Reading with the Pastor Mark 1 and Psalm 37:1-22 As you are reading Mark today, don’t miss verse 35-39, but especially verse 35. These verses and the lifestyle that they hint at are a constant challenge to me as a morning-shunning night-person. 35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed … More I Hate Mornings But Jesus Didn’t
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 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
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
Meditations on Matthew 18 and Psalm 22 Read the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35. Let it sink into your soul. If the body of Christ would master just this one parable, the whole life of the church, our families, our relationships with others would be radically changed. Pray for that. Start with … More What Jesus Was Thinking on the Cross?
Reading with the Pastor Matthew 22 and Psalm 21-22, Proverbs 22 Psalm 21 is radical in its celebrations. The first half is focused on the glories of salvation and rescue (vss. 1-7) and second half turns and exposes God’s burning wrath on those who are His enemies (vss. 8-13). The first half is as encouraging … More “That They Might Bow”
Reading with the Pastor Matthew 11 and Psalm 17 By now many of you have missed a day or two and may have gotten discouraged a time or three that your time in God’s word is not producing as great a “dividend” in your life as you had hoped. You may have struggled to catch back … More Keep on Keeping On
Today’s Readings AM Matthew 3 and PM Psalm 5 & 6 For those of you joining us on the journey of reading through the New Testament by the end of the year and the book of Psalms twice, here’s a pattern for how to organize your devotional time and record what you … More Need a New Pattern for Your Daily Devotions?
I was driving back from Illinois in a rented truck to my new home in South Carolina. Talk radio and country music stations were all I could get and I was tired of both. So I turned the radio off and started praying for my kids and the kids of a former staff member from … More What if Teardrops are Blessings?
Wednesday is for Prayer If you want to truly learn to pray, breathe the air and spirit of these puritan prayer warriors. (Adapted here from Kairos Journal.) A Christian Cardiogram—Puritan Prayers If a man’s prayers are a true indication of the theology of his heart, then prayers in the Puritan tradition point to faith in a … More Self-Awareness, Confession, and Prayer
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