We each have ideas about who God is and how He works. We even believe that God operates by a set of certain rules. If I behave myself and do good things, good things will come to me, many confidently affirm. This arrangement of blessings for obedience is actually...
In all likelihood, you’ve made excuses. Maybe lots of them. Some excuses are elaborate and convincing while others seem absurd and laughable. There’s a good chance you’ve even thrown a few excuses toward God. But like any shrewd parent, God isn’t duped by the excuses...
If you are a believer in Christ, then you have most likely faced a scenario where you wanted to follow Christ, but instead you did not. In short, you had a moment of unbelief. Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of what you believe? Everyone has a...
We’ve all felt its stinging effects. And we’ve all wielded its destructive sword. Judgment. Jesus plainly tells us not to judge others. What does He mean by that? Dig a little deeper into the Scriptures and you’ll discover a strange twist: We’re actually encouraged to...
Beauty in the CloudsFor your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Psalm 108:4 (ESV)My husband and I were in Colorado this week, combining his work trip with a much-needed getaway. A highlight for me was visiting Garden of...
Numerous medical studies make it clear: we’re in the midst of an anxiety epidemic. In other words, a lot of people worry—a lot. And it’s having a dramatic detrimental impact on our health and on our society. Yet it’s been suggested, “we can do nothing better with...
You can always count on Jesus to talk about real life kinds of things. That’s why He addresses the possibility that you might feel unsatisfied—always wanting more and more. Like all the challenges Jesus highlights in the Sermon on the Mount, greed reveals a heart...
The Splinter of SinHe has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 (NLT)In college, I got a splinter in my palm. I removed it, covered the wound with a Band-Aid, and moved on with my busy life. No big deal. But a week later, my hand...
Would you agree that what others think about us has a pretty strong effect on how we see ourselves? Then, how we view ourselves determines how we view life, how we will interpret our circumstances and how we interact with everyone around us. The problem is, we usually...
We live in a world that tells us that if we get hit, we’ve got to hit back harder. That it’s okay to be disrespectful if we’ve been disrespected. That somehow the right response is to fight fire with fire, return insult for insult, and hurt those who have hurt us. And...
Finding RestCome to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (ESV)I've struggled in recent weeks with feeling rested. On paper, our summer calendar seemed well-balanced, but in reality, it's been non-stop. As I've juggled visits...
Lying. As sin goes, it’s not as attention-grabbing as anger or as alluring as lust, but the truth is that it’s a much bigger part of our speech and our character than we’d like to admit. The truth is, we lie – a lot. To deny this is to lie to ourselves. Regardless of...
Lust is a problem. It’s a problem that is easy to excuse, ignore, and avoid because it’s easy to hide and it makes us feel ashamed. When left unaddressed though, lust can cause terrible damage to us and our relationships. And it seems that no matter what rules we put...
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live a life that is characterized by love, hope and peace. But in order to live that kind of life, we have to identify and deal with the challenges in our lives. Sometimes that is difficult because, if we’re honest,...
Some people imagine God as someone He is not—a stodgy and vindictive overseer who wants nothing to do with them. If God is like that you might want to hide or withdraw or pretend He is not even there. You might even feel passed over by God, insignificant or ashamed....
The Purpose of PrayerIs anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 5:13 (NIV)Lately, I've been thinking about the purpose of prayer. God doesn't need us to pray. He invites us to pray. Prayer is one of the ways...
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Consider this exciting and sobering reality: You have one life to live. None of us sets about to waste the time we have on this earth. But unless we’re intentional about the way we live for God, we can easily live a distracted and unproductive life. Maybe it’s time...
Planting Good SeedsPlant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Hosea 10:12 (NLT)My favorite seeds are beets. First of all, I love to eat beets, especially roasted with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Beets have a long...
The goal of playing like a team is bigger than just playing together. You’re playing to win. All the hard work of practicing the fundamentals positions you to experience victory in the game. Teamwork within the body of Christ is an awesome experience that is...
One of the basic fundamentals of a team sport is that you play like a team. The likelihood of victory increases when each team member works together to contribute the very best possible. Nowhere is teamwork more essential than in the body of Christ. Because we’re on...