Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
Romans 5:5 "Hope does not put us to shame." (ESV) What does that mean? Why should hope be shameful? I pondered this notion until I realized that it happens all the time. Social media posts about prayer become targets for ridicule. Hopeful people are sometimes treated like they don't know or don't care about human… Continue reading Grounded in love
Romans 5:4 So, since we have decided to choose joy in suffering (joy, not happiness) because we know it will lead to endurance, we still wonder, why? What is the point of endurance? Especially enduring suffering? Paul didn't stop with endurance through suffering; endurance also serves a purpose. Endurance produces character. Endurance makes us better… Continue reading Endure
Romans 5:2 We have peace with God because Jesus is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9.) What does this mean? It means we have ACCESS to grace and JOY in hope no matter what our circumstances may be. We stand on a foundation of salvation because Jesus did the… Continue reading By faith
Romans 5:1 We are justified by faith; Jesus did the work. What a beautiful reminder that we can rest in knowing our salvation is already worked out for us. In this ever changing world we can have peace with God, not by our own doing, but because Jesus did. Today is Labor Day. It is… Continue reading Justified
Psalm 119:161-168 Psalm 119:164 We are a people of checklists and boxes, aren't we? There's nothing like the feeling of striking through some task on paper. Even phone app lists give us that glorious feeling of accomplishment when we finish something. So, does the checklist life include our praise? I mean, the psalmist says "seven… Continue reading SIN and SHIN
Psalm 119:145-152 Psalm 119:145-152 Pandemic life keeps getting harder. What should be open? Do we send kids to school? Is this nagging cough allergies or Coronavirus? How long is this going to go on? It's hard enough it the daytime with incessant news and social media panic posting, but at least during the day there… Continue reading Qoph
Psalm 119:137-144 Psalm 119:141 The Grand Canyon is misnamed. Grand is an understatement. It's impossible to describe it adequately, especially since it's impossible to see all at once. You might capture the width of it from and airplane, but the depth is missing. You might view the breadth from one side to the other, but… Continue reading Tsadhe
Psalm 119: 121-128 What if 2020 is the year that God begins to judge whether or not we as believers truly long for His appearing? There is no question that the Church has been complicit (either by commission or omission) in some of the evils that pervade our culture. Perhaps not in this generation, but… Continue reading AYIN
Psalm 119:97-104 Why study scripture? Why does the psalmist say that he loves God's law and commandments? Why should we continually read and meditate on the Word of the Lord? We read, study, and meditate on God's Word because we live in a broken world where people do what is right in their own eyes.… Continue reading MEM
Lamentations 3 When times are hard, even the faithful suffer. As long as we are in this world, whatever disasters strike, from pandemics to wars to natural catastrophes, we can expect to endure along with all of humanity. The prophet in Lamentations (presumably Jeremiah) described his own suffering with the people under the Lord's judgement.… Continue reading This I call to mind
Defaulting to Grace 