Every mountain has a slog. I mean that both literally and figuratively. As an avid mountain climber, I get to experience all the ways that a mountain illustrates various truths of life, shedding on them new light, and giving me something to think about. One does not need a mountain to illustrate truths of life. We can read about them or experience them firsthand. I venture to presume that anyone who has lived longer than a few years on this earth can guess pretty quickly at m

“Work” means different things to different people. For some, “work” is the name of a place you go every day to earn your living. For others, “work” constitutes the whole range of activities in which you may engage on a daily basis whether you work a job, stay at home, or go to school. Yet more broadly speaking, work can mean than just what you do. Everyone’s life is characterized by some sort of work—what we might call your “life’s work,” your legacy, your stamp upon this wor

One of the joys of our backpacking trips (see here, here , here , here , and here ) is studying a book of the Bible together. On a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park, we studied the book of Titus. Paul had left Titus on the island of Crete to “put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town” (1:5). After giving qualifications for elders in Chapter 1, Paul turns his attention to instruction that Titus was to provide to other members of the church. Paul d

Over the past few months we’ve viewed the Resurrection of Christ from multiple angles, covering both its crucial place in a Gospel presentation  and its present comfort  for believers today. What happened, though, after Christ rose from the dead? What is His place and role now? The Bible teaches that Jesus ascended into Heaven after being raised alive from the dead, where He took His rightful place in an exalted position at the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “What if I sin after I become a Christian?” The Resurrection of Christ plays a role in helping to answer this question. Whereas last month  we studied why the Resurrection of Christ is such a crucial part of a Gospel presentation, in this devotional I hope you will be encouraged by how that historical event of over 2,000 years past affects you personally today. When Christ died on the Cross, He atoned for your sin and became your propitiat

Want to Read? Snow. Many people, even those living in warmer areas, have seen it at least once in their lifetime. While few of us enjoy...

In I Corinthians 15:4, Paul lists the Resurrection as a necessary aspect of the Gospel. So far, we have studied Jesus’ death and all it...

In my last series , we took a long, glorious look at the sacrificial death of Christ and all it means for believers. Yet as you may...

There is little need for talking about it; there is just doing it. One of the things we learned in our backpacking adventures is the need...

One of the most amazing and encouraging things about being a Christian is that someday, although your body may die, you will live again...

Have you ever made things right with someone after a fight? It is difficult and requires humility, but the restoration it achieves always...

Many people are afraid to come to Christ because they believe He will shackle them to a list of religious rules. They recognize that...

Should you go against the current? I guess that depends on the direction of the current, the direction you want to go, and how much...

It is popular nowadays to conceive of all people as children of God. However, the Bible says that those without Christ are actually...

Photo by Joe Venturo Psalm 93 “Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is...

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest” (Hebrews 3:1). Many kinds of thoughts swirl through our minds every day—anxious ones, wrong ones, inaccurate ones. Pressures, disappointments, memories, ambitions, and plans can weigh heavily upon our hearts. But the greatest of all thoughts is the Lord Jesus, and in Hebrews 3:1, God commands believers to fix their thoughts

What would you like your last words to be? Funny question—have you ever thought about it before? Throughout history, people have uttered...

Photo by Jenny Venturo Should Christians mention or discuss hell when they share the Gospel with the world? In today’s society, the world...

Photo by Paul Venturo “Ouch!” My elbow hits the counter. My leg knocks something off the shelf. I pull and strain. By the time I get the...

Photo by Jenny Venturo One of the most important truths any of us could realize is that none of us can get to God on our own. If you’ve...