“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, ESV) The tormented Man “As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. He lived in the tombs, and no one was able…
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8, NKJV) Recently four of us met for lunch. We do it fairly often, and it has become a great time to relax and catch up on what’s happening. We have our own special corner of a nearby…
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12-13, NKJV) I am always amazed at the…
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he returned from following him and took the yoke…
“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:12, ESV) I received a text message last week that said, “We need to get tea on the calendar.” I understood the message immediately. It meant we hadn’t talked in a while, and…
“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:15, ESV) One of my earliest childhood memories is of the little white country church that sat on a hill not far from our home. It’s been many years, and I…
The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him . . . So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old,…
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21, ESV) My friend laughs at my list-making and calendar-keeping ways. She does neither. Oh, she sometimes tries to write things down, but just as frequently she forgets to…
“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7, NKJV) What is your community like? Is it a pleasant place to live? Do you feel safe…