Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Have you experienced divine setups by God? You’re in the middle of telling someone to forgive, and out of nowhere Continue Reading…
Revelation 2:17 “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” “Who Continue Reading…
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” There are many things I tried to pass on to my children. But probably one of the most important: front-load your days with gratitude. According to the dictionary, front-loading occurs when you allocate most of your efforts, Continue Reading…
2 Kings 13:19 … “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.” Beware of mediocrity. A new trend in public education is to dumb down curriculum in an attempt Continue Reading…
Proverbs 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” There’s a lot of talk these days about “infrastructure” in our country. It refers basically to the physical systems needed for a government to run smoothly. Safe bridges and roads, adequate Continue Reading…
Proverbs 8:34-36 “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.” I might get into trouble here, but it seems like our culture Continue Reading…
Jonah 4:9 “…. I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” Self-Pity. There’s nothing attractive about it. Like quicksand, it draws us in and pulls us down, down, down until we drown in SELF. Self-pity accepts no responsibility for our beleaguered state of mind and soothes our bruised egos Continue Reading…
Psalm 19:9-11 “The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Every responsible parent sets boundaries. No running in the Continue Reading…
Romans 16:12-15 “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and Continue Reading…
Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” One of my friends works with teenage girls. She recently said she was trying to train them to recognize God in their circumstances. I couldn’t help but think what an apt word: train. Realizing God Continue Reading…