“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” (Philippians 1:29, NLT) Contrary to what we would like to believe, bad things really do happen to good people sometimes. This becomes evident as we read the Book of…
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13, NLT) Hagar really didn’t have much going for her in life. An Egyptian…
“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, CSB) When we pray for a need in our life, do we pray once? Twice? Three times? When do we give up? Do we have the persistence to hold on until the answer comes? Is our trust…
“And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it . . . After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:43 and 46,…
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3, ESV) As I passed a lady in the grocery store aisle, I overheard a snippet of her phone conversation. “Now I’m going to tell you this, but please don’t share it . .…
The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:14 NLT We live in an era where we don’t usually have to step onto the battlefield and fight for what is rightfully ours. We aren’t bloodied and bruised from the fight, and we certainly (hopefully) don’t carry swords…
“You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.” Psalms 119:68 NLT In the midst of all the chaos in our world right now, this scripture spoke loudly to me. We are bombarded every day with another tragedy, another issue that we can’t seem to fix, brokenness, and…
“Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.” Psalms 91:8-10 I love how we are reminded, yet again, in this…
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “masterpiece” means “a work done with extraordinary skill.” We were all created by a very…