"Who is my neighbor?" will bring to the minds of most Christians the "Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. The question is morally load-bearing because Jesus exposes the depth of depravity in the heart of a man who outwardly was recognized as being a law-keeper. Hopefully, my pen will cause you to imagine the change in tone when I ask the question in light of a global moral issue, human traff...  Read More

I recently viewed an investment video where a wealthy man stated that a person who invests in one of the stock indexes and stays committed to it through their lifetime will reach life’s end with an incredibly large sum of money. He warned, however, against moving money out of stocks anytime there is a drop in the stock market. He counseled that one must be willing to remain committed to the market...  Read More

A horrific tragedy occurred early New Year’s morning in New Orleans. Fourteen people, as of this writing, were killed in an act of domestic terrorism. Dozens of others, some of whom are still in critical condition, were injured in the killing rampage. In a city that is often swamped by savage storms with winds and rains, news reports began to surface in recent days of families and friends who are ...  Read More

Chronology governs our lives more than we care to admit. We schedule our days, our workouts, our social time, our bedtimes and wake times, and even set alarms so we do not miss important events. We may subconsciously read Genesis 1:1-2:4 as though the point was God’s creation of hours and days. While we may read Genesis 1:1-2:4 chronologically, it actually provides us with a theological introducti...  Read More

“I believe very strongly in the principle and practice of the purity of the visible church, but I have seen churches that have fought for purity and are merely hotbeds of ugliness. No longer is there any observable, loving, personal relationship, even in their own midst, let alone with other true Christians” (Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian). Talk about a disconnect between Jesus’ pra...  Read More

Charles Dickens once said, “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” The great author’s words ring true, and hold profound significance, but we must not miss the key doctrine that undergirds our salvation. The crucial principle to which I refer is the doctrine that we call “the Incarnation.” It boggles the mind to think tha...  Read More

“We often learn more of God under the rod that strikes us than under the staff that comforts us” (Stephen Charnock*). This opening statement seems like a depressing and discouraging way to begin a devotional! Nevertheless, there is a vitally important lesson in Hebrews 12 to be learned today about God’s discipline and our endurance. Let’s open our hearts to receive the Lord’s encouragement for us ...  Read More

Déjà vu moments occur at times in our lives, but we do not usually have them when reading a daily devotional! We may feel like we have already been in a “love passage,” which we encountered in 12:9-13, but this one widens the focus beyond the church to include government and society at large (13:1-7). We have been together in these devotionals long enough for me to earn your trust, so I hope that ...  Read More

In times past, parents would send their children off into the world with an exhortation to make something of themselves. Did your parents exhort you in a somewhat similar fashion when you were launching into adulthood? I read somewhere of a parent saying something like, “God has given you two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” Paul, a spiritual father to the many churches he p...  Read More

“It’s as plain as the nose on your face” means that something is obvious. Sometimes it is so apparent we may overlook it! Paul wraps up the letter to the Corinthians with a powerful benediction, providing us with obvious ways to revive a church in distress. His message is as plain as the nose on our face, but do we see it? Benedictions that inspire healthy church fellowship The context in 2 Corint...  Read More

Both this issue [of the Center's E-News] and the year 2024 mark the anniversaries of two important events in US history: the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act (1964). These monumental events, with their deep theological and civic-responsibility roots, radically changed American life for the better. This article highlights the p...  Read More

[Photo credit: "A Public Witness" -- Word & Way] This article was originally published in the Center's E-News on Oct. 31, 2024 I arrived prior to sun-up on Tuesday of this week at a designated early-voting site in my city. My hope, as I walked across the pitch-dark parking lot toward a light at the front door, was that all voters would be enlightened to the responsibilities of citizenship. Perhaps...  Read More