Life This Side of Heaven

In Psalm 116, the psalmist asks, "What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?" That's a question you and I face as well. What is the best way to worship and give thanks to God for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that He has given to us in His Son? His answer may surprise you.

It shouldn’t surprise us to know that we aren’t the first people to be humbled when they gazed up at the night sky. Looking up at those very same stars, David marveled at God's creation in Psalm 8. But the words of God, that Isaiah shares in this text, is something that really takes your breath away.

Have you ever watched the sport of rowing? In American colleges and universities it’s sometimes referred to as “crew.” And it’s at this time of the year that you may see teams out for practice on rivers. If you listen carefully, Paul's encouragement to the church at Philippi to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" sounds a lot like the encouragement and instructions that...

Why does God have us wait? Having heard the good news of our salvation, that God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west by His Son’s death for us on the cross, and having been called to faith by the Gospel, wouldn’t the best thing that could possibly happen next - be to close our eyes and be with Him in heaven?

Do you feel bound? Have advancing years and failing health made you a shut-in? Are you off your feet and recovering from surgery? Are you doing fine, but staying close to home this year because of Covid? Are you cut-off from family and friends? You may not be in chains but you may feel a little fettered like Paul. You and I can take a cue from the apostle and take a closer look at the opportunitie...

God isn’t fair. Well, He isn’t … at least not the way you and I think of fair. And that's good!

In Psalm 143 David prayed words that any hiker might appreciate. He said, “May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” However, David explains what he means. He begins by saying, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.”

As the apostle instructed weak Christians not to judge their brothers on practices which are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture, and as he admonished those who were strong in their faith not to look down upon those who were still learning the distinction, he shared a familiar phrase from God’s Word in Isaiah. He said, “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee wil...

In John Donne’s famous prose from 1624, the writer says that now famous line: “No man is an island.” Donne may have been familiar with the words which the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write here in Romans. In this passage, God’s Word reminds us that, as God's redeemed children, we are connected to one another in Christ. The apostle writes, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies...

When you and I suffer injury and injustice it hurts. It’s frustrating when we’re powerless to anything do about it. Have you ever scratched you head and wondered why God doesn’t seem to see it and deal with it? You're not alone. Jacob's son, Joseph, may have had these same questions in Genesis.

Jesus explained to Peter that since there’s no limit to the mercy that God has given to you and me there should be no limit on the mercy we share with one another. But in order to show what that looks like, Jesus shared a startling parable with the disciples.

Peter asked our Savior, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" He may have felt that was quite extravagant. Instead of the usual three times, which some felt was the limit, Peter doubled it and threw in one more for good measure. However, what our Savior said next must have really left the disciple with his jaw wide open.

Have you ever smiled when passing a white wooden chapel on the prairies and thought it was quaint? Have you ever found yourself lowering your voice to a whisper and standing in awe inside a large cathedral? The one thing they have in common is that Jesus reminds us – whether the group of God’s people that’s gathered to worship in His name is large or small – He is there.

When dealing with a brother who is fallen into open sin, and refuses to listen to the call to repent from you, and from the family of faith, Jesus says, "treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” That may sound as if Jesus is saying to “treat him like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoes.” But that’s not what He’s saying at all. What He is saying may surprise you.

God’s love is so great, so untiring and so persistent that He relentlessly pursues His wandering sheep to rescue them from death. God calls you and me to take note of those in our midst who have wandered off, who have become lost, with a similar single-minded desire to see them reunited.

At first, our Savior’s words here in Matthew sound jarring and unwelcome. It sounds like He’s talking about radical surgery, one of those operations with a name than ends in “ectomy”. Our first instinct is to clasp our hands over our ears and not hear another word. But consider carefully what our Savior is telling us here in Matthew.

When Jesus settled the disciples' dispute, of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, it's unlikely that the child He called to stand in their midst was wearing his Sunday best. And, if you notice, Jesus didn’t ask someone to first scrub down their child, spruce him up, and bring them to Him for this object lesson.

Jesus explained to the disciples that He would soon be going to the cross to accomplish our amazing rescue from sin and death. You would think that this would have consumed all their thoughts and every bit of their conversation. However, as Mark tells us, not only was their own greatness a topic for conversation, it was something that they even argued about it with each other. And yet, before we s...

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Have you ever heard the phrase? Putting it bluntly, it’s important to be clear who is leading, who is following, and who should stand aside. But it's not up for question when it comes to faith. When Peter heard that Jesus would dies on the cross, he told Him, "“Never, Lord! … This shall never happen to you!” His response made it clear: He leads, we follow, Sa...

When you and I have suffered an injustice, there’s a real urge to want to strike back. Our hearts fill with rage and indignation. And it’s usually at that time when we’re not using our best judgement. Before anger gets the better of us, Paul reminds us in Romans to stop and think first. Then he suggests doing something completely unexpected.

It’s easy to rejoice with someone else if you have both received good news. It’s also not hard to imagine shedding tears with others who are suffering the same loss. But it may not be as easy when your situations are different. And yet, in love, God enables us to sincerely "rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn."

“Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance.” During the current pandemic we’ve learned well these three new phrases. Now hear the apostle's threefold reminder in Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Here are words recorded by inspiration of God for you and me to hear at precisely a time like this.

In Romans, Paul says, “Love must be sincere.” Literally, in the original Greek, it reads, “Love without hypocrisy.” Hypocrisy is all about giving a false appearance of virtue or goodness. It’s all for show. So, what does sincere love look like?

If you were at a party, where the house you were in was on fire, would you want to know? It might be disappointing to hear that if you continued carrying on as if nothing’s going on you would probably perish.

In Matthew, shortly after Peter’s confession of faith, Jesus gave authority to forgive and retain sins. He gave instruction that the sins of penitent sinners, sinners who are sorry for their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, are to be forgiven. In fact, He gave authority to announce God’s full and free pardon.