1 John 3:21-22 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.” “And you, my tender-hearted, overly conscientious friend, can rest in Him too, so that your prayers will Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 13:12 “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just Continue Reading…
Proverbs 12:24 “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.” We complain about it. We resist it. We blame it on the Fall—even though Adam and Eve relished in it before they tried to expand their resume to include being like God. Work. God created us in his likeness Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Everyone needs hope. Those scarred by life’s hurts may try to resist it. But even the most hardened skeptic longs to have something to hope for. It’s the 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…
Ezekiel 33:10 “…Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”‘ In 1976 Francis Schaeffer published his classic work, How Then Should We Live? Twenty-eight years later Charles Colson wrote what he considered to be his most important book, Continue Reading…
Joshua 4:7 “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” It was Memorial Day weekend. I was conducting a Public Speaking workshop for the Boston YWAM staff. For their final assignment, I asked students to prepare a speech that described a “memorial” in their lives. Their Continue Reading…
Revelation 2:4 “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” Good works. Check Perseverance. Check Purity of doctrine. Check Endurance for the sake of Jesus’ name. Check Maintaining love for God….whoops. The believers at Ephesus boasted a pretty impressive resume, but a resume that fell short Continue Reading…
Galatians 5:6 “… The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.” Two things. Just two things. Some of us have a penchant for making life complicated. We parse every word, speculate on every motive. We assess ourselves, our spouses, our friends. Our finances, our failures, our futures. I Continue Reading…
Ecclesiastes 11:1 “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” A colleague recently gave me a copy of a letter C.S. Lewis wrote in response to someone admiring his work. “It is always cheering to know one’s bottle with a message in it has Continue Reading…