Results
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
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
Hated But Helped
February 25, 2024
If we abide in Christ like branches in a vine, then we will inevitably share some of his experience in the world. Meaning we will face opposition (even hatred) from the world. But he also promises help in the midst of the hatred!
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.
John
Another Helper
February 11, 2024
In the Upper Room with Jesus, on their final night with him before his death, the disciples were filled with anxiety and fear. Jesus tells them (and us) that what they need, the comfort for their troubled hearts, is not a prescription but a person—a person who will come to dwell with them.
John
From Troubled to Trusting
February 4, 2024
The disciples are deeply troubled by what is unfolding in the upper room. So, Jesus comforts them with words about the Father. He calls them to trust in the promises of the Father and the presence of the Father that they have in Jesus.
John
Just As I Have Loved You
January 28, 2024
We have plans to build our own little kingdoms, and that makes it hard to understand the way of Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus sets before us a vision for life that is about the glory of God. We see it in the love of Christ, in our love for one another, and even in our weakness.
John
The Darkness of Betrayal
January 21, 2024
Betrayal is dark, one of the worst things we can imagine, a deliberate act of disloyalty. But even in the face of that darkness, the light of Jesus shines through.
John
He Washed Their Feet
January 14, 2024
The disciples often argued about who was the greatest among them. Jesus taught them over and over that true greatness is about humility, sacrifice, and service to others, but they never seemed to understand. It was by a shocking display of humility that shows us why Jesus is truly great, why we are not, and how we can be.
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.
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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
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.
Revelation
He Who Walks Among the Lampstands
April 14, 2024
In Revelation 1, John has a vision of Jesus. The curtain is pulled back and he sees the risen and exalted Christ in all his splendor. It’s a vision that’s for all of us, because we need to see Jesus as he really is and know what's on his mind.
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
Resurrection and the Gift of Belief
March 31, 2024
On the first Easter, the resurrected Jesus was met with various forms of unbelief. In John 20, Jesus moves toward different types of people in their particular form of unbelief to graciously give them the gift of belief. The unbelief we see in these people is common to all of us, as is our need for the grace of Jesus to help us believe in him.
John
Unexpected Glory
March 24, 2024
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds gathered, hoping to see kingly glory. Jesus assured them that glory was coming, but in a form they never would have guessed: they would see the glory of God through the cross of Jesus.
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
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
Hated But Helped
February 25, 2024
If we abide in Christ like branches in a vine, then we will inevitably share some of his experience in the world. Meaning we will face opposition (even hatred) from the world. But he also promises help in the midst of the hatred!
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.
John
Another Helper
February 11, 2024
In the Upper Room with Jesus, on their final night with him before his death, the disciples were filled with anxiety and fear. Jesus tells them (and us) that what they need, the comfort for their troubled hearts, is not a prescription but a person—a person who will come to dwell with them.
Popular
Luke
Good News for Everyone
May 1, 2022
On Easter Sunday morning, the disciples were sad, defeated, and unbelieving. All they could see was bad news. But by Sunday evening, they were filled with joy and convinced of the good news. How do we account for the turnaround? Well, in this passage, Jesus does some things for them that change their lives forever.
Matthew
The Spiritual Power of It
May 4, 2014
Money is a frequent topic in the Bible, and a key indicator in our discipleship to Jesus. It reveals our core desires, and where our hope for fulfillment lies. When Jesus talks about money, he focuses on the heart.
John
The Light Shines in the Darkness
December 4, 2022
John tells us that the setting of the Christmas story is the world. And he wants us to see something very particular about the world: its darkness. When we think about Christmas, we like to think of brightness and light. But the story loses its meaning if we don’t consider the darkness.
1 Corinthians
Ordinary Church
April 16, 2023
After reading the extraordinary chapter 15 about the resurrection of Jesus and all its implications, chapter 16 seems so ordinary. And yet the ordinary life and ministry of the church is where the promises of the resurrection get lived out now.
Genesis
Marriage
June 18, 2023
What is marriage? How we answer that question matters, because there are many different views of marriage in our culture. Genesis tells us, like everything else in creation, marriage is from God. Marriage is created by God, marriage is defined by God, and marriage is a reflection of God.
1 Timothy
Contentment
May 11, 2014
Money is a frequent topic in the Bible, and a key indicator in our discipleship to Jesus. It reveals our core desires, and where our hope for fulfillment lies. When Jesus talks about money, he focuses on the heart.
Colossians
Christ-Centered Parenting
May 1, 2016
Jesus is supreme over everything and sufficient for anything. We experience his power and wisdom as we learn to seek him and walk in his ways.
Romans
The Law Can’t Change Us
October 22, 2023
Romans 7:12 says the law is holy, righteous, and good. But the law has no power to make me holy, righteous, and good because I have no ability to keep the law and no power over my own sin. The end of Romans 7 is the apostle Paul throwing up his hands and saying, “Why is it so hard to obey God?! If I’ve been made new in Christ, then why does it feel like I can never change?”
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.
1 Corinthians
True Spirituality
February 12, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming to have extraordinary spiritual gifts. They were positioning themselves as the “spiritual ones,” and everyone else was a second-class Christian. Paul corrects this thinking with the Corinthians and shows them (and us) the nature of true spirituality.
1 Corinthians
Glorify God in Your Body
October 16, 2022
In these verses, Paul is telling us (in no uncertain terms) that our bodies matter. God gives more dignity and significance to our bodies than we could ever imagine. If we really believed what God says about our bodies, sexual sin would be unthinkable to us!
James
The Sin of Presumption
January 1, 2023
God is often in the background of our lives and plans. We believe in him, but we live as though we don’t really need him. This feels normal to us, but it is laced with pride. James calls out the subtle pride and foolishness of presumption, and invites us to a life of humility and grace.