“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” (II Corinthians 3:5, ESV) At what point in life do we begin our push to handle things ourselves and prove our independence? Soon—very soon. Just listen to any toddler and…
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5). All of us have “triggers”—things that easily push us over the edge with our patience. It can be people cutting ahead of us in line, a difficult person, a long…
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24, ESV) Have you ever petitioned God for a need in your life, but it seemed He wasn’t listening or just didn’t care? What about all those “ask and receive”…
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV) Hester Ford, the oldest living person in the United States, died in 2021 at the age of 115 or possibly 116 (conflicting records). She lived a lot of days and saw things…
“Let brotherly love continue.” (Hebrews 13:1) Yesterday we talked about the love of God and the many ways He demonstrates that love to us. Today let’s take a few moments to talk about loving each other and how that looks in our daily life. Numerous passages in the Bible talk…
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor…
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (II Corinthians 13:5, ESV). We are now just over one week into the new year. Many use…
“Ready or not, here I come!” With these words my stomach dropped, my heart pumped faster, and I tried to steady my breath. I was hiding—hiding in my secret place, and for a moment I was invisible. At times I would peek out from my hiding spot, and I could…
I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that my steps are ordered, even in the most mundane of days. Like the day I forgot my lunch and went to the café in my office building. The café was busy, as it always was at lunchtime. An infrequent visitor there (my…