Monday Moments

Sheep need a shepherd. It's plain and simple. We don't always like to admit that we need someone to "be the boss" other than ourselves, however. As we continue our series studying Psalm 23 and looking at Jesus as our Shepherd, we find that Jesus is truly the GOOD Shepherd, not just a hired hand. Looking at it further, though, reveals the connection between what we see in our wo...

Metaphors are used throughout Scripture. Whether it's in poetry or parables, the Bible uses metaphor to link two concepts together in order to paint a picture for us. In Psalm 23, David uses the metaphor of the sheep and the shepherd to describe our relationship with the Lord. It is a beautiful and profound way to depict this relationship that is full of nuance. So why use sheep as the metaph...

Throughout the years, we have toiled and worked ourselves to exhaustion, gaining what we thought would bring meaning and satisfaction. All the while we missed what, or rather Who, would give real rest to our souls. Whether it's emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual exhaustion, we all come to that place where we feel burnt out. And even though it began in the Old Testament, Sabbath is stil...

How do you define "prosperity?" Is it a well diversified portfolio of assets? Is it money in the bank? Is it the relationships you have and maintain? Or is it something else entirely? When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave them wealth beyond imagination literally overnight. In a span of a few hours they went from being slaves to some of the richest people of the day simply...

Let's be honest. The Bible is an ancient text written in multiple languages, in multiple styles, by multiple authors. It tells one big story, but it's not the easiest to understand. With the information age in which we live, it's so much easier to glean from others. The inherent danger, however, is to begin to replace our own exploration of the Bible and in turn our relationship wit...

The temple and priests are central elements of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. These elements didn't just vanish when the new covenant in Jesus came about, however. They are both still very real and important elements of our identity in Christ. Instead of a physical building, the Bible says that our bodies are "living temples," or dwelling places, for God. He lives withi...

Almost every church you visit has some form of singing or music as part of its service. The music may look, sound, or even feel different, but it's almost always there. Where did that idea come from? Is that something new, or has it always been part of man's relationship towards God? We see worship throughout Scripture from different people in different circumstances. What may surprise o...

To some, baptism is part of the faith that has never been up for debate. For some, it's a completely new concept. For others, it's been brought to the table as to whether or not it's relevant or even essential. Throughout the Bible we see baptism being used as a way to illustrate God's great rescue plan - bringing order out of chaos, raising what once was dead back to life. It&...

As we continue our discovery of the process of becoming fruitful for God's Kingdom, we looked at the central role suffering plays. We looked at the life of Job, and this time we are talking about Joseph. Like so many others in the Bible, Joseph's life was riddled with trouble and suffering, but God caused all that happened to Joseph to work for his good. That's the way it is with ou...

We know that in this life, we will have trouble. The Bible is clear about that. What's not always clear is why we have trouble or what God is doing or where God even is in the middle of our trouble. We have lots of knowledge or Bible verses to recite to others who are going through trouble, but when we are in the throws of a struggle ourselves, the rubber really meets the road and it's e...

Defining the Gospel sounds like it would be a no-brainer. It's often trickier than we expect it to be, though. We tend to equate "The Gospel" with "Salvation." While salvation is certainly part of the Gospel, it's not the sole aspect. Christ's coming, death, and resurrection brought so much more to the story, that is yet to be finished by the way, than we realize...

It's no coincidence that Jesus spent time with people around a table. He also used the table as imagery in His parables. In addition to all that, the people with whom Jesus ate was a constant source of contention amongst the religious community. Needless to say, sharing a table is something of significant importance to God. It also becomes a point of concern amongst ourselves as well. It soun...

When something is built to a basic level of function, you might be tempted to think it's good enough. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unfortunately that mindset can carry over into our spiritual lives as well which, in turn, affects our day-to-day living. It's true that when furniture is built well and functioning as it should, it has a certain amount of value. The...

The Bible is very clear. God gave us gifts, and He gave them to us to be used. It all starts by finding out what your gifts are. After that, it's important to talk about the intended context in which your gifts were designed to be used. Outside of that context, our gifts are weak, at best, or useless at worst. What does that context look like? That's what we're talking about in this...

As we talk more about God's purpose for our lives, we can't ignore His divine process. It typically involves two things: molding and anointing. We usually love the anointing part. That part is exciting. The molding, however, is the less fun part.  Like a piece of wood that needs to bend, it needs to be heated up in a dark, cramped space before it can be shaped into its intended design. O...

Why is our purpose a topic we talk about? Why is it even in the Bible? Perhaps it's because we all wrestle with the question, "Why on Earth am I here," or because God wants to bring us back to His original design, or it's some combination of everything. Whatever the reason, the Bible has a lot to say about our divine purpose. That's all well and good, but the process of di...

To some, the Bible is just another good book, but they may not see it as THE good book. For others, the Bible is part of their lives. They read it. They study it. But they often stop there. For us, the Bible is not meant to be an endpoint but a means to an end, and that end is a relationship with Jesus. Without a proper view of that goal, it's easy to see why reading the Bible can become a te...

When you hear the term "the glory of God," it's easy to default to the big, showy, types of displays. You might think of miracles and healings, or you might think about the times that God's presence manifested itself in the Old Testament such as pillars of fire, whirlwinds, earthquakes, floods, etc. Moses was someone who had seen all of those things. Despite that, he still aske...

Hope is universal to human existence. We all hope for things, whether it be a positive outcome to a situation or business deal, a shift in our finances, a promotion in a career, a spouse, a family member, or any other number of things. What sets biblical hope apart from optimism, however, is that biblical hope is based on a person, not circumstances. When we base our hope on a situation, it's...

The best stories contain conflict and resolution. Without conflict, the resolution doesn't hold any emotional weight. When we identify with the characters and their struggles throughout their journey, however, the resolution is richly celebrated. It's the same with the Bible. What may seem like a collection of separate stories is, actually, one continuous story with a thread running thro...

Jesus did and said many things that went right over people's heads. Despite their best efforts, they just didn't get it. They completely missed the bigger picture Jesus was trying to get them to see. Hindsight may be 20/20 as they say, but the truth is that we often miss the same things. We try to solve problems with human solutions. We are averse to our need for a savior. We try to forc...

Jesus came to save us. That's first and foremost. He came to set us free and restore our broken relationship with God the Father. In this way, Jesus was reestablishing God's Kingdom on Earth. That was just the beginning, though. Before He ascended, He told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them to be His witnesses. What we read about in the following pages are all the...

Jesus was with the disciples for three years. He died and rose again. He breathed on them the breath of life, which was the Holy Spirit. Even after that, Jesus told them to wait for something more, a gift from the Father. It would be so good that it was better for them that Jesus left. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit would not come. There has been perhaps little else in all church history, however, tha...

Jonah is most well known for being swallowed by a fish and, well, "deposited" back onto dry land. His story is much more than that, however. It's a picture of God's consistent character throughout history despite man's brokenness and flaws. It's a story of God's mercy coming to a people who did not deserve it. These people were enemies of God, much like the Bible...

It's easy to think that if we do enough "good deeds," go to church, say the right things, or just in general "be a good person," we'll get into heaven. We find in Scripture, however, that's just not the case. Jesus had a conversation with one of the leading religious leaders of his day. This teacher knew all the right information and had done all the right things...