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The parable of the Prodigal son in Luke 15 is special partly because it is one of the passages that gives us a direct glimpse into the kind of Father God is.  The son decided he would rather have the riches that he would one day have inherited from his father than to live in his father’s presence.  So, he took his things and left.  But somewhere along the way, he realized the difference that love makes.  When in the…

This passage has always convinced me that Jesus had a sense of humor. If what he’s saying wasn’t so completely serious, it’d be downright hilarious.  Try to visualize the image he paints:  Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that…

Back in the summer, I heard about a little baby who died after accidentally being left in a sweltering car for three hours. That poor child. And that poor family. I can’t even fathom how overwhelming their grief is, how much guilt they feel, how many tears they’re shedding. It’s a reminder—if we needed one—of how many struggles there are in the world. How many people are suffering? How many tears they’re crying. When’s the last time you wept? It’s…

I was getting off the interstate a while back when I saw a man at the bottom of the exit ramp holding a “NEED FOOD” sign. I’m always stirred by different feelings when I see this—compassion, a bit of guilt, curiosity, shame. Why doesn’t he have food? Should I give him money? But it’s also interesting to recognize that this is the image Jesus used to start the most famous sermon ever preached. Most people in his nation thought the…

Several years ago one of my kids was withdrawn and quiet—a reasonably rare occurrence at our house in those days—so I asked him what was wrong. He hesitated, then with a little prodding told me that it was because I had spoken harshly to him earlier that day. I wish I could say it was a case of childish hypersensitivity on his part, that he was wearing his feelings on his coat sleeves, that he needed to toughen up .…

It was a fog-shrouded morning on July 4, 1952, when Florence Chadwick dove into the chilly waters of the Pacific Ocean. She intended to become the first woman ever to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast, but after she had been swimming for over fifteen hours she became exhausted, cold, and discouraged. She asked her trainers in the boat beside her to take her out of the water. They pleaded with her, telling her they could see the…

If you’ve lived on Earth for the past 6 months, you know the world has experienced a tumultuous year. And during this year, some have wondered what exactly God has been doing. Does He care? Does He even notice? These aren’t simple questions, but I’m going to use my space today to give one simple answer. What is God’s answer to the problems our world is facing? Answer: you. God came to earth to become the perfect sacrificial lamb for…

Maybe you’ve occasionally wondered if there’s any point in prayer. Does it work? Is God listening? Does he even care? Whenever I start doubting, I go back and reread James. Here are a few translations of the end of James 5:16: ‎The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (ESV). The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (NKJV). The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (NASB). The prayer of…

I don’t know why we ignore this verse, but I’m pretty sure we do, or at least we skip over the plain sense of it. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16). When’s the last time you did that? When’s the last time you got your sin laundry list out, sat down with a Christian friend, and confessed the many ways you’re struggling in your relationship with Jesus?…

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:14-15). Everyone reading this has been affected in some way by sickness—some sicknesses that are quite serious. We know people…

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise (James 5:13). I suppose we’re more likely to obey the first part of that verse than we are the second. It’s easy to let all of life’s stresses cause us to forget our need to praise God for everything good. If we’re not careful, talking to God can be more like a 911 call—something when do only when we find ourselves in a very difficult…

We’ve got a few different options when we’re suffering. We can complain about it, something most of us have done more than we should have. But it doesn’t really do any good, does it? We don’t particularly enjoy it, and the people around us certainly don’t. We can blame God and fuss at him about it, but that probably suggests a lack of confidence on our part. We can finger-point and talk about why our problems are someone else’s fault.…