James 1:1-3:18 Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Sadly, this nursery rhyme is completely bogus. Words have power and can cause pain that lasts longer than any broken bone. James wants us to understand the power of words. Our tongue is compared to a rudder on a ship and a flame in a fire. Our words can cause great healing or destruction depending on how we use them...  Read More

Philippians 2:12-4:23 What do you consider valuable? You may have family heirlooms, investments, collectibles, or your retirement account which you value above other things. In Philippians, we discover what is of utmost value. Paul acknowledges he valued his ethnic identity, his obedience to the law, and his standing among his religious peers, but he now understands all these things to be trash ne...  Read More

Philemon 1:1-25; Philippians 1:1-2:11 What does it mean to walk worthy in the Gospel? It means we should be seeking Christ every waking moment. Most days I start my conversation with God by asking Him to help me know him more today. Before I doze off at night, I often ask myself how I became more like Christ today. On the surface those are probably great questions, my problem is in the time betwee...  Read More

Colossians 1:24-4:18 One of the most challenging books I have read is called Grace Based Parenting. The premise of the book is that we are to parent in the same way God parents us. God's actions become the paradigm for our actions. Colossians tells us that following God's example is not just reserved for parenting but for all of life. For example, Colossians 3:13 tells us to, "Forgive as the Lord ...  Read More

Ephesians 5:15-6:24; Colossians 1:1-23 Every part of our lives should be transformed by God. We see this language in Ephesians 5:15-20 where the Spirit's work is compared to that of alcohol. In the same way that getting drunk affects your ability to speak, act, and drive, so the Spirit should influence all that we do. With this overarching image in mind, Paul spends the next few paragraphs specifi...  Read More

Ephesians 3:1-5:14 When we get married, we create a new family dynamic. There may be lots of hiccups on the journey, but over time we hopefully learn how to live as a new family. The same is true with our spiritual family. When we come to faith in Christ, we are called to live in a new way that reflects God's family. We are to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4;1). ...  Read More

Acts 28:1-31; Ephesians 1:1-2:22 Ephesians is a surprising letter, because, though it is written by Paul from prison, it is filled with recounting the good things which God has done on behalf of his people. Rather than focusing on the hardship of imprisonment, it recounts the grandeur of God's grace. Paul’s list of God's blessings includes: "every spiritual blessing in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3) bei...  Read More

Acts 27:1-44 Many people love following travel blogs. They love to read about others traveling across the globe and seeing exotic locales. Acts 27 is one of the original travel diaries, but rather than tweets about misplaced luggage or a delayed flight, we have a shipwreck. Paul is on a boat with 276 people whose doom seems certain. They ignored God’s warning that they were supposed to stay at Fai...  Read More

Acts 24:1-26:32 Paul sat in prison for two years for preaching the gospel. He did nothing wrong, yet would have been in atrocious, abysmal conditions for two long years. I am sure it would have been easy for Paul to give up, question why this was happening, or doubt the goodness of God. Instead, he resolutely continued to preach the gospel, the very thing for which he was in prison. As we see in P...  Read More

Acts 21:37-23:35 How comfortable are you in sharing your faith? Do you have a template or idea of what you should share? Acts 22 is a shortened version of Paul’s testimony. It provides a nice model for us to use to share our faith. Paul began by talking about who he was before placing his faith in Christ. Next, Paul spoke of when Jesus became real to him and the circumstances around which he place...  Read More

Acts 20:13-21:36 Give your life to Jesus and everything will be perfect. You may have heard someone claim this, but, though everyone should give their lives to Christ, it will not necessarily fix all the brokenness in our lives or the fallen state of the world. Paul's dedication to Christ only led to increased suffering for him. We saw in 2 Corinthians that his ministry was marked by hunger, shipw...  Read More

2 Corinthians 11:1-13:13; Acts 20:7-12 Why do you believe what you believe? It is critical to be able to answer this question; otherwise, you are prone to believe the latest argument you heard, whether it is true or not. At the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul argues why the church should listen to him rather than the super-apostles that have invaded the church. Paul points to his credentials of sufferi...  Read More