Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. (Psalm 32:6) My wife told me a story the other day, which took the form of a modern-day parable. Jesus often relied on parables in the Bible to compare something in everyday life to a spiritual truth. However, many of us have trouble applying them in today’s world because we don’t belong to the culture for which they were written. In other words, […]

“I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.” (Genesis 49:18) I receive emails all the time from readers seeking answers to spiritual dilemmas that life brings their way. Without a doubt, the most frequently asked question I get concerns the assuredness of salvation. Just last week for example, a reader wrote: “I love Jesus with everything in me. I have committed my life to him and truly believe. I just have a big problem really believing how Jesus could forgive me for messing up a lot; also accepting […]

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) When I was in my early twenties, my then wife and I routinely traveled to Charlotte to spend the weekend with her sister. She was married to a doctor who saw no earthly reason why he should go to church on Sunday morning. He could get all the church he needed from his living room couch, […]

“He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.” (Psalms 9:8) I am grateful for God’s grace and mercy in my life. I see it everyday and often wonder, “Why me?” I also ask the same question when I get frustrated, even angry with God. For example, several years ago, my then eleven-year-old daughter telephoned me in a rush of panic and fear, 300 miles away. Sadly all I could do was listen. The distance between us prevented me from putting my arms […]