Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions (Luke 2:46, NLT). Jesus traveled with his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover. When his parents left, Jesus stayed behind. After a day of travel, thinking Jesus was walking with other relatives, they noticed […]
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The last verse of Psalms expresses the purpose of all 150 Psalms . . . Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6, ESV) The Psalms are meant to be sung, not read, as there is something about singing the Psalms that elevates the words from the page into salve for our souls.
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Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! (v. 2, ESV) The Psalms teach types of prayer for differing times during our day. Psalm 141 is an evening prayer. There is no better way to release the residue of frustration and even the stumbling of our
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Encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25b, NASB). Let me note that all discipleship, no matter if it is foundational or not, is better than no discipleship. But a friend recently said, “I can summarize the discipleship practices of most churches in two words.” Intrigued, I responded, “And
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As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God (1 Peter 4:10, NASB). I’m writing this Interruption to honor a local ministry leader in Springfield, Ohio. I considered entitling today’s blog, “The Guru of Panera,” but that sounds too New Age or the “Swami of
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This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place (Habakkuk 2:3, NLT). Wouldn’t it be nice, with the confusion of this election cycle, if God would send us a prophecy on how to vote?
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Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT). Years back, sitting at a conference about spiritual formation, discussing the topic of conflict, I heard the phrase “irreconcilable differences” for the first time. My first thought was that Christians should be able to work things
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Martin Luther had settled into a life as a theologian, monk, and priest when one day he read Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (ESV). At that time, he was a
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I’ve been writing about a Psalm on Saturday for a few years, and I’m almost finished writing an Interruption for every Psalm. Before I began writing on today’s Psalm 137, I noted that previously, I had written about Psalm 135, 136, and 138—while skipping Psalm 137. Why? Let’s consider the following verses . . .
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Whenever I read Hebrews 12, especially verse six, I think, “Ouch!” For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child (NLT). I enjoy the Biblical themes of joy, love, answered prayer, and God’s blessings, but I hesitate with God’s discipline. My attitude is, “Well, God, let’s get it over
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