Amazed by unbelief

It is not for lack of evidence that belief that people don’t believe in Christ. They do not believe in spite of the evidence that they are given. As one writer has noted, “What a man does not want to believe, he can find a way to deny.” Unbelief has always been a common response […]

A full basket of provision

Ministry can be relentlessly busy. There are days when you just want to stop. You don’t want to leave Christ or quit your ministry; you just want a break from the pace. The disciples certainly knew that desire. You can almost read it between the lines of their complaints in Matthew 14. The opposition to […]

Jesus and the demoniac

Jesus demonstrated His supreme power over nature in the stilling of the storm (Mk. 4:35-41), and immediately after crossing the lake to the other side, he is confronted by a powerful demoniac (Mk. 5:1ff). We know he is powerful because the man has lost complete control over his senses, as evidenced by his lack of […]

A psalm of the cross

Psalm 22 is familiar to many readers not so much for the psalm itself, but for how Christ and the New Testament writers used this psalm. Spurgeon calls it “The Psalm of the Cross,” writing, “It is the photograph of our Lord’s saddest hours, the record of his dying words, the lachrymatory of his last […]

Understanding Christ’s Parables

In Mark 4 (the parallel passage of Mt. 13 and Luke 8) Jesus begins teaching in parables, starting with perhaps the most well-known parable, the parable of the soils. Yet as He taught, the disciples were confused (v. 10; cf. also Mt. 13:10; Lk. 8:9) — why was He changing His method of teaching, and […]

A brief lesson about demons

In Luke 8, Jesus confronts the demoniac known as Legion. And in a spectacular demonstration of His power, and with something of a sense of irony, Jesus sends the demons into a herd of pigs, who then rush over a cliff to a watery grave. Yet in this story, some basic realities about demons are […]

Listen up!

Two weeks after she was born, we discovered our daughter had a hearing loss. Within three months, she was wearing two hearing aids. And since that time, we have always been grateful for every word she has heard and every sound she has been able to make (she’s now in high school and has played […]

The compassion of Christ

A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead the indications of civilization in a culture. He thought that she might reply with something like a clay pot or a fish hook or a grinding stone. Instead, he was surprised by her answer, “a healed femur.” Mead explained to the young student that no healed femurs are […]

Hope for the weary

A few years ago a motorcycle police officer noticed a vehicle that appeared to be dragging something behind it. As he drew closer and then began to pass the car, he saw that the something was a basset hound at the end of a leash that was caught in the car door. He said of […]

The benefits of Scripture

Most decisions we make are run through the benefits grid, as in, “what’s in it for me?” Or, “how will this help me?” If you are offered a new job, an early question is, “what’s the benefits package?” When you consider a change in diet or exercise, you want to know, “how will this help […]

Do not fear

The first day of any new task inevitably arrives with a certain level of tension, anxiety, apprehension, or even fear, along with excitement and anticipation. So many school-age children have trouble eating the first day of each school year. And the first day of a new job, and the first day of marriage, and the […]

He’s about forgiveness

Some things never change. Ask the bystander on the street (or in the mall) about Jesus and it might be said that He was a wise teacher, or an inspiring model to follow, or a moderate political activist, or a social reformer, or a compassionate servant and healer. But few will address the reason Christ […]

The miracles are not about the miracles

In Matthew 9, the writer records five healings or miracles of Jesus: the healing of the paralytic man the healing of the hemorrhaging woman the raising of the official’s daughter from the dead the healing of the two blind men the casting out of the demon from the mute man Additionally, Matthew notes that “Jesus […]

Seeking Christ’s righteousness

We utter the words of Matthew 6:33 quite easily — “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” But what does seeking the righteousness of Christ mean? Is this an opportunity for chest-thumping legalists to rejoice in their accomplishments? No. “The righteousness we are to seek has […]

A reluctant Giver?

A few years ago I was encouraged to ask someone for a favor — “Ask him…I really think he’d be willing to help you.” I was uncertain. The favor I was asking was not insignificant and while this man was well-known to my friend, I did not know him at all. Why would he take […]