The Attributes of God:

Living by God’s Words Matthew 11-15 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (13:23).                   Many people are familiar with the parable of the Sower. It is a story that is told often and one that we know but find difficult to apply. In the story, the farmer goes out and broadcasts the seed indiscriminately throughout the field. But the soil is not the same in every location. Each soil represents different levels of receptivity toward the gospel. However, it does not just apply to those who hear the gospel message of salvation; it applies to all of us whenever we hear the message of the Bible. It calls on all of us to evaluate our preparation and response when the message of the Bible is presented to us.  The first soil is the har...

Anxiety and Faith Read Matthew 6-10 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”                   We live in a world described as a culture of fear. One reason there is so much conflict and anger today is that people are fearful of the future. There is a sense that our world is rushing headlong into self-destruction, so people become fearful in the present. A close companion to fear is anger, for anger is the emotional response to what we perceive as a threat. The word itself refers to the apprehension and anxiety one experiences when we encounter a danger or threat. In the world today, the great perceived threat is what will happen tomorrow. We live with a deep-rooted concern that disaster lies just around the corner, whether it be economic, political, or societal. Chapman University has been tracking, for the last 11 year...

The Certainty of the Bible Matthew 1-5 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest leter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (5:18).                   Where do we discover truth? Where do we find it, and to whom do we turn to discover what is morally right? This is the most fundamental question about life we can ask. Everyone will answer this question in their quest to determine how to live. Some turn inward and trust their own wisdom and understanding. They follow the adage, “Let your conscience be your guide.” To determine what is true, they look inward to their own reasoning. People thus say, “Be true to yourself.” However, we can easily be self-deceptive. Jeremiah warns us, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it” (Jer. 17:9). So also Proverbs warns us, “There is a way which seems right t...

Warnings and Hope Malachi 1-4 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (4:2).                   Malachi was the last book of the Old Testament before Israel entered a period known as the 400 silent years. After Israel became a nation under Saul's leadership, God continually sent prophets to call the people back to him and to remain faithful to their covenant relationship with God. From the rise of Samuel during Saul's reign in 1070 B.C. to the end of Malachi’s ministry, a consistent prophetic voice directed people back to God. However, when Malachi passed from the scene, the prophetic voice went silent for 400 years until the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus. As the last prophet, Malachi both condemned the people and offered the hope of salvation to those who would seek God. He...

The Coming Hope Zechariah 11-14 “And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day of the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.”                   The age of information has ushered in the age of misinformation. We turn to the internet for answers to the questions we struggle to find answers for. We turn to the internet to discover answers to the most mundane questions, such as: “What is the weather today?” We also turn to the internet to find answers to the most complex and personal struggles we face. For every issue, every struggle, and every problem we encounter, we can find a myriad of answers from several different sources. AI has brought a whole new solution to the struggles and questions we have about life. Yet for all the information and answers to the questions we have about any problem confronting us, the age of information has also become the age of misinformation...

The Source of Hope Zechariah 6-10 9:9:  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with Salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”                   It has been almost two months since my last devotional.  In this time, my life has been turned upside down through the death of Becky.  Two and a half years ago we were told this day would come and that the cancer would eventually win and it would bring its destructive force.  From that day forward, we lived with this cloud over us.  Yet there was nothing that prepared us for the depth of pain it would bring when it finally gained the victory of its deadly grip.  Until that final day, death was still abstract and impersonal, something out there but something w...