The Old Testament clearly gave us the Law. But the strange thing is, we were never intended to live by the Law, but by the Spirit. So why did God give us the Law? Some say it revealed our need for grace, and that sounds true. But here’s the mystery: while revealing our need for […]
Psalm 95 was written for public worship in Israel, and its structure shows two distinct purposes: 1. Invitation to Joyful Worship (vv. 1–7a) The opening half is a processional hymn of praise. It calls God’s people to gather, sing, shout, kneel, and bow before the Lord. The psalm highlights: This part of the psalm was
Psalm 95: How To Sing For Joy To A God Who Is Disgusted? Read More »
When Paul urged Timothy to pray “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2), he was writing to believers who lived under hostile rule. Roman officials weren’t protecting Christians, they were often trying to erase them. Yet
How to Find Inner Quiet by Praying For Our Leaders Read More »
What happens when people trade the fountain of living waters for broken cisterns that cannot hold water? Jeremiah’s words still echo across time, calling us to examine where we have exchanged God’s abundance for emptiness. Whether we do this as a community, a church or as individuals, we all get off track from time to
In Luke 22:24–30, Jesus’ disciples are arguing. Not about theology. Not about miracles. They’re debating who’s the greatest. We tend to roll our eyes and think, “How immature. They’re just being petty.” But maybe they weren’t. After all, they’d spent years with Jesus. They had seen him call on different people for different moments. Peter
In Luke 4 when Jesus reads Isaiah 61 in Nazareth and says “Today this is fulfilled,” he confronts our desire for glory without a cross. Isaiah’s promise isn’t favoritism; it’s about taking on a life of justice, loving neighbor, and embarrassingly foolish mercy that God causes to spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61 in
Beauty for Ashes: How Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 Meet in Jesus…and in Us Read More »
Isaiah 5:1–7 paints a vivid picture: God as a vineyard owner who pours time, care, and love into planting, protecting, and nurturing His vineyard only to find it producing wild, bitter grapes. At first glance, this reads like a story of disappointment turning into judgment. God expected sweetness and found bitterness, so He removes the
When God’s Love Feels Like Withholding: God the King vs God the Father Read More »
Evil and corruption seem to be the result of chaos and chaos brings more evil and corruption. On the other hand, goodness seems to be the result of order and order seems to lead the way to more goodness. Order Leads To Disorder Isaiah opens his prophetic book with a blunt truth: God’s people have
Order from Chaos: God’s Way of Making All Things New Read More »
Is it all really vanity? It could be but it doesn’t have to be. Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven;
Jesus had a way of cutting straight through the noise. In Luke 12:13–21, someone from the crowd asks Jesus to intervene in a family dispute over an inheritance. Sounds reasonable, right? But Jesus doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he warns everyone listening: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not
