What are we to do with Nahum’s vision of an angry, avenging God? How does this fit in with the Scriptures that tell us God is love (I John 4:8)? Frankly, this contrast is such a big problem for some theologians that they go so far as to say that…

Bible Reading for August 1 – II Kings 20-21 So, why would Manasseh want to undo everything his father Hezekiah had done? Why would Manasseh embrace the worship of false gods that his father had so firmly rejected? Today, when young people are quite literally tearing down their ancestors’ heroes,…

In our increasingly polarized world, it’s easy to feel good about ourselves. We take pride in our beliefs and practices, even as we look down on those we consider to be deluded or even destructive. But Isaiah reminds us that God has little use for those who say “Keep to…

“Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). That’s what Jesus said in His hometown of Nazareth about the first few verses of Isaiah 61. And who wouldn’t be excited to hear such good news? As our own streets are filled with violence, and our hospitals are filled…

Who doesn’t want something for nothing? That’s what God promises at the beginning of Isaiah 55. And further on down in the chapter, we find out the details of God’s offer: an everlasting covenant with God Himself (55:3), including God’s compassion and pardon for our sins (55:7). So, why don’t…

If you had to look for a single place in the Bible that summarizes the entire gospel, this would be it. It includes the problem of human sin in Isaiah 53:6 – all of us have gone astray, turning aside from God’s perfect law of love and embracing our own…

A worldwide pandemic. Riots in the streets. And now a hurricane has flooded the Rio Grande Valley. Is there a stronghold of safety anywhere in this world? Is there a place of refuge? Not in the earth that quakes. Not in the seas that roar and foam. Not in the…

What does it really mean to worship something? The word comes from the same root as the word “worth.” So in its simplest form, whatever we value most highly, whatever we think is worth the most is what we worship. So, what means the most to you? What would you…

As we face riots in the streets, an invisible virus filling up our hospitals, and the possibility of tropical storms in the Gulf, the need for prayer has seldom been more obvious. But how should we pray in times like these, when we are clearly in way over our heads?…

You know, there’s always a measure of truth in every temptation. In fact, the most powerful temptations are to have something good but in the wrong way or at the wrong time. Sweet things like honey are indeed good for us (Proverbs 24:13), and give us a burst of energy…