The Bible’s teaching about the triune nature of God is most clearly expressed in the New Testament (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14 for example). But there are strong hints of it in the Old Testament. These familiar words of the Aaronic Benediction are surely one example. Numbers 6:22-27 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak…

Reasons not to do the right thing are not only a dine a dozen, some actually may sound high-minded. Some will excuse their lack of love and good will for people because those people, in their minds, are not deserving. Jesus told a story about a priest and Levite who passed by on the other…

“The Word became flesh,” is a truth with profound meaning to me. God became real. And the implications of that for life, worship, mission, and discipleship are far reaching. Matthew 15:1-9 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they…

Some people become part of a fringe group because their cause is so outlandish or the prevailing social climate is so clearly opposed to their ideas. But there is another sort of fringe group. It is a self-imposed limitation that we see in this brief encounter recorded in Matthew 14. Matthew 14:34-36 And when they…

Our son had the privilege and challenge of being part of a minority group when he went to high school, where white students numbered less than 30 percent. He, however, had made very good black friends. One day he was being harassed by one of the members of the other group. He simply said, “Do…

Tom was never chosen first when he and his friends played sports; he was not athletic. Sometimes he was chosen last; often next-to-last. Always the team captain chose him reluctantly: “I guess we’ll take Tom.” Imagine how it feels to him today to be chosen early on – for anything! Jesus has chosen us by…

The Friendship Factor is a book by Alan Loy McGinnis. The tag expresses its theme: “At the heart of each relationship is the friendship factor–the essential ingredient of warmth and caring.” John 15:12-17 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this,…

Give glory to God: that’s our calling as God’s people. We are not made to stand alone, to do it according to our own standard, to fill our lives and hearts with things pleasing to the eye, good for fruit, and desirable for gaining wisdom (cf. Genesis 3:6). We are called to give glory to…

When I was a Boy Scout we employed the buddy system whenever we went swimming at summer camp. Each scout had a buddy – a fellow scout – and you would look for each other on occasion as you swam in the lake. They had it down to a science: every so often the leader…

When it comes to centering our hearts in any truth, and building our lives on any specific foundation, Jesus offers that center: “Abide in my love,” he says (v. 9). John 15:1-11 [Jesus says,] 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit…