Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before all men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” [ESV] We all have one. But each differs in size and scope. They can be broad or narrow. As Continue Reading…
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” A few months ago my husband and I traveled to Rhode Island to babysit our two grandsons for the weekend. We assured our daughter and son-in-law Continue Reading…
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them…” A lot of truth in those Michael W. Smith lyrics. It’s hard to overestimate the value of spiritual friendship. When I think Continue Reading…
1 John 4:8 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Words from this sonnet written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning for her husband popped into my head this morning. Love. Who but a God of love Continue Reading…
John 2:24-25 “Jesus . . . knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” Cookie-cutter: marked by sameness and a lack of originality; mass-produced. We don’t like to think of ourselves as just a part of the crowd, do Continue Reading…
James 4:2-3 “…You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.…” During the presidency of George W. Bush, he challenged educators to avoid the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” He wanted schools to stop subtle discrimination by expecting Continue Reading…
Matthew 27:50-51 “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split” I’ve been thinking about torn curtains. The setting takes place Continue Reading…
Isaiah 53:1 “Who has believed our message…?” Are you having trouble believing for things unbelievable? The prophecy describing the coming of the Messiah in Isaiah 53 shocks us to the core. The Creator God of all majesty and power was coming to the earth as a suffering servant. Rather than Continue Reading…
John 3:20-21 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the Continue Reading…
Ezekiel 2: 8 “But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” I recently took my 3-year-old grandson to an indoor playground where he could release some of his unspent energy. At one point Continue Reading…