It is surprisingly difficult to turn a good intention into a life-long discipline. That isn’t to say it can’t be done. But it will be hard, there will be setbacks, and it will take both backbone and resilience. Now is probably a good time to remind you of that. If you are like many Christian people, you made a commitment this year to read through your Bible. Good for you! That commitment is worth celebrating! Wanting to do a good thing is a good thing! But wanting to do it doesn’t necessarily…

Overwhelming grace doesn’t always lead to overwhelming gratitude: “So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.” (Nehemiah 9:25–26 ESV) It’s difficult to bless a sinful people. We see this again and again in the Old Testament – and…

Faith is a remarkably hard concept to define. It is the sort of thing that is easier to illustrate than to explain and therefore most of the classic verses on faith are given at the end of an extended narrative or story. Looking at them as a whole we might choose to define faith in the following way: Faith is believing God enough to go Abraham is often referred to as “the father of faith”. His story is the illustration of faith par excellence in the Bible. As the Apostle Paul says: “Abraham…

The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 appears to have been given to order to answer a very perplexing question: why do people respond to the Gospel in such radically different ways? Why do some people persevere and bear fruit, 30, 60 and 100 fold while others whither, fade and fall away? When persecution comes, according to Jesus, some people will break and other people will blossom. How can I make sure that I come out on the right side of that prediction? It mustn’t be wrong to ask a…

Resolutions come and go but habits define who we are and how we live our lives. A habit is something we build our routine around. A habit is a set block in our daily schedule. Like brushing your teeth, or walking to work, or reading the news on the subway – a habit is something you can’t not do. It’s not just part of your day, it’s part of our identity. Therefore Christians choose their habits wisely – and one of the wisest habits you can choose is the habit of daily Bible reading. I’ve been…

What Is Sin? In the little Children’s Catechism that we use at our church the question is answered this way: “Sin is any lack of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God.” ‘Conformity’ is defined this way: “Not being or doing what God requires.” ‘Transgression’ is defined this way: “Doing what God forbids”. That’s a pretty good start. Sin is acting or behaving in a way that does not conform with God’s character or commands. It is about crossing lines that have been laid down for…

One of the most transformative things I ever did was read through the entire Book of Genesis – slowly – with the help of several commentaries back in 2003. I’d never done that before. I had read commentaries before for school and I had read through the whole Bible, but I had never intentionally chosen a book of the Bible for intense study and meditation over the course of an entire year – and it turned out to be one of the most spiritually affecting experiences that I’ve ever had. I made use of…

It matters whether you are in or out. It matters for you and it matters for the rest of us. No one wants to be one of those people who presumed themselves in when in fact they were out. Those people – despite their sincere protestations – will hear from Jesus the scariest words in all the Bible: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:23 ESV) The Bible takes this matter very seriously. The entire book of 1 John in the New Testament was written to address the…

There are many factors to consider in any discussion of mental health but one of those factors has to do with the development of healthy habits. People can fall into patterns that may contribute to a decline in their physical or mental health. They can also cultivate patterns and habits that contribute to physical and mental well-being. Among the most important of those habits would be these: 1. Community One of the first things the Bible says about human beings is this: “It is not good that…

The Bible is not a book about marriage – at least not mainly or directly. The Bible is a book about God and about people and how God saves people through the life and death of Jesus Christ. Even still, the Bible does have a lot to say about marriage and a great deal of what it has to say runs contrary to our assumptions and values as modern people. Amongst the most surprising revelations would be the following: 1. It is about friendship first and foremost That’s the immediate need that…

It makes me very happy to know that the Book of Philemon is in the Bible. I’m glad that there is an entire book devoted to pursuing the freedom of a first century Roman slave. I’m glad that Paul tells the former slave owner to regard this man: “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother.” (Philemon 1:16 ESV) I’m glad that an Apostle of Jesus Christ offered to take personal responsibility for any financial loss that might be involved to the owner: “If he has…

20 years ago I was absolutely convinced that if I truly loved the Lord, truly loved my wife, spent quality and quantity time with my kids and consistently led family devotions around the dinner table all 5 of my children would eventually grow up to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I would have put the odds at 99% or better. Afterall, the studies I had read said that the young people who were falling away frequently cited the unreality of their parents’ faith as a major…