Ezra 7:6-10This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.  Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxer...  Read More

We all have preferences.My wife prefers her food not to touch, especially at holiday meals. However, I figure since it’s all going to be together in my body, what difference does the stuffing touching the turkey make?!The challenge of preferences often leads us to consider certain items as black-and-white, or this-or-that propositions when the truth has more nuance and tension to it.As a pastor, I...  Read More

When it comes to starting over, what is your biggest struggle today?Is it letting go of the past?Is it having hope for the future?Is it beating yourself up in the present?One of the reasons I wrote this devotional plan was I’ve struggled to start over in my life. Right now, I’m thinking of several occasions when I needed to begin again and move forward but I remained stuck for weeks and months. In...  Read More

Starting over isn’t easy, huh?Sometimes, I struggle with starting over because I have a ton of regret and grief over what happened in the past. I wonder if I’ll be able to escape the pain.Other times, I’m so excited to get beyond something hard and start over. I’m secretly hoping that the future isn’t as frustrating as the past. “Please, God, make what’s next better!”Yet, on some occasions, I’m sa...  Read More

The Final WordEverything has a conclusion, including the instructions Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 6 concerning how to pray. There is always a final word. In this case, the final word is really the final word. Though this sentence is not in every ancient manuscript, it is in many, and its' message is the consistent theme throughout the Bible. It is not only the final word of this that we kn...  Read More

The Problem We FaceThe Bible is a book that deals very openly and honestly with reality. If a hero of the faith has a bad day, the Bible doesn't try to hide it. Abraham lies, David commits adultery, and Peter denies Christ; it's all there. As Jesus teaches us how to pray, the reality demonstrated by these examples is addressed. Jesus says that temptation is real and evil, or more specifically, the...  Read More

Ezra 6:14-16 And the elders of the Jews were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.  This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.  And...  Read More

The Provision We NeedOne of the names for God in the Old Testament is "Jehovah Jireh." The meaning of this name is "The God who provides." What a glorious name for God this is! The scope of this name is as large and diverse as our needs may be. God is not simply a God who provides in one area of life, but He is the God who provides, whatever the market may be.This is a foundational truth for how w...  Read More

The Glorious Will of GodIt is both amazing and amusing to hear people talk about the will of God. Most of the time, when people speak of the will of God, it is with some degree of resignation. It's as if we've worked and tried and prayed for a certain outcome, all to no avail. Then, at some point, we resign ourselves to the will of God. We say something like, "Oh well, may Your will be done, O Lor...  Read More

In the Name of our Heavenly FatherNames are important. Names identify whoever or whatever they belong to.Often, expectant parents spend the entire pregnancy trying to decide the perfect name for their child and sometimes won't know the name when the child is born.The Bible certainly seems to place significant emphasis on names. God often gave specific instructions as to what someone's name should ...  Read More

Six Miles Short of a SaviorThough the narrative of the Wise Men’s journey contains epic adventure, big-time players, a supernatural cosmic phenomenon, and God in the flesh, one of the most striking parts of the entire account is what doesn’t happen.When a perturbed Herod assembles the Jewish religious leaders, he wants to know where the Christ will be born. Thanks to their knowledge of the Hebrew ...  Read More

Respond If You PleaseGod’s call on a human life requires a response, and the wise men show us how it’s done.They Seek. Throughout our entire text, the wise men seek until they find. Regardless of effort or obstacle, they pursue. If you sense that niggling in your spirit and are not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, keep seeking. God rewards those who seek.They Rejoice. We witness, not a smattering, ...  Read More