[[Note: This post contains affiliate links.]] I don’t speak about him as often as I should. He casts a big shadow, and most of the time, I’d rather just hide there, ducking away from daylight. But he doesn’t want that. He’s never wanted that. So, let me tell you about my elder brother. He’s kind. […]
The image of Moses that’s lodged in my mind is a great, gray-bearded, mystical looking fellow, a man who gathered in a God-tent regularly to hold divine discourse, emerging from the entrance with a glowing disposition. Moses, for me, is a man of intimidating spiritual stature, one whose communion with God seems almost unparalleled. Another […]
I was creating some teaching materials last week and came across a beautiful passage from a 17th century preacher, Charles Herle. In this passage (Contemplations and Devotions, pp. 1-4 ), he weaves connections among sweat, blood, the first and second Adam, and two gardens (Eden and Gethsemane). Adam Christ In Eden, sold God’s grace for […]
[[Note: This post contains affiliate links.]] I certainly don’t think this would come naturally in a mud pit, or in a slave trade, or in a prison cell. Yet, we’re told consistently in Genesis that God was “with” Joseph (Gen. 38:2; 39:21, 23) in his darkest hours. It doesn’t say, however, that Joseph felt God’s presence. It […]
In my personal devotions, I’ve been reading through the book of Job. It’s one of my favorites, though most people I’ve talked to feel less enthusiastic. A man smote by Satan (with God’s permission), left naked, diseased, and surrounded by character-jabbing friends? Who would want to read that? Sure, Job is restored in the end. […]
The chaos of daily distractions always presents us with a chance to re-examine what we’re about. Are we busy with the “right” things? Is our attention pulled in too many different directions? (Usually the case for me.) Are we aware of our priorities, and are we living in light of them? Big questions like these […]
I just had my eyes dilated last week for my routine eye exam. It’s always a strange experience. Dilation takes a door of perception (your pupils) and forces it to swing wide on its hinges. Your pupils expand, letting in more light. And then when you walk outside, the sun can feel assaulting. That’s not […]
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from […]
In my devotions this week, I came across Matthew 9:10-13. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” […]