The Word for Everyday Disciples with Dave DeSelm

Sodom and its sister city, Gomorrah, controlled a lush, fertile valley through which the Jordan River ran.  These two population centers were the economic hub for everything at the south end of the valley.  The magnetic appeal of that – the culture and the wealth – was why Abraham’s nephew, Lot, chose that region when given the opportunity.  He not only moved into the city, he moved up in the city...

Three visitors came to Abraham. One of them was Yahweh Himself. After a dinner where a miraculous birth was promised, God brought His friend, Abraham, into His confidence. The outcry against the repulsive depravity of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had reached the point where God chose to step in. The time for judgment had come. These cities would be wiped out. Abraham’s response was not what yo...

Three visitors showed up at Abraham’s tent one day, and one of them….was God. The others are later identified as angels, but the Scripture makes clear, the One talking to Abraham was Yahweh Himself.   And He had an incredible message for Abraham and Sarah. In one year’s time, Sarah would have a son.  Is it any wonder that Sarah, eavesdropping from inside the tent laughed to herself? She was 90 yea...

It’s been 25 years since Abraham began his journey of trust by leaving his hometown of Ur. Over 10 years since the Lord had promised Abram many offspring. He is now 85 years old and Sarai, his wife, is 75…yet the promise of an heir was still unfulfilled. The Lord saw his friend struggling and He graciously appeared to him once again to offer him help and hope. He reassures Abram that he will indee...

Genesis 14 would make an exciting action movie. It contains all the elements necessary: a riveting plot, villains, a hero, strategy, swordplay, and acts of daring.   Abram’s nephew, Lot, who has moved into the city of Sodom, gets caught up in a retaliatory move made by a coalition of kings. Seeking to bring the rebellious Canaanite cities back into line, they invaded from the north, taking captive...

After Abraham settled in Canaan, God blessed him financially. The Bible says he was “very wealthy.” And he shared that abundance with his nephew, Lot. Each man’s flocks and herds multiplied to the point that the land could not sustain them all. Soon quarreling broke out between Abram’s herders and Lot’s.  So, Abram said to Lot, “Look, we’re family, so let’s stop this fighting. This is a big land w...

Self-protection is one of the strongest of human instincts and sometimes drives us to do foolish things. That’s exactly what happened to Abraham in his journey of learning to trust God. When Abram arrived in Canaan, he and his “tribe” lived in tents, raising sheep and goats for food, clothing, and trade. As such, they were constantly on the move to find new grazing land.  The time came, however, w...

Abraham’s journey of trust began in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. It was a city of great wealth and culture.  It was also a city of deep religion. The Chaldeans worshipped a pantheon of gods and the Bible reveals that Abraham’s father Terah was a worshiper of these idols.  It was here, in Ur, where God first called Abram (as he was then called). He c...

The extent that you trust God will be the key determiner for how you navigate your life. This is true no matter where you are along the spiritual spectrum – whether you’re a skeptic, a seeker, or a Christ-follower.  Since we don’t know what the future holds, nearly every decision we make is strongly influenced by what or who we trust.  In short, how you live will be determined by who and who much...

We don’t know a lot about the Magi. They were from the East, probably ancient Persia.  And they apparently had education, wealth, and status.     They had read the ancient writings of Israel about the arrival of a great king.  And when they saw a unique sign in the heavens, they were motivated enough to go looking for him. They spent a lot of time, effort, and money on this journey. Why?  Because...

Three times in the Christmas narrative, angels appear to people bringing what would seem to be news of hope and promise. But each time they begin their tidings with these words: Don’t be afraid. It happened to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds. So, for this Christmas message, I’d like us to consider each of these characters and ask these questions: 1.     What was it they might have been afrai...

Fear and worry are endemic in our culture. Whether it’s TV news, social media, our upbringing, or our genetics, it seems we are being conditioned to fear.  God knows what fear can cost a person and He wants us to live beyond it.  That’s why, more than any other single command in the Bible, God tells us to “Fear not.”  But for most people simply being told to not be afraid is not enough.  Informati...

