“For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Here’s an important principle that radiates from the pages of the New Testament: If we do what Jesus did, we will experience what Jesus did. Put another way: If we walk the path Jesus did, we will receive what Jesus did. This is at one and the same time incredibly challenging and also incredibly encouraging. Read the rest…
“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” (ESV)
I read a devotion a few weeks ago on the book of Proverbs from Tim Keller that I appreciated greatly. He made this observation: You can have knowledge without wisdom. Many people do. But you cannot have wisdom without knowledge. Wisdom comes only from the careful application of diligent learning. Read the rest…
“Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Do you listen to God? I don’t know about you, but I can pretty easily find myself in a rut of talking to God a lot, but not stopping to listen very often. I can get into a pattern of reading God’s word every day because I’m supposed to (especially as a pastor!), but not paying very close attention to what He might want to say to me through it. Let’s just call it what it is: Listening to God is tough. Read the rest…
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
It is popular nowadays to talk about the all-encompassing power and importance of love. We are sometimes led to believe that if we do nothing other than love each other, our lives will be perfectly harmonious and the world will have all of its problems resolved. But, while love is certainly the chief of the virtues–there’s no question on that fact in the Scriptures–contrary to popular theology and the Beatles popular song, love is not all we need. Read the rest…
In this fourth part of our series in Esther, Stand Up: How to Fight Injustice, we finally get to the action Esther takes to battle the gross injustice facing the Jewish people in Persia. But, the exact nature of her action really isn’t all that important. Rather, it’s how she goes about it that matters most. Keep reading to see just what it is she does that makes her plan so effective.
Stand with Humility
I was born in what some would call the Golden Age of cartoons. While they weren’t making new episodes, I had all the classic Looney Toons shows available to me. But I came of cartoon age with the truly classic versions of Batman, Superman, Justice League, the X-Men, and Spider-Man. I grew up loving superheroes—a love that is now being richly rewarded on the big screen. The rewards are coming mostly from Marvel Studios which by next May when the fourth Avengers movie releases will have given us 25 movies over the span of 11 years, all telling one, big, overarching story. It’s a little like the comic book world’s film version of the Bible. And indeed, the latest Avengers movie has crossed the billion dollars in ticket sales mark faster than any other movie. I’ve seen it: It was amazing. It is not a standalone film, however, so I am eager as can be to catch part two next May. Read the rest…
The Nexus 