1 and 2 Kings: Leadership Fails

When experiments go wrong, it can be an opportunity for learning. Thomas Edison famously quipped, “I have not failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” But when a failed experiment doesn’t provoke change, there is no progress. We must learn from our mistakes, or we will repeat them. Israel …

1 and 2 Samuel: Israel Wants a King

We live in a culture characterized by self-sufficiency. We don’t like to ask for help. Have a problem? Get an answer in an instant from the computer. But what if the problem is something that can’t be solved with the collected wisdom of the internet? In that case we need a better source. As the Bo…

Judges: Chaos and Kindness

Experts in financial investing understand that investor memory is not to be relied upon. Investors tend to downplay or even forget downturns in the market and remember very clearly the upswings with exciting returns. We tend not to learn from the pain. The book of Judges can feel a lot like those f…

Joshua: Mission Accomplished

Think about the last time you completed a significant project. Do you remember the feeling? Do you remember the moments when you almost quit? Do you remember the little victories along the way that kept you going? Finally, you arrived at the finish line! When Israel crossed the Jordan River into t…

Deuteronomy: God Reaffirms His Love

When a child heads off to college it is easy for parents to get anxious. They wonder, is my child ready? Will they succeed? Will the trauma of the teenage years wear off so our relationship can be normal again? Wise parents take time to prepare their child for the big change. As the Book of Deutero…

Numbers: God Punishes

Each year I get the privilege of welcoming freshman students to the Moody Bible Institute. In those first weeks they want to know what they are required to do for class. They also want to know the consequences if they fail to do what they are supposed to do. As we turn to the book of Numbers, we le…

Leviticus: God Forgives

At most places of employment there are rewards for success: public recognition, a raise, maybe a promotion. And when a job is done poorly, the penalties are equally clear. But what happens when someone repents, apologizes, and commits to do better? Will their employer forgive them or write them off…

Exodus: Fellowship Requires Change

When someone moves to a new location, they often need instructions on how to fit in. There are customs, expectations, and ways of thinking that might need to be adjusted for the newcomer to enjoy fellowship with this new community. In the same way, Israel needed to learn how to live God’s way. God…

Exodus: God Makes a Promise

If you’ve ever told a child, “I know I promised, but…” you probably remember their look of suspicious disappointment. The next time you said, “I promise,” you knew they might not believe you. As we turn to the book of Exodus, we come to an important event that shows us why we can always trust God’s…

Genesis: Promise to Abraham

Have you ever used the “pinch and open” method to zoom in on a picture on your cell phone? Today, we will zoom in on one man, Abram, and his relationship with the God of creation. In Genesis 12, God made Abram a promise. He told this man, older and childless, that he would have many descendants wh…