A treasure in a clay jar? That doesn’t make sense. Diamond rings come in velvet covered, hinged boxes. Savings bonds are stowed in bank vaults. Irreplaceable family pictures are beautifully framed and prominently displayed. Everyone knows that the more precious the item, the more expensive the packaging. And that’s why…

What sorts of trouble cause you to cry out to the Lord? After all, we can’t deny that sometimes our sin or the sin of other people causes us great pain. That was certainly the case with the men of Ezra’s time who married people who didn’t share their faith….

When things don’t go the way we think they should, it’s easy to blame God, isn’t it? That’s certainly what Naomi did at the end of chapter 1. She went so far as to change her name. Naomi means pleasant, and that certainly didn’t match the way she felt. Instead,…

What does it really mean to believe in Jesus? In today’s passage, the demons had no doubt about His identity. In verse 7, they rightly called Him “Son of the Most High God.” Moreover, they had absolute confidence in His power, acknowledging His ability to torment them (verse 7). They…

David was certainly no stranger to suffering, was he? Throughout his life, not only his military opponents but even members of his own family kept setting traps for him (verse 3) and persecuting him (verse 6). And let’s face it: the Son of David endured the same sort of suffering,…

A weaned child, no longer desiring to nurse, but simply resting quietly in his mother’s arms. Can anyone draw a better picture of contentment? But how can we adults possibly gain such peace? Well, the first verse lists some obvious pitfalls to avoid. Wearing ourselves out by working on impossible…

Bible Reading for June 6 – Psalm 77 What do we do when our most urgent prayers go unanswered? What do we do when God Himself seems so far away? EPC Teaching Elder Andrew Brunson was held in a Turkish prison for two years. All during that time, he prayed…

Christ is risen! That’s the wonderful truth we celebrate during this season of the year. But if Jesus really did walk out of that tomb on the third day after His death, that means He is not only the Savior of the world. He is also the “great King over…

“How can you tell when a politician is lying? When his lips are moving!” That’s meant to be a joke, but it wouldn’t be funny if there weren’t an element of truth in it. After all, when he was running for President, George H.W. Bush promised, “Read my lips: no…

What keeps you up at night? Do you wrestle with grief over lost loved ones or missed opportunities (verse 7)? Are you in pain, pining away from sickness or injury (verse 2)? Do you feel the guilt of things you’ve done or left undone (verse 1)? Are your problems so…