Over the next two months I will be taking a sabbatical.  Some may wonder what this is and why churches do this for their pastors.  First, a sabbatical, broadly defined, is a time when a pastor draws back from his regular responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal.  There are no commands in Scripture that tell churches and pastors to do this.  Sabbaticals are thus a matter of prudence, not obedience.  Despite no clear commands in Scripture for pastors to take a sabbatical, in this article, I’d like [...]

Every human, and only humans, have a conscience.  Animals don’t have consciences because they don’t have the capacity for moral judgment.  Only humans have this capacity because only humans are made in the image of God.  Our consciences feel like an independent, third party watching over our lives.  This is because all humans know intuitively that God exists (Rom. 1:19-20) and all humans have an imperfect-but-accurate version of God’s law written on their hearts (2:14-16).  Verse 16 makes the connection between our intuitive knowledge of God and our intuitive [...]

When it comes to giving to the church, we all wonder, “How much should we give?”  In his instructions about giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul never mentions specific amounts or percentages, but he does give us several principles to follow.  One of them is in 9:6-10.  In these verses (esp. vv. 6 and 10) Paul uses the metaphor of reaping and sowing to explain what happens when we give.  The Corinthians may have thought that they would lose whatever they give, so Paul reminds them that, just as [...]

I love Spring.  The bright colors, fresh smells, cool breezes, warm sunshine, rainstorms, turning the heat/AC off at night and sleeping with the windows open, eating meals outside instead of inside, and being able to be outside without sweating all make Spring one of my favorite times of the year.  Springtime shows us the glory of God’s creation in ways that Winter, Summer, and Fall do not.  But springtime also shows us something else.  If we look at springtime with biblical eyes, we see resurrection.  During Spring, the Lord [...]

At the beginning of his Gospel, the apostle John described Jesus as “the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (1:14).  Then he adds that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.”  John is saying that Jesus’ glory was seen in his unmerited love for sinners and in his revelation of what is real.  Jesus is “full of grace of truth.”  But sometimes Jesus’ followers are not, especially when we are confronted with [...]

Did you know that Jesus only describes his heart one time in the Bible?  In Matthew 11:28-30, he says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “I’m serious and severe in heart,” or, “I’m dignified and distinguished,” or even, “I’m happy [...]

The Christmas season is a good time to reflect on why Jesus came into the world.  His coming is the reason for the season after all!  This question is one that we can come back to each year because it has such a rich and varied answer.  In fact, there’s not just one reason why Jesus came into the world.  There are many.  For example, he came to glorify his Father (Jn. 17:1-4).  He came to save sinners (Matt. 1:21).  He came to defeat the works of the devil [...]