Category Archives: Spiritual Nuggets

Will We Follow? The Gospel of Mark opens without fanfare—certainly nothing befitting literary greatness. There is no lofty imagery like the Gospel of John, no impressive genealogies like the Gospel of Matthew, and no historical narrative like the Gospel of … Continue reading →

The Danger of Unwarranted Favor No sooner had David assumed the throne of Israel than he began to lose sight of God’s way. As a young “warrior in the wilderness,” he had provided a beacon of hope and an ethical … Continue reading →

Speaking the Truth “And now I will reveal the truth to you” (Daniel 11:2). How much better would our world be if more of us were willing to take this kind of stand—to make these kinds of statements? The truth … Continue reading →

An Obstructed View We need to see ourselves as we truly are, but we can’t do that on our own. Our communities can help us glimpse a more accurate reflection, but we truly know ourselves only when we know God. … Continue reading →

Apocalyptic at Its Best Daniel is full of spooky scenes. If Daniel doesn’t scare you a bit, you’ve probably watched too many horror movies. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible has a way of playing tricks on us. It’s full of … Continue reading →

Respect Instead of easing the burdens of our church leaders, we often add to them. The sometimes thankless job of ministry is weighed down with our taking and not giving, our complaining, and our squirming under authority. We can see … Continue reading →

Dreams of Redemption I’ve known people who seemed beyond saving—who seemed to have gone too far down the wrong path to ever turn to the right one. But in the Bible we see that this is not the case. God … Continue reading →

Red Ropes and Restricted Access I often want to keep certain areas of my life roped off. God can reign over some of my relationships, but not to the extent that I need to make gut-wrenching decisions to fall in … Continue reading →

Good Opportunities and Difficult Decisions When Daniel is invited to dine at the king’s table—a great honor reserved for the favored (Daniel 1:1-4)—he turns down the offer. Instead of eating food and wine fit for a king, Daniel and the … Continue reading →

Constantly in Prayer Desperate circumstances often dictate our prayers. We pray for others when they’re in need, or we thank God for others when they fill our needs. But how often do we thank God for the faith of those … Continue reading →

The Time, Space, and Money Continuum When we think of setting things apart for God, we usually think of money first. But what about our time or even a place? Ezekiel 45:1 speaks of setting aside land for God: “And … Continue reading →

The New Jerusalem We are being made new. God is working in us now, and He will one day complete His work. Scripture speaks of the ultimate hope of this renewal: our reunion with God. For the first-century Jews, the … Continue reading →

Visions of Grandeur In times of struggle, a vision of grander glory is often enough to move us beyond our current circumstances. We find encouragement in glimpsing the vastness and power of God’s plan. When Ezekiel and God’s people are … Continue reading →

It Has Been Granted To You “It has been granted to her that she be dressed in bright, clean fine linen” (Revelation 19:8), announces a voice from heaven in John’s revelation. The voice describes the bride who waits in anticipation—representing … Continue reading →

Big Picture Hope Some Bible passages are so perplexing that we’re not really sure what to make of them. Such is the case with Ezekiel 38:1-39:24. As we closely examine this text, we can easily lose sight of its message. … Continue reading →

A New Way of Being God calls us to live lives that are distinguished by His light, clearly separate from our old way of being. He wants to make us a new creation by separating the light from the darkness … Continue reading →

Shepherding Is a Tough Business Leadership requires accountability, yet many leaders of the past considered themselves above rebuke. Even when their deeds failed to catch up to them in their own lifetimes, history judged them clearly. History often remembers and … Continue reading →

Mercy and Judgment “God is judge,” we like to say—especially when someone is struggling with injustice. When we get to the book of Revelation, though, we might struggle to understand God’s judgment. Yet even as John describes God dispensing judgment, … Continue reading →

Picturing God If you were to ask five people at random, “How do you picture God?” you would receive five very different answers. A social network prompt to “describe God in one word” confirms this idea: It resulted in more … Continue reading →

Persist, Don’t Just Exist The phrase “patient endurance” brings to mind the pasted-on smile of a parent regarding a misbehaving child—a parent clinging to the hope that someday this stage will pass. In Revelation the term is used in a … Continue reading →