Until Jesus returns, there will always be evil and hatred in the world. This is the human condition. People will always have bitterness and hatred in their hearts as long as the world separates itself from the healing love of God. The absence of...
I’m on vacation (Outer Banks, NC). So here’s a great devo from the classically dependent Oswald Chambers. Judge not, that ye be not judged. –Matthew 7:1. Jesus says regarding judging—Don’t. The average Christian is the most penetratingly...
Forgiveness (and forgivingness) is at the heart of the gospel. We can only truly love when we accept forgiveness. Forgiveness releases in us the capacity to be free from condemnation to be given over the reckless love. All throughout the gospel...
Once again, Oswald Chambers gives us an excellent thought. That ye may know what is the hope of His calling … Eph. 1:18. Remember what you are saved for—that the Son of God might be manifested in your mortal flesh. Bend the whole energy of your...
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel (and in the Hebrew it’s just the single book “Samuel) are pivotal in the overall scheme of God’s World Renewal Plan. These books, even though named after Samuel the prophet, are all about David. But wait...
Living in Haiti for eight years now has forced me to think a lot about what it means to struggle. Webster’s defines “struggle” as “to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems.” This word best...
In this post, I wrote that observant Jews read Psalm 30 each morning upon rising. I also noted that Psalm 30 is a temple dedication psalm (as the superscription notes for us). In terms of genre (or “form criticism“), the psalm itself is...
One of the paradoxes of the Christian faith that I struggle with is strength through weakness. I do not struggle with believing it to be true, I struggle with putting it into application on a day-to-day basis. What does this look like in the daily...
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We decided to visit a dear friend’s church in rural Haiti (Grisen-Garde, outside of Cap-Haitian). It was one of the rare Sundays that I wasn’t supposed to preach (ah, finally a respite). But before we walked into the...
Not long ago I wrote a post about how holiness doctrine is much more about what He is able to accomplish than what we are able to accomplish. I wrote that in Jesus’ command (and we find the command elsewhere in scripture as well) to “be...