"As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed Him" (Matthew 9:9).

Matthew is an interesting character in the New Testament: the name occurs only five times in the New Testament, and only in the gospel of Matthew is he referred to as a tax collector.  Elsewhere, he is sometimes referred…

After His suffering and death, Jesus’ disciples hunkered down and pondered what had just happened and what it all meant. They had witnessed the most horrible death anyone could endure: Roman crucifixion. They saw His lifeless body taken down from the cross and given to Joseph of Arimathea for burial. Their hopes seemed dashed.

Jesus died…

Why observe Good Friday? 

To understand that question is for us to first understand the depth of our sin. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD.” Paul also teaches, again in Romans, that the “wages of sin is death…”. (6:23) Our sin is detestable to GOD and deserves eternal punishment.  We are sinful to our core and we can neither…

The Passover (or pesah in Hebrew) is first mentioned in Exodus chapter 12. The chapter is 51 verses long, but certainly is the place to begin reading in order to understand the celebration.

The Passover is mentioned more than 20 times throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and in…

A friend of mine was recently passed over for a job promotion. He thought the interview went well but that decision did not seem to go in his favor. Co-workers told him he was “cheated” and some of them spoke ill of their employer. But my friend knew that God is ultimately in control of his career and told his co-workers “I want to be where God wants me.” This came as a shock…

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).

My heart has been shocked over the past months as I have become aware of an increasing number of hostile acts in the US toward people of Asian descent. The recent murders in Georgia may or may…

“You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).

The Tuesday Men’s Noon Bible Study is currently working through the book of Deuteronomy. We meet on Zoom, and it’s open to any man who would like to participate (we do hope to regather…

If someone gives you bad news, offers criticism to you, or informs you of a decision you think is wrong, how do you react?

I know it’s easy to react to the person right away. Our initial reaction can often be to be defensive, to engage in an argument, or to lash out. Or maybe we internalize the feedback and begin to wonder what we did wrong or become sad or angry.

The judge and prophet…

“Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress.” – Psalm 62:2

We’re continuing to work our way through the Psalms via our early morning Zoom devotional time (6-6:30 a.m).  It’s a rich time, where we all encourage one another with insights from God’s Word.  We meditated on Psalm 62 today and allowed it to guide our prayer time.

This Psalm reminds us of great truths about…

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

 It’s still the new year and I am looking around at doing some Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects such as a bathroom remodel. My betterment list is growing. I will add in some self-help (healthier lifestyle choices), financial improvement (budget, budget, budget), and spiritual growth (this year I will…