Life This Side of Heaven

Have you ever found yourself struggling with prayer and wondering whether God is even listening? Have you ever prayed for one thing but received something else? Have you ever prayed for one set of circumstances in your life, one outcome, but found yourself in the midst of another?  It’s right about then that you may feel like walking away and concluding that prayer is pointless. But have another look at what Jesus has revealed in ...

Should we be alarmed by what Paul warns here in Colossians? Well, consider a report released last June highlighting the global trade in unapproved and counterfeit medicines. If those results sound alarming, then you’ll understand why Paul was so concerned for the Christians in Colosse. He wanted them to be fully aware of counterfeit Christianity in their midst, offering supplement rituals and regulations which were falsely held a...

When we hear the account that Luke describes for us, in the home of Mary and Martha, we hear that Mary listened to Jesus and Martha was distracted. Therefore it's tempting to assume that the message is for us to be less like Martha and more like Mary.  But that sounds like little more than a teacher snapping a ruler on their desk to get the attention of daydreaming pupils.  What Jesus did in love this day for Martha, and for you an...

It may surprise us to hear that Sarah chuckled when God told her that she and Abraham would have a son. You can be sure that this laughter was tinged with joy. But it may also have been mixed with impatience. After all, this wasn’t the first time God gave them this promise. Have you ever listened to the promises of God, and His mercy, and thought to yourself, "I've heard that before"? The Good News is that His promis...

"A life worthy of the Lord." If these words here in Colossians are a goal that you must achieve, then you’ll always live a life of uncertainty and fear wondering, “Am I doing enough?” Or, in defeat, you’ll turn away from this passage completely and beat yourself up as a failure. But in this passage, Paul is actually praying that you will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, so that you may rejoice in the...

It’s easy to empathize with Elijah’s frustration.  Living in this fallen world of sin there are times when you and I are left feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.  It’s difficult being ridiculed for your faith.  You may not feel like you’ve much of an impact in sharing Christ with your family and friends.  No, it’s not hard to feel like Elijah.  There are days when you may feel like throwing up your hands and crying, “I’ve had it.”  ...

Here in Galatians, Paul tells us that “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ.”  The interesting Greek word he uses to describe the role of the law is _paidagogos. _ And while it’s often translated as “schoolmaster,” “tutor” or “guardian,” another good word to describe it is “nanny.”  That’s because the role of the law is temporary.  Just like a child's nanny, it serves an important role until that role is no longer needed....