When all else fails, read the instruction manual. Many people have this as their motto for living. Try. Fail. Try. Fail. Hmmm. Maybe I should see what the manufacturer recommends. But our efforts only carry us as far as our understanding is accurate. In today’s passage, Galatians 3:1-14, Paul is suggesting this very thing. He […]
Yes, I’m a product of the 1970s. Probably not the proudest era of American history—a generation of big hair, disco, and leisure suits. But one thing came out of the 1970s that I think about a lot: Garanimals. For those of you who are “1970s challenged” or too young to have experienced that decade in […]
Idolatry—not everyone’s favorite subject. In fact, many of us go through our days not really thinking much about it; maybe belittling it in public; or disregarding it as having no relevance for today. Big mistake, or so Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10: 14-15: “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible […]
Mistakes—I hate making them. Sins—I hate committing them. Trials—I don’t like having them. Temptations—I don’t like facing them. One would think that given how much I don’t like these things, I could just avoid them. Wrong. Experiencing all of this is part of what make us human. The Bible tells us that in His lifetime […]
Today we begin exploring ways to walk on the Way of Holiness. It’s better to have a guide than a map, as one person said to me. Even in a GPS world, I think that still rings true. At one point, I was driving with my son in Washington, DC. We had our faithful GPS […]
When we travel somewhere, we carefully pack our suitcases. We assemble our supplies in a tiny plastic bag so we can make it through airport security. We take action well before our journey to ensure we will get on the plane with our carry-ons. We have our destination in mind. In a similar way, spiritual […]
When we read passages like 2 Chronicles 29 that tell the story of King Hezekiah ordering consecration of the temple, how many of us find the passage repulsive? Slaughtering of animals. Blood everywhere. Burnt offerings. It’s really hard for us to relate to any of that. Furthermore, some of us may wonder why God would […]
Have you ever noticed that when something good happens in the world, there’s credit abounding everywhere among mankind? Credit for the medical breakthrough? Man. Technological advance? Man. Financial boon, peace treaty, natural discovery? Man, man, man. But when something bad happens, it’s always God’s fault. Tsunamis are a case in point. The reasoning? People have […]
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands (Deuteronomy 8:2). In Deuteronomy, a book that the Jewish Bible simply calls Devarim (meaning […]
Have you ever had a mountaintop moment—a time when you knew God’s presence and His power in your midst? What was your response: joy, awe, excitement…fear? Many people in the Bible have responded with holy fear when they encountered God because they suddenly realized how sinful they were. Isaiah famously said, “Woe to me…I am […]
