Why is it so difficult to say those words, “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” Perhaps just as difficult to say is a sincere, “I forgive you.” None of us goes through life without at some point being on both sides of the situation. Sometimes we are the one hurt; other times we are the offender. Hurts and wrongs alter relationships, sometimes forever, unless we learn how to build a bridge of forgiveness to the other person.
Recent Devotions
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, Job 1:20. Job chapters 1 and 2 survey the heartrending account of Job’s loss. First, he loses his material wealth and possessions, and then he receives the devastating news that all of his children have died in a desert windstorm. There are still limitations in our language when it comes to grief. For instance, there is a word to describe a child who loses their parents: an orphan. There is a word to describe someone who loses a spouse: a widow.…
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? James 3:11. We have spent the last week in Iceland. It is the most remarkable place I have ever had the privilege of visiting due to its vast natural beauty. One of the most interesting things I…
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 The “secret place” is more than a hidden location—it is a place of intimacy, trust, and closeness with God. A secret is not shared with everyone; it is reserved…
Readers Loved
“I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.” Psalms 31:7 Have you ever felt at any point in your life that no one cared? I know, it sounds like such a cliche, but I can say that I have felt so weighed down by the cares of life that it did seem like no one cared. This was obviously not the case, as I have always been surrounded by an amazing circle of family and friends; however, in those moments of anguish and…
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” Genesis 27:19 Jacob’s Are Everywhere If you look around, you will discover that there are Jacob’s everywhere. He was a normal, average young person—and—a momma’s boy. His ambitious quality is soon outranked by his deceptive nature. When he first started to pursue God, it was out of necessity and not out of faithfulness. He was running for his life and needed God to move on his behalf. When he…
Throughout history, names have held significant meaning. Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Anne Shirley famously disagrees with Shakespeare, saying, “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it were called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” I would have to agree with Anne of Green Gables. I don’t know how many of us would go out of our…
“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, ESV) The Bible tells us very little about the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels skip from the events surrounding His birth to the beginning of His ministry. Nothing is recorded about His childhood. But one passage at the end of Luke 2 relates an incident that happened when Jesus was…
