We are not used to hearing these kinds of words. Doom and gloom, judgment and punishment are not the inspiring words we prefer to hear from scripture. You may be wondering,...

Paul prays for more fruit and growth among the Colossians. Specifically, Paul prays that the Colossians will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, grounded in spiritual wisdom and understanding....

The apostle Paul had never met the Christians in Colossae when he wrote to them. His friend Epaphras had visited their city in Asia Minor and told the Colossians about the...

Sometimes the lawyer in this story irritates me. Luke 10:25 says that the lawyer wants to test Jesus, and verse 29 describes the lawyer’s desire to justify himself. I want to...

Jesus was a master teacher. In this passage, he uses the classic teaching device of answering a question with another question. This incident occurs when a lawyer wants to test Jesus....

I was in midlife before I realized that God’s judgment could be good news. God’s judgment will be righteous and based on truth. We don’t have to worry that God will...

The writer of Psalm 82, named as Asaph at the beginning of the psalm, opens with a picture of God presiding over the council of judgment. Asaph brings his complaint to...

When I was fifteen years old and disillusioned with church, God spoke to me through Mount Rainier. The mountain seemed to be saying, “There’s more to life than what you can...

In an earlier part of Luke, Jesus sent out believers to heal, but they came back discouraged. This passage has a positive result and is likely less familiar. Maybe that is...

As Jesus prepared to go on a preaching tour, he sent seventy followers out before him. They were sent in both vulnerability and power, and Jesus explained the risks. He spoke...