Life This Side of Heaven

On Monday, we took note of how Paul rejoiced and told Philemon, “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the sai…

Have you ever watched a movie in which one of the characters is reading something out loud for everyone else to hear.  It might have been an important letter, a story, or the reading of a will?  Inev…

We live in a world where folks often try to move up to a better place at the table or a more comfortable seat on the plane. It's tempting to follow that lead. However, You and I are blessed to have…

On Monday, we looked at faith.  And on Wednesday we zoomed in for a closer glimpse at hope.  Faith is about right now.  Hope is about tomorrow.  Today, we take a closer look at God's gift to us of l…

Faith, hope and love are often described as virtues, a series of behaviors we develop over time with practice. While that's true, it's easy then to miss what Paul has to say about them here in this …

Perhaps you’ve been to a wedding in recent weeks or watched one take place in a movie. If so, you may have heard the familiar reading from 1 Corinthians 13:13 in which Paul says, "And now these thre…

Despite forest fires often being referred to as "an act of God," statistically they're more often the result of human activity– whether through carelessness, arson or even poor forestry management. …

"None of them received what had been promised"? That sounds like the basis for a case in small claims court! So what does the writer to the Hebrews mean when, pointing to such Old Testament figures…

When God tells you and I not to worry, you can be sure that what’s He’s telling us is much more than simply, “Don’t Panic!” He's got something much better in mind for us to be doing.

Here in Hebrews, the writer tells us that Abraham “was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”   But what he describes isn’t a fanciful dream of something y…

Is Christianity “pie-in-the-sky”? Sometimes, it's trendy to hear Christianity decried as being so focused on what's above that it's less concerned with the down-to-earth issues of everyday life. It…

Here in Ecclesiastes, Solomon sounds almost curmudgeonly. When he looks at what's often extolled as important in this life he exclaims, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” But the re…

Have you ever found yourself struggling with prayer and wondering whether God is even listening? Have you ever prayed for one thing but received something else? Have you ever prayed for one set of ci…

Should we be alarmed by what Paul warns here in Colossians? Well, consider a report released last June highlighting the global trade in unapproved and counterfeit medicines. If those results sound a…