Most people read this verse once, assume it settles the question of biblical dietary laws, and move on. NIV “For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) But Mark 7:19 is one of the most debated verses in … Read more
If you are in pain right now, please call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, US) or reach out to a trusted person before reading further. You are not alone. Some of you have lost someone to suicide. Some of you are asking because the thought has crossed your own mind. Some of you … Read more
Most people in the Gospels appear once and disappear. Jairus is one of the few whose name we are given and whose story lands with the kind of weight that makes you put the passage down and sit with it. A father. A religious leader. A man who ran out of options and ran toward … Read more
Moses had just watched his people melt their jewelry into a golden calf. God had every reason to walk away from Israel. But Moses interceded, and God gave him something remarkable: He introduced Himself. With words. He told Moses, plainly, who He actually is. ESV “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the … Read more
The honest answer is: the Bible does not mention marijuana. Not by name, not by description, not by any reference that maps cleanly onto what people mean when they ask this question. Anyone who gives a simple yes or no without acknowledging that is either being careless with Scripture or has already decided what they … Read more
There is a particular exhaustion that comes not from doing too much but from doing unseen work for too long. I know people who have served their churches for years without recognition, prayed prayers no one else could see the point of, and given money they could not easily spare. And quietly, a question forms: … Read more
Most people encounter this verse and feel one of two things: vague anxiety or total indifference. The anxiety comes from thinking Paul is telling you to question whether you are saved. The indifference comes from assuming you already know the answer and moving on. Both responses miss what Paul is actually doing. NASB “Test yourselves … Read more
Most miracles in the Gospels happen in response to a crisis: a disease, a storm, a death. This one happens at a party. That is the first surprising thing about the story. The second is that John calls it a “sign,” which in his Gospel means something different from simply a miracle. Signs in John … Read more
The word “blessed” gets used in two very different ways. In everyday speech, it means fortunate: a nice home, good health, and financial stability. In Scripture, it means something both simpler and far more demanding: living in the favor and presence of God, regardless of what the circumstances look like on the outside. I have … Read more
Most people have this verse on a wall somewhere. They know it as encouragement. NIV “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57) What they often do not know is what the verse cost to write. Paul wrote this from a position of ongoing suffering, … Read more