Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” You would think, especially in these days of partisanship and polarization, the Right and Left have nothing in common. But I Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” Love has a way of breaking down barriers… Take Rick. A teenager from Michigan. Forced by his parents to attend church, he Continue Reading…
2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble….” When your cable company keeps you on hold, you get angry. When you get angry, you go blow off steam. When you go blow Continue Reading…
Matthew 14:28-29 “‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” “What keeps pushing you to grow closer to the Lord?” questioned my student as Continue Reading…
1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” “The miracle wasn’t that a shepherd boy [David] was able to kill the giant. The miracle was that the shepherd boy who already had Continue Reading…
1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.” Brennan Manning writes that on judgment day the Lord Jesus will ask only one question: “Did you believe that I loved you?” Kind of turns the table around, doesn’t it…. Not “Did you love me?” Not “How many souls did Continue Reading…
Jeremiah 20:9 “If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” They’re headquartered in an abandoned monastery that Continue Reading…
Thessalonians 1:11 “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” Use good judgment in all situations. This Continue Reading…
Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Meaningless! Quite the assessment on life coming from a man who had it all. Solomon lacked for nothing. Wealth, position, wives (lots of them), legacy. The mention of his name was synonymous with wisdom. But in the end, none Continue Reading…
Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Fruitless. Insignificant. Just a “medium” Continue Reading…