There’s an old story about a father and his three-year-old daughter. The father asked her, “How did you get to be so wonderful?” Immediately she replied, “Because I married you!” The dad and daughter were obviously not married. The daughter was simply repeating what she had heard someone else say in response to the same … Continue reading How’d you get to be so wonderful?
Jesus Christ
The only comfort in life and death
Yesterday I highlighted Acts 2:38 where Peter preached to a huge crowed in Jerusalem and told them this: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Yesterday I talked about repentance. Today I’d … Continue reading The only comfort in life and death
The Religion of Self
In Acts 2, Peter preaches a sermon about the resurrection to thousands of people. In response they ask, “What shall we do?” “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” he replies, “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (verse … Continue reading The Religion of Self
Hit pause…
Hi everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. I'm writing today to remind you that this devotional is going on pause until April 22nd. I know, I know - it's a long time away, right? But after 3 years of writing daily devotionals I'm taking my own advice and entering into a much-needed rest. But … Continue reading Hit pause…
A major stumbling block to faith
Yesterday I talked about having a relationship with Christ and whether or not it is authentic. Today I’d like to focus on something the Bible identifies as a major stumbling block to that relationship: Money. In Luke 16:13 Jesus says it with his usual eye-opening candour: “You cannot serve both God and money.” It’s a tricky … Continue reading A major stumbling block to faith
What’s the least I can do in this relationship?
In his book Eternity is Now in Session, John Ortberg has a helpful illustration that teaches us something about faith in Christ: Let’s say I get married to someone, exchange vows, and pledge to journey with them through life. But what if that night, after the celebration, I ask, “Honey, what is the least I … Continue reading What’s the least I can do in this relationship?
He loves you too much to lie to you about hell
Last week I talked about how awesome heaven is. Today I’d like to pause on a much more difficult topic: Hell. Speaking about hell, C.S. Lewis wrote: “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.” I don’t like talking about hell either. It … Continue reading He loves you too much to lie to you about hell
What Jesus didn’t teach about most
This week I’ve been sharing some thoughts about heaven—that it will be better than anything we can experience in this life, and also that it is a place of INCREDIBLE joy. With that in mind, I also want to debunk a popular misconception: that the main thing Jesus taught about was going to heaven after … Continue reading What Jesus didn’t teach about most
the good news about your weakness
One of the mistakes we often make is to pretend we have it all together when we don’t. It happens innocently enough. A lot of us are doing our prayerful best to grow and become more like Jesus. But we can exaggerate or embellish our progress! Take me for example. I often don’t have answers to … Continue reading the good news about your weakness
Walk tall
In 2013, a book came out by Robert Galbraith called The Cuckoo’s Calling. It was a crime fiction novel. The reviews were fantastic, but it didn’t sell very well—just 1500 print copies and a few thousand online. But the Sunday Times learned that “Robert Galbraith” was a pseudonym—a pen name. The real author was none … Continue reading Walk tall