I assure you : Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop (John 12:24). The other night, I was reading John 12:24 to my son. I was struck by the context. A few verses earlier, some Greeks come to Jesus’s…
Category: The cross
The Inward Journey—Gene Edwards
Last month, someone sent me a couple books. One was, The Inward Journey by Gene Edwards. The book is a work of theological imagination. A young man, Chris (short for “Christian”), finds himself thrust into a painful season. As Chris cries and prays one day, he has a series of visions guided by a figure…
No Harm?
Psalm 91 talks about living under God’s protection. It details various dangers the believer will be kept from. In sum, “Because you have made the LORD—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, no harm will come to you” (Psalm 91:9-10). Similar sentiments are expressed in other verses. Some take these verses at face value: if…
Dead in the Water
Not long ago, I was going about my day when a bit of pride strutted through my soul. I can’t even remember what it was about. But my reaction was, Ugh. Every thought of my mind is only evil all the time! I realized I was paraphrasing Genesis 6:5, where God is grieved he made mankind because…
Despising the Lamb
The following article appeared in our local paper last weekend. It is adapted from my booklet, Despising the Lamb: Contempt for Christ in First Samuel. *** Hophni and Phineas were priests in Old Testament times (1 Sam. 1:3). The Bible says Hophni and Phineas were wicked men (1 Sam. 2:12). Why? When someone brought a…
Life out of Death
Joseph embodies the key reality of spirituality: life out of death. God is a God of life out of death. This is His way. Everything He does or creates expresses it. If we would truly know the Lord, our experience will be marked by life out of death. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit…
Not My Own
I have been meditating lately on verses that say I am not my own; I belong to Jesus, body and soul. One example is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20–“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price.” This particular verse addresses sexuality. Christians do not have the right use their bodies in any way…
Too Strong for Me
He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me” (Psalm 18:16-17). I have been meditating on Psalm 18, especially the verses above. There are a couple levels…
Communion and the Concubine
What follows is adapted from my booklet, “Communion and the Concubine.” If you’ve found the story in Judges 19 and 20 disturbing (and most have), I hope you will check out the booklet and find the story redeemed by how Christ is revealed in it. *** Judges 19 contains one of the most horrific stories…
Dreams and Suffering
Joseph dreamt his brothers were sheaves of wheat that bowed to his sheaf; he dreamt the sun, moon, and 11 stars all bowed to his star. His brothers hated him because of his dreams, and because he was his father’s most loved son. One day, their hatred brimmed over. They stripped Joseph of the…
