Text: Mark 6:45-52 Faith is Strengthened Through Storms Mark 6:45-52 One of my prayers is that going through storms will result in something marvelous inside of us. The Bibleteaches us that trials make our faith more pure, and today’s text is an example of just this. On the evening that Jesus fed the 5000, The Bible teaches us […]
Text: Romans 13:8-10 Romans 13:8-10 When reading The Bible as a young man, one of the first things I noticed is that the book was thick, the pages were thin and the words were small. It takes a lot of reading, and at a certain point I felt like it was an endless list of rules. The more I […]
1st Peter 5:6-11 The letter of 1st Peter was written to Christians who were trying to remain faithful during tough times. Peter writes them this wonderful letter of encouragement, hope and instruction while never losing sight of the fact that they will suffer in this life. Our text today is a summary of the letter telling them […]
“Ye are Christ’s.” You are his by donation, for the Father gave you to the Son; his by his bloody purchase, for he counted down the price for your redemption; his by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to him; his by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of his […]
Sometimes we think we can make deals with God. We hear His commands, but we plan on being faithful later. Or we make light of our rebellious thoughts and actions, thinking they’re only minor offenses in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps we think God will overlook them just as easily as we’ve rationalized them. […]
When Daniel is invited to dine at the king’s table he turns down the offer. Instead of eating food and wine fit for a king, Daniel and the other Hebrew boys settle on a diet of vegetables and water (Dan 1:12). Daniel’s decision contradicts human nature. When a good situation comes along we often jump […]
Few people are brave enough to speak the truth when it could cost them their reputation. Even fewer have the courage to speak the truth when it could cost them everything. The prophets, however, set a different example. “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, make known to Jerusalem […]
It’s easy to get distracted from the good work God intends for us to do. Competing forces vie for our attention; we’re sidetracked by fear or selfishness. We start living our own stories and lose sight of the greater narrative, of which our lives are just one thread. The Jewish exiles who returned to Jerusalem […]
The urgency of God’s work is easily lost on us. But to the early church, Jesus’ return seemed imminent. We get a sense of this urgency in Peter’s second letter, where he writes that every moment between now and when Jesus returns is a moment of grace; therefore, believers must work harder than ever to […]
When we avoid community, we may develop an inflated opinion of our own character. It’s easy to think we’re kind people when we’re not held accountable to others. It’s easy to think we’re always right when no one disagrees with us. Conversely, it’s in our relationships that our true selves are often revealed. When we’re […]