James and John are not yet ready. They have not learned the hard lesson of forgoing desires and delusions of grandeur for the Christlike role of servanthood. When the other disciples...

Were James and John not listening? Jesus had just predicted in grim and specific terms what he expected to happen to him when they reached Jerusalem. Perhaps they just caught the...

In yesterday’s reading, God spoke to Job from the whirlwind with a pointed question about the limits of Job’s wisdom, as compared to the vastness of God’s character and limitless knowledge....

The psalmist’s testimony (Psalm 104) demonstrates a humble recognition of God’s boundless love and power. Joel offers a historical example of calamity when we try to seize power and fail to...

The psalmist almost sounds as if he is in love! What grandeur there is in the lofty images describing the height and depth and width of God’s magnificent creation: the vast...

“Sin in haste; repent at leisure” is a common theme in our Old Testament history. Things are going so well; then because of thoughtlessness, greed, envy, complacency, stupidity, or any manner...

Following Jesus calls us into what can be a harsh reality. It’s a calling to give up all that we have and all that we think we are. It’s a calling...

If we ever wish to come face-to-face with where our day-in, day-out lives demonstrate how far we are from the kingdom of God, we can do no better than listening to...

Job and Psalm 22 reflect the cries of the confident. But sometimes our darkness is more our own doing. The living and active sword of God’s word calls us to faithfulness;...

This week, Job and the writer of Psalm 22 have come before God boldly. They have come more boldly than most of us would dare. We are too aware of our...