Seeing the Bigger Picture
Read: Ephesians 1:1-14 [God has made] known to us the mystery of his will . . . to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (vv. 9-10) While Paul doesn’t use the image of running in his letter to the Ephesians, think of the letter as a training manual for […]
Training vs. Trying
Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes . . . goes into strict training. (vv. 24-25 NIV) Try harder. Work more. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. These messages clamor loudly in Western culture. But the Bible tells us that resilience is not a […]
The Race Set before Us
Read: Hebrews 12:1-6 Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (v. 1) Several years ago, I signed up to run my first 25K race. I knew I couldn’t do it alone, so I trained with some more experienced runners. We would wake up early, while it was dark, and get […]
You Are My People
Read: Leviticus 20:22-26 I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. (v. 24) Like sojourners in a foreign land, like refugees fleeing violence, we may feel like strangers in a distant land. We look around and see a world that is ravaged by violence, illness, and death. We may find […]
Be Holy
Read: Leviticus 11:44-45 Be holy, for I am holy. (v. 44) God calls us to be holy, but have you wondered if this is even possible? Maybe you imagine that if you’re not a pastor or working in ministry, you’re not as holy. Maybe you compare yourself to Christians around you and think that they’re […]
A Holy and Acceptable Offering
Read: Romans 12:1-4 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice . . . which is your spiritual worship. (v. 1) Every Sunday, Christians gather to worship God—in person at church, with family members at home, or virtually online. We often think of “worship” as singing or praying. Both of these are a part of worship. […]
A Living Sacrifice
Read: Romans 12:1-2 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. (v. 1) It takes a certain kind of person to be a police officer or firefighter: determination, grit, and a sense of duty. In their line of work, they run a lot of risk. The police officer goes into harm’s […]
All We Need to Know
Read: John 20:30-31; Romans 11:33-36 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31 NRSV) The Belgic Confession, one of the historic confessions of the church tradition to which I belong, […]
So I Send You
Read: John 20:21; Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21 NRSV) Matthew’s Gospel is where we find the Great Commission, Jesus’ charge to his disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name […]