Life This Side of Heaven

A number of years ago, a coffee company came up with a catchy slogan to describe the process it uses to select its coffee beans. Interestedly, it sounded a lot like a familiar phrase that Jesus used in Matthew where He says, "For many are called, but few are chosen." However, these similar sounding phrases are actually quite different - and you can be glad that they are!

Do you ever wish you could have got in on the ground floor, and bought stock in of one of today’s major companies? It's a popular dream and it even shows up as a theme in movies. You can't help but wonder, “What would it be like today, if I knew then, what I know now?” Isaiah answers that question with respect to something far greater than the stock market. (R)

When Paul invites us to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable," it's soothing get away from the bad news that surrounds us, take a walk, and enjoy the changing color of the leaves - at least for a little while. However, while that’s true for you and me, it certainly wasn’t the case for Paul in pris...

Do you want to know a secret? As soon as we hear that word it peaks our interest. The apostle has the inside scoop and we want to know what it is. In these verses he shares with us the secret of being content. However, in our culture of short soundbites, it’s easy to hear this verse and quickly assume we’ve heard his secret before he reveals what it actually is. (R)

Matthew records an interesting parable that Jesus shared on Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus described wicked tenants who tried to seize the vineyard as their own. When the master of the house sent out servants to collect his portion of the crop, these tenants beat them, stoned them and killed them. Knowing full well that this same reception awaited whomever he sent next, have you ever scratched your h...

In Philippians, despite the trying circumstances he was facing in which it would appear that he had lost everything, Paul wants his readers to know that he actually has everything. 

What does it take to restore a vineyard? It's an undertaking, and investment, that is bigger than most people imagine. In Scripture, God describes the undertaking, and investment, that went into restoring you and me to everlasting life. And through faith you can be sure that it's an investment that God made for you, in love, when He sent His Son.

Entropy. Do remember hearing that term back in school when you were sitting in science class? It refers to the idea that unless outside energy is provided, everything in the universe moves from order to disorder. What’s true for physics and chemistry also seems to describe what we see and experience in our culture each day. However, this is the result of sin. You and I have a Savior who, through H...

As trappers in the past discovered, there is a peril that can easily befall a bear hunter – and that’s the danger of being caught in your own trap. The chief priests and the elders of the people discovered this when they tried to set a trap for Jesus. Folks still try the same thing today. However, by God's grace, we have a Savior who has pried apart even the jaws of death and brought us life and f...

Have you ever found yourself playing the “Blame Game”? That’s the game which  begins when someone blunders or makes a bad decision. Someone makes a bad decision or fails and the game is underway. Then everyone points there finger at each other as they try to avoid the blame and pin it on someone else. Sound familiar? In the Blame Game everyone loses. But in love, God shows us instead how to taste...

Believe it or not, it’s now less than ninety days until Christmas. Of course, if you’ve been out shopping, you already know that. Side-by-side in the stores are the skulls and skeleton decorations for Halloween with trees and tinsel for December! We live in a culture which is obsessed with candy and toys. However, while we may scoff at all this it may actually cloud our understanding of God’s grac...

You can’t take it with you. Have you ever heard that phrase? It’s an encouragement for folks to enjoy their money or possessions today because you can’t take any of them with you when you die. For you and me it means taking another look at what we consider to be precious in this life. That's what Paul did. And he discovered something you and I CAN take with us!

The call to repentance is not simply a warning to turn away from sin.  It’s also a joyful invitation to turn to God and His merciful love. And the best part of all? God's mercy isn't hard to find. God Himself has made sure of it.

It’s not hard to tell what was on Peter’s mind when he asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” Like us, he wondered how often we should forgive someone when they sin against us. And at what point do we say, “That’s it!  No more!

Today, it’s become common to hear believers say, “You don’t have to belong to a church family to be a believer.”  It has become tempting for Christians to want to ‘go it alone.’ But the apostle reminds us that Jesus has called us into community with one another in His body, the Church. In fact, he tells us that we belong to God – and to each other.

After everything that Joseph endured at the hands of his brothers, it’s small wonder that they were terrified when the came face-to-face with him again years later. They naturally assumed, “It’s payback time!” However, what followed left them surprised, relieved and in tears. It was “payback time,” but of a very different nature. Episode artwork courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org Used by permission.

If attendance was down at church last week, you may have looked around, shrugged your shoulders and given this this bit of encouragement:  “Well, as Jesus says, ‘Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.’” Although we often quote this verse when thinking about worship, it actually about more than that. It's a remarkable promise from our Savior, a much-needed encouragement...

The governing authorities.  Just mere mention of the words ‘politician,’ or ‘government,’ these days results in high blood pressure, red faces, grinding teeth, and simmering anger. And folks tend to ask, “Can things get any worse?” In Paul's day, the leader of the empire was Nero! So, how can he, here in Romans, describe the governing authorities as "God's servants"?

There's a commercial on TV for a pet food company that makes you laugh. However, it also makes you squirm when we realize how often it sounds like us a Christ's disciples. The disciples argued amongst themselves as to who was the best and even who was to be considered the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Thankfully, we have a Savior who rescues us from this preoccupation by giving us a better pe...

“Taste death.” Isn’t that a remarkable phrase? It’s one that our Savior used here following Peter’s remarkable confession of faith. But it came after Jesus needed to rebuke His disciple when he refused to hear what came next. He couldn’t comprehend how the Christ, the Son of the living God, would have to die on a cross? He couldn’t understand why Jesus would want to “taste death.”

Here in Romans, Paul provides insight on how to deal with wounds. There is no shortage of occasions in life when someone will hurt us. Harsh words spoken in anger, or as gossip, can cut deep. Things that people do to us can leave lasting scars. The emotional pain that comes with it can linger for years. Just being reminded of them can be like adding salt to the wound. So how do you and I deal with...

Job once used this image of an undependable water source to describe his unhelpful friends. Now Jeremiah hurled this same complaint before God! At this point, you can’t help but think, “Excuse me, Jeremiah. I think I’m going to stand over there before the lighting strikes!” The prophet tell us what led him to his hurt and mistaken confusion. However, take a look at what happened next.

When Andrew introduced his brother to our Savior, John tells Jesus gave his brother the name Cephas, which when translated means "Peter." Peter is a great name. It means “rock.” And on this day, here in Matthew, we can understand why.

Here in Romans, Paul addressed the congregation about a something that concerns all Christians.  He addressed them individually – about individualism. Surrounded by a competitive culture which makes each person the center of their own universe, the temptation was to lose sight of their mutual connections. Sound familiar?

For the folks of Israel, living in exile in Babylon, it must have seemed as if all was lost.  The Temple was destroyed, and the people themselves had be carried off. It was a dark and bleak time for the people as they struggled to see what was next on the horizon. In their sin, they had forgotten the important role He had given to them of being a beacon of light for the nations. But God reminded t...