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My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will carry their iniquities. - Isaiah 53:11 At one time in my life, I briefly considered a career as a lawyer. My uncle is a lawyer and judge (and so are his sons) and I had some interest in it because of them. Instead, I chose a career in accounting, which is basically "law for nerds." Perhaps my interest in the law had something to do with the concept of justice. I, like many, have this innate desire for justice to be ser

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it." - Matthew 16:24-25 Where do you look to find the life that you truly desire? Do you really like the life you have? If not, why not? Jesus said that in order to find life, first you have to lose it. So, maybe the question should be, "Have you l

He says: It is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth. - Isaiah 49:6 If you are a Christ-follower, it is because Jesus died for you and all your sins have been forgiven. Isn't that good news? Well, is it good news for anyone else? God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Israel) and this nation a

But He turned and told Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but man's." - Matthew 16:23 What is the definition of spiritual discernment? Is it not the ability to see or understand God's will and purpose through the clouded lens of our own preconceptions? Peter, who clearly believed Jesus to be the Son of God and Jewish Messiah, could not comprehend how the Savior of the world might die at the hands of

Listen to this, house of Jacob -- those who are called by the name Israel and have descended from Judah, who swear by the name of Yahweh and declare the God of Israel, but not in truth or righteousness. - Isaiah 48:1 In the first verse of Isaiah 48, the prophet gives a one-sentence commentary on the weakened spiritual state of Israel. Simply put, the sickness that invaded the national soul was hypocrisy. Though they claimed a covenant relationship with God and even took

He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. - Matthew 15:36 If you have ever watched a cop show on television, then you know that one of the keys to eliminating the drug trade is to get beyond the buyers/dealers to capture the suppliers/producers. Without someone producing and supplying the product, there would be no delivery and, therefore, no consumption. Ev

I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will. - Isaiah 46:10 The Lordship of Christ is an essential, non-negotiable tenet of His relationship with those who claim to be His disciples. Someone once said that if Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is certainly not Lord at all. The servant/slave is never in a position to dictate his/her will to the Master, but instead is bound to acco

After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. - Matthew 14:23 Interesting story, isn't it? Didn't the disciples think it was strange that Jesus sent them out to sea while He remained behind? What had they already learned about Jesus that gave them the confidence to head out without Him? The fact that Jesus wanted to be alone with His Father was certainly no surprise (it was a common practice), but ho

Woe to the one who argues with his Maker — one clay pot among many. Does clay say to the one forming it, "What are you making?" Or does your work say, "He has no hands?" - Isaiah 45:9 I really hate to admit it, but God and I don't always get along. Generally-speaking, we do. I mean I get that He is Lord of the universe and I'm not, but sometimes when His ways are "beyond finding out" it really, quite frankly (yes, I know He is listening) ticks me off. In one of my favor

"They don't need to go away," Jesus told them. "You give them something to eat." - Matthew 14:16 At the first miraculous feeding of the multitude, Jesus challenged the disciples to provide for the needs of the crowd. Their expected response was much as I expect ours would be, "We can't!" As Christ-followers gathered into local churches, we are often faced with overwhelming needs, whether in our own communities or around the world. Faced with such a dilemma, our first

It is I who sweeps away your transgressions for My own sake and remember your sins no more. - Isaiah 43:25 While most believers may understand that it is God who delivers us from sin, and that it is the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ that makes this possible, some may miss His ultimate purpose in doing so. God "sweeps away transgressions and remembers sin no more," but He does not do it for our sake. Yes, we are beneficiaries and recipients of His mercy and grace, but H

Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn. - Matthew 13:30 In every church there are those who do not truly believe. They say the right things, obey the right rules, and even claim the right Savior, but they are still not "right." They do not truly belong to Christ. Can this be? By their fruits, we usually know them. They rise in opposition to gos

Behold, I am going to do something new, now it will spring up; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:19 To a nation that had known nothing but bad news and despair, Isaiah's words from the Lord must have felt like a cool breeze on a hot day. As with Israel, “life” for us all can get a bit overwhelming, and the promise of a new day is all the hope we have. The assurance we have from the Scriptures (that

I tell you on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. - Matthew 12:36 In my 38 years as a preacher and public speaker, I have made some serious "boo-boo's." My guess is that sheer volume would make this likely, but I have often wondered how those with national recognition ever avoided it. Perhaps they didn't and were only saved by the editing department! Truth is, all our words are "public" before God, even those whispered b

Though seeing many things, you do not obey. Though [his] ears are open, he does not listen. - Isaiah 42:20 For many years my wife told me that I had a hearing problem, that I only hear what I want to hear! Huh? God said the same thing about the people of Israel, and that they were not only deaf by choice, but also blind. Their eyes and ears were open, but not to their Creator. It seems that a lot of church-attenders are suffering the same malady. They are blind an

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent [a message] by his disciples and asked Him, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" - Matthew 11:2-3 In some ways, I am comforted by the fact that John the Baptist (for at least one moment in his life) was discouraged and harbored doubt. This bold prophet of God, after sitting for some time in Herod's jail, once asked Jesus, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect some

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, this is what God the Lord says, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the

At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region. - Matthew 8:34 When I was just a boy, my father, brother, and cousins went to see the great Karl Wallenda walk across Tallulah Gorge on a tight-wire. Like many who were present that day, they didn't really want to see him fall, but frankly the thought or possibility of it was why they were there. We even have a digital reproduction of the event from the old 8mm film (

Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me passes by my God?" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weary, and to him who lacks vigor He increases might. Though youths grow weary and tired, and choice men stumble badly, Yet those who hope in Yahweh will gain new powe

Jesus told him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." - Matthew 8:20 One problem that many American volunteers face when traveling and serving overseas concerns money. Often those who live in third-world countries observe our clothes and possessions and assume (rightly so) that we are wealthy. Of course, by comparison, we are! It is possible for the price of one round-trip airfare from the U.S. to exceed a ty