READ: Psalm 71, Ezekiel 46-48, Mark 15, 1 Corinthians 6 GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY Every culture has blind spots. Some American Christians struggle to understand their European brothers and sisters who drink alcohol, don’t spank their kids, and vote for Socialist or Green party candidates. Some European Christians wonder how their American cousins can be […]
Region: Arab World
Abiding in Jesus: August 8
READ: Psalm 70, Ezekiel 43-45, Mark 14, 1 Corinthians 5 NOT EVERYTHING IS SACRED Democracy is a human idea, not a God idea. God is not an egalitarian–there is order in the Godhead; there is order in marriage; there are elders in heaven; and there are different rewards for different obedience. Humanity’s ideal view of justice […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 7
READ: Psalm 69, Ezekiel 40-42, Mark 13, 1 Corinthians 4 ENDURANCE IS WHAT WE DO In our family we have three simple rules for our boys: Love Jesus, Don’t Whine, and Don’t Quit. Implicit in the last two rules is the virtue of endurance. Though it is not often extolled as a virtue, to be Christian is […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 6
READ: Psalm 68, Ezekiel 37-39, Mark 12, 1 Corinthians 3 THE SPIRIT OF HOPE To live dead is to live in hope and to live very much alive. Those that die to self do so joyously for they believe that “captivity will [one day] be led captive” (Psalm 68:18). The second coming of Jesus is referred […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 5
READ: Psalm 67, Ezekiel 34-36, Mark 11, 1 Corinthians 2 THE INITIATIVE OF GOD Our Christian walk inevitably leads us through dry seasons. There are times when Jesus seems remote and we can tell that we are not as intimate with Him as we once were. We desire to abide in Him, to be renewed, to […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 4
READ: Psalm 66, Ezekiel 31-33, Mark 10, 1 Corinthians 1 NO EXCUSES It is noteworthy that one of the most well recognized passages of scripture concerning proclamation was written by a muted prophet. Ezekiel was stricken mute by the Lord, and while unable to speak, God reminds him that he is a watchman and that […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 3
READ: Psalm 65, Ezekiel 28-30, Mark 9, Romans 16 AUDIBLE ARROGANCE Arrogance tends to be verbalized. While it is true that we can retreat into a haughty and condescending silence, for the most part we unveil our arrogance by what we say about ourselves and others. Arrogance is but a manifestation of insecurity, for arrogance […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 2
READ: Psalm 64, Ezekiel 25-27, Mark 8, Romans 15 UNDERSTANDING THE WORD “Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) George Herbert considered the Bible to be the storehouse and magazine of life and comfort. Herbert said of the […]
Abiding in Jesus: August 1
READ: Psalm 63, Ezekiel 22-24, Mark 7, Romans 14 BETTER THAN LIFE The lovingkindness of Jesus is better than life (Psalm 63:3). The description of God’s thoughts and actions towards us (Hebrew = hessed) is so magnificent that it cannot be explained by one English word, nor can it be compared to what humanity considers most precious. The […]
Abiding in Jesus: July 31
READ: Psalm 62, Ezekiel 19-21, Mark 6, Romans 13 LOVE PAINS Love inflicts pain, even as it does no harm (Rom. 13:10). True love repeatedly disappoints, hurts, confronts, refuses, and disciplines. This is certainly how God has loved us, and we should not expect to love others without hurting them. Love hurts but does not […]
