Posts with the category “all-things-new”

“I wait for the LORD; I wait and put my hope in his word.” (Psalm 130:5, CSB) There’s a raw quality we see in Psalm 130 that most of us can identify with. From the midst of the depths of trouble, he c...  Read More

“Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” (Psalm 90:12, CSB) It puts things in perspective to compare our brief lives to the eternity of God. Generations com...  Read More

“As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.” (Hebrews 2:8, CSB) Every believer who’s even halfway paying attention eventually feels it: the tension of living redeemed in a world not full...  Read More

“So that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” (Psalm 67:2) Once again, we visit Psalm 67 and find ourselves opening with a prayer for blessing. But this blessing isn’t on...  Read More

“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:47) When I was a young minister, I somehow developed a beli...  Read More

“Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:3) I’m a visual person so when I read, I “see” the story in my mind. When I read Psalm 96 as the whole earth is s...  Read More

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7) It’s one t...  Read More

“Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.’” (Matthew 28:18) As the story unfolds in Matthew 28, we see what begins as a somber scene: the Marys are...  Read More

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge. My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2) As David pens this song, he isn’t sitting in...  Read More

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Good ole James, half of the Sons of Thunder Duo, has a way of bringing things sharply into focus and making it a bi...  Read More

“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare.” (Psalm 144:1) If you’re thinking you’ve seen Psalm 144 before, you’re right, but from a different perspective...  Read More

“No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against me?” (Job 41:10) On Day 1, we introduce the story for the week. Day 2 helps us shape our worldview, the lens through which we...  Read More

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.” (Ephesians 6:10) In chapters 1-5 of Ephesians, Paul has much to say about Jesus. It’s not until then that he breaks into discussing the...  Read More

“Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people.” (Psalm 84:10) Oh my! Psalm 84 says a ...  Read More

“May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.” (John 17:21) Yep, you guessed it, John 17 is one of my favorite pas...  Read More

“Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) In over 30 years of ministry, I know what it’...  Read More

Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3) In the church, we talk about unity as though it were something we have to create or build. If we get the ...  Read More

“Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) Paul’s message to the church at Corinth isn’t him trying to give them an inspirational illustration, his version o...  Read More

“Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:3) The redemption of humanity started with one man, then one family, then a nation. This week, that circle has en...  Read More

“Therefore accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) I realize it’s possible to celebrate the global nature of the gospel while still struggling to live...  Read More

“So that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” (Psalm 67:2) Most of us find it fairly easy to ask God for personal blessing. Don’t believe me? Read over your church’s pray...  Read More

“For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7) Seeing Cornelius and his house receive the Spirit may have surprised Peter, but it didn’t surprise God. In fact, it was j...  Read More

“All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43) I know I say this almost every week, but I really do love this story ...  Read More

“How delightfully good when brothers live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1) Three short verses. That’s all we get in Psalm 133, but three verses is all we need to see a beautiful picture to end this...  Read More

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21) Of all the miracles told of in the scriptures, this is one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because I like to imagine the looks...  Read More

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation.” (Psalm 33:11) The Psalms have a unique way of focusing the heart, like a literary version of your mom ge...  Read More

“Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:7) We’ve alluded to this story before, but today let’s dive a bit deeper and m...  Read More

“We hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” (Acts 2:11) I love how the story of Pentecost begins, with a sound from heaven. The room at a house in Jerusalem is filled with...  Read More

“Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens; God is our salvation.” (Psalm 68:19) This week opened with a miracle. We watched Jesus literally rise from the earth. We saw Daniel’s Son of M...  Read More

“The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Maj...  Read More

“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.” (Psalm 47:8) If you’re looking for a party, Psalm 47 is your place! From the first verse, it erupts in praise, clapping hands, shouts, ...  Read More

“He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom i...  Read More

“After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9) As Acts opens, it seems the Gospel story has already come to an end. Jesus has rise...  Read More

“I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done.” (Psalm 118:17) If ever there were a Biblical Victory Chant, it’s Psalm 118!The worshipper finds himself surrounded, pressed, and ...  Read More

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.’” (John 20:21) John 20 begins before daybreak, in the darkness. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb and sees t...  Read More

“For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.” (Psalm 16:10) In Psalm 16, David doesn’t make a laundry list of every danger or threat surrounding him, but h...  Read More

“But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) The doctrine of the resurrection isn’t some fringe doctrine of Christianity...  Read More

“He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6) We open our journey into the resurrection story this week as Matthew describes an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had ...  Read More

“How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:12–13) One of the amazing things I’ve learned to appreciat...  Read More

“When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39) The story of Mark 15 is a familiar one to anyone who’s...  Read More