What makes Paul joyful?  It certainly was circumstances and future expectations.  Paul's boundless joy is tethered to the eternal promise of God, the same promises believers have in Christ Jesus.  

Our uncomfortable calling as exiles—to be neither isolated from nor absorbed into our environment—means following the footsteps of the Suffering Servant.

In the last year, we also have all been reminded about the fragility of life and the uncertainties that can come with disease and death: COVID, a plummeting economy, violence in the streets almost unparalleled in history. Often in such times, we turn to the Psalter for comfort. Today, I’d like to take the reader on a brief survey of a familiar Psalm: Psalm 91.

We are reminded by the Word always to give thanks.  No matter the circumstance, the Lord's grace and presence give us sufficient reasons for thanks.  

This devotional highlights Jesus' willingness and power to heal and to save. Furthermore, it reveals the heart of thanksgiving and praise which flows from a life touched by God's grace and mercy.

Psalm 130 is a microcosm of the ordinary Christian life of guilt, grace, and gratitude.

Peter exhorts Christians to trust in God’s sovereign plan and remain vigilant while we await our blessed hope.

This meditation reflects upon the Apostle Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus, which he planted, knows, and loves. By extension this prayer is for Christ's church and people in this present age as we await the Lord's return. Paul's prayer is bold and audacious. It is confident and comforting, knowing that the Lord is able and willing to do more than we can even ask and think.

In his 1521 translation of the Greek New Testament into German Luther used the word allein (alone) in his translation of Romans 3:28, which says, “For we reckon that a man is justified through faith apart from the works of the law.” Luther was right. He captured Paul's intent, which was to teach salvation sola fide, by faith alone.  

In this devotional we reflect upon Mary's prayer of praise to the Lord for his favor towards her and his mercy toward all of his children. Mary marvels at the word, works, and presence of the Lord, as do all who share the same faith and Lord as Mary.

The Old Covenant was a visible thing —  the priests, the altar, the animals and the blood.  The New Covenant is, in many ways, an invisible reality.  

Jonah 1:17-2:10

What does it mean to ask for daily bread?

In Romans 5:1-11, the Apostle Paul preached the bad news of our sin and the good news of our free, once-for-all, justification and salvation. The heart of passage is that, in Christ, God loves sinners, justifies them, saves them, and as a consequence, sanctifies them by his love and Spirit. 

This devotional explores Jesus' parable about two people who pray. One is proud and confident of his  alleged avoidance of sin and good works; the other recognizes his sin and cries out to the Lord for mercy. Mercy is what he received.

All human boasting is subverted by the surprising grace of God's calling and election. The Christian's boasting is inverted, redirected away from ourselves toward the cruciform glory of Christ our Mediator.

This devotional examines Jesus' request to avoid the cross, if possible; coupled with his wholehearted resolve to endure the cross for his people. This is not merely an example of radical obedience, but the foundation for the forgiveness, righteousness, and reconciliation of the Christian.

God has robbed the graves of his people

This devotional unpacks Jesus' praying for Peter that his faith would not fail and the implications for us that our faithful High Priest lives to intercede for us.