Category: Daily Reflections

“Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of His people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!” –Ezra 1:3 The return of the Jews from exile in Babylon is considered a work of God on par with the miracle of the Exodus of the Israelites from brutal slavery in Egypt (see Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8). Yet this freedom from exile did not mean instant bliss. The Israelites had to learn how to live in God’s freedom. They faced hardships, labor, and suffering in their new homeland, along with much risk and ever-present danger. Yet it is...

“If we have food and clothing we have all that we need.” —1 Timothy 6:8 The Bible says all we need is food to eat and clothes to wear (1 Tm 6:8). Very few Christians agree with this. Most feel they at least need a house for shelter, insurance for security, a car for transportation, a phone for communication, and Wifi for entertainment. What Americans consider a simple life is extravagant by biblical standards. The Bible considers the typical American lifestyle a “temptation and a trap” (1 Tm 6:9). By our lifestyle, we let ourselves “be captured by foolish and...

“That is why her many sins are forgiven – because of her great love.” –Luke 7:47 The penitent woman owed a large debt to God (Lk 7:43); she had committed “many sins” (Lk 7:47). Jesus “wrote off” her huge debt of sin; He forgave it all (Lk 7:42, 48). The woman’s response to being forgiven was a model for us all. She reformed her life, accepted the gift of saving faith (Lk 7:50), came directly to Jesus, and showered Him with love (Lk 7:45). Jesus told a story about another grievous sinner who owed a “huge amount” of debt to...