“And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him’!” (Mark 4:41) This verse speaks volumes. It points to the truth that Jesus’ disciples had a lot to learn about him and his ministry. But they would never fully understand his purpose for coming, at least not until his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the grave. Ironically, early in Jesus ministry a demon declared, “Let us alone! What have we to do with […]

“He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it’.” (Mark 8:12) When I was in graduate school, I took a course in organization theory. In the early weeks of the semester, I realized that I did not have so much as a clue as to what that course was about. The readings were difficult to understand and the lectures were even more confusing. After weeks of frustration, I worked up the […]

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9) Some time back, I heard a sermon in which the pastor told a story about a verse from one of my favorite hymns, The Love of God, which was written by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917. The verse goes like this: Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;Were every stalk on […]

“He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6) If the truth were ever told about the effect that doubt could have in your life, this verse hits the nail on the head. There’s something else that’s true about doubt. It usually occurs in the life of every believer. So don’t be discouraged when doubt comes your way. It’s never a permanent condition, and the irony of doubt is that it always brings with it an opportunity to grow […]