Are we willing to let our desires, our passions, our definitions of what is right truly die? According to Jesus, that is the path to both eternal life and receiving honor from our Heavenly Father.

On any given day, I suspect all of these roles are still being played out everywhere that Jesus is extending his kingdom.

“O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.” The apostle tells us how God will answer the prayer of Phillips Brooks.

Everyone admires the lofty spires and beautiful cut glass windows of a magnificent mansion. But how often do we thank the engineer and architect for its most important part, the part we cannot see?

If I don’t check myself, my stress robs me of considering all the things God has done for us and given to us.

As I think about the growing problem of hunger in the world today, I think of two stories, two questions, and the answer I must give.

Do we wait in suspense for Jesus because we’re worried about how well and how often he will deliver on our requests?

Even if we are so wise we don’t need an advocate when we go before a judge here on earth, it is extremely important not to go before the eternal Judge without an advocate.

Despite the time, energy, and money we give to choosing and announcing names, this only hints at why God thinks your name is important.

In today’s chaotic days, people are looking for someone to shepherd us to a peaceful and prosperous future. The same was true in the time of the ancient prophets.

The Pharisees saw themselves as the protectors of the flock offering access to the safety of the Father’s protection. But Jesus affirmed then—and now—that he is the only way.

The need to belong is as universal as all humankind and as timeless as all of history. And the little epistle of 1 John tells us how to meet it.

Peter’s concern wasn’t that we might physically trip due to temporary instability. His concern was that in every age there will be false teachers who twist doctrines to fit their preferences.

Many people quote the Bible, even when they don’t realize it. But the truth that will set us free may not match the “truth” they want when they quote one verse.

The ways we vary can hardly be counted: age, gender, cultural, community, race, and more. But the one we worship and the mission we share all center around just one name.

The apostle John gives us a hint in the fourth Gospel of the attempts and desires of some religious leaders who simply wanted the teaching of Jesus to go away.

Jesus’ offer of living water is for far more than parched lips. And we can be carriers of this blessing to our world today.

We remember the hymns because they remind us of what Jeremiah knew: God is the only anchor steadfast and sure in troubled times.

1 Peter 2:1-12 has been a theme passage for my life. Here Peter tells us that we are “like living stones being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

What God told Jeremiah to do didn’t make sense. How God asked Jeremiah to move forward seemed far too difficult. But he obeyed, just as we can.