“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” (James 1:19, CSB) A friend and I were having a phone conversation one day recently. Or, more accurately, we were “almost” holding a conversation. While chatting, I was also scanning…
“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.” (Psalm 104:33, ESV) Which do you remember best: a song from your childhood or what you had for lunch last week? Probably the song. Music “sticks” in our minds, and…
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not…
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” (Psalm 119: 142) The first sentence of a newspaper article grabbed my attention: “Morality evolves constantly,” the writer boldly declared. He went on to list many things considered taboo fifty years ago that are now considered acceptable behavior.…
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4) A friend’s sister had some serious phobias that kept her very close to home. The two women lived in nearby towns, but a bridge had to be crossed to get from one town to the other. That…
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 24:34) It’s just a box—an empty cardboard box left over from some previous online order that I found in my garage. It’s not very large, only 10 by 13 inches. Allow me a few moments to tell you…
“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3, NKJV) I grow weary of listening to the daily news. Many times, I wonder whether the…
“And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:17, ESV) Reading the Bible is an adventure. I meet new people, discover new places, and learn new lessons. Sometimes I only receive a hint of a story, and that makes me…
“I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.” (Philemon 10-11) One of the shortest books in the Bible is actually a personal letter written by the apostle…