Category

We live in an era of competing truth claims. How do we know who is telling the truth? The Scriptures point the way. Read More →

Jesus’ wounds were still visible after his resurrection. He brings not only wholeness to the world but the scars and wounds as well. Read More →

God brings us out of darkness and ruin, bringing us into new life. Read More →

In contrast to all the demagogues in history who have proclaimed themselves to be the “saviors” of the nation and who often made “grand entrances” on the world stage, Jesus comes as the true Savior – in humility, self-giving love, and service. Read More →

God’s saving promises consistently unfold throughout the Bible. We can depend upon God’s promises today. Read More →

When we are in the most apparently hopeless circumstances – and are undeserving of God’s help – God acts in grace, with saving power and promise. Read More →

We can thrive in times of trial when we send down the roots of faith and draw upon the waters of God’s renewing grace. Read More →

“True fasting” is a commitment of the heart to do God’s will, which enables us to share in the wonderful things God can do among us. Read More →

God brings about forgiveness and spiritual renewal within us as we turn to God in faith. Read More →

Isaiah invites us to “seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near,” with the assurance that as we do so we will experience God’s freely given blessing. Both Isaiah and Ezekiel use the image of abundant waters to speak of how God will answer the... Read More →

“Beulah Land” is the land we have never seen but for which we long. It is the not yet realized bright future that God has in store for us. The term originally described the restored homeland to which God was bringing the exiles, but it describes far more the future we have in... Read More →

Although we may mess up in life, God never gives up on us. Though we may wander off from God, God keeps searching for us and cares for us like a shepherd. God persists, in spite of the world’s forgetfulness, to bring about God’s aims for good. Read More →

Many of the key servants of God in the Bible – Moses, Ezekiel, and ultimately Jesus – met enormous opposition and did not look like they would succeed. They kept on anyway. Rather than being discouraged by defeats, we can keep on in faith, knowing that God is at work. Read More →

The closest Biblical parallel to our pandemic experience is the Exile, when the people of Judah were separated from their temple, their homeland, and their way of life. Exile is a time for self-reflection and above all for remembering who we are called to be as God’s people. Read More →

The shepherds and the wise men were “outsiders” in their day, not fully accepted by the most righteous Jews. But now, as it is said in Ephesians 2:13, “You who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Through Christ we, though unworthy, are welcomed into the... Read More →

Jesus is the gift who lasts forever. He is the gift that saturates our lives, bodies, and souls. Read More →

This has been a rough year in many respects. But the Christmas story is precisely about God entering into the rough places and transforming human lives, giving us purpose, guidance, empowerment, and hope. Read More →

Although we are chosen for blessing, we often hit difficult times. In such times we need to be attentive to God, so as to be receptive to what God will do. Read More →

God chooses us in Christ to have a wondrous destiny. We need to respond to God’s choice and enter into the eternal destiny God has for us. Read More →

Mary, like the whole people of Israel before her, was chosen not because she merited choice but simply because God chose her in grace. God likewise chooses to save and bless us out of pure grace. Read More →

Abraham was chosen by God, and the ultimate “chosen one” is Jesus. (“Here is my servant . . . my chosen” Isaiah 42:1) They are chosen however not merely to enjoy God’s blessing but principally to bring blessing to others. We are chosen to be instruments of God’s blessing to the... Read More →

We give thanks to God for leading us through the challenges of these days. Read More →

The real battles we are to fight are spiritual ones – with the aim of overcoming our sinful inclinations to achieve God’s vision of shalom, for ourselves, our church, and our world. Read More →

In the aftermath of the election, we have a call to come together to work for God’s purposes and build a better world. Read More →

The real victors in the Biblical view are those who win the spiritual battles of love over hate, righteousness over evil, and life over death. Read More →

Christ wins the ultimate victory through self-sacrificial love. Read More →

We are called to trust in how God is at work. Read More →

We like to think of ourselves as the good guys and our enemies as the bad guys; but rather than imagining that God is on our side, we need to get ourselves on God’s side! Read More →

As we enter the “voting season”, let us mark our ballots with our faith in God at the forefront. Remember, politics must not shape our faith, faith must shape our politics. Read More →

God works with a spiritual power and grace that far surpass our human schemes. Read More →

Human beings often want to manipulate God; but God is sovereign, and leads us to humbly align ourselves with God’s purposes. Read More →

When we are trusting in God and meet only frustration in life, it is time not to give up on faith but to go deeper in faith. Read More →

When our problems are far larger than we are, we can nevertheless trust in God.  Real victory in life comes not for the powerful but for those who have faith. Read More →

God can lead us through seemingly impenetrable barriers in life. Read More →

Against great challenges and threats, we find our strength in God, and we find critical support in one another! In the church, we are “under God’s banner” as we meet today’s battles. Read More →

We are freed from anxiety as we trust in the providence of God and devote ourselves to God. Read More →

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxieties on God, because he cares for you. I Peter 5:6–7 Read More →

Jesus provides a powerful example of a life that is passionate but without anxiety; he trusts in all to unfold in God’s time. Read More →

We can keep up our courage no matter what, when we know that God is with us. Read More →

In rough circumstances, we can continue to praise God and make a witness for God. Read More →

God empowers us to face the giants of our time. Read More →

People of faith are able to grow in spirit, rather than despair, when meeting trouble. Read More →

In the midst of severe trials, God sustains our spirit in hope as we look to God in faith. Read More →

God is working in ways beyond what we may understanding at the time, weaving everything according to God’s purpose. Read More →

When things keep getting worse, keep on trusting, for God is yet at work. Read More →

People often complain about what they lack and are always craving more. Our perspective changes when we join in God’s purposes and understand that we are journeying toward God’s promises. Read More →

Even when we have experienced God’s providence, it is easy to lose heart when new challenges arise; we need to persevere in faith and support one another in the process. Read More →

In a time of deprivation and uncertainty, with no clarity how this is all going to work out, we are led to trust God on a daily basis and keep on in faith. God supplies our need, supremely through Jesus, the bread of life. Read More →

Do we get “riled up” about things that really should get us fired up? The book of Jonah challenges us to be “appropriately aggrieved,” and become passionate about the purposes of God. Read More →

God’s desire is for all to turn and be saved from sin and death. Read More →