Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered…
As a little child, I remember going to the doctor on the odd occasions when I fell ill. The doctor would ask me what was wrong with me, but before I could give him any kind of answer, he'd tell me to stick my tongue out! It didn't take long for me to realize that he didn't really care what…
Obedience is a word that not many like. It conjures images of subservience that makes people squirm, even if the subservience is to God. Yet, obedience is a critical element of the Christian journey, because it is inextricably linked to faith. Faith without obedience is like a cart with an unharnessed horse; it won't take you further than where you…
Once, when Jesus was preaching to the crowds, he told them a story of a rich man who had a terrific crop one year. Rather than be happy with the blessings he had received, the man began to worry about where he was going to store all the grain he had just reaped. After much thought he decided to tear…
Graham Staines was a Christian missionary from Australia who worked with lepers in Orissa, a city in the North of India. Early one morning as he slept in his Jeep with his sons, Phillip, 9, and Timothy, 6, a group of anti-Christian militants surrounded the vehicle and set it on fire, burning the man and his two children alive. Less…
King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled the New Babylonian empire, was the most powerful monarch of his dynasty. In 586 B.C. his army invaded Judah. They conquered the land, devastated Jerusalem, looted and burned the original temple that had been built by Solomon, and took several people into captivity. Among the prisoners was a young teenage boy whose name was Daniel. Soon…
The devil's greatest feat has been making most of the world believe that he doesn't exist. His second greatest feat has been making the rest of us terrified of him. I bought into both myths. I didn't believe he was real for close to twenty five years. And I got very scared of him — for all of a week.…
People believe that God has changed. They believe that from the stern, wrathful God that he was in the Old Testament, he has somehow transformed himself into a loving and merciful God in the New; immensely patient with his errant children, waiting with open arms to embrace them, and ready to forgive them anything they might do. This myth, like…
One of the most dangerous myths that we have bought into - and one that is probably the most debilitating to our growth as Christians - is the myth that we, who have been baptized in Christ, remain constrained to sin. Not only is this view far from correct, it is also heretical, because it implies that Jesus's death and…
I was recently asked by a dear friend if I ever had any feelings of animosity toward anyone anymore, the questioner seeming to presume that the rather disciplined spiritual life I seemed to lead placed me beyond all negative emotion. It is an understandable presumption, because those who walk with God carry about them a cloak of tranquility that suggests…
Soon after my conversion [see The Return of the Prodigal] I looked for role models and guides that I could follow, but was unable to find any that I found satisfactory. I have never been the sort to compromise on standards and I discovered that most leaders - even highly "anointed" ones - fell far short of my expectations. I…
Over the past three years I have come across many people in ministry who appear to have lost their way completely (and going by the actions of some of them, their minds too!). I found myself wondering how men who were apparently so blessed when they began working for God could lose the special anointing they seemed to have and…
There once lived a very beautiful woman who made her living by prostituting herself. Though she was tyrannized by a harsh and cruel pimp and often sought to break free from the bondage that he held her in, there was a part of her that quite enjoyed the vulgar depravity of her life. One day, as fate would have it,…
Alexander the Great was a mighty Grecian warrior who conquered most of the world as it was known at his time. After Alexander's death at the rather young age of 30, his vast empire was parcelled out among his generals. Many of them and their successors were tolerant of the Israelites, allowing them to practice their religion, but there were…
David was the second king of Israel, following Saul to the throne. As a young lad, he became beloved of the people when he defeated the giant Goliath and put the entire Philistine army to flight. After he became king, he continued to impress people with varied exploits and might very well have gone down as the greatest ruler in…
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside still waters;he restores my soul.He leads me in right pathsfor his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I fear no evil;for you are with me;your rod and your staff—they comfort me.You prepare a table before mein the presence of…
I love the Old Testament. The stories are wonderful, and the reason I enjoy them so much is because I don't see history being reported in them; I see the present. I don't see them as stories about the Israelites or the Egyptians or the Babylonians; I see them as being stories about us. I see in them our obstinacy.…
Most casual readers of the Bible believe that the God of the Old Testament was a stern, unmerciful God subject to outbursts of great wrath which he ruthlessly poured upon the people. Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth. The Old Testament is replete with stories of God's mercy and how he forgave men their errant ways time and…
I find it difficult to condemn Judas. It would mean condemning all of us; we are so much like him. Judas followed Jesus like the other apostles did. I imagine he did the best he could to live up to the teachings of his master, going as far as his strength and his insight could take him. But at the…
I have loved you, says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord. Yet I have loved Jacob but I have hated Esau; I have made his hill country a desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals. (Malachi 1:2-3) One of the most puzzling statements in the Bible is…