Psalm 46:1-11 How God Helps You Overcome Fear History of this Psalm This hymn (A Mighty Fortress is Our God) is one of the most significant in church history. It was written by Martin Luther on his way to the Diet of Worms. He was invited to this meeting by the Holy Roman Emperor and the pope under the guise that they were interested in hearing his views that conflicted with the objectives of the religious establishment of his day.... Read more
Numbers 13:16-33 How to Overcome a Critical Spirit Near the end of C. S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” Aslan the Lion takes Lucy, Edmund, Peter and everyone to the New Narnia–to what we would call “heaven” or the New Creation. It is a place of astonishing light and beauty; a place where every blade of grass seems to mean more and where every creature sings for the sheer joy of the Creator. It is a place where everything is just... Read more
Christ is the Organ of Creation whom He appointed heir of all [things], through whom also He made the ages [fig., universe]; (Hebrews 1:2 ALT) The following post was inspired by a phrase in Way into the Holiest by F.B. Meyer. In Germany, there are many organs in older churches like the organ above. These pipe organs play very beautiful music. In order for the organ to be heard, there needs to be a player. An organist is a... Read more
Spiritual Light Therapy Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT) I was watching the news last week. There was a report about people who would attend light therapy sessions in coffee shops in Norway. Apparently, because there is very little light during the day, people become susceptable to depression more during... Read more
Romans 16:13 The Power of the Mom Influence Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. (Romans 16:13 NKJV) “An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.” – Spanish proverb “I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon “My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.”... Read more
1 Corinthians 4:14-21 Characteristics of a Good Christian Mentor The theme verse that describes Christian mentoring is in verse 15: For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. (1 Corinthians 4:15 NKJV) There are six characteristics of a good Christian mentor in these verses. These characteristics are necessary when a Christian takes the opportunity to disciple someone younger in the... Read more
John 20:17 Following in Your Father’s Footsteps Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” (John 20:17 ESV) Jesus describes after His resurrection the fact that He will return to His Father. He calls God His Father, but also our Father. It occurred to me that... Read more
Ruth 4:1-22 Legacy Christmas is about leaving a legacy. Let me define what I mean by the word legacy. One definition for legacy is this: Something handed down or inherited from generation to generation. Christmas is about what you hand down from one person to another. You leave a legacy for someone else to follow. In Ruth, we see a glmpse of legacy in three different ways. God left a legacy in His Son Jesus Christ. Now this is the... Read more
Ruth 3:1-18 – True Love INTRODUCTION: The Princess Bride – how I love this movie and I think it is the best story of all time. True Love In The Princess Bride, Westley is driven by one goal—to return to the love of his life, Buttercup. Westley does whatever it takes for his one “true love.” He scales mountains, fights giants, goes through extreme torture, and even dies – or at least he becomes half-dead. In one scene in the... Read more
Ruth 2:1-23 Romance The great German poet Goethe said of this book, “we have nothing so lovely in the whole range of epic and idyllic poetry.” Goethe thought Ruth was a romantic story. Many other people have commented on the beauty of the book of Ruth because it is a romantic story. Today we see parts of that romance as Ruth and Boaz meet for the first time. Even though they meet for the first time, they can teach singles... Read more
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