What does wisdom sound like when we hear it? We’ve all certainly heard things in life that we acted upon, thinking it to be wise. Sometimes this has worked well, sometimes not. So how do we know? James speaks directly to this. He says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Suc

Have you ever had a day when you felt like your faith wasn’t what drove your decision making? Sure, we all have. Even Abraham, the father of faith, patriarch of patriarchs, had days like this. Early in his walk with God, a famine hit and he decided God’s provision could not extend into such a drastic situation, so he left the promised land to venture to Egypt, a bountiful land of food in that day and a decision symbolic of turning from God to seek provision from the world. Bu

The Book of Matthew, and the New Testament as a whole, begins with a genealogy. While it is easy to gloss past it to get to “the meat” of the book, understanding of the Bible requires a hard look at it. Why would Matthew begin the Gospel this way? Aren’t we all taught by our high school teachers to grip the audience’s attention with a strong introduction? Matthew begins this way because it is a continuation of the entire Old Testament, bridging the gap between, in his time an

The Gospel of Mark records one of Jesus’ most well-known parables, that of the Sower. While there are countless sermons on the various soils that the seeds fall on, verse 3 (“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.”) is often overlooked, but holds a profound message. Jesus explained to the disciples later in Mark 4 what the parable meant: the seed is the Word and the soils are conditions of the heart that determine the growth of the seed to fruit bearing. But who is the so