April 20 In Luke 15, modern-day Bible translations give a title to all three parables using the word lost: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son. But is lost the emphasis in each of these parables or do all three of them point to a larger truth? A shepherd lost a sheep….
As a child, something always intrigued me. I remember a tall, brick smokestack in our neighborhood. On it were the initials of a college—a college that was several miles away. Now, this old smokestack didn’t get there by itself. Someone built it before the early 1960s. Was the college supposed to be built there originally,…
April 4 Following the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3–5, John, son of Zechariah, appears in the vicinity of the Jordan River preaching a very convicting message and urging his audience to repent. He didn’t just call for people to raise their hand, walk an aisle, shake a preacher’s hand, or be baptized as many today are…
January 25 As He hangs on the cross, just before taking His last few breaths, Jesus speaks those three epic words, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Notice that He doesn’t say, “I am finished.” He says, “It is finished.” But what was finished? His life? His ministry? Everything necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled…
John 6 Did you know that the feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that occurs in all four Gospels? Jesus feeds five thousand men with only five barley loaves and two fish, which at that time was a poor man’s meal. (Wheat bread was the food of the wealthy.) As the scene…
January 3 John 3 is probably one of the most familiar chapters in the Bible. A big reason for this is that John 3:16 is the most familiar verse in the Bible. Unfortunately, most Bible translations don’t render this verse as accurately as they could for today’s readers. This leads to misunderstanding and misapplication of…