A Sham Trial

Dr. Luke shares the details of Jesus “trial” before the Sanhedrin in today’s Bible reading*. I put the word trial in quotes because it was anything but a proper trial. Luke doesn’t share all of the details of the trial such as the witnesses who couldn’t agree on their stories. (Mark 14:56) But he does…

Jesus’ Secret to Life

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus’ secret to overcoming temptation. In today’s Bible reading*, we see the secret to Jesus’ life overall. Simon and his business partners, James and John have been fishing all night. They have caught nothing. It happens occasionally. When you make your living fishing, some days are diamonds and some days are…

Devote Yourself to Prayer

As a pastor, I receive emails from time to time asking me to complete a survey in exchange for a copy of an ebook. I completed one of those surveys a few years ago. To be honest, I really didn’t like my answers! Today’s survey questions asked about my prayer life: As I said, I…

Spiritual Warfare: What it is (and what it isn’t)

In today’s Bible reading*, Paul completes his statement of what being filled with the Holy Spirit looks like as it applies to relationships with parents and children and with masters and servants (employers and employees in our context). He concludes the chapter discussing Spiritual Warfare. Most believers think they’re being persecuted for being a believer…

The Problem with Living Sacrifices

Today’s Bible reading* presents a difficult visual. Paul appeals to believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1-2) Look carefully at what Paul says. He appeals to believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices in the light of God’s mercies. He doesn’t give the appeal in a vacuum. It’s in the context…