“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). A friend and I met for lunch one day recently. It had been a while since we’d been together, so we needed a place that was quiet enough for easy conversation without shouting over the background noise. A quiet eatery is not always easy to find, but we succeeded. We spent a couple of hours just relaxing and catching up (and yes, eating cookies). We live in a fast-paced, noisy world. Have you ever sat at a traffic light with the loud, throaty beat of music from the car beside…
“But Noah found favor with the LORD . . . So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” (Genesis 6:8 and 22, NLT) Near where I live is an area with a Walk of Fame that honors more than 150 famous people from the Greater St. Louis area. Embedded in the sidewalk are brass stars and bronze plaques recognizing entertainers, sports figures, literary figures, and others with notable accomplishments. I’ve walked the street and read many of the plaques on this Walk of Fame, but I find myself more impressed by the names I find listed in Hebrews 11. This chapter contains the Faith Hall of Fame. There are no brass stars or bronze plaques, but the men and women listed there are my heroes. Let me tell you one man’s story. Noah was nearly 500 years old when God said He could no longer tolerate the wickedness of mankind (Genesis 6). Yet, this one man found favor in God’s sight, and God spared him and his family from a watery destruction. When God told Noah to make an ark of gopher wood, he did not protest or procrastinate. He got to work—and continued to work for the…
We often blame external reasons when our prayer lives aren’t what they should be. I don’t have a quiet place. I don’t have enough time. But did you know you could be hindering your own prayers? God gave us prayer to worship, confess, seek His will, and ask for necessities and desires. In the Old Testament King James translation, the Hebrew word “pray” is often translated as “ask.” Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the garden. After their sin, God spoke through prophets, specially chosen people, and even a donkey. Few of God’s people talked to Him directly in the Old Testament. By the time Jesus came, the Jews had come to rely so heavily on the religious leaders that He had to teach them how to approach God in prayer themselves. Today, people change doctrines and churches to find the right fit. Many people depend on religious leaders instead of following a shepherd who follows Christ, searching the Scriptures for themselves, and changing their hearts to agree with God’s revealed truth. The first time “pray” is mentioned in the New Testament is in Matthew 5:44. Here, Jesus told the disciples to pray for their enemies, but…
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10, ESV) How do you turn a nation back to God when it seems to have lost its way? That question seems relevant in our present times. Is revival and restoration even possible? The Book of Ezra offers hope. As we read through its chapters, we discover how one man’s dedication and determination became the catalyst for a nation’s revival. Ezra, one of my favorite Old Testament characters, was a scribe and a…
“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:2-3, NKJV) Have you ever questioned why some people seem to have such easy, prosperous lives even though they show no regard for God and His ways? They are wicked, prideful, and corrupt. It’s so easy to think, “The cheater gets rich while I go broke. That’s just not fair, God!” We might even go on to list all the things that have recently gone wrong in our lives—financial worries, illnesses, a broken-down car, trouble on the job. Yet the one who makes no pretense of serving God seemingly sails through life carefree. It’s the arrogant co-worker who gets the promotion and the raise. It’s the neighbor who never darkens a church door who drives a new luxury car while your clunker is about to fall apart. Is that fair? As we continue to read through Psalm 73, we hear the writer cry out with more questions. “Does God know what’s happening? Did I do all this for nothing?” he wondered. I’m sure the writer of this psalm isn’t the first one…
“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20, ESV) I’m convinced that a lot of the grumpiness in this world can be cured if people learn to live a life of gratitude. Not only will we enjoy being around each other more, but we will also improve our physical and mental health. We will sleep better, have lower blood pressure, and feel less stress. We will enjoy better relationships and will lead happier, more satisfied lives. Research even suggests that we will become less materialistic as we fill our lives with gratitude. Have you ever considered the difference between gratitude and thankfulness? While similar, they are different. Thankfulness is usually tied to a specific thing, such as material benefits we receive. We are given a birthday gift, someone buys our lunch, or we receive a bonus at work. Thankfulness for such things gradually fades. Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation for the good things we enjoy in life, things that give us long-term satisfaction. Gratitude changes our perspective on how we view life. It allows us to see even little things as abundance. The apostle Paul did not…