Author: Dwight Clough

One of the men … told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there?" — 2 Samuel 18:10-11Joab had one solution to every problem: death. This paradigm was so deeply ingrained in him that he couldn’t hear David’s instructions to be gentle with Absalom, and he couldn’t understand those among his troops who wished to follow the king’s orders. In a way, Joab reminds me of the World War II American General George Patton. In…

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. — Mark 15:38The distance to God has been removed. God remains holy, but His presence has been extended to His people. When the curtain opened, the inner sanctuary was not defiled. Rather, the people of God were made holy. The Holy of Holies has moved from a building to a place inside you and me.There is another curtain, of course. A curtain inside our hearts. Opening that curtain is God’s work. If you are looking for the glory of God, it is already inside you. Remember, the…

They all condemned Him as worthy of death. — Mark 14:64I think all of us know that we don’t have a right to judge God. Yet, made in God’s image, we are constantly making moral evaluations about our experiences. We must do that in order to avoid sinning. So what happens when God does something that seems to violate our sense of what is right?It helps me to remember that we judge God because our minds, our hearts, our lives are too small to take in His purposes, His goodness, His love. That’s one reason why God gives us the…

… give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:18Why would God ask us to do such a difficult thing? I heard a wonderful testimony one night on PBS by an atheist. Even though this man didn’t believe in God, his story was dripping with Divine intervention. He was lost on a mountainside in a blizzard. As he dangled over a cliff with a broken leg, his partner unable to communicate with him, gave him up as dead. So he cut the rope, causing him to fall into a crevasse…

"… you will see the Son of Man …" — Mark 14:62I’m struck with how Jesus maintains His composure even under duress. He never gets "stressed out." He never snaps. He suffers, but He never ceases to be exactly who He is.People who make other people suffer often want to change their victims — change their behavior, change their beliefs, change their very identity. But Jesus didn’t change. He remained the Son of God, solid and unshakable. In this passage, He tells it like it is — with no hint of panic or revenge or desperation. He just tells them…

"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." — Mark 13:2Twice in my life I’ve worked an entire year without making any money. Not too many people can say that — not too many people would want to admit it! But watching all my efforts wash down the drain has given me perspective. For one thing, I’ve discovered that it doesn’t matter how smart you are or how hard you work. Unless God prospers you, nothing you try is going to succeed. We are…

"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to Me." — Mark 14:6Jesus cut through the fog of moral confusion and found the one thing that mattered: Here was a woman who loved God. We all know the story. A woman breaks open a bottle of perfume worth a year’s wages and anoints Jesus. Those present tried to shame her for her impractical devotion. But Jesus comes to her rescue.Her extravagance was well-placed, says Jesus. It earned her a place in history. This is the joy of serving God. He won’t be…

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. — Mark 12:41What was Jesus looking for? The next couple verses make it clear. He wasn’t looking for money. God has no shortage of money. Instead He was looking for faith, courage and sacrifice. Faith to believe that God can be trusted with everything we have. Courage to give recklessly to God. And the sacrifice that says, "I will give even if it hurts."Jesus was watching because He expected to find something good. And He was not disappointed. …

"We are going up to Jerusalem," [Jesus] said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles, who will mock Him and spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. Three days later He will rise." — Mark 10:33-34God has a big challenge on His hands. How do you communicate a big message to a small person? I remember the first time my daughter had surgery, she was only six months old. I had no way of preparing…

[Jesus] asked [the disciples], "What were you arguing about on the road?"But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. — Mark 9:33-34Humility 101. I like the disciples. They argue about what we would probably argue about if we dared say what was in our hearts. I think it’s interesting that Jesus responded to this by taking a little child into His arms. I have four children. Believe me, children argue about who is the greatest. It seems like kids are competing for market share (of their parents’ love and affection) from the…