There’s a particular phrase that’s repeated over and over again in the Christmas story.  It’s said to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds.  “Do not be afraid.”   I think a clear message was being sent to them, and to all people who were facing fearful circumstances: “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.  No matter how scary things may look, fear not.”   Fear is universal. Every one of us wrestle...

Psalm 121 begins, “I lift up my eyes…” A common expression in Hebrew Scriptures.  It means to notice something, to become aware of the possibilities, to have your attention grabbed. Sometimes it’s a good thing that gets our attention. But sometimes it’s a difficult thing.  In this case, it says “I lift my eyes to the hills.” Hills might seem like a good thing to you and me. But in the ancient worl...

The Apostle Paul knew full well the power that could be unleashed when someone determined to really pray. That’s why in Colossians 4, he exhorted those believers to become passionate, persistent pray-ers. “Devote yourselves to prayer (v.2),” he wrote.  Now, this wasn’t an exhortation from some ivory tower theologian.  Paul practiced what he preached. The Colossians had, in fact, been the beneficia...

I’d like to tell you about someone.  His name isn’t important.  His gender is irrelevant (in fact we don’t know whether this someone was a “he” or a “she”).  There’s no reason to think that this someone was a person of great significance.  The reason why this person is important isn’t because of who they were, but because of what they did. He went to Jesus on behalf of a sick friend.   John 11:3 (...

A young man once asked me, “ If believing in God is such a big deal to him, why doesn’t God make himself more obvious?” That’s a great question! You’d think that if God would part the heavens and reveal Himself with a thunderclap, knocking us to our knees, that even the harshest skeptic would become a believer.  But I don’t know that that would work. I think that over time, the shock would wear of...

As we wrestle with issues of Faith and Doubt, the question that all of us must answer is: Who is Jesus?  Is He who He said He is – the Son of God and Savior of the World?   The answer to that question rises and falls on one single event: the Resurrection.   Did Jesus, in fact, rise from the dead? Where does the evidence point?  The case for Jesus’ resurrection necessarily involves two steps: What...

For many people, in this age of pluralism and tolerance, that any single religion would lay claim to exclusively being the truth – well, that is...intolerable.  And it has resulted in deep doubts about Christianity.     “I can buy that there’s a God,” they say.  “But that there’s only one way to God or that Jesus is unique among all the religious leaders who’ve ever lived...well, that’s just too n...

The Old Testament character of Job has become the poster child for pain, loss, and suffering. But though we’ve heard of Job and have felt sorry for Job, very few of us have ever considered what experiencing all that hardship did for Job. The struggles he went through and the doubts he had to grapple with proved to be, in the end, a gift. Psalm 84:5-7 says:  “Blessed are those whose strength is in...

The Bible contains dramatic stories of times God would show up and reveal His glory to people. Often these events took place on mountaintops.  They were unforgettable moments!  But here’s the thing: God never lets them stay there.  He always asks them to leave the mountaintop – to leave that special moment and go down off the mountain – usually to do some difficult thing in the valley below. It’s...

We all live in the tension of faith and doubt. They are simply part of the human experience. But for some, that doubt goes to questioning the very existence of God. If that’s you, this talk is for you.  The Bible posits that God is...and that one of the primary evidences is creation itself.  That such a design points to a Designer.  Doubters, on the other hand, say, “The universe is nothing but me...

We all live in the tension of what we hope for and what we wonder about. Like the father in Mark 9, we too cry out, “I believe. Help me with my unbelief.”  As we walk this line between faith and doubt, let me offer a series of observations. Observation #1: Doubt is an inescapable part of the human condition. We’d like to think that we could get beyond doubt, but the fact is, there is no such thing...

In this series, our core text has been Ephesians 5:15-17. It says: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” From these verses, we discovered a great filter for decision-making. A simple three-word question that we could ask about any a...

In his book Mastering Your Money, Ron Blue points out that there are really only 5 things you can do with your money.  Spend it. Repay debt. Pay taxes. Save it. Give it. This is the order of priority most of us live by.  But Jesus offered an alternative priority system in Matthew 6:25-33. In these verses, it’s clear that Jesus knows we have needs and He promises to meet them. The problem isn’t our...