In Mark 14:36, Jesus prays, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” This prayer shows us both Jesus’ relational intimacy with God (calling him “Abba,” which quite literally means something like “Father” or “Daddy”) and his submission to the Father’s authority and will. In this example we learn two things: prayer to the Father should always be respectful but need not be formal. I grew... Read more

Prayer. Does just reading that word make you feel at least a little bit guilty? Talking about our prayer life often makes us feel scrutinized or nervous. We’re easily embarrassed to talk about it, or apologetic for it. Some of us don’t know how to pray, or we don’t pray enough, or we only pray at the last minute when it’s some kind of emergency. I can’t remember ever meeting anyone who thought they prayed often enough, earnest enough or... Read more

When a massive earthquake devastated Haiti some years ago, I was on the ground shortly thereafter as chaos reigned and decomposing bodies filled the streets. Driving around with two seminary professors with doctorates from very conservative American schools that don’t even much believe in supernatural miracles continuing today, I was shocked when they casually began speaking about the zombie problem in Haiti. Apparently, it was a reality they had dealt with on multiple occasions in their pastoral ministry. What I learned... Read more

Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” So Saul said to... Read more

A woman in her twenties who is stuck in her Christian life came up to me recently and basically said, “Jesus was and is God. I am not God. So, how can I possibly live a life like Jesus?” This is a great question. I will answer it with two points that I hope are helpful and insightful. Jesus was humble on the earth. Jesus is God come in the flesh (John 1:14). We must be careful to confess that... Read more

“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:28 Salvation costs you nothing, but discipleship will cost you everything. Salvation occurs in a moment. Discipleship takes a lifetime. Salvation is something that God does for you. Discipleship is something you do with God. Sadly, many only preach a life of decision, not a life of discipleship. The result is that when... Read more

“. . . in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” 1 Peter 3:19 Considering there are nearly 180 different interpretations of 1 Peter 3:18–20, we can confidently say this passages is one of the most difficult in the entire Bible. Even Martin Luther was confounded by this passage, saying, “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty... Read more

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” John 1:18 John 1:1–18 is often referred to as the Gospel of John’s prologue, his introductory remarks that set up the entirety of his letter. D. A. Carson put it this way, it’s a “foyer to the rest of the fourth Gospel . . . simultaneously drawing the reader in and introducing the major themes.” Within these introductory remarks, John... Read more

I don’t know how my mom and dad did it. I was the oldest of five kids. We all played sports. I played regular season and tournament baseball during all my years growing up, and in various seasons I also played soccer, football, and basketball (which I was no good at). My two brothers and two sisters played sports as well. My dad coached our baseball teams, and my mom kept score for more games than I can count. Today,... Read more

When tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread after a 40-day fast in the wilderness, Jesus responded by saying simply and profoundly, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Paul, when writing to his protégé, Timothy, writes that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be... Read more