One of the major themes of Jesus’ teaching, as well as the rest of Scripture, is the sharp distinction between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. You either belong to the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. Your values are informed either by the world or by the truths of […]
What are we to do when faced with trials, suffering, hardship, sickness, or death? How are we to respond when God’s timing and purposes seem to be the complete opposite of what we expect from him? The interweaving stories of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood both point us to our compassionate Savior and what it […]
In preparing the way for the Messiah, John the Baptist made known that God’s judgment on the unrepentant was imminent. He had proclaimed: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17). Yet when Jesus finally came, he came […]
For the unbeliever, the truth of God’s omniscience and omnipresence is a terrifying reality. There is no word, no deed, no thought, nor hidden motive of the heart that is not completely exposed before our all-knowing God; “no creature is hidden from his sight” (Heb. 4:13). And if we dare attempt to flee from the presence of […]
In contrast to the worthless idols that fill the land, the Psalmist declares that God alone is in the heavens. He is the only God worthy of all our praise, our adoration, our fear, and our trust. But what assurance do we have that this Sovereign God – ruling and reigning in the heavens, doing all that he […]
Though surrounded by the enemies of our God, nations hostile to his sovereign rule, and spiritual forces of evil within and without, we nevertheless rest in God’s infinite wisdom, perfect justice, unchanging character: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps. 115:3). We trust that his purposes will be accomplished and that his kingdom […]
In proclaiming to the known world the inexhaustible and unsearchable riches of Christ Jesus in the wondrous mystery of the gospel, the Apostle Paul served an extraordinary purpose. His calling, to be a minister of the good news, was “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known . . […]
As Christians, how are we to handle fear, anxiety, and doubt? In a world where evil often appears to triumph, where pain and loss are common realities, how are we to deal with feelings of worry and uncertainty, our fear of death and suffering? The Psalmist provides an answer to this question by providing us with two […]
The Psalms of lament are a wonderful source of encouragement, relief, and hope for those enduring times of affliction. They have often served as the prayers of the saints throughout the centuries.Though both Psalm 42 and 43 are full of questions, grief, and doubt, and though our souls are often downcast and surrounded by the storms of turmoil […]
