We can all relate to these two stories, can’t we? No, coins might not be worth as much as they used to, and most of us don’t measure our net worth in livestock, but all of us have things that are valuable to us. And all of us know what…

It’s hard for us to imagine how much the Ancient Jews despised tax collectors. It was bad enough to have a bunch of pagans like the Romans taking over and telling them what to do. It was worse to have to pay taxes to support the Roman soldiers who all…

How do you feel when someone you love breaks your heart? How do you feel when, in spite of your best efforts, he or she turns away from you, expressing love for someone else instead? As hard as it may be for us to believe, that’s how God feels when…

God’s grace isn’t just a New Testament idea. And it has always been necessary, even in Old Testament times. For when God told His priests to perform a series of animal sacrifices, they were always intended to point people to the greater sacrifice of Christ. Indeed, they were never able…

Can anyone be more helpless than a dead man? He can’t run away from danger. He can’t call out for help. He can’t even want to be helped. And once people are dead, there’s nothing their friends or family can do for them, either. Once the life has been removed…

What is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ? If you want a one verse summary, look no further than Mark 1:15. “The time is fulfilled.” This means of course that all the long years of waiting for God to keep His promises to His people are over, as…

What is the most important thing to you? Your career? Your connections? Your reputation? Paul had all of these things, before he became a Christian. But when Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, Paul’s whole world was turned upside down. After that, in verses 7 and…

The house I grew up in had been built in an old pecan grove, and we had seven mature trees in the yard. Every fall, we would gather up paper grocery sacks full of nuts, which mama would put into her pies, candies and cookies. It’s hard to beat the…

It’s one thing for Jesus to say that we need to consider Him as more important than our material possessions – after all, He gave them to all of us. But how can He mean what He says about our family members in today’s passage? Aren’t we supposed to love…

Name it and claim it. God wants you to be happy. That’s what the health and wealth gospel, the prosperity gospel says. And many preachers today have gained both fame and fortune from peddling the idea that material blessings are always a sign of God’s favor. Even the disciples in…