What do you look for in a loaf of bread? When I’m in a new store, I go straight for the whole-wheat selection. After I find a suitably priced loaf, I check the list of ingredients to make sure there is no barley included, because I’m allergic to barley. Perhaps you are more concerned to […]
If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38) Cisterns can be impressive. The cistern at King Herod’s winter palace of Masada held a million gallons. Theoretically, that is enough water for […]
Occasionally I bite off more than I can chew when it comes to hiking. The sun sets before I get back to camp. I finish the hike, in the dark, with just a tiny flashlight to show the way. But it always amazes me how effective that light is. It reminds me of another of […]
Now and then, just for fun, I choose to write with my left hand. It’s a mess! I’m far from ambidextrous. My right arm is the strongest and the best coordinated. When David said that God answered him with the saving strength of His right hand, it was a statement of faith in God’s goodness […]
What place do miracles have in your relationship with God? Do you cautiously skirt the subject, accepting of miracles in Scripture but unsure of their relevance for today? Or do you drop everything when you hear that a popular miracle worker is coming to town? I am convinced that spiritual maturity is about balance, and […]
Waiting for vindication is an act of faith. In high speed cultures people are used to lightning responses in most areas of life, from the table service in the restaurant to the processing of a tax return. When someone wrongs us, we can call 9-1-1 or a lawyer and expect quick justice. But there are […]
The traditional courtroom oath is spoken with a Bible in one hand: “I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God.” The Bible is recognized as the highest standard of truth and justice; taking the oath while holding the Bible invokes God as a witness to […]
The pet names that lovers use often fall into one of three categories: food, flowers, or cute animals.1 They might sound strange or trivial to an eavesdropper, but they are names of endearment—names that only the lovers know and understand. God used a different category—prophetic. Four times in the Bible, God whispered an intimate pet […]
Do you cover your mouth to muffle the words as you use God’s name, “Jealous God”?1 It is probably the name that we are most uncomfortable with. What about explaining to people why following other gods is such a poor choice? In his final speech predicting spiritual decline, Moses faced the nation of Israel with […]
The evil queen in Snow White was shocked by the mirror’s answer to her question, “who’s the fairest of them all?” Tyrannical deception had blinded her to any possibility of a rival beauty. God’s name, “Most High (‘Elyon),” has a similar story, which begins with a mysterious priest-king, Melchizedek. It is likely that ’El ‘elyon […]