Thirsting Souls

In John 10, Jesus not-so-subtly veils a jab at the Pharisees for how they are false shepherds. Using two metaphors, Jesus contrasts Himself from these false shepherds who steal life from the sheep whereas the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Judges 6 introduces the same cycle of rebellion and oppression as the rest of the book, and we expect God to immediately save His people when they cry out to Him. However, GOd first sends a prophet to condemn them rather than a judge to deliver them. Gideon heard the prophet's preaching, and his responses to the Angel of the Lord echo the words of the prophet. Even as Gideon makes excuses, we see...

Many things in life are entirely unavoidable, but human nature is to attempt to avoid them anyway. In Matthew 2, two groups attempt to avoid the unavoidable King, but an unlikely group chooses a different option—to adore Him.

Revelation 3:1-6 holds a haunting reality. Your spiritual life can be in grave danger, and you can be totally unaware. At that moment, you are in a state of spiritual stupor, and Christ condemns this state as He addresses the church in Sardis.

Do you ever feel ashamed of the gospel or simply fearful to share it? In Romans 1:15-18, Paul reminds the church that the very nature of the gospel should embolden us to proclaim because it evidences God's power to save anyone and apply the righteousness of Christ that transforms a person's life.

Hebrews 4:14-16

The Christian life resembles an unconquerable marathon. There are twists and bends, uphill climbs, and deep valleys that all pressure the Christian to give up hope. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul writes to his young protege to teach him there are three ways to run this race, but only two of them receive eternal rewards.

Revelation 5:8-14 depicts a glorious worship scene that continually broadens until every living thing is involved in worshipping the Son. Creation's worship of the Son condemns weak and shallow worship and demands that you deepen your worship.

How can we avoid worthless worship? Let's take a lesson from the priests in Malachi 1

How do we combat unbelief and discontentment at the root?

Christians often face a cycle of ups and downs in their spiritual lives. One moment they are growing by leaps and bounds, and in an instant, they feel despair overtaking their lives. I think of these two phases as the way up and the way down. Today we look at the way down and how devastating of a cycle it truly is.

In 2 Corinthians 2:5-13, Paul addresses a difficult situation in the church. The church had failed to obey in the area of discipline, but now they had gone too far and refused to forgive. What are the consequences of refusing to forgive, and what does God expect from us in these situations?

In 2 Chronicles 2:11 King Hiram tells King Solomon that he is convinced of GOd's love for Israel because God made Solomon king. Could an unbeliever say something similar to you?

You will never be able to trust someone you do not know well. If God controls the future, you will not trust Him until you know His character. Revelation 5:1-7 reveals the character of God to show that you can trust Him by rejoicing in His sovereignty!

Until you know the full majesty of God, you cannot worship him the way you ought. Revelation 4 emphatically declares that God's majesty is incomparable, and you must worship Him.

The world has an incredibly selfish view of legacy, and many in Scripture had the same view. How can we combat the desire to build our own legacy and make God known instead?

Discipleship is costly, but if you consider Christlikeness a worthy goal, you must pursue discipling others.

As a Christian, what ministry are you called to, and how does that ministry shape the way you live? Paul addresses these questions in Ephesians 3-4 and helps us revolutionize the way we live and pray given our calling.

In Psalm 89 Ethan stands in a smoking crater of life and is left wondering how God can remain faithful to His promises given the circumstances of the time. Ethan takes us through three stages of lament to help us understand how we can bolster our faith in our faithful God.

At the beginning of Acts, the disciples are faced with a dilemma that we often face ourselves - waiting. What comfort and hope does Christ provide His Church in these moments?

Malachi 3:16-18 shows two incredible blessings that those who treasure God get to receive. Before these verses, Malachi explains Israel's guilt. They had not treasured God with their stuff or their service, but a faithful few chose to fear God and treasure Him above all else.