Is it wrong to pray for justice? We know that God has promised to comfort His people and to deal out vengeance when Christ comes (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8; Revelation 21:4). We know He “will bring every act to judgement” at that point (Ecclesiastes 12:14; 1 Timothy 5:24, 25). We serve the God who said, “Vengeance … Continue reading Desire For Justice →

We tend to individualize the Christian life. At least, in Western cultures we see our faith as a very personal thing between ourselves and the Lord alone. Yet Scripture presents a very different picture. The next stanza of Psalm 119 testifies to this fact (vv. 73-80). Every single verse of this section describes some aspect … Continue reading We Need One Another →

It’s one of those Christian pet phrases we’ve all heard: “You’ve got to look at the context.” We hear that, smile, and go on. How much do the verses around a particular line really impact our understanding of it? While we mentally acknowledge the importance of context, we sometimes doubt whether it is all that … Continue reading Consider the Context →

There’s a lot of talk these days about self evaluation and life inventory. And that can be a good thing. Psalm 119:59 speaks of taking time to consider where we are at and where we are going. However, a lot of the talk today centers around self: making time for yourself and giving yourself room. … Continue reading The Lord Our “Portion” →

In our 21st century American context, it seems counter-cultural to call ourselves strangers, pilgrims, and sojourners. Even in the church, we’ve idolized the image of middle-class ease and comfortable lifestyle. And when difficulties, trials, and afflictions arise, we think something has gone wrong. Maybe we’ve done something to deserve this. Maybe we didn’t do something … Continue reading Comfort As We Journey →

When it comes to prayer, we can sometimes feel lost. Of course we have Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Matthew 6, but we often find ourselves nodding to Paul’s comment that “we do not know how to pray as we should” (Romans 8:26). Yet we should not throw up our hands in despair. God has … Continue reading A Guide to Prayer →

We all have bents—those things we find ourselves naturally thinking about or focusing on. For example, when someone says something that reminds me of a song, a lot of times it’s going to call to mind some bluegrass ballad or fiddle tune (my music playlist may be a little excessive). For others, they may have … Continue reading Center of Everything →

We all face struggles, difficulties, and even trials. In the midst of those times, we wonder like the old song, "Does Jesus Care?" We know He is there, but does He see us, feel our pain, and care about what we are facing? The Psalmist faced times of difficulty in his own life. He said, … Continue reading Yes, He Cares →

Being a stranger can be awkward. We don’t know the lingo, aren’t aware of all the traditions, and just simply don’t fit in. Perhaps we’re on an extended business trip, visiting another country, or moving to a different region. Whatever the case, there are times we find ourselves as strangers, and we long for a … Continue reading Our True Home →

We can easily find ourselves slipping into the trap of viewing God’s commandments as a mere list of restrictions we have to obey. The goal becomes not sinning, and we feel overwhelmed—and sometimes discouraged—by all we have to do and not do. Sure, we recognize we are saved by Christ alone, but we equate pleasing … Continue reading Our Highest Goal →