“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 I want to share a poem with you today. I wrote the first part of this a few years ago and then added more this year. As Mary gazed upon her child lying there in the straw, Sleeping peacefully in the night, her heart was filled with awe. She thought of what the angel said, the message he had brought. This Child would be the Promised One the world so long had sought. No earthly…
“Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, wipe away my sins.” Psalm 51:1 Have you ever been on the receiving end of mercy? If you have, then you know, it does something to your heart. A few years ago, I was in a hurry and sitting at a red light, eyes locked on the signal, waiting for it to turn green. The moment it did, I hit the gas… and immediately bumped into the car in front of me. Yep. Right into his bumper. The man jumped out of his car, arms waving, clearly upset, and understandably so. He inspected the damage and found two tiny, hexagon-shaped dents on his bumper from my license plate screws. I stood there frozen, cheeks burning, nodding silently, completely embarrassed. He looked at me and said, “You need to be more careful, young lady.” Then he got back into his car and drove away. Mercy. He had every right to make that moment far more difficult for me. He could have demanded insurance information, filed a report, or insisted his bumper be restored to perfection. But instead, he chose mercy. Later that week, I found…
“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 Fear has a way of cycling through the news. There is always a new headline, a new threat, a new reason for anxiety to rise. What we see and hear has the power to shape how people live, how they speak, and even how they prepare for the future. A World Searching for Security People may think they are desperate for provisions, and wisdom tells us preparation matters, but what the world truly needs is peace that cannot be purchased. The greatest security we will ever have is not stocked on a shelf, or saved in a 401-K; it is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Scripture never promises that we will avoid the valley, but it does promise we will not walk through it alone. We might wish God’s Word said we could fly over the valley of the shadow of death. That would be easier. But instead, it says “through,” and then assures us, “Thou art with me.” That makes all the difference. Fear Is the Greater Threat I read something online years ago that has stayed with me:…
Several years ago, a story circulated that captured the attention of the nation. A billionaire philanthropist stood before a graduating class at Morehouse College and announced that he would personally pay off all of their student loan debt. Hundreds of graduates were suddenly released from millions of dollars in financial obligation. As reactions poured in, many of the students described the moment with words like “liberation,” “disbelief,” and “overwhelming gratitude.” One statement stood out above the rest. The donor encouraged the graduates, essentially saying, “Go out into the world. Do what makes your heart sing. Don’t worry about your debt.”…
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:4 I deeply treasure my alone time with God. There is intimacy in the secret place that cannot be replicated. Yet, there is also something uniquely precious about gathering with the body of Christ. When I worship beside fellow believers, I am strengthened because their faith stirs mine, and their praise reminds me that I am not walking this journey alone. We need one another. David’s desire was not merely for a place, but for presence. He desired to dwell and abide in the house of the Lord. That same longing should guide us when we gather as the church. We do not come simply out of habit, nor for inspiration alone, but with hearts inclined toward encounter. We do not go to church to be entertained; we go to church to entertain the presence of God. And yet, remember—we are the church. We carry Jesus into a broken world wherever we go. Our gatherings should shape…
“If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.” Haggai 2:12–13, KJV. The book of Haggai is written to the Jewish people who had finally returned home after seventy years of Babylonian exile. They were given the sacred privilege of rebuilding the Temple; the very place where God’s presence would dwell among them once again. From the outside, everything looked right. The work had resumed, the altar stood, and the people were busy with the Lord’s work. Yet in love, God paused their progress. Through Haggai, the Lord asked His priests two simple but searching questions. First, Can touching something holy transfer holiness? The priests answered, “No.” Then, He asked, Can touching something unclean transfer uncleanness? The answer was, “Yes.” He wanted His people to understand that working on a holy assignment does not automatically heal their heart, just as sacred…