Pat Benatar sang, "love is a battlefield." OK. But I think life is a battlefield. The pressures, the attacks, the deadlines, the struggles: they feel like war. Bullets flying, missiles…
I have many friends in Christ who, growing up, had terrible families. It has always fascinated me how they gravitate to their new family in Christ with such appreciation. For…
Unless we give our lives to a cause greater than ourselves, and unless we pour into the lives of others, we will suffer an inevitable and gradual shift into self-introspection,…
Plague after plague rained down on Egypt. God made it obvious; He was the God of the Hebrews. His judgment released upon the Egyptian gods and their worshipers and the…
The slave ship pulled from the shore. Lives shattered. Families broken apart. Dreams crushed. The abhorrent possession of human flesh. (1 Minute/250 Words)
When God looks at His people, He often sees things we cannot see in ourselves. Through a lens of grace, God knows His children. He looked with grace upon many…
Have you ever seen those UFC advertisements where they put the pictures of the two fighters next to each other? Sometimes they have their fists up like they're ready to…
Hebrews addressed believers who were losing their place of privilege in society. They'd begun to experience mistreatment for their connection to Jesus. Like Moses, they were driven from a comfortable…
Jairus was desperate. His little girl, only twelve years old, lay sick at the point of death. He heard Jesus had arrived on his shore, so he pushed through the…
Here we are. 2020 is here. And with the new decade and year come fresh opportunities. I believe God is doing great things, and I feel so fortunate to be…
A Pharaoh arose who didn't remember Joseph and didn't favor the people of Israel. The years ticked by, and the small family of Jacob had grown 2-3 million strong. Fearing…
Songs instead of sorrow. Praise instead of pouting. Paul and Silas were men who, when in the dungeon, would cry out to the living God. They set their minds on…
Christmas is a time of giving, and it should be, for it was at the first Christmas a Son was given. Notice the angel's word to Joseph regarding Mary, "She…
Ancient Israelites didn't have a romanticized view of shepherds. Their life was not glamorized or coveted. But someone had to do the job, and outside of Bethlehem during the year…
He was loved and favored by his father. Everyone knew it. Younger than the rest, his dad gave him a coat of many colors. It implied, "Joseph is in charge.…
The prayer of Psalm 60 is for restoration. The people, due to a long period breaking God's covenant and commands, were experiencing the consequences of their sin. (2 Minutes/400 Words)
The author to the Hebrews knew a Christian life mixed with even the lightest persecution would be difficult. He imagined his audience, outcast Jewish Christians, no longer accepted in their…
The author of Hebrews longed for his readers to live by faith. As Jewish people who'd received Jesus as Messiah-Christ, they were in for ostracization and persecution. The church community…
We praise Abraham for his faith in God. We don't call him the father of faith for nothing. And, as the author to the Hebrews tried to urge his readers…
Temptation breathed down his neck. Satan himself pummelled Jesus with despairing thoughts, trying to move the Christ to error. In the wilderness, dry and breaking, Jesus stood alone under the…
In the middle of this great chapter on faith, the author of Hebrews pauses to give a recap. He has already covered creation, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. He…
"Sarah herself received power to conceive." It is an exhilarating statement. In her old age, Abraham's wife received God's power for the impossible by faith. She came to trust God,…
Would you like to experience God's everywhere-blessing upon your life? Would you like to have His blessing within your soul and on your relationships? Would you like to see Him…
Abraham was the hero of Israel, so his inclusion in the Hebrews 11 chapter on faith was vital to the original Hebrew readers. By the time of Christ, many thought…
Paul was thankful for the Philippian church. Their faith was real; it had resounded throughout their region. They loved Jesus, and their lives reflected His holiness. They were genuinely progressing…
I'd get it if Noah objected. He didn't live near a large body of water. The earth likely hadn't produced any rain by the time he came around. We'd understand…
The next character in our Hebrews 11 list of faith-walkers was a mysterious man named Enoch. Enoch was the seventh from Adam and, due to the long lifespans of the…
In moving through these songs of ascents, one can imagine the pilgrim. He has sung various songs, traveled along the path, and has approached Jerusalem. He is starting now to…
In his treatise on faith, the author of Hebrews will dissect the outworkings of faith in Old Testament characters. After detailing the creation account (Hebrews 11:3), he moved to his…