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.
Mark
His Message and His Method
September 15, 2024
As Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, Mark immediately shows us the message of Jesus and the method of Jesus. And both of those things are more radical than they seem on the surface.
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Mark
The Beginning of the Gospel
September 8, 2024
Mark begins the story of Jesus in the wilderness. He is preparing us for a new exodus and a new covenant. If you want to see the real Jesus, you gotta go into the wilderness. It is a place of redemption, repentance, and renewed sonship.
Philippians
A Vision for Change
September 1, 2024
We all desire to change. And yet, true and lasting change can be quite difficult to achieve. What we need is a biblical understanding of how change works, which is exactly what we find in Philippians 2.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Mark
His Message and His Method
September 15, 2024
As Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, Mark immediately shows us the message of Jesus and the method of Jesus. And both of those things are more radical than they seem on the surface.
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.
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.
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.
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
Enduring Faithfulness
May 26, 2024
The church in Philadelphia is described as having "but little power." And yet, out of all these seven churches, it is this weak and vulnerable church that is held up as the one that is loved by Christ. This letter to the church in Philadelphia teaches us an important lesson about what God values in the lives of his people.