesus told a parable about a trader looking for fine pearls. He was searching for the best. Jesus urges us to do this spiritually – to seek what is of ultimate worth. The trader found a pearl of extraordinary value, and when he did so, he gave everything that he had in order to...
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Family of Faith

God works through all sorts of families, to enable new generations to have faith. Sometimes God works through two devoted parents, like Joseph and Mary. Sometimes God works through one believing parent, like Eunice, the mother of Timothy, who was raised by his mother in faith,...
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The Real You

What is your true identity? Are you just a material creature in a meaningless world? Are you what others think you are, which may be less than wonderful? Are you the sum of all the very imperfect things you have done? Or are you who God says you are? “The Spirit of God bears...
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Hope for the World

The Bible begins with the origin of all things: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . . . (Genesis 1:1) The Bible concludes with a vision of the destiny of all things: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . (Revelation 21:1) God has a plan to le...
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The Goal of Life

Lots of motivational speakers and financial advisers will encourage you to “keep your eye on the goal.” But what exactly is the goal? The great problem for many people is that they do not know what the goal in life is, or they have unworthy goals that actually lead nowhere. Jesus...
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Your Divine Destiny

We have been destined according to the purpose of God who accomplishes all things according to His counsel and will. Ephesians 1:11 You have a God-given destiny! This is the powerful proclamation of the New Testament. In an age when so many think that life is simply random and...
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Go Fishing

In today’s political climate, people are constantly denigrating others, and putting the most favorable light on themselves. In a news report, you can often tell what channel is telling the story, because they put a positive spin on “their side.” How different is the Biblical...
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The Fizzled Fig Tree

Make a difference! Change the world! We have a longing to make a positive impact on the world around us. When we pursue that longing, we answer the call of Jesus, who summoned his followers to be “light” and “salt” for the world, and who said that we are here on earth to “bear...
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Wine Tasting

Did you know there is wine tasting in the Bible? In the gospel of John, at a wedding feast, the chief steward tastes some wine which, unbeknownst to him, had come from water which Jesus had just turned into wine. He calls the bridegroom and says, “Everyone serves the good wine...
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The Picture Becomes Clear

When I see small print, it is very blurry. But when I put on reading glasses, everything becomes clear! I find this to be a good image for what happens when we “put on Christ” (Romans 13:14). The picture becomes clear. Blurred spiritual vision is a problem in every age. People...
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The Dazzling Vision

Sometimes people have thought that the way to come to know God is through intellectual inquiry—the philosophical path. Others have felt that the way to God is through a spiritual enlightenment—the mystical path. But while there is value both to intellectual inquiry and devotional...
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The Miraculous Meal

One of the most prominent themes of the Bible is that God uses ordinary people with small resources to do great things. An inspiring example of this is in the story of the “feeding of the 5000,” when a boy offers his fives loaves of barley bread and two fish, and Jesus empowers...
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Faith Finds a Way

One of the most beloved stories in the gospels is the story of the friends who were carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus and who, upon finding the way blocked, managed to get to Jesus by digging a hole in the roof and lowering the man on ropes! The story illustrates several key...
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The Outcasts Are In

Religious hatred is repeatedly in the news; we constantly hear of acts of violence in the name of religion, occurring across the globe. Such behavior is nothing new—human beings have often directed prejudice and hate toward “the other”—but it is directly challenged by Jesus....
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Follow Me

Many people today would say that to be a Christian means that you believe in Jesus, or that it means you are nice to your neighbor. Yet when Jesus encountered a group of fishermen by the Sea of Galilee, he did not say to them “Believe in me,” or “Be nice.” He said, “Follow me.”...
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Get Moving

Spiritual inertia is the dominant factor in the spiritual lives of many people today. In contrast, God in the Bible is continually calling people to get moving! This is quite evident in the Christmas stories, where no one stays in the same place. Mary and Joseph journey to...
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