Results
Psalms
Celebrating Community
August 18, 2024
We were made for community. It seems hard to come by, but this psalm assures us that it is possible because of God's blessing and grace through Jesus.
Psalms
Confidence in God
June 30, 2024
If we trust in ourselves and our resources, we will eventually falter, but those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved. They can rest secure in his sovereign love.
Psalms
Why We Go to Church
June 16, 2024
Christians voluntarily gather for worship every week, all over the world, as they have for 2000 years. Psalm 122 answers the question why: we go because we belong to God, and we belong to God's people.
Revelation
The Lukewarm Church
June 2, 2024
In the last of the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus delivers the harshest rebuke yet. They are lukewarm and in danger of being rejected. But then, he makes the most incomparable offer: he invites them into intimate fellowship. This letter shows us what kind of relationship Jesus wants with us and how that can turn our whole life upside down.
Revelation
The Tolerant Church
May 12, 2024
The church in Thyatira was a vibrant and fruitful church, but they had a serious problem of tolerating false teaching that led people into immorality and idolatry. We can be part of a church that is doing so well in so many ways, and yet, perhaps there are things that we have learned to live with that Jesus wants to shine a light on.
Revelation
Loveless Orthodoxy
April 21, 2024
Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for their commitment to truth, but he critiques their lack of love. This passage tells us that we can drift to a place where we believe the right things but are far from the heart of God. A healthy church has truth and love, working together to bear witness to Christ.
John
Jesus Restores Peter
April 7, 2024
Peter’s failure resonates because we all fail. And yet, we don’t like talking about it. We want to push our failures to the background, but this story brings them to the front. The point is not to tell us how bad we are, but to show us how good God is and how much we need him. God meets us in our failure to restore us.
John
Sorrow Into Joy
March 10, 2024
The spiritual reality in which sorrow can turn into joy has everything to do with the presence of God. When we know the Father's loving presence, our joy is made full. This text assures us God can meet us in our confusion, distress, need, and even in our failure.
John
The Spirit of Truth
March 3, 2024
When the disciples heard that Jesus was leaving, and that the world would hate them, their hearts were filled with sorrow. But Jesus said it would be better because the Spirit is coming. How is it better? What would the Spirit do to help them bear witness about Jesus in a hostile world?
John
Abide in Christ
February 18, 2024
Jesus said the mark of his disciples is that they “bear much fruit.” We want to roll-up our sleeves and make it happen, but the kind of fruit Jesus is talking about comes from being connected to him. If we want to be truly fruitful, we must learn to abide in Christ.
Psalms
Bless and Be Blessed
August 25, 2024
The Songs of Ascent have taken us on a journey upwards toward Christ. And here at the end, Psalm 134 tells us the point of the whole journey. It tells us what we’re made for. We’re made to bless God and be blessed by God.
Recent
Psalms
Celebrating Community
August 18, 2024
We were made for community. It seems hard to come by, but this psalm assures us that it is possible because of God's blessing and grace through Jesus.
Psalms
Rest for the Restless
August 11, 2024
Many of us journey through life at full speed, trying to accomplish big things, setting our sights on achievement and success. David says genuine rest can't be had that way. It comes, instead, as we embrace our limits, rest like a child, and hope in the Lord.
Psalms
God’s Promises Are Greater
August 4, 2024
The first half of this psalm is a prayer of the people based on David’s oath to God. The second half is filled with promises from God based on God’s oath to David. And as expected, God’s promises are greater than our prayers.
Psalms
Out of the Depths
July 28, 2024
What do we do with our guilt? Psalm 130 teaches us to cry out to, trust in, and wait for the Lord. With him there is forgiveness, steadfast love, and plentiful redemption.
Psalms
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
July 21, 2024
During uncertain and unstable times, the thing we need most is to be reminded of God. This psalm is thoroughly God-centered and each stanza points us to something particular about him. When it feels like the world is falling apart, we can trust him.
Psalms
Unless the LORD Builds the House
July 14, 2024
This psalm addresses two aspects of human life that people have always cared about: work and family. It shows us that, without God, those things end up being pointless and fruitless.
