The shepherd picture in the Bible is not soft or sentimental. It is practical language God uses to show how He cares for His people and how His people are meant to follow Him. Even early on in Genesis 4:2-4, the first shepherd we meet brings an offering that...
Repentance is one of the clearest calls in the Bible, and it is also one of the most confused. Some people think it just means feeling bad. Others treat it like a religious payment that earns forgiveness. When you sit with Joel 2:12-13, you find something better...
Jesus used parables as plain pictures from everyday life, and He expected people to listen closely and respond. In Matthew 13:24-30 He gives a picture that keeps Christians from getting naïve about evil, and it also keeps us from turning harsh and trigger-happy....
Jesus knew people could sit under the same teaching and walk away with completely different outcomes. In Matthew 13:1-23, He explains why, using what we call the Parable of the Sower. It is not really about farming techniques. It is about what happens when the Word...
Matthew’s account of the Magi is familiar, but a lot of the details people assume are not actually in the text. Matthew 2:1-3 is short, but it sets up a serious contrast: Gentile seekers come looking to worship, and a Jewish king hears the news and feels...
The Bible is not a pile of religious thoughts collected over time. It is one united message from God, and it keeps moving in a straight line toward Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus can say in John 5:39 that the Scriptures bear witness about Him. If we miss Him, we...
Jesus looked at ordinary disciples and told them what they were in the world, not what they might become if they tried harder. In Matthew 5:13 He called them the salt of the earth, and He warned them that salt can become useless. If we listen to what He said and...
The virgin birth is not a side issue. It sits right on the Bible’s plain testimony about who Jesus is and how God brought salvation into the world. When you read Scripture from Genesis to the Gospels, you see a promise of a Deliverer, then clearer and clearer...
People can speak respectfully about Jesus and still miss who He really is. The Bible does not leave Him in the category of helpful teacher or inspiring prophet. It puts Him in the place that belongs to God alone. Once you see that, a lot of things snap into focus,...
People often treat the phrases Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God like they are either exactly the same or totally different. If you slow down and follow how the Gospels actually use the words, you find something simpler: they speak about the same kingdom, but...
