What sin cannot be forgiven? The answer when viewed through the lens of Matthew 8 is “None!” These words are true, but many people are reluctant to come to Christ for forgiveness. Francis Chan has said, “The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time” (italics mine). All of life’s brokenness may be restored by Chri...  Read More

Grief was at its highest in the immediate aftermath of Christ’s crucifixion. The inner circle and wider band of disciples were numbed by the brutality and suddenness of the crucifixion, then perplexed and overjoyed by the early reports of the resurrection. I have no way of describing the turmoil that characterized that scene except to say that I have felt it on numerous occasions as a pastor whene...  Read More

Easter demands that we must complete the progression from David, warrior king, to Jesus, Savior King, or we will be ineffective as Christ’s peacemakers in our homes, churches, and communities (Matthew 5:9, 13-48). Our songs of praise often glorify the Savior of peace, but our words and actions belie that worship. I have an humble claim to make: We have become increasingly militaristic and national...  Read More

The importance of Christian forgiveness cannot be overstated, but it certainly can be underserved by churches. I suppose some things should change, but they are slow in coming—centuries slow! We find ourselves too often unwilling to practice forgiveness and our divided churches give witness to this reality. Paul calls for forgiveness in an extremely difficult church setting and provides us with a ...  Read More

“The servant-leader is servant first . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” Robert Greenleaf’s approach and influence on leadership has become an international phenomenon both in culture and in the church (Servant Leadership). Ironically, his inspiration for the term and the method, by his own explanati...  Read More

The prophet Micah asks, “What does the Lord require of you?” He replies, in part, with the key phrase, “to act justly” (Micah 6:8). The principle of justice figures prominently throughout the beautiful Psalm 37. I believe that our psalmist shows us how to live by the principles of God’s justice while we await the fulfillment of His promises. Such faithfulness to God bears present and eternal divid...  Read More

“The hub that holds Galatians together is its treatment of the gospel” (HCBC). I will also claim the same thing for the Church, today. The Apostle Paul risked his life for the gospel, which we all know, but more importantly, he staked his eternity on it! He was the right person for that hour of great need. Let me explain why I have selected this passage today. Paul, according to tradition, was “a ...  Read More

Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “The soul is healed by being with children.” The disciples ironically sought to prevent Jesus from walking the road of suffering and death and now they want to keep Him from trouble and fatigue. They were insensitive to many things that the Spirit would later correct (cf. Acts 2). Jesus wanted children to come to Him because “children in their receptivity and dependenc...  Read More

Dallas Willard once said, “There is no avoiding the fact that we live at the mercy of our ideas. This is never truer than with our ideas about God” (Hearing God). The Jews held some curious notions about God that both prevented them from experiencing true union with Him and kept them from being a true light to the world. They managed the things of God, but they didn’t really know a thing about Him...  Read More

Voltaire once said, “Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.” The French philosopher and atheist was not a believer, but his words apply figuratively and literally to Paul’s life. This missionary of the gospel was literally blazing a new trail of hope for the world, and he was being persecuted for it by J...  Read More

Spinoza once said, “He alone is free who lives with free consent under the entire guidance of reason.” Well, maybe so, or, in a Christian sense, not exactly. We do know that God gave us minds with which to reason and make choices; however, I also know that Christians will yield to the guidance of the Spirit. Today is “Theology Wednesday!” Our devotional will develop a key understanding of Pneumato...  Read More

Opening sentence alert! A long quote follows, but it is precisely what we need to read to capture the essence of today’s devotional. “We must devote, not only times and places to prayer, but be everywhere in the spirit of devotion; with hearts always set toward heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing everything as His servants; living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and al...  Read More