Posts with the category “all-things-new”

“After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9) As Acts opens, it seems the Gospel story has already come to an end. Jesus has rise...  Read More

“I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done.” (Psalm 118:17) If ever there were a Biblical Victory Chant, it’s Psalm 118!The worshipper finds himself surrounded, pressed, and ...  Read More

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.’” (John 20:21) John 20 begins before daybreak, in the darkness. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb and sees t...  Read More

“For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.” (Psalm 16:10) In Psalm 16, David doesn’t make a laundry list of every danger or threat surrounding him, but h...  Read More

“But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) The doctrine of the resurrection isn’t some fringe doctrine of Christianity...  Read More

“He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6) We open our journey into the resurrection story this week as Matthew describes an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had ...  Read More

“How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:12–13) One of the amazing things I’ve learned to appreciat...  Read More

“When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39) The story of Mark 15 is a familiar one to anyone who’s...  Read More

“But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” (Psalm 31:14) In Psalm 31, David writes to us from a life surrounded by distress, slander, fear, and threat. He finds his strength failing him, his...  Read More

“For kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations.” (Psalm 22:28) “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” One of the most recognizable phrases uttered by Jesus on the cross. As He agonizes i...  Read More

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15) Ancient Rome is known for many things, including art, government, and raw empiric...  Read More

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him.” (Psalm 96:9) Somewhere over the past few decades we’ve seen a shift in how we worship from a shared, corpora...  Read More

“For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16) As someone who’s ...  Read More

“Exalt the LORD our God; bow in worship at his footstool. He is holy.” (Psalm 99:5) So much of Western Christianity is centered around packaging Jesus to match the feelings of the hearers. But in Psal...  Read More

“His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a ...  Read More

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5) Over the past several years, a core of my study has been focused on the times in the scriptures when the veil betwe...  Read More

LORD, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain? (Psalm 15:1) As a believer in Jesus, I find myself on a never-ending quest to be in the presence of God. The Psalmist meets me in ...  Read More

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12) So many times in my life as a follower of Jesus, I’ve had to ...  Read More

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) One of my most favorite things to do is watch the sun come up in the morning...  Read More

I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11) Psalm 119 begins painting a picture of a blessed life, the life of one who walks according to the Lord’s instru...  Read More

Then Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes. (Matthew 7:28–29) As the S...  Read More

Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7) Psalm 20 finds God’s people on the brink of battle asking God to intervene, protect, ...  Read More

He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens. (Ephesians 1:20) If you’ve lasted this long in the devotional series, you won’t be surp...  Read More

I will say concerning the LORD, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. (Psalm 91:2) As we find so many of the Psalms, Psalm 91 is packed full of some of the most encouraging languag...  Read More

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2) Hebrews 8 teaches a really important lesson...  Read More

Amazement came over them all, and they were saying to one another, “What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” (Luke 4:36) Yes, you read to...  Read More

“Let everything that breathes praise the LORD. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 150:6) I’m not sure there could be a more appropriate place to end a week about the Kingdom of God than Psalm 150! There are no long ...  Read More

“So he replied to them, ‘Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the ...  Read More

“The LORD reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 146:10) In the western world, and particularly in America, it’s easy for us to fall prey to placing our hope in...  Read More

“The LORD reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 146:10) In the western world, and particularly in America, it’s easy for us to fall prey to placing our hope in...  Read More

“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” (Isaiah 35:5) So many times we think salvation is limited to just us “not going to hell” or some variant of that. While...  Read More

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) If ever there were an action-packed chapter in the Bible, it’s Mark 1. He doesn’t slow roll...  Read More

May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, may his fame increase. May all nations be blessed by him and call him blessed. (Psalm 72:17) Something people hear me talk about a great deal is...  Read More

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (Matthew 4:10) Our current culture seems to have a healthy disdain for anything remotely resemb...  Read More

Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. (Psalm 45:6) I must admit, when I first read through Psalm 45 I found myself feeling a bit detached from its...  Read More

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on t...  Read More

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Unlike the other Gospel accounts, John doesn’...  Read More

“I wait for the LORD; I wait and put my hope in his word.” (Psalm 130:5) One of the things I love about the Psalms is their honesty. This entire week has been focused on waiting, and waiting well, thr...  Read More

“Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25) All this talk about waiting could have us fall back into a dark place where the Christian life seems to be ...  Read More

“I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1) Waiting has a particularly strong way of exposing what’s in the heart. If you don’t believe me, watch a small child in line for a...  Read More