Today’s text teaches us that as followers of Jesus, we are overcomers. This is pretty amazing since in this world there is so much difficulty to overcome. We face daily a...

In my younger years, I viewed the commands of God as burdensome. I thought of God’s law as an exhaustive list of spiritual “dos” and “don’ts,” of “shall nots” and “should...

In today’s Bible passage, we read Jesus’ words to his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (NIV). These words provide us an important lesson with deep spiritual...

Borrowing the language of social media, one might say that God has “friended” us. Jesus said it this way: “I no longer call you servants . . . Instead, I have...

The Greek word for the kind of love Jesus is speaking of here, agape, means “unconditional love.” It is the type of love that puts the needs of others ahead of...

It was an unusual visit, albeit a divinely orchestrated one. The Jewish apostle Peter had been invited to the home of a Gentile soldier named Cornelius. Certainly Peter has his reservations....

“Sing to the LORD . . . Shout for joy to the LORD . . . Make music to the LORD . . . ” (NIV). The psalmist implores us to...

Driving to work one morning, I listened to a song by a musician I like. A friend had recommended him to me, and I thought about how I might not have...

A character in one of my favorite western novels, Lonesome Dove, is so fond of a Latin dictum that he emblazons it, albeit somewhat incorrectly, on a sign. The phrase seems...

Growing up, I heard many sermons that focused on specific behaviors: what I should and shouldn’t do, with a heavy bent toward the “shouldn’t.” Each Sunday the preacher delivered his dire...