[Salome] said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. And he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (Matt. 14:8-10) Even the ruthless Herod had a conscience. […]
Years ago I witnessed a boy’s leg grow about two inches. It was in an evangelistic meeting. He had responded to an offer to pray for bad backs. As several people laid hands on him the leg grew. He and his friends were amazed. But we never saw the boy after than night. It raised […]
My senior years at high school were spent writing essays. Teachers believed that the best preparation for university was learning to research a subject and condense the findings into carefully structured arguments. It worked well, except when students missed the point. Then the red ink appeared: “Answer the question!” If the disciples had been more […]
People of Lystra, “Why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.” […]
Multivitamins are useless if they remain in the container. They must be eaten. Would anyone be so foolish as to buy a jar and leave it unopened on the kitchen counter? Yet perhaps we do that with the gospel. You see, the idea of “the gospel” is like the unopened pot. Sometimes we think that […]
FRAGILE—HANDLE WITH CARE Assuming that the item you ordered from Amazon arrives unbroken in its box, you will be able to unpack it, assemble it if necessary, and enjoy all its benefits. But some of the things we buy come with instructions for proper use and maintenance. The story of Saul is rarely used in […]
Narahari is a Sanscrit word meaning “man-God”.1 It expresses well the nature of Jesus. Think about it. Jesus was God in human flesh, which of course means that Jesus was human flesh with God inside. Jesus did two basic things. He showed us what God is like when He puts on human flesh and lives […]
One of the hardest things to do when we pray is to get our focus off the need and onto God. Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well in Samaria helps us understand how important that refocusing is. Jesus said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who […]
Every now and then, something happens in life that seems to destroy any chance of the outcome we had been praying for and expecting. Along with the pain and grief comes dashed hope. It taunts our minds, making it hard to trust even ourselves again. “Why should I allow the birth of any new hope […]
Although we will never experience the full suffering of Jesus, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that are similar in type. Jesus knew trouble was coming: Betrayal, abandonment by friends, false accusations, a mock trial without due process, unjust condemnation, mockery, torture, and cruel death. We have so many things to shout when someone cuts […]