In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked, “Which is the most important commandment?” and he answered, “Easy: First, love God with all your heart,...

Do you ever feel like your Christian life is mostly a matter of duty? You might be doing all of the right things—but it’s coming from a...

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve liked the story found in 2 Samuel 6. In the Bible I had at the time (the King James Version, of...

When David describes his response of worship in 2 Samuel 6, he uses the word “undignified,” saying to Michal (Saul’s daughter), “And I...

Picture this: I was preaching in this little church and a Pentecostal woman, sitting about halfway back, kept raising her hand. I found...

You learn a lot about people when they die. For instance, you find out how well loved somebody was—or not. You begin to hear about...

The story goes that a little boy wanted a bicycle very badly, but he didn’t know how to pray for one. He tried to imitate how his parents...

When God created the world, he used a wand. No, that’s not right. When God created the world, he concocted a potion. That’s not right...

The first (and only) time we meet Zacchaeus, he’s up a tree, trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Zacchaeus couldn’t have known this, but...

Most of us live according to the “natural rule” or “flesh rule”: Do unto others as they have done unto you. This is as instinctive as...

If you stumbled onto a flux capacitor—you know, like the one in Back to the Future—and you could travel back to any time in your life,...

Most of us, when we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. … But woe to you who are rich, for...

In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul’s fear and insecurity rear their ugly heads as he faces the Philistine army. He had already lost the assurance...

As I read the story of David, I find myself wishing he had been a person of more enduring integrity. He had moments of it, to be sure. He...

Israel’s first king, Saul, had such promise at the beginning of his life. But read through to the end of 1 Samuel, and you’ll see a...

The following excerpt is adapted from a book I’m releasing on February 1, Essential Christianity: The Heart of the Gospel in Ten Words....

The prophet Samuel was second string when it came to ministry. He wasn’t from the priestly tribe of Levi. He had to take a Nazarite vow...

In the Bible, there’s no time in Israel’s history where they wanted to totally walk away from God. Instead, time and time again, they...

Why do you read the Bible? Do you go to it for encouragement? For comfort? To learn more about God? Or do you pick up the Bible to hear...

You may be familiar with the story of Joseph, but have you ever read it through the lens of Psalm 23? Somehow, in the midst of his...