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“He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” (Genesis 3:1). In Genesis 2:16-17, God told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, . . .” But later when the serpent asked Eve to confirm what God had commanded Adam, she added something that the Creator had not said. She added “. . . and you must not touch it” (Genesis 3:3). Perhaps she had already begun to question God’s command. Every tree in the garden was hers to enjoy except one—yet it seems her attention was focused on that one forbidden tree. Eve was fascinated by the tree, and Satan knew her area of weakness and how best to attack it. So, Satan hit her with a lie contradicting God’s words; he said, “You will certainly not die, . […]

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). When God created humanity, there was perfect contentment. Adam and Eve lived in paradise, a place of complete peace and protection. When we consider the nature of the Garden of Eden, we gain three insights into the contentment that God desires for His people. Exquisite beauty. As God created every part of the universe, He pronounced it “good.” But He unleashed the full extent of His creative power when He designed a garden home for Adam and Eve. For their enjoyment, He poured out beauty beyond comprehension. Abundant provision. The beauty of the Garden of Eden was also functional. The trees were pleasing to the eye but also good for food. As part of God’s plan of provision, He assigned Adam the job of maintaining the garden. Before the fall, Adam and Eve didn’t just lounge around all day. “The LORD God […]

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Holiness is not the perfection of human goodness. When God says He is holy, He means He is different. God’s holy difference is one of His highest attributes; His holy difference from humanity is what distinguishes Him from all the gods of this world. As Isaiah 40:25 declares, “‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.” Truly, there is no one like our God. He alone is God, and this is why holiness is good. The people of this world don’t want a God who is holy though; they want a god who is just like them. They want a god who approves of their lifestyle, who winks at their sin, whom they can manipulate. A holy God troubles their conscience because He condemns sin […]

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (Psalm 25:9). Read Psalm 25:8-11. Perhaps there’s no question more frequently asked by believers than “Lord, what is Your will for my life?” We all want to know God’s plans for our days and our years, to understand His purposes. When we go through seasons of uncertainty or significant transition, the question only grows in intensity. We have all wanted to know what we should do in matters of relationships, work, and ministry. And then some even go through life feeling that they have missed out on God’s best for them—His perfect will for their life. But God does not want us floundering in the turmoil of uncertainty and doubt. He does not want us paralyzed by fear; instead, He wants us to know His peace. And His peace will overwhelm your heart as you remember that our God is the God who overrules. When you think […]

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, . . .” (Ephesians 3:17-18). Read Ephesians 3:14-19. Deceptive ideas about God and His love as benign, spineless, insipid, and universally neutral are gaining momentum in the West like an avalanche. In reality, the love of God is active, even fierce. His love cost Him a colossal and incalculable price. The love of God displayed in the gift of Jesus Christ is astonishing and priceless. To equate it with the warm, fuzzy, and indifferent feelings of the “Love is love” mantra is a gross misunderstanding, a perversion, and, frankly, insulting. When it comes to the disciples of Jesus, we must spend our lives attempting to comprehend the incomprehensible love of God and sharing its Truth. This is why Paul prayed that the Christians in […]

“We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’” (Acts 26:14). Read Acts 26:12-18. On the third day, Jesus walked out of His borrowed garden tomb, alive and well. The religious tried to stop the resurrection with seals and stones and soldiers. It didn’t matter; Jesus rose from the dead all the same. Even so, opposition to the resurrection power of Jesus continued. Religious authorities, political leaders, and others tried to silence Jesus’ followers and put a stop to the spread of the Gospel. One such enemy of Christ was a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. He rose to prominence and found a measure of fame because of his hate for Christian believers who kept on proclaiming the resurrection. He intimidated the believers, imprisoned many, and even oversaw the murder of a deacon in the […]

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6). Read Matthew 27:57-28:6. The chief priests and Pharisees went to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and asked him to set guards at the tomb because they believed Jesus’ words more than His disciples did. They feared the resurrection, and they wanted to stop it. Pilate must have thought they were out of their religious minds, but he humored the Jewish leaders. He had a seal placed on the tomb. He stationed guards to prevent anyone from disturbing the grave. And yet, on Sunday morning, the seal was broken, the stone was rolled away, and the guards fell like dead men. There was no stopping the resurrection. Of course, the chief priests and the Pharisees didn’t quit there. They bribed the guards to lie about what had happened, to spread the rumor that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body (see […]

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50). Read Matthew 27:45-50. When we are tempted to doubt the love of God, all we need to do is look to the cross of Christ and remember that His love led Him there. Jesus endured the worst physical suffering imaginable—His hands and feet nailed to a crude implement of torture, His back flayed from the scourge of a soldier’s whip, and His head pierced by a thorn of crowns. But the Lord also endured another type of pain: “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Matthew 27:46). Some pastors and theologians have tried to discount these words, but there is no way to avoid them. For a short time, while Jesus was dying on the cross, the Father turned His back on […]

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Read Zechariah 9:9-12. From the earliest days, those who remembered God’s promises anticipated a coming King—the Messiah promised way back in Genesis 3:15 who would crush the head of the enemy. Genesis 49:10 reveals that the scepter will never depart from His hand. According to 2 Samuel 7:13, His Kingdom will last forever. In Psalm 2, He is anointed King by God the Father Himself (vv. 6-7). In Psalm 72, all other kings bow down before Him (v. 11). In Isaiah 2, He reigns in complete righteousness (vv. 3-4). In Daniel 2, His Kingdom topples all others (v. 44). And in Zechariah 14, He is King over all the earth (v. 9). While the Old Testament offered a rough sketch of the coming King, the New Testament reveals […]

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, . . .” (Ephesians 1:11). Read Ephesians 1:11-14. The disciple of Jesus must go directly to the Lord Himself in the pages of Scripture to discover the Truth of who He is. And the most foundational Truth about God is that He is sovereign. God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will—nothing can thwart His purposes (see Ephesians 1:11; Psalm 135:5-6; Isaiah 14:27; Job 42:2). God’s knowledge, authority, power, and dominion extend to the smallest thing in the whole universe. And this absolute rule is the axle around which all God’s other attributes revolve. People tend to have one of two responses to the idea of God’s sovereignty in the midst of this broken world: Either they don’t believe the Lord is in perfect control of the universe, or they […]

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19). Many people see the new year as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf, and so the first of the year becomes a time to set goals and make resolutions. Most resolutions focus on the here and now; few address eternal matters. While it is beneficial to give some focus to strengthening our physical bodies, it should not come at the cost of neglecting our eternal souls. We must not create a to-do list of projects to improve our houses while failing to consider how we will sow into our heavenly dwelling places. It is easy to become distracted by earthly concerns. It is easy to […]