After a long night of agonizing, blood-stained prayers, followed by a friend’s betrayal and a criminal arrest, then hours of kangaroo court proceedings, accompanied by taunts and violent mobs, which culminated in a vicious scourging, Jesus was “led away” to be crucified, “bearing His cross” (John 19:16-17). Somewhere along the way, the executioners “compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian…to bear His cross”…

The service representative that you’re talking to on the phone didn’t make the policies that you’re upset about. The cashier at the store didn’t decide the prices or what’s on sale. The front desk clerk at the hotel is not the one who failed to clean your room properly. The restaurant worker taking your order is not responsible for the company’s app not working.  It’s…

The car that you own has 46,885,247 parts that can break and need to be replaced. (Well, not really, but it feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it?) So, it is fairly easy to tell the mechanic, “No, I don’t want to do that suggested maintenance.” But most of the suggested maintenance is designed to keep your car running for a longer time and, more importantly,…

Coming up short can be heart-breaking, frustrating and even life-threatening. Have you watched a professional golfer’s putt come just two inches short? Have you had family members stop just three credits short of a college degree? Do you know any fellow workers who always seem to stop short of finishing a job? Sometimes coming up short can be trivial, but when it comes to the…

There are some things that you know in your head, but even after knowing certain things for a lifetime, it can still boggle the mind and surpass complete understanding. The love of God is one of those things that we can “know” but never fully comprehend. Consider parts of 1 John 4. “God is love…the love of God was manifested…He loved us…God so loved…

Jeroboam was a devious and divisive character in the Old Testament, perhaps best known for dividing the nation of Israel and becoming the first king of the northern kingdom. Among his first acts as king were major changes that he made to the worship of the Lord. Go and read about these in 1 Kings 12:25-33. These changes came about when “Jeroboam said in…

So, you read through lists of sins in the Bible, and some of them you easily dismiss, perhaps thinking, “That’s not an issue for me. I’m not tempted by that at all. That’s in there for other people.” Perhaps we should take just a moment to do a quick introspection on one. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, along with the fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, etc., God lists…

So often in his letters to his brethren, Paul would tell them that he was “praying always for you” (Col. 1:3), and “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thess. 1:2). He told Timothy, “without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day” (2 Tim. 1:3). He said something similar in nearly…