Category: CONNECT THE TESTAMENTS

  • NOT PERFECT?

    Connect The TestamentsEzra1:1-2:70; 1 John 3:5-10; Psalm 106:1-15 Sometimes sin can discourage us to the point that we loathe ourselves. At first glance, John’s letter seems to encourage this. Addressing a struggling church community, John seems to call for perfection: “And you know that that one was revealed in order that he might take away…

  • ENCOURAGEMENT AND POSITIVITY

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23; 1 John 2:28-3:4; Psalm 105:23-45 If we were to make encouragement one of our main strategies, we’d see positive results in most situations. If we made providing for others one of our goals, the world would be a kinder place. King Josiah epitomizes both of these attributes in 2 Chr…

  • REMEMBERING GOD

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 33:1-34:33, 1 John 2:18-27, Psalm 105:1-22 My mom discovered scrapbooking when I was a teenager. At first, the craft seemed time consuming and burdensome; paper scraps, pictures, and double-sided tape were constantly strewn over the kitchen table. But as the books came together, I began to appreciate her new hobby. A…

  • FOR IT IS BETTER

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 31:1-32:33; 1 John 2:15-17; Psalm 104:16-35 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell” (Matt 5:30). We might struggle to relate to this…

  • CONFLICT CREATORS AND PEACEMAKERS

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 29:1-30:27; 1 John 2:7-14; Psalm 104:1-15 Conflict can be good. And in communities, it’s inevitable. The ways in which we respond to it can display and develop character. But what if we are the ones responsible for creating conflict with others? John addresses the root of chronic conflict in a letter…

  • WALKING WHILE WOUNDED ISN’T SUPPOSED TO BE EASY

    Reflections on 1 Peter It’s been nearly a year since my wife and I experienced the heartbreaking loss of an unborn child. I don’t pretend to know why it happened—only that it did. A person in pain will do nearly anything for relief. I thought my spiritual understanding and the educational pedigree I was working…

  • THE DANGER OF SUCCESS

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; 1 John 2:1-6; Psalm 103:15-22 Western culture is obsessed with success. Society places successful people on a pedestal, as if they’re somehow smarter or better than everyone else. Christians certainly aren’t immune to this trend, as is demonstrated by the growing celebrity-pastor following. The need to succeed can tilt a…

  • A GOD WHO IS PRESENT

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; 1 John 1:5-10; Psalm 103:1-14 It’s sometimes difficult to grasp that the Creator of the universe cares about us—that He bothers with miniscule people like us. Because we tend to forget about others and focus on our own tasks and needs, we’re prone to think that God isn’t concerned with…

  • WHEN GOD DOESN’T ACT

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; 1 John 1:5-10; Psalm 103:1-14 When Jehoram ascended to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and murdered all his brothers with the sword, and even some of the princes of Israel.… And he did evil in the sight of Yahweh. But Yahweh was not willing to destroy the…

  • BADLY ALIGNED

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37; Titus 3:12-15; Psalm 101:1-8 Like a car with bad alignment, we are prone to drift off course when we’re not focused on steering our faith. Often, we use intellectual pursuits to disguise our drifting. It’s easier to argue an opinion than to respond faithfully. It’s stimulating to have a theoretical…