The work of Christ can and must heal our divisions. John Stott points out that a “homogeneous church is a defective church.” He concludes that we must work “penitently and perseveringly towards heterogeneity.”

Paul’s admonition in Romans 15: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not please ourselves.”

Even when we’re struggling in deep waters, God is there. The book of Psalms reminds and reassures us that this is true.

In the moment of glory we tend to forget the suffering. When the outcomes are unknown and the stress is high, we may be in a situation that requires getting back to the fundamentals of our faith.

It was the middle of the night, and my oldest daughter, a teenager at the time, woke me up distressed and confused. “Dad, I think there is a horse outside my window,” she said.

Paul lists several “big sins,” and most of us do pretty well avoiding them. But we may miss the positive command he adds to his instruction.

“Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God,” the psalmist prays. And nothing inspires silence like the dependable awe of a sunset or sunrise.

God told Moses to provide for those who killed someone accidentally. Does this speak to our own tendency to rush to judgment whenever someone is accused of wrong?

The guy crammed in the middle seat beside me was fully tattooed, looked like he could have picked me up and thrown me down the aisle, and wanted to talk.

Among men we wouldn’t want to imitate, possibly two women stand out in Matthew’s account of this Passover celebration.

In all the noise surrounding us, we hear many offering solutions to the problems of our hearts and situations. But there is only one source. And there is one sure way to find it.

Moses chronicled each stop and start on the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Likewise, we do well to mark where we began and where we’re going.

As he neared his crucifixion, Jesus told how his believers should respond after his resurrection. Since he prevailed against death, let us serve him with our life.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” The sentence is both comforting and strangely sobering.

We may think the Jews in the wilderness had a right to complain. But a closer look may leave us less convinced about ourselves.

Everyone makes lists. Making lists gets things done! But in today’s brief passage, the apostle presents lists that can make all the difference no matter what other tasks we’re planning.

‘The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’

These were the religious leaders of their day, but they couldn’t see the truth standing before them. Could it be that I sometimes miss something crucial, too?

Some remember long talks with their father. Other fathers were distant with few words. Scripture reminds fathers of their spiritual responsibility to their children.

As I think today about these questions in Matthew, I wonder if sometimes we read past some questions Jesus asked for the same reason the Pharisees did. We don’t want to think or act differently.