4 Important Things to Remember in Hard Times
Years ago a friend and I used to meet regularly to pray about a particular request. I prayed fervently for a certain outcome, and I was convinced that God would grant my request. I was so confident that I remember telling my friend once, “You know, we have prayed so...
Why Philippians is One of My Favorite Pauline Letters
Another one of the great themes in Philippians is the notion of fellowship or partnership. Our word koinonia is virtually a transliteration straight from Greek, and that word koinonia or partnership in various forms, or fellowship, shows up a lot in the book of...
Why Trouble Should Increase Your Trust in God
I can recall being at my grandmother’s house once when an argument broke out among my cousins. We were all children; I must have been 4 or 5 years old. I don’t remember what the argument was about, but my cousin Johnny was indignant: “That’s not fair!” Several of us...
To Live is Christ [Video]
There is in Philippians this very interesting passage—or really set of passages—about Paul’s own experience. He is in prison. He’s in a Roman prison. He’s been arrested and is now at what we believe to be the end of his apostolic career. There’s every prospect—you can...
Justice, Mercy, and Psalm 139
Years ago when my kids were little, I punished one of the boys for something. My wife Sue told me later, “You know, he didn’t do that.” I still cringe when I remember that. He was just a little guy, and I went to him and apologized. After my son was an adult I told...
Themes in Philippians: What You Need to Know [Video]
When you study the book of Philippians you’ll come across the theme of joy. You’ll come across the theme of gospel. Paul often refers to the word gospel and the notion of the gospel, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus, the message of the death and...
How Should You Feel About Injustice?
I recall counseling a woman years ago when I was a young pastor. I’d learned some counseling techniques in seminary—in those days we were taught to rely on Rogerian Mirroring—but I quickly found that those techniques were not always adequate. I’d been taught that...
Why You Should Press On with Joy [Video]
The book of Philippians captures this notion of movement in any number of ways, and it’s one of the things that people often miss with this great Pauline epistle. This letter is referred to, it is taught, it is preached, it is read, and yet, interestingly enough, I...
What’s the Big Mystery in Psalm 110?
Psalm 110 presents us with a mystery in its very first verse: The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand… (Psalm 110:1) There are three characters in this Psalm, apart from the congregation that hears and repeats it. There’s the Psalmist, the LORD God, and an...