You’ve probably seen this verse on wall plaques, graduation cards, and motivational posters. Wings. Eagles. Soaring. Beautiful imagery that gets slapped onto inspirational merchandise, while most people completely miss what Isaiah was actually saying to the people who first heard these words. Isaiah 40:31, English Standard Version (ESV) “But they who wait for the Lord … Read more
Most Christians can name Peter, Paul, and John. But almost nobody remembers Gaius, yet he received one of the highest compliments in Scripture. 3 John 1:2-4, English Standard Version (ESV) “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. … Read more
This is the verse skeptics quote to prove the Bible endorses violence against children. Psalm 137:9, English Standard Version (ESV) “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” Read without context, this verse is horrifying. It seems to celebrate infanticide. Atheists brandish it as evidence that Scripture is … Read more
Your words are killing people or giving them life, and you have no idea which you’re doing most of the time. Proverbs 18:21, English Standard Version (ESV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” This isn’t poetic exaggeration. It’s sober declaration about reality … Read more
John 11:35, the precise bible verse with two words that shatter every theological assumption you’ve made about God’s emotional life. John 11:35, English Standard Version (ESV) “Jesus wept.” The shortest verse in Scripture carries weight that entire chapters struggle to match. God incarnate, standing at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, cried. Not a single … Read more
God isn’t trying to make you happy. He’s trying to make you like Jesus. Romans 8:29, English Standard Version (ESV) “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Every hardship you face, every prayer God … Read more
Paul wrote these words while chained in a Roman dungeon waiting to be executed. 2 Timothy 4:7-8, English Standard Version (ESV) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will … Read more
This verse isn’t what you think it is. It’s not a cosmic endorsement of your five-year plan. It’s also not a divine guarantee that everything works out according to your preferences. Nor a promise that following Jesus means smooth sailing. Jeremiah 29:11-13, English Standard Version (ESV) “For I know the plans I have for you, … Read more
Every sunrise you scroll past on your phone screen is a sermon you’re ignoring. The sky above your head is preaching constantly. Every star, every cloud formation, every sunrise gradient from pink to orange to gold is shouting testimony about the God who made it. You’re surrounded by a 24/7 worship service performed by creation … Read more
God hates six things, detests a seventh, and chances are you committed at least one of them this week. That sentence should make you uncomfortable. It’s designed to. We’ve sanitized God into a cosmic grandfather who overlooks everything with an indulgent smile. The Bible presents Someone who loves intensely and hates specifically, whose holiness means … Read more