Jesus taught His disciples “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account,” then He sent them into the world to be His witnesses (Matthew 5:11; Acts 1:8). I can imagine the lesson being delivered on a bright, warm windswept hillside, but the cold-hard reality occurs in Acts (4:1-2). Serious disciples will at times be seriousl...  Read More

How long are you prepared to actively wait when tasked to lead? Preparation to be God’s effective leader will require us to learn to wait upon Him. This “prepare-wait” approach to leadership may seem to be counterintuitive, but Ezra demonstrates why this is so important. Max Dupree once said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define responsibility. The last is to say thank you. In betwee...  Read More

Does our focal verse seem familiar? I hope so, because it is quoted by gospel writers upon Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the dawn of Holy Week. Those authors cite our focal verse in Zechariah 9:9. That Old Testament chapter declares God’s holiness which demands that He judge sin and expel it from His kingdom. Only after God deals with sin may He offer salvation to His people! Do you see...  Read More

How wonderful to know that God is a God of history—salvation history! He gets involved in the lives of people because He truly cares. You may feel as though your life counts for nothing. If so, then God has something to say to your heart today! Nain was a village a few miles southeast of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. It was on the opposite side of the hill of Moreh from Shunem, the place where Elis...  Read More

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below” is the opening line to the Doxology. The church of my childhood had a wonderful pipe organ the sound of which filled the sanctuary. The congregation sang the words to this liturgical expression of praise, and I recall the glorious harmony I heard from those worshipers. However, I do not recall—I very likely was not payi...  Read More

I watch short videos that people post on social media. They are usually captioned with “Wait for it,” which means that there is a surprise ending. In a sense, this psalm may be captioned with the words, “Wait for Him!” The hymn writer wanted those worshipers to grasp the importance of longing for and waiting until God fills us with the full blessing. How wonderful it is to serve such a God! The ps...  Read More

A desperate plea emerged from Afghanistan and made the headlines. A stranded interpreter said, “I know I’m going to get killed.” Few, if any of us, have lived under such duress, so we may find ourselves emotionally detached from the plea of the psalmist today. Here is a thought. Picture your most desperate cry for help in a moment of crisis, the words that you used to express your despair, and you...  Read More

Henri Nouwen writes, “Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.” John knew the significance of hospitality that was rooted...  Read More

“We are living in a fear epidemic, stoked in part by a 24/7 media that makes tragedies from around the world seem part of our everyday experience, or makes a global pandemic appear to be crouching at our door. We live in a time of great uncertainty, when important things that we once thought we could rely upon, like a job for life, have been taken from us” (David Knott, The Psalm 23 Life). In simi...  Read More

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), the famous black jazz musician and trumpet and cornet player, would croon, “Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen,” and I somehow felt encouraged. I’ll explain why in a bit, but this lyric could form a banner that hangs over John 14:1-4. Jesus did not sing about troubles, but He sure showed His followers how to overcome them. He provides comfort to His disciples, followi...  Read More

“We often learn more of God under the rod that strikes us than under the staff that comforts us.” Now, how is that for a devotional wake-me-up?! I hardly wish to awaken the first thing of a morning and read that God, out of His mercy, must discipline me quite severely! Nevertheless, two of our primary passages record the fact of God’s impending judgment of Judah, and subsequent exile to Babylon. T...  Read More

Jesus will not be herded in the direction that we choose, nor will He be corralled by any of our life circumstances. There! I have stated a core truth about the Lord. This means that the Savior, the one who would not utter a word to call down angels to feed him while He was being tempted with hunger, or a legion of the heavenly host to rescue Him from suffering on the cross, will not speak one wor...  Read More