Clearly the Gospel writer intends these words for the church and the broader Christian community. The first message to the church is that obedience indicates or reflects our love for Christ....

The writer offers in verse 18 the basis for all that follows in today’s passage—Christ’s suffering that led to resurrection and new life for us. Verses 19-20 lend themselves to varying...

In today’s verses the writer moves from husband and wife references in verses 1-7 and entire household references in verses 8-12 to the entire community. Verses 13-17 challenge readers to strive...

The psalmist affirms, through national and individual thanksgiving, God’s providential deliverance. Verses 1-7 call Israel to acknowledge God’s power in bringing the people out of Egypt; verses 8-12 call the “peoples”...

Paul in verse 29 offers a classic Jewish and Christian argument against the polytheism of that day. If we as humans are truly “God’s offspring,” then we shouldn’t think that gold,...

As I stood at the Acropolis and viewed the Parthenon and various crumbling edifices, I felt overwhelmed by the ruins and broken statues of gods and people. More than an ancient...

My mother repeatedly drove home to me as a child the importance of telling the truth. I have learned if I am not honest with myself or true to myself, then...

Two days ago I turned sixty-four. When I was twelve, my father died suddenly just weeks short of his sixty-fourth birthday. I am a break-the-cycle sort of guy. I have now...

Peter is the disciple who seems to be in the right place at the right time. On the seashore of Galilee, fisherman Simon, always ready for an adventure, hears the call...

Even the least Bible-literate people among us have some clue about David, to whom this psalm is attributed. We may recognize him through popular culture’s portrayal of the man in the...