Even as believers in Christ, we are weak, broken, and inadequate for our responsibilities. We agree with Paul when he writes, “And who is adequate for these things” (2 Cor. 2:16)? Yet we do also affirm that Christ is adequate and He is sufficient for us. He will provide all we need in every circumstance. […]
Read More Christ, Our Provider“The Training of the Twelve” Pt. 1Luke 9:1-11December 14, 2025 It’s Christmas season. And there is a common question being asked these days: “Do we have enough?” E.g., Do we have enough food? Do we have enough cookies? Do we have enough gifts? Do we have enough decorations (lights on the house, tinsel on […]
Read More The Training of the Twelve, Pt. 1“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist and magician with the same delight.” [C. S. […]
Read More The Believer, Sin, Satan, Demons, and the Mind“The Tale of Two ‘Daughters’”Luke 8:40-56November 30, 2025 Pain is universal. Suffering is common. Illness, though frequent and normal, often surprises us. Death is one out of one. We recoil against all of these. And God uses pain, illness, and death to sanctify us. Samuel Rutherford wrote that believers should “praise God for the […]
Read More The Tale of Two “Daughters”“The Son of Man, Demons, and Rejection”Luke 8:26-39November 23, 2025 We have an enemy. He is intelligent — “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (Js. 2:18). He is strong — “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm […]
Read More The Son of Man, Demons, and Rejection“Jesus, in the Storms of Life”Luke 8:22-25November 2, 2025 Call it what you want — affliction, calamity, difficulty, disaster, disease, hardship, horror, illness/sickness, pain, persecution, suffering, tragedy, trial, trouble — life is filled with events and circumstances that seem contrary to us. It has always been that way, the Bible is filled with it: Murder […]
Read More Jesus, in the Storms of LifeYour Bible reading isn’t finished when you complete the reading you have chosen for the day. Bible reading is not just about reading the words in the section for that day. Bible reading is designed to change and transform us — we don’t just read the Bible, but we do what we read. We act on […]
Read More Don’t Just Read Your Bible“How is Your Hearing?” Pt. 2Luke 8:16-21October 26, 2025 I have some tools in my workshop and some more in our kitchen that need some attention: My air compressor hose has a leak at the joint where the tool connects. The tools still work, but while I’m working there is a constant sound of […]
Read More How is Your Hearing? Pt. 2Many people say they want to follow Jesus. They want to know the work of His kindness in their lives (like healings and feedings, Jn. 6:1ff). They want to know the wisdom from His teaching. They want unconditional love, acceptance, and affirmation. But do they want to follow Him everywhere He goes and do everything […]
Read More If anyone wants to follow Jesus…How many times as a parent of young children did I say, “Listen to me…Are you listening?…What did I say?” How many times as a student and an employee did my teacher or boss say, “Pay attention to this…you will need this in the future…Listen to me…watch what I’m doing…Do you understand?…What did I say/mean?…” […]
Read More “Listen Up”“How is Your Hearing?”Luke 8:4-15October 12, 2025 One of the phrases a parent uses most often is “listen to me…” Parents use that phrase with distracted three-year-olds and impatient 17-year-olds. They use it when they are teaching, when they are correcting, when they are encouraging, and when they are warning. It’s a useful, and well-used, […]
Read More How is Your Hearing?Scripture is filled with examples of God using ordinary means and ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. When He chose a man to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt, He chose a reluctant man with a stammering tongue (Ex. 4:10). When Jesus chose the 12, he chose a group of uneducated and overlooked […]
Read More Remarkable Ordinariness“The Kinds of People the Son of Man Saves and Uses”Luke 8:1-3September 28, 2025 One of my favorite sections in the Bible is Deuteronomy 7:7-8 — “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of […]
Read More The Kinds of People the Son of Man Saves and Uses“The Friend of Sinners”Luke 7:36-50September 21, 2025 The Bible is filled with deeply profound statements — life-changing statements. You know many of them and have been guided and helped by them. It is a temptation for us to say, “this is the most important statement in the Bible” or “this is the most important statement […]
Read More The Friend of SinnersDoubt is common. It always has been common. Too common. As far back as Genesis 3 and the rebellious sin of Adam to eat fruit forbidden by God, mankind has doubted God. Not every doubt is the same, but there are some common objections and complaints against God in our questions and doubts of Him. […]
Read More Some Questions Doubt Asks
Words of Grace 