Devotionals

In 1862 the Coleraine Chronicle was the first to publish the catchphrase "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  The expression certainly has had staying power as parents continue to teach it to their children today, but is that a biblical sentiment?  Consider the case of Doeg the Edomite. It started with an exchange between David and his best friend, [...]

I know a Christian man that had become overly involved in day trading.  Unlike the long-term strategies that most financial advisers will recommend, day trading involves buying and selling securities as they move up and down the market in the same day.  (Think of the person trying to get ahead on a busy freeway by making frequent, aggressive lane changes.)  There is the potential [...]

The phrase “never forget” is applied to the most solemn of circumstances.  I have a book on the top shelf behind my desk that bears the phrase.  It is an anthology of personal experiences from the 9/11 terrorist attack.  Sometimes I’ll see a “never forget” graphic on the back window of a vehicle along with someone’s name and, presumably, a date of death.  As [...]

You may have gone your entire life without being exposed to the word “concupiscence.”  It is an antiquated word that means “an intense longing” or “a passion” that’s usually connected to sensuality.  The King James Version (KJV) uses the word in Romans 7 in place of “covetousness.” What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been [...]

In the movie Gladiator, the bloodthirsty crowd fell silent after a protracted, violent battle in which the protagonist, Maximus, unexpected slayed his opponents.  Exhausted, he threw down his sword and cried to the stunned onlookers, “Are you not entertained?  Are you not entertained?  Is this not why you are here?”  The iconic quote has even come to be used in memes and comedy sketches, but [...]

I met Yancey about three years ago.  After an introductory discussion about work, the topic of the Lord came up and, as Christians do, we began to share excitedly about what God was doing in our lives.  After a matter of minutes he revealed something incredibly personal.  A few months earlier he had been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia accompanied by a [...]