James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Like any good father, God gives us gifts because he loves us. He wants us to know we are more Continue Reading…
Luke 12:1 “…Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” [NIV] Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? How about you? How is your garden growing? Maybe it’s time to look at what kinds of seeds we’re sowing in our hearts. The funny Continue Reading…
John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” I recently attended a dinner theatre to watch Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap. I love mysteries, but I clearly missed a few clues. And the most jarring oversight didn’t even occur in Continue Reading…
John 11:28-29 “…she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. As many have noted, troubles either make us bitter or better. How we handle the inevitable disappointments that come Continue Reading…
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. We sing of God’s great faithfulness, of his goodness, of Continue Reading…
Judges 16:20 “…But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” Would you notice it if you lost the presence of God? I recently jammed my finger, causing my ring finger to swell. Afraid it might cut off circulation, I managed to remove my wedding band. Since I almost never take Continue Reading…
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Do you ever feel like you’re facing a coalition of problems? It seems like trouble presses in from every side until you Continue Reading…
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” Imagine Zacchaeus. As a Jewish tax collector for the Romans, he lived on the lowest rung of Israel’s social Continue Reading…
Psalm 36:1-2 There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. God takes sin very seriously. So should we. Throughout the Old Testament, God gave his people standards to live by. And consequences if they Continue Reading…
Psalm 105:1-2 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Where’s my phone? I’m not a millennial, but my heart sank as I discovered the empty pocket on the outside of my Continue Reading…