Psalms
God Restores His People
July 7, 2024
Psalm 126 speaks to us in the desolate places and invites us to sing a song of hope that God will turn our desolate place into a harvest. We can lean into that truth as we remember God's restoration, request it now, and sow in hope God's coming restoration.
Psalms
Confidence in God
June 30, 2024
If we trust in ourselves and our resources, we will eventually falter, but those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved. They can rest secure in his sovereign love.
Psalms
Living in Hostile Territory
June 23, 2024
What do we do when we feel like the world we’re living in is not our home? When we feel like exiles in a land that’s hostile toward the things of God? Psalm 120 expresses distress over the way of the world and cries out to God for help.
Psalms
Why We Go to Church
June 16, 2024
Christians voluntarily gather for worship every week, all over the world, as they have for 2000 years. Psalm 122 answers the question why: we go because we belong to God, and we belong to God's people.
Psalms
The LORD is Your Keeper
June 9, 2024
The Christian life is a pilgrimage, a long obedience in the same direction. And on that journey, the LORD is your keeper. But what does that mean and how is it possible?
Revelation
The Lukewarm Church
June 2, 2024
In the last of the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus delivers the harshest rebuke yet. They are lukewarm and in danger of being rejected. But then, he makes the most incomparable offer: he invites them into intimate fellowship. This letter shows us what kind of relationship Jesus wants with us and how that can turn our whole life upside down.
Popular
Hebrews
An Easter Benediction
April 1, 2018
So many things compete for our attention, but when we turn our attention to Jesus and see that he is better than everything else, we are compelled to draw near to God.
Romans
Two Representatives
November 2, 2014
The gospel changes everything. We can lay aside our pride about what we know, our fear of being known, and discover new life in Christ.
Psalms
Bless and Be Blessed
August 25, 2024
The Songs of Ascent have taken us on a journey upwards toward Christ. And here at the end, Psalm 134 tells us the point of the whole journey. It tells us what we’re made for. We’re made to bless God and be blessed by God.
Revelation
Unveiling Persecution
April 28, 2024
The church in Smyrna was being persecuted for their faith, and Jesus tells them that things will get worse. In order to conquer fear and doubt, these Christians needed the same thing that we need today: to catch a glimpse of what Jesus is doing in the midst of suffering. Only then will we find the grace to remain faithful.
Revelation
Compromising the Truth
May 5, 2024
How should the church respond when pressured to compromise its beliefs about what is true to better fit in with the culture? Pergamum was standing firm against pressure from the outside. But they had a problem on the inside.
Revelation
The Tolerant Church
May 12, 2024
The church in Thyatira was a vibrant and fruitful church, but they had a serious problem of tolerating false teaching that led people into immorality and idolatry. We can be part of a church that is doing so well in so many ways, and yet, perhaps there are things that we have learned to live with that Jesus wants to shine a light on.
Revelation
Loveless Orthodoxy
April 21, 2024
Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for their commitment to truth, but he critiques their lack of love. This passage tells us that we can drift to a place where we believe the right things but are far from the heart of God. A healthy church has truth and love, working together to bear witness to Christ.
John
Sorrow Into Joy
March 10, 2024
The spiritual reality in which sorrow can turn into joy has everything to do with the presence of God. When we know the Father's loving presence, our joy is made full. This text assures us God can meet us in our confusion, distress, need, and even in our failure.
Psalms
Unless the LORD Builds the House
July 14, 2024
This psalm addresses two aspects of human life that people have always cared about: work and family. It shows us that, without God, those things end up being pointless and fruitless.
John
Jesus Prays
March 17, 2024
The last thing Jesus does for his disciples before he steps out into the night to go to his arrest is pray for them (and us). He prays for everything his disciples will need to continue his work in the world: Protection, sanctification, and unity. This prayer from Jesus gives us our most intimate glimpse into his heart for his people.
John
The Spirit of Truth
March 3, 2024
When the disciples heard that Jesus was leaving, and that the world would hate them, their hearts were filled with sorrow. But Jesus said it would be better because the Spirit is coming. How is it better? What would the Spirit do to help them bear witness about Jesus in a hostile world?