Richard Sibbes in his book A Bruised Reed said, “It is love in duties that God regards, more than duties themselves.” When you get right down to it, that is exactly what Jesus says is the greatest commandment. Mark 12:28–31 (ESV) — 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with […]
The phone rings and you answer it. On the other end is a friend who politely identifies him/herself and proceeds to ask you the question: “Got a minute?” It’s almost impossible to say no. I mean who wouldn’t give a minute to a friend, even though you know the minute will not be a minute, […]
So how is your prayer life? Do you even have one? Does your church have a regular prayer meeting? If so, do you look forward to attending and participating? Regretfully, the answer to most of the questions above is a resounding, no. But why? Perhaps we have forgotten Who is in control and the sovereign […]
Have you noticed how many food items are “light” today? Most of the time it is spelled “lite” to indicate the cut down version of the former. It’s the tendency to want a little bit of whatever but not too much. “Lite things” began with a cut back in calories or sugar content but has […]
Adjustments are never easy, but course assessment and corrections are important in every aspect of life. If you are always doing the same things without evaluating the effectiveness of your actions, you’ll end up getting into a rut and never get the results you desire. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) Examine yourselves, to see whether you […]
There’s something about stretching that most of us put off. I could be talking about the stretching that coaches try to get their athletes to do after a workout, but I’m really talking about the things that have cause for us to stretch beyond our comfort zone in life. Judges 6:11–16 (ESV) — 11 Now […]
What is some great advice for those entering the workforce, taking on a new job, or going off to college? How about the “Rebekah Principle.” Genesis 24:10–20 (ESV) — 10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia […]
As I sat at lunch with a friend the other day, he made and interesting observation and said, “where are the Barnabases today?” The thought of that really triggered my mind to think of how nice it would be to have someone come along beside me in ministry who was like Barnabas. Not just me, […]
Corporate worship seems to be downplayed in our current society. By corporate worship I mean the value of being part of the church body worshipping together as one body, rather than people worshipping as individuals in a meeting place with other individuals. It seems corporate worship has been devalued to the place where singing seems […]
When it comes to confessing your sin to God, it’s best to keep the list short; otherwise you bring great sorrow on yourself as you give God the cold shoulder. Just ask David how keeping silent about sin worked out in his life. Psalm 32:1–5 (ESV) — 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, […]