“Faith that does not doubt is dead faith.” Few, if any, believers have never experienced doubts about God’s presence or answers to prayer. Some of my greatest heroes of the faith experienced doubt. Names like Sara, Gideon, Elijah, Jonah, Zacharias, and John the Baptist come to mind as women and men whose faith was shaped, in part, by their doubts! We live in a current age that is shrouded in doubt...  Read More

C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Some people probably think of the Resurrection as a desperate last moment expedient to save the Hero from a situation which had got out of the Author’s control.” Not so! Jesus took careful time between the resurrection and His ascension to clearly show that the resurrection was not a last-minute event; instead, it was about how the scriptures had been fulfilled (Luke 24:25...  Read More

Watchman Nee once said, “The Christian journey, from start to finish, is a journey of faith.” Our culture often glorifies human fearlessness, but God’s people know that His faithfulness provides the lasting victory. Children’s Sunday School stories often provide for us the remarkable account of Caleb the octogenarian dynamo (14:6-14). He stood at life’s end reaching ever onward and upward to claim...  Read More

“When God forgives, He at once restores,” once said Theodore Epp, founder and broadcaster of the “Back to the Bible” radio program. Too often the church, however, fails to embrace those whom God has forgiven and restored.This third section of Paul’s letter to the Galatians focuses on ethics, but it can also be entitled “Life in the Spirit.” Our focal passage provides an excellent point of instruct...  Read More

William Temple once said, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, the nourishment of the mind with His truth, the purifying of the imagination with His beauty, the opening of the heart to His love, the surrender of the will to His purpose.” I believe that Deuteronomy 4 points us specifically to covenantal worship of the sovereign God...  Read More

Something big is about to happen! In a highly-charged political atmosphere, Jesus was about to ignite a totally different revolution than the Jews passionately desired. Only He and His Heavenly Father fully understood what He truly was about to do. Even His followers were to be taken by surprise, even though He had spoken plainly about His upcoming Passion! Easter will arrive in the coming weeks, ...  Read More

The Christmas baby, given the grown-up name of Clarissa (Clara) Harlowe Barton, was born December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts, more than two hundred years ago. Her father was Captain Stephen Barton, an Indian Wars veteran, leader of his town, and owner of a farm. Her father inspired in his daughter both a strong patriotism and a broad interest in helping others. Her mother, Sarah Ston...  Read More

It has been said that “Death is no respecter of persons. Natural disasters are no respecter of nations.” Both statements have been demonstrated, yet again, in the aftermath of events that recently took place in Turkey and northwest Syria. A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck that region on February 6, 2023. The death toll has surpassed forty-six thousand lives, as of this writing, and th...  Read More

“We have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my shepherd,” says Charles Spurgeon. Psalm 23, to which the great English 19th-century preacher refers, represents the most widely recognized psalm in the psalter and provides a worshiper with reasons to be confident in God’s lov...  Read More

“No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.” King David knew this to be true. He once again prays for deliverance, but in this case, he confesses his sinfulness and need for God’s forgiveness (cf. Psalm 51). He expresses his confidence in God’s mercy in his worship. We will quickly notice that God’s forgiveness would be recognizable in the rescue from his foes...  Read More

Robert Frost once said, “Freedom lies in being bold.” It has always amazed me at the courage Paul demonstrated even as the cauldron of opposition grew increasingly hotter. He arrived in Corinth and began to preach Jesus to the Jews until they rebelled against his words and reviled him (cf. 1 Peter 2:21-25). He shook out his garments and boldly announced that their blood was on their own hands (cf....  Read More

The Lord said to Israel, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” which was a great comfort to a pilgrim people. Psalm 15 reminds you and me today that we are still pilgrims who are seeking God’s presence and that there are specific worship admission requirements. In fact, one Bible commentator writes, “Only those who are morally qualified may dwell with God” (HCBC). Does the prev...  Read More