Eric Shull

It can be hard to obey, even for Christians. Perhaps especially for Christians. Of all God's creation, humans are the only ones who demand recompense for obedience. All other created things obey their Maker for one reason: they were given a command. Often in the midst of a trial we search...

The centurion's request was not remarkable because he asked healing for someone else rather than himself, but because in making his request, he expressed a deep understanding of why God is to be obeyed. His words surprised Jesus. Here was a Roman who understood what God's own people had not learned in centuries of personal tutoring. Would God be surprised today if God’s people demonstrated this same understanding?

The origins of the Christian practice of baptism are not fully understood, but apparently the Pharisees took offense at rumors of Christ baptizing followers. Much of the reason for their offense may have been because the religious leaders and temple workers of Jesus' day considered a very similar rite to be their exclusive privilege — the rite of priestly cleansing.

Like the Samaritan woman, God's people have been married before, distracted by many alternate gods. Possibly we are living unfaithfully. Before there can be a marriage to our Savior, our lives must be changed.

Christ's command to love our enemies is not abstract. When he spoke of turning the other cheek, Jesus gave concrete examples of what he meant. When He said we should love our enemies, Our Lord expanded his meaning even further. We should not only...

Can you be generous to the selfish? How can you show even those who would take advantage of you that you are a child of God? Ask the Lord, He is the master at it — for while we were still sinners...

We cannot change this Earth's fate, but we can do as Jesus did in His ministry. We can stand up and defend the downtrodden. We can bring in the outcast, encourage the...

We cannot experience God face-to-face on this earth, but we can experience His law, and our relationship with it reflects our relationship with Him. If we run from the Law here, we will run from God when He is revealed. If we merely endure the Law, we will do no more than endure...

The days were hot and stifling, the nights cold and sleepless. He had eaten nothing for weeks. Soon the interrogator would arrive with his diabolical torments. How much more could one man endure?

The explorer's heart is always drawn to the blank spaces on the map. Think of James Cook and the sea, David Livingstone and the Zambezi River, Ernest Shackleton and the Antarctic. None of these explorers were satisfied with their lives of comfort.