By all appearances, Nicodemus lacks nothing in life. As a Pharisee, he is set apart from other Jews. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he serves on Judaism’s version of the...

In our human relationships, promises are much easier to make than to keep. We know both the regret of having made promises that we’ve broken and the betrayal when others have...

It’s easy to think of Abraham and Sarah as incomparable, even perfect, models of faith. After all, they left everything behind at God’s sudden call to birth a new nation in...

Psalm 121 is one of fifteen “Psalms of Ascent” the people of Israel sang or recited on their way to Jerusalem for Israel’s holy festivals. It speaks of the dangers pilgrims...

What gets you out of bed every morning? Abram has a reason for living that gets him out of bed every morning. When Abram receives the promise that God will make...

Abram, who later becomes Abraham, receives an improbable divine call to leave his homeland and journey to an unfamiliar land that God will reveal to him. God promises Abram that he...

It would be easy to interpret this concluding verse of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness as a reward for withstanding the devil’s wiles. Jesus made it! All forty days! And so...

According to the psalmist, one critical factor when it comes to forgiveness is confession. Confession is incredibly difficult because it means acknowledging accountability. Confession gives witness to responsibility. Confession means fessing...

In a study Bible I have on my desk, the title for this psalm is “The Joy of Forgiveness.” This title equates happiness and joy as the outcome of forgiveness, as...

God’s warning to Adam reminds me of all the times I would give my two sons a similar admonition. And as soon as I uttered, “Don’t do (fill in the blank),”...