Solomon is wise enough to know that the house of prayer receives blessing only when it opens itself and welcomes the “foreigner” and outsiders from “a distant land.” For Israel, this...

Jesus’ forbears had an ambivalent relationship with temples and houses of worship. On the one hand, the human impulse to “contain” God led to shrines and tabernacles on a grand scale....

When Jesus starts talking about his body as bread and his blood as drink, the people are understandably perplexed, and perhaps a bit mortified. The apostle Paul explains it this way,...

Get drunk on God, on music, on conversation—this is what God’s word recommends, especially when the days are evil. Unlike being drunk on wine, this sort of intoxication isn’t a form...

It is difficult to make the most of every opportunity when we worry about the future. It is difficult to make the most of every opportunity when we spend time reliving...

Often in life, our fears obstruct our wisdom. Fears—flaming, screaming, whimpering distractions—keep us from our path. Fear is so often the enemy of what is good. This is why the scriptures...

Ponder, delight, remember, extol. The psalmist employs these four verbs (as translated in the New International Version) in today’s psalm. Do these encompass what it means to fear the Lord? To...

We could paraphrase many of our prayers in this way: “God, get down here and fix it.” We commonly plead for God to end our pain, suffering, conflict, or threat from...

Solomon follows his father’s instructions with one notable exception—King Solomon offers sacrifices and incense in the high places. In most biblical contexts, such sacrifices were not acceptable, but here Solomon takes...

There is a phenomenon among babies and infants called “failure to thrive.” This may happen when newborns or infants have their physical needs met but do not respond normally. Sometimes the...