Colossians 1:1-8 When asked in John 9 about the legitimacy of Jesus, the formerly blind man who had encountered Jesus stated, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (v. 25). He’s declaring that the legitimacy of Jesus is demonstrated in […]

1 John 2:15-25 The antichrist is anyone who does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God who physically lived, died, and rose again. 1 John was written to a church had come through a church split over this issue. Those who had left were teaching that Jesus was not the Christ. The letter […]

Matthew 10:34-42 As a teenager, Stephanie remembered being moved by stories of Christians who were persecuted for their faith. She made promises to God that she would be just like them. Years later, Stephanie and her husband were pastoring comfortably in Maine, USA, when they received a call from a man who lived in a […]

Psalm 1:1-6 Where I live, we get terrible windstorms that knock over trees, power lines, and tear off roofs. During one of the storms, the wind pulled many trees out by the roots, blocking roads and knocking out power lines for over a week. I learned that the trees that fell over had shallow, or […]

Judges 16:23-31 There is a practice in Japan of fixing broken pottery. When a piece of pottery becomes broken, they do not throw it away. Instead, using gold or other fine materials, they fix it turning it into a beautiful piece of art.                   We find Samson in a Philistine jail humiliated. They decide to […]

Judges 16:17-22 Samson was led away by his enemies to prison, his heart broken by betrayal. He is humiliated when they take his eyes and force him to do menial work. Despite all the missteps that Samson made to get himself put here, God still brings hope in the middle of dire circumstances. Samson’s hair […]

Judges 16:10-16 Samson continues his prideful ways and gives up his source of power. With his hair chopped off, he leaps to his feet expecting to get out of trouble, only to find his power is gone. As Samson is led away in chains, you can imagine the confusion he must have felt. His powers […]

Judges 16:1-9 One of the most powerful forces of nature is an avalanche. All it takes is a weaker layer of snow in the correct place and the whole side of the mountain falls.  In chapters of Judges, Samson is shown as God’s judge, one who is set aside to help with God’s mission of […]

1 Peter 4:12-19 Peter echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:11, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you . . . because of Me.” This is the sort of suffering according to the will of God that Peter talks about. That doesn’t mean that all suffering results from good Christian conduct. When we […]

Acts 14:21-28 Acts 14 is an amazing testimony to the fact that when one is committed to the Lord and guided by Him, he or she will succeed. That does not mean, however, that God will make their path smooth. Paul and Barnabas went through incredible struggles and suffering as they traveled through Iconium, Lystra, […]