Psalm 133How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron‘s beard, down upon the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.Ephesians 4:1-4As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to l...

“The joys and benefits of a life lived in companionship with God” is the theme for Psalm 16.From the very beginning, in verses 1 and 2, David cried out for God to be his refuge, and acknowledges God as his Lord apart from whom he had no good thing. He declared his allegiance to God, and God alone in verse 4, vowing never to make any sacrifice, as the Jews usually do, to no other gods (little g). H...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." [Proverbs 3:5-6] What does it mean to totally surrender your life to God? As fellow Christians how do we let go and let God have His way?   A friend of mine texted me one morning saying “I am going through the level of surrender.” Surrendering can be...

"If we are faithless, God is faithful still, for God cannot disown his own."— 2 Timothy 2:13"God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." — 1 Corinthians 1:9A friend once shared how she felt like she had failed God. She had been raised in the church, taught to pray, and to trust in God’s goodness. But after experiencing deep personal loss—the sudden dea...

I do not receive Glory from Men. (John 5:41), Jesus says, in a long discourse to the Jews, about how the scriptures are fulfilled in him. These words show a constant attitude during his life on Earth: His ardent concern to carry out the father's will. We see this during his hidden life, when, with great naturalness, he spends 30 years without attracting attention in a small town in Galilee. We als...

Long before I went to seminary, I was studying the Bible. I recall taking a free correspondence course from Family Radio. The very first book  I studied with them was the book of Hosea, an enigmatic book indeed, beginning with the prophet’s obedience to God’s order to go and marry a prostitute. How many of us men would obey such an order?The fascinating thing about this book is not so much the rel...

Have you ever tried to solve a mystery?Some of the most fascinating detective stories are full of twists and turns that leave you surprised and hungry for more.Did you know that God’s story in the Bible is actually a series of clues? It is true. Moreover, these clues slowly reveal and then solve one of the most mind-boggling mysteries of all time.You see, with God nothing is random. Every detail i...

She sat in the pew, feeling the cool trace of ash pressed onto her forehead. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return."But it wasn’t her mortality that weighed on her heart that night—it was her regret. Years ago, she had abandoned a friendship in a moment of selfishness. Her best friend had suffered a devastating loss, and instead of standing beside her, she walked away. First, ...

Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)Here Jesus is speaking directly to his 12 disciples whom he is sending out to preach the good news to Jews and Gentiles, to the rich and poor, to the downcast, the oppressed, the disinherited, and the hopeless. He is essentially instructing them not ...

Last week, a friend of mine with whom I regularly exchange inspirational texts, sent me the following text: “God has a perfect timing; never early, never late. It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith; but it’s worth the wait.” As I read these words, my mind immediately went to my favorite prophet, Isaiah, and what he wrote in the first chapter of 2nd Isaiah, the last two verses, Isa...