Life This Side of Heaven

Stealing was as common in Paul’s day as it is today. Our sinful nature continually looks for what it hopes it can get away with.  And it’s easy to overlook all that’s included in the familiar commandment, “You Shall Not Steal.” But Paul’s words here in Ephesians are more than just a warning. They’re also a welcome and constructive reminder of how we may give thanks to God, our Savior, and serve ou...

The apostle Paul must have done some climbing as well as he uses this term, foothold, here in Ephesians.  However, he uses the term, not to point out an important help, but a hazard.

Here in Ephesians, Paul wants you to know about a piece of clothing that looks really good on you. It should, it was given to you by God.

There’s no denying that it’s exhilarating to see the high moments in the life of Elijah, but it’s useful to also witness this low point, when the prophet was at his weakest.

Here in Ephesians, Paul describes the real peril that we face as Christians if left untethered in a world of false teachers who purposefully, and deliberately, proclaim deceptive doctrine. What has God given, then, to protect us and safeguard the clear teaching of His Word?

God had promised His hungry people that He would rain down bread from heaven. When the Israelites looked outside in the morning, and saw what God had prepared for them, they asked, "What is it?" Moses then told them what it was and what to do with it. God has given us a miraculous meal in the Lord's Supper. And a good question to ask as, we go up to the altar to receive it is, is also this same qu...

The Israelites may well have felt forsaken by God as they languished in slavery in Egypt. Had He forgotten about them? There are times in our own lives where you and I might feel the same. Under the weight of our problems and the stress we face in this world we may wonder if God even hears our cries. He does. You can be sure of it. And here's where He shows it.

When God promised bread to his hungry people in the desert He responded with the remarkable promise to rain down bread from heaven. But this gift also came with instructions.

Have you ever been completely blind-sided by the unexpected? Have you ever found yourself thinking, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!” Moses and Aaron may have felt that way when they heard God's response to the people's grumbling shortly after receiving freedom from slavery in Egypt.

Do you ever find yourself longing for the good old days? Do you ever long for a time in your past when it seemed that life was better? It’s fun to think of time which was happy and stress-free – when life was better. But what could explain the grumbling of God’s people in the wilderness?

“If you’ve got your health you’ve got everything.” It's a familiar phrase. There’s no denying the importance of good health, and something our Lord invites us to include in our prayers, but it's not likely a phrase our Savior would use – at least not in the way that we might use it.

There’s a wonderful word that shows up repeatedly in the New Testament. In order to get the correct meaning in English we usually translate it as a phrase. It means, “take courage, take heart.” It was the first thing that Jesus said to the terrified disciples on the Sea of Galilee. But coupled with what follows, it's much more than simply a call stop trembling.

Despite how often we may hear something repeated, not everything is based on fact. However, here’s something that should spark our interest and really fire up our imagination. It’s not based on wishful thinking or science fiction. It’s based in God’s promise.

Over the generations, Hollywood studios have turned to ever-increasing and larger movie formats. The goal is to use widescreen presentation, with highest-resolution imagery, to give audiences the best possible picture. All of this sounds like this might have intrigued the apostle Paul.  Listen to his prayer here in Ephesians.

As a part of God’s creation, the rainbow was given to serve as a reminder of a gracious promise. But here’s the interesting part. Although we're blessed and comforted by it, the reminder isn’t actually meant for you and me.

Following the flood, God announced a gracious, one-sided, promise to Noah. Under no obligation to do this, why would He announce that He has bound Himself to this covenant?

By feeding the crowd, Jesus would have calmed people who were both anxious and hungry. He provided them with a meal that they would certainly savor.  And it would also put them in mind of God's mercies to them in past. Jesus, the Bread of Life, continues to do these things for you and me this very day.

I'll be the disciple were looking forward to the rest to which Jesus had invited them. Do you ever wonder if they might have groaned in disappointment when they saw the crowd waiting for them on the shore? Were their plans spoiled? Perhaps not. It might be worth a closer look at Jesus' invitation.

“Will the skyscrapers outlast the pyramids?” That was the provocative title of a BBC article a number of years ago. Okay, now to be interesting, let’s add a third category to that question.  What about God’s Church? It’s not as frivolous a question as it may sound.

Does God ever feel … far away? Does God seem distant from what’s taking place in your life right now? Does it seem as if He’s not hearing your prayers?

Grafting is an agricultural practice in which a shoot, or branch, is placed on another tree so that they may live together and grow. But can a graft bring life to a tree that is lifeless, to stump that is dead? God answers that question here in Jeremiah and tells us of the extraordinary Branch He promised which now brings life.

I’m sure most of you have seen the stirring pieces of artwork which depict a brave shepherd rescuing a sheep from on a dangerous, rocky precipice or caught in a patch of thorns. But how about a swimming pool?

The Lord bless you. Was God being sarcastic? Was He giving instructions to Moses on how to insult his fellow Israelites? Not hardly! However, it shouldn’t surprise us that the adversary wants us to take this incredible declaration of God's love, which bring such comfort, and turn it into an insult.

Peer pressure can lead us to do things we would never imagine.  In order to keep up appearances, we may allow ourselves to incur an awful debt. Herod Antipas soon discovered this. The remarkable thing is that John the Baptizer came to point Herod, and you and me, to the One who came to bring us out from under our debt of sin.

When Herod Antipas heard of Jesus, and the message of repentance He had given to the disciples to proclaim, it sounded eerily familiar. He mistakenly thought that John the Baptizer had been raised from the dead. He must have thought to himself, "This can't be good." After all, he had had John executed. However, here's the One who had come to take away our sins. He, too, would be executed. But for...