The Unsheathed Sword

…and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 (Phillips Translation)

This phrase caught my attention in Phillips Translation of Ephesians.

Our Choice: Tragedy or Victory?

The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.

Psalm 16:4

We know these words to be true not only because they are in the Word of God, but because we have each lived them in our individual lives. We have not…

The One God Honors

Humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 15:33b

We can more easily see this in others than ourselves — a reality we should work to reverse. A most important spiritual trait is a bent toward self-examination rather than toward the examination of…

Recreate Us!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The world earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:1–2

Lent: Confronting Worldliness

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires…

Waiting for God’s Timing

“Go sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Genesis 16:2

Waiting on the Lord requires not just patience with events — if that was all that was required, apathy might also…

How to Endure in Service

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Who is God to you?

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Exodus 3:13

The Rule of the Spirit

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.

Romans 7:18

We may argue that Paul has overstated his case, that something good lies in us, that we are not completely bad…

Following Christ in Your Circumstances

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

John 21:22

We cannot choose the circumstances of our obedience, only that we will be obedient regardless…

Are We Humble Enough to Believe?

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.

1 John 2:19

God has moved in history and those who would know Him must come to Him through what He has done in our world. Christianity is not a mere philosophy…

Living in God’s Favor

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness.

Nahum 1:7–8

Loving as Christ Loved

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

In my devotional book for Lent, A Journey to the Cross, I sought to explain the meaning of this beatitude. In order to be a peacemaker in the sense that…

Walking in Love

…walk in the way of love…”

Ephesians 5:2

I do not ordinarily post a devotional on Saturday but this is Lent and I have been more diligent about my devotional life this season; I have given longer times for prayer, meditation, and devotion.

On the North Side

In the lee of a ridge line,

On the north side of a nameless rise,

The mound rose in gentle slope,

A steady ascent from valley to crest,

Our Redeemer is Strong

Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Hosts is his name.

Jeremiah 50:34

We are quick to forget the power of God. The world often seems as though it is omnipotent, giving us the impression that our future sits in the hands of…

The Way Back to Him

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalm 80:7

The name “God of Hosts” is found just nine times in the Bible. However, its corollary, “LORD of Hosts” is found over 240 times. In the Hebrew it is “Lord…

Growing Each Day in Grace

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was…

Is Forgiveness Possible?

…Unless you forgive your brother from the heart.

Matthew 18:35

We too easily assume complete forgiveness of another is impossible, so we accept our enslavement to the pain they have caused, because forgiveness is just so impractical…

Our Equality before God

Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all

Proverbs 22:2

We mistakenly assume there are great divisions between classes of people, imagining such things as that the rich live on a significantly better level…

In Whose Image Are We Cast?

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Luke 17:33

A long observed fact of human existence is that the un-given self is the unfulfilled self. No one can be said to be truly alive…

God’s Promises Shape Our Lives

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Genesis 28:15