We all understand the importance of water for survival. In fact, next to air, water is the most important substance for life. … read more

Many Americans will never forget the newscast from Washington, D.C., after an Air Florida plane crashed into the Potomac River in 1982. Millions… read more

At the turn of the twentieth century, Sir George Adam Smith, a prominent British visitor to the Syrian hills, watched with fascination one evening as… read more

In a million lifetimes, we cannot do anything for our salvation—it is God’s gift, totally undeserved. This is why no one can brag or… read more

The rich man had allowed his wealth to create a false sense of security and self-sufficiency (see Matthew 19:16-30). He relied on his money more than… read more

There is tension afoot in our world today. Really, it has existed from the moment mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden. This tension develops from… read more

Some people say that the natural response to salvation by grace alone is something like this: “Now that I am saved by grace, I can break every… read more

Adam and Eve owned up to their sin, and they regretted the break in their relationship with God. However, this was not true for their son Cain. … read more

The very first lesson in history on grace was the animal sacrificed to atone for Adam and Eve’s sin—here the innocent first died for the… read more

Grace has been defined as the second chance we did not expect. … read more

A group of young men was meeting by a river. During their usual horseplay, one of the men fell into the water. Immediately, this fellow began to… read more

Jesus closes His beatitudes with a double blessing: “Blessed . . . blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness” (see Matthew… read more

Our culture’s idea of peace is but a shadow of God’s peace. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, does not mean merely the absence of war,… read more

“The heart knows what it wants,” culture says, excusing the flighty, selfish choices people so often make. But when Jesus speaks of the… read more

It is no more natural today to exercise mercy than 2,000 years ago when Jesus pronounced these magnificent words. In Roman society, mercy indicated… read more

A person suffering from starvation or dehydration can think of nothing else but to find food or water. Hunger and thirst are God-given sensations… read more

When someone is meek, society says they must be weak, indecisive, or timid—maybe even spineless and cowardly. And so, in our culture, the meek… read more

This second beatitude is perhaps the most paradoxical. Jesus appears to say, “Happy are the unhappy.” But Jesus’ view of happiness… read more