“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:2-3, NLT) Today is Sunday, “the day of rest.” For many, however, it has become “the day of rush.” What was once a day dedicated to worship and reflection has now become a day to catch up on chores and do the things we didn’t have time for during our hectic week. God may get a…
“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” (Proverbs 11:11, NKJV) While having lunch with a group of friends from my church, the subject drifted to a recent prayer gathering held in a metro neighborhood that has the reputation of being crime-ridden and unsafe. The area definitely needs prayer, but then what community doesn’t? It reminded me that it is my responsibility as a Christian to cover my neighborhood and my city with consistent prayer. The Bible encourages Christians to become involved in making not just our city but also our nation a stronger, better place. We do not accomplish this by oratory or political posts on social media. It happens when we pray. Prayer is a powerful weapon for good. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” (I Timothy2:1-3, NKJV) We accomplish more by praying for our governmental leaders than by criticizing…
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers . . . And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” (Acts 2:42,46, ESV) I enjoy reading the Book of Acts. It lets us view the birth of the church and see how the believers learned to support each other as they faced the exciting, but difficult, days ahead. Acts 4:32 says “those who believed were of one heart and soul.” They were united by a common purpose as they worked together to see the church grow and reach beyond Jerusalem. Were there bumps in the road? Definitely. But that common purpose held them together during the good times and the not-so-good times. I suppose there are many who believe attendance at a Sunday worship service is what church is all about. They show up, sing along with the worship songs, listen to the sermon, and go home. But is that really “doing church” if you have little or no connection to other believers? Do they not understand that the church is a community of believers…
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5, ESV) Through the years, I’ve worked with some very intelligent, highly educated people. But it didn’t take me long to realize that it’s possible to be smart without being wise. Knowledge is a wonderful thing. I love learning new information on a variety of topics. But I need wisdom to apply that knowledge to my everyday life. First Kings 3 describes a time shortly after King Solomon ascended the throne. The Lord came to him…
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (I Peter 4:10, NLT) Sometimes we disqualify ourselves from areas of service for the Lord for various reasons. “I’m too young . . . too old . . . lack the skills . . . lack the education . . . too shy . . . too nervous . . . afraid of crowds . . . physically unable.” The problem with these excuses—we like to call them reasons—is God does not see any of these things as a disqualifier for service. The verse above says that God has given each of us a gift and to use them well. I recently read a statement that really spoke to me. “Everyone is a candidate for greatness in the eyes of the Almighty.” (James A. Washington) How we see ourselves and how God sees us are not always the same. We see our weaknesses. He sees our possibilities and strengths. Second Kings 5 tells of a powerful testimony of God’s ability to heal. It was not a prophet or priest who proclaimed this. Nor was it someone well known.…
“These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.” (Zechariah 8:16-17, ESV) Yesterday we talked about the trustworthiness of God. Today let’s take that a step farther and talk about our need to be trustworthy in our relationships with others. People sometimes disappoint us. They break our trust, and it hurts. If that person is really close to us, it hurts even more. The person we thought had our back, doesn’t. As Proverbs 25:19 tells us, trusting in an untrustworthy person is painful. They cannot be relied upon. “Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.” (NLT) Trusting someone is difficult if someone has proven themselves less than trustworthy in the past. It takes much longer to rebuild trust once a person has shown themselves untrustworthy. The story of Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark, however, shows that restoration is possible. Paul and Barnabas took John…