“If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38) Where do we go to satisfy our thirst? To be honest, I find that I have several favorite watering holes. The company […]
Who in the Gospel stories had the greatest faith? The disciples were late starters. Jesus commended several people for their faith. But one man, a non-Jewish centurion, was singled out with this remarkable observation: “Not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” (Luke 7:9) Was Jesus on a faith hunt? Perhaps not, but […]
Elderberries and exercise are just two of the many recommendations made to stay healthy. Along with vitamin C they help strengthen the immune system. But what should we do to maintain our spiritual health? One of the prayers Jesus told His followers to pray points us beyond taking wise precautions to avoid sickness. Be on […]
Like every other tree in the garden it looked nice and was good for food. Just the replenishment a person needs before and after a day tending plants and naming animals. How convenient too; right there in the middle of everything (Gen 2:9; 3:3). One thing was different though. God had told Adam and Eve […]
Thunderstorms form under special conditions. High convectional clouds with swirling updrafts and downdrafts cause water and ice droplets to collide. The collisions dislodge electrons and generate super-charged areas within the cloud. The energy is discharged in a flash of lightening followed by a crash of thunder. Circumstances sometimes do something analogous inside us. Faced with […]
Now, before you misunderstand me, let me make it absolutely clear that angel chasing is a bad idea. Angels do not want our worship. They are spiritual beings who glorify God; they point us to Him. So let’s keep our focus on Him. But there are two incidents worth considering. In the Gospels, angels proclaim […]
One way God might convict us of a wrong attitude is to drop us onto the stage of a living parable. He did that to Jonah to show him how weedy his love was. Jonah had run from God’s assignment to warn Nineveh of impending judgment. He ran because he knew God’s character, which includes […]
How did the book of Jonah get into the Bible? It contains only five Hebrew words of grumpy prophecy.1 I think it’s there because God wants us to know the simple but strange story of Jonah himself. He’s called a “minor prophet” but he’s more of an anti-prophet—the opposite of a good prophet of God. […]
God’s question to Elijah at Horeb, the mountain of God, is a question for all of us as we approach God. “What are you doing here?” Elijah seemed to have no other objective than to run as far from trouble as he could and deliver a resignation speech to God. He was done. But there […]
I used to think that persistence was a mixed virtue. After all, when I kept asking my parents for things they eventually got irritated. My persistence came across as begging or nagging, trying to force them to give me what I wanted. “And hurry up, please.” I struggled with Jesus’ parable on persistence in prayer. […]