When we pray, we sometimes (maybe most times) expect God to give us exactly what we ask for and exactly when we ask for it. It is a hard lesson to learn, sometimes, that true prayer doesn’t work that way. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and facing a physical torture, death and separation from the Father while on the…

“I want people to like me. I want people to say nice things about me. I want to be accepted and popular. I don’t want people to say disparaging things about me.” This thought process is common to all of us. But we should be careful. Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their…

In Acts 2, Peter told individuals in Jerusalem, “Repent and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (2:38). But, then in Acts 8, Peter told someone else, “Repent…and pray to the Lord that…the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (8:22). Now, which one is it? Is someone supposed to “repent and be baptized” in…

Have you ever seen something that was just so full that it could not help but overflow? Sometimes while pouring a soda, the glass can become so full that the soda overflows the side. Sometimes the same thing can happen with a bowl (or bag) of popcorn. Could the same thing happen with a person? Perhaps you’ve seen it. A person can…

In the middle of the night, Jesus saw that His disciples, who were several miles out into the stormy sea, were “straining at rowing” (Mark 6:48). Matthew uses the word “wind” three times in his paragraph about this event. First, he records that when Jesus saw His friends from a distance, “the wind was contrary” (Matt. 14:24). Second, when Peter got out…

In this day and age, it is so easy to be rude (and not think anything it). That seems to be the default demeanor and routine reaction of so many folks. Brother and sister in Christ, we cannot afford to fall into that pattern of behavior. In “The Love Chapter” of First Corinthians 13, Paul states that “love… does not behave rudely”…

There is a certain “satisfaction” (shall we call it?) when one of our enemies falls into hard times or experiences some calamity in life. There is a sense in which we may think, “They had it coming! Serves them right!” But we need to be ever-so cautious. Read these words from Proverbs 24:17-18. “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do…

When Jesus was only 12 years old, his parents inadvertently left Him behind in Jerusalem as they began their journey home following Passover (Luke 2:41-44). Upon returning to the city, they found Him in the temple, “sitting” with the  teachers, “listening to them,” “asking them questions” and giving His own “understanding and answers” (2:46-47). When His mother came to Him, young Jesus…