Reading with the Pastor (on Memorial Day) Matthew 5-7 and Psalm 34 Matthew’s gospel emphasized Jesus’ teaching. We have finished Matthew and on Thursday will start into Mark. Here’s a little bit of a look forward of what we are going to find. Mark puts emphasis on Jesus’ works and authority. Jesus is always moving. The … More Discovering Jesus
Sunday Afternoon Musings Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV) 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Most Christians live so far … More Living Below the Spiritual Poverty Level
First Picture Judas betrays Christ for 30 pieces of silver and then when he sees that Jesus is condemned to death returns to the chief priests and elders of Israel and says “I have betrayed innocent blood.” They, however, show no remorse or retreat from their decision to kill Jesus whereupon, Judas takes the money and … More Warped Righteousness
Reading with the Pastor Matthew 26 and Psalm 31 Why do we rejoice? The psalmist tells us, His “lovingkindness.” The Hebrew chesed tells us that God’s covenant love for his people is a love that has the texture of kindness. He knows our affliction. He knows the troubles of our souls. He knows the heartache of our … More Lovingkindness — What keeps us going through the pain
Reading with the PastorRead Matthew 25 and Psalm 30 Startling fact: Every 1/40th of a second, the retina of your eye can transmit a new image consisting of more than 100 million bits of information. God did that! We serve a powerful and creative God. We serve a powerful and creative God. His designs are awe-inspiring. His … More This Post is Not about Eyes
Ambrose was instrumental in Augustine’s conversion and that would be enough to cement his importance in Church History but he was a giant in his own right and mightily used of Christ in his generation. Oh that God would raise up bold preachers of the word of God in our generation! Enjoy this snippet of … More When Christian Leaders Speak Truth to Power
We just purchased a house and the boxes we packed in Illinois are beginning to be unboxed and now adorn our new home in South Carolina. With a busy schedule, life unfolds out of the boxes in our garage in slow stages of discovery. Today I found the last box of my over 4,000 volume library and … More I Found Some Old Friends in a Box Today
Reading with the Pastor Matthew 22 and Psalm 27 Jesus confounds his enemies. One by one they come. First, the Pharisees joined by the Herodians (vs. 15), then the Sadducees (vs. 23). Finally, the Pharisees return (vs. 34). Each one questioner tries to trap Jesus in some way. But one by one he dispatches them … More Training the Heart to Not Fight with God
Sunday Musings Reading with the Pastor Matthew 21 and Psalm 26 This is a story from history that will show you how to read Old Testament quotations in the New Testament. “One afternoon late in 1946” a Bedouin shepherd boy threw a stone into a cave and heard the sound of pottery breaking. By 1948 news began to … More How to Read OT Quotations in Matthew
Reading with the Pastor Matthew 20 and Psalm 24 I was once asked why I read the psalms so much. [Side Note: My Bibles are all marked up into different divisions so I can read through the entire book of Psalms in a month or the 119th chapter in either a month or a week. It … More How We Learn to Pray
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