In Three Things About Sin, the prescription for sin is to deal with the temptation before it gives way to sin. It’s like getting a vaccine; preparing now to avoid a bigger problem later. The Bible teaches us three things about temptation; they’re in the form of promises that we can claim and rely on. […]
Today’s passage: Matthew 16:21–28, Mark 8:31–38, Luke 9:21–26, and John 12:23–26 Focus verse: Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem . . . be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21) We open our Lenten devotional with Jesus predicting his death. This is key. It confirms that […]
James Offers a Solution to Those Who Face Disappointment with Their Life I like the words of James in the Bible. His concise writing packs a lot of practical teaching into five succinct chapters. In chapter four he opens with a string of negative outcomes that often plague people. He lists fights, quarrels, envy, covetousness, […]
Our Spiritual Leaders May Fail Us and Let Us Down but Jesus Never Will Relevant magazine cited a Gallup poll that revealed America’s trust in the clergy has hit a record low. And it’s fallen steadily since 2002. In the early 80s two thirds of people respected spiritual leaders. Now only a bit more than […]
When Satan Tempts Jesus and He Quotes Scripture Satan was unsuccessful in preventing Jesus’s birth and he was unsuccessful in causing Jesus to die prematurely before he could start his mission. For the enemy’s next ploy to thwart God’s plan to reconcile us to him, Satan tries to tempt Jesus into taking a shortcut: an […]
The book of Genesis in the Bible gives a concise three-point teaching about sin. This was written about Cain, but equally applies to us so that we can know about sin. 1. Sin Is Crouching at Our Door The word “crouch” reminds me of a cat getting ready to pounce on its prey. The situation […]
The Bible says that when we are tempted to do wrong, God will provide a way out so that we can avoid it. That is an encouraging promise, but does that really mean that every time—or just some of the time? I think it is every time—really, I do. The challenge is to be able […]