Discipling Life

Think about those moments of uncertainty, when the ground beneath us shifts and we are not quite sure what comes next. Maybe you wake up, the world is still dim, and before your feet even touch the floor, your mind begins to race. There are bills to pay, conversations you have been avoiding, decisions you are not sure how to make. Even on the good days, there can be a low hum of uncertainty beneath the surface. Maybe you wonder what today holds (what less the future) and whether you will have what you need to make it through. In our text today ( John 14:1-14 ) the disciples are feeling confused and anxious because Jesus has said that he is leaving them. I think I can say that we have all experienced feelings of confusion and anxiety. In those moments, the words of Jesus in John 14 meet us right where we are: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (v. 1). What follows is one of the most beloved and sometimes misunderstood passages in all of scriptur...

On Monday we looked at the first three verses of Isaiah 51 . Today we look at the next three verses.  4 Listen to me, my people,     and give heed to me, my nation, for a teaching will go out from me     and my justice for a light to the peoples. 5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;     my salvation has gone out,     and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me,     and for my arm they hope. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens     and look at the earth beneath, for the heavens will vanish like smoke,     the earth will wear out like a garment,     and those who live on it will die like gnats, but my salvation will be forever,     and my deliverance will never be ended. These verses resonate with the idea that sometimes the world feels like it’s coming apart at the seams. The news is...