Category Archives: Spiritual Nuggets

The Art of Discipline Jesus didn’t die for us so that we could continue to sin—He sacrificed Himself so that we could have sinless lives. God is patient, but His patience does not last forever. We wouldn’t test His patience … Continue reading →

Small Players A priest should know better. A man representing the spiritual state of God’s people shouldn’t be so quick to question God’s promises. But for Zechariah, obedience became complicated. When the angel Gabriel told him he’d have a son, … Continue reading →

Connecting the Stories The connections between the Testaments aren’t readily apparent, but a closer reading—empowered by the Spirit—can reveal them. Such is the case with the connections among Isaiah, Luke, and Job. The authors of each of these books begin … Continue reading →

Cosmic, Creation, Chaos Psalm 148 is cosmic in scope and comforting in message. It’s a depiction of how Yahweh brought order to chaos in the very beginning. Yahweh put the heavens, heights, angels, hosts (His armies), sun, moon, stars, and … Continue reading →

Destructive People Some destructive people don’t realize the carnage they leave in their wake. Others intentionally cause rifts and pain, driven by selfish motives. Jude’s letter, which contains succinct prose, startling imagery, and a swift warning, is unlike anything we … Continue reading →

When It’s Really Urgent The urgency of God’s work is easily lost on us. But to the early church, Jesus’ return seemed imminent. We get a sense of this urgency in Peter’s second letter, where he writes that every moment … Continue reading →

I Will Laud Your Deeds I grew up in a family of stoics. Through example, my siblings and I were taught to keep our emotions to ourselves. Displays of excessive affection or sorrow were regarded with some suspicion, and this … Continue reading →

The Tricks We Play on Ourselves A great deal of leadership is based on consistency. King David is a prime example: He struggled most when he was inconsistent. David’s son, Absalom, committed horrific acts against David and others (2 Samuel … Continue reading →

Courtroom Drama, Daytime TV, and Good Deity I remember old television courtroom episodes where people beg for forgiveness from a cynical judge when they should seek forgiveness from the person they’ve wronged. Usually these shows take the irony to the … Continue reading →

The Difficult Issue of the Heretics Distinguishing between correct and false teaching has plagued nearly every church. We ask questions such as, “Are we venturing too far in that direction?” “Is this just my personal theological issue, or is this actually … Continue reading →

Slaves to God, Equipped for Righteousness I used to think that I was powerless when it came to sin. Christ had saved me from my sinful state, but I was still wretched and helpless. Even though I knew I was … Continue reading →

Finding God in Sheol We’ve all felt distant from God. Sometimes it’s sin that makes us feel separated from Him; other times it could be a lack of prayer. Either way, when we feel apart from God, God has not … Continue reading →

Showing Kindness to a Stranger When I was a teenager, I became serious about showing unsolicited kindness while working through a 30-day intensive devotional. The devotional required me to record an act of kindness each day. My efforts included things … Continue reading →

Truth and Honesty Can Be Painful A commitment to honesty and truth often puts us in unexpected spiritual situations—something David experiences in 2 Samuel 7. David thinks he will build God a great house—a temple—but instead God plans to build … Continue reading →

Serving the Glory of God When we avoid community, we may develop an inflated opinion of our own character. It’s easy to think we’re kind people when we’re not held accountable to others. It’s easy to think we’re always right … Continue reading →

Vengeance versus Blessing Comparing the passages of 2 Samuel 3:1-4:12 and 1 Peter 3:8-22 teaches us that all Scripture can be used for instruction: Some passages provide wisdom on how to become more like Christ, while others are best regarded … Continue reading →

When Kings Mourn No one can tell you how to mourn. You have to mourn as you see fit, making sure you don’t introduce sin into the grieving process. Several people who were dear to my heart have died. Each … Continue reading →

Emotion versus Logic Reacting is easy. What’s difficult is overcoming emotions in a time of adversity. Although emotions are not bad, they can lead us astray. At the same time, when we stray too far in the other direction and … Continue reading →

Jack-in-the-Box Pride It’s dangerous to become too confident in the maturity of our own faith. Our pride is like the spring of a jack-in-the-box: Just when we think it’s broken or that we’ve gotten the lid on tight, it springs … Continue reading →

Reframe It “ ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth.’ Let Israel say, ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me’ “ (Psalm 129:1-2). As these verses show, sometimes problems can be … Continue reading →