“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV) The holiday season is upon us, and many of you may already be planning your menu. Perhaps you are a traditionalist and serve the same family classics each year. Or maybe you are…
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). When I opened my mailbox one afternoon, a mysterious envelope lay inside. There was no stamp, no return address, in fact no address of any sort. Across the face of the…
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-3, ESV) Have you ever noticed how easily children make friends? Take one…
“Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Unfortunately, this childish chant is not true. Our words have power: power to hurt, power to heal. To understand this power,…
Psalms 142:5 NLT “Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.” I’ve always known that I needed God. From the time I was a scared, confused child to now as a young adult – I…
“Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.” Ecclesiastes 7:3 I know, this really isn’t a scripture that sounds encouraging but it holds a powerful lesson. Think back over your life and remember all the moments that truly defined and shaped you as a person.…
“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.” Ecclesiastes 11:5 There are so many things I don’t understand. For example, how does your skin…
“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of…
Romans 8:20-21 MSG “All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the…