Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” “Your praise will ever be on my lips….” The refrain of Bethel Music’s song by Kalley Heiligenthal ran through my mind as I recovered from the life-threatening illness of sepsis. Not strong enough to Continue Reading…
Judges 2:10-11 “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord….” One generation. That’s all it took to lose everything. The Lord promised not to break his Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” How important is it to you to keep your promises? To always do what you say you will Continue Reading…
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Decades of faithfulness and constancy have a way of building trust….at least in my life. In those teenage years when my half-hearted devotion to Him should have disqualified me from any hope of a deeper life…God remained fully Continue Reading…
Psalm 19:13 “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me….” “Don’t let us blow it Lord!” How many times I’ve whispered that desperate prayer! I doubt I’m alone. Those of us who are believers in Christ want, perhaps more than anything, to be found faithful Continue Reading…
2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” I recently told someone who worried about being irresponsible, “You couldn’t be irresponsible if you tried. It’s just not in your DNA.” I think the same way about God’s faithfulness. The limitless, unfathomable Creator of 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…
1 Samuel 17: 11 “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” Ever have any of those days when you feel you’re about two steps ahead of depression? Even though it hasn’t caught up with you, it’s in hearing range. It shouts, “Loser!” “Failure!” Continue Reading…
Ezekiel 12:7 “So I did as I was commanded.” “I am not called to be successful. I’m called to be faithful.” These well-known words of Mother Theresa pose a hard sell in our goal-driven society. It’s far too easy for us to jump on the cultural treadmill and conclude Continue Reading…
Isaiah 35:4 “…he will come to save you.” With pointed alliteration, Max Lucado, in his wonderful book, Great Day Every Day, poses the three questions we ask about God when trouble overwhelms us: Continue Reading…