In the Scriptures, God’s ear is alert to the poor and oppressed as well as to the righteous. But he can also turn a deaf ear toward people and refuse to listen. Likewise our ears can be open or closed to God. Isaiah wrote: “The Sovereign LORD . . . wakens my ear to listen…

The Bible talks about eyes of malice and haughty eyes. The eyes of anger and eyes of love. The eye of sorrow and the eye of desire. We often express what’s going on inside us through our eyes. When someone is speaking to you, listen to what they are saying with their eyes. We give…

If you run a business, you periodically evaluate your productivity. If you own a car, you periodically perform a maintenance check. If you’re concerned about your health, you periodically check your weight. Likewise in our spiritual lives, we periodically assess our “full surrender to God”. One concrete way to do this is by offering our…

Though treated shamefully in his death on the cross, God vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead and lifting him up through his ascension and seating him at the right hand of God. “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and…

Paul declared, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” (Galatians 3:13). Through his death on the cross, Christ took upon himself our guilt and shame and set us free. No matter what shame we…

The cross was an instrument of shame for both Jews and Romans. Dying on a cross was both painful and disgraceful. The Old Testament law stated that “anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse” (Deuteronomy 21:23). In a military victory, Joshua triumphed over and shamed his enemies: “Joshua put the kings…

Jesus described his life purpose in one sentence: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). At the end of his life, he told his Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Before Pilate he could…

Did you know that Christ followers are described in the New Testament in at least 50 ways? Abraham’s Offspring/Seed. Athletes. Believers. Beloved. The Body of Christ. Branches. Brothers and Sisters. Children of God. Children of Promise. Christ’s Ambassadors. Christians. The Church. The Circumcision. Citizens of Heaven. Conquerors. Disciples. The Elect. Farmers. Fellow Citizens with God’s…

Every good Jewish home would live out Deuteronomy 6:6-7. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” As parents we have…

Scripture tells us that Jesus overturned the shame of his crucifixion. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). Satan, and all the powers and authorities aligned with him, were publicly shamed by Christ through the cross. Paul’s audience would understand…