The Astounding Priority of Forgiveness
Teamwork can be one of the greatest joys of work. Yet, working with others can also be the source of considerable pain. If you are part of a close-knit team, it is almost inevitable that you will, at some point, hurt others and be hurt by them. Sometimes the injury is intentional, when, for example, someone chooses to stab a colleague in the back. But, often, we wound others quite unintentionally. And the same is true for times when they injure us. Thus, if we are going to work effectively in our teams, and if we’re going to have healthy relationships with our colleagues, then we need to learn to forgive and receive forgiveness in the context of our work.
Read Article
Praying and Believing
When we come across a verse like Mark 11:24, we can easily miss the point. Some Christians, who don’t pay attention to Jesus’s hyperbolic teaching style or broader biblical teaching on God’s nature, turn Mark 11:24 into a hard-and-fast rule for how to get what you want in prayer.
Read Article
Do You Hide in a Den of Robbers?
As I read Jeremiah 7 and Mark 11, I wonder if I sometimes hide in a “den of robbers.” Because I have a relationship with God through faith in Christ, do I let myself off the hook when it comes to living rightly?
Read Article
The Unexpected Jesus, Once Again
When we seek to take Jesus seriously, he does the unexpected.
In so many ways, Jesus overturns our expectations as he seeks to mold us and use us for his purposes.
Read Article
When God Doesn’t Live Up to Your Expectations
Has God ever failed to live up to your expectations? If you’ve been a Christian for a while, I expect your answer is “Yes.” Now, to be sure, sometimes we are reticent to admit it. And some of our Christian communities do not give us the freedom to be honest about our relationship with God. If we have to put on a good show of faith, we won’t admit our true feelings about God. But, in fact, the people of God have often and throughout history experienced God as falling short of what they had expected.
Read Article
What Would You Ask Jesus To Do For You?
Much to everyone’s surprise, Jesus called for Bartimaeus to be brought before him. Excited, Bartimaeus “jumped to his feet and came to Jesus” (10:50). But then Jesus asked a curious question, “What do you want me to do for you?” (10:51). Wasn’t it obvious? Couldn’t Jesus have figured out pretty quickly that Bartimaeus was blind and wanted to see? Why did Jesus want Bartimaeus to state his desire so obviously?
Read Article
A Prayer for All Occasions
This simple cry for mercy has inspired countless prayers during the last two millennia. In particular, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, one of the most common and influential prayers is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This so-called “Jesus Prayer,” which appears in a variety of forms, is spoken millions of times each day by believers throughout the world.
Read Article
Do You Pray with Boldness?
Do you ever speak to Jesus as Bartimaeus did? Are there times in your life when you cry out with boldness to the Lord, even desperation?
Read Article
The Shocking, Serving Son of Man
The one who seeks to be a great leader must become great in serving others.
Jesus offered an unexpected and potentially perplexing rationale for his vision of servant leadership.
Read Article
Servant Leadership Once Again
Three weeks ago, we encountered Jesus’s call to servanthood. As you may remember, in Mark 9 the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. In response, Jesus said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (9:35). In chapter 10, the disciples are once again seeking their own exaltation and Jesus is once again emphasizing the call to servanthood.
Read Article
Audacious Prayer
We live in a curious tension when it comes to the Lord. On the one hand, we rightly bow before him, offering ourselves in humble worship. On the other hand, we experience friendship with God that invites us to be completely honest with him.
Read Article
The Perplexing ROI for the Follower of Jesus
In Mark 10:25, Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. This distressed his disciples, who wondered who could be saved. When Jesus said that everything is possible with God, Peter wanted to make sure his place in the kingdom was secure. So he said, “We have left everything to follow you!” (10:28). Peter was probably hoping for a word of reassurance, something like, “Don’t worry, Peter, you’re in. You’ve earned your spot by your sacrifice.” But what he heard from Jesus must have been both comforting and perplexing.
Read Article
Hearing the Hard Word of Jesus
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and…
Read Article
Children Matter
In the kingdom of God, children are a priority, not a nuisance. Those who are powerless – children, widows, aliens, the poor – have God as their protector. Therefore, the citizens of God’s kingdom are called to exercise special care and concern for them. Children matter to the King of kings, and so they should matter to those of us who are his subjects.
Read Article
Marriage Matters
“What God has joined together, let no one separate.” I’ve repeated that line dozens of times as I’m getting ready to conclude a wedding. After this, I offer a benediction and then invite the new husband to kiss his new wife. They kiss, sometimes more than once these days and then everyone applauds.
Read Article