All Scripture references are quoted from the Christian Standard Bible (unless otherwise noted).
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23 Recently, I have been dealing with some health problems that have been very challenging for me. My health problems are not especially serious, and many people face much greater difficulties. However, my personal health problems...
“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” – 1 Peter 2:16 Yesterday, most Americans celebrated freedom and independence, in recognition of the 4th of July. As usual, that celebration included a great deal of fireworks. Sometimes, probably...
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” – Ecclesiastes 7:14 It is important, when we experience times of great joy, to remember that every good and perfect gift is from God (James 1:17). We must...
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16 There are probably aspects of the Christian life that we each gravitate toward. Some of us love to...
“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14 There is a good chance you have heard this saying of Jesus many times before and, possibly, you have not given it much thought. But today I want to draw your...
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Unfortunately, our hope usually resides in our circumstances. We are...
“If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.” – Ecclesiastes 10:10 The work God calls us to do as His hands and feet in this broken world is not easy....
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 Have you ever felt like nothing is going your way? Have you ever felt that all your plans seem to be failing? Have you ever felt that God is doing anything but...
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn Your statutes. Instruction from Your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” – Psalm 119:71-72 When God sent Moses to speak to the most powerful man in the known world, He purposefully...
“In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is...
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 This passage in the book of Proverbs holds two great keys for everyday living. First...
“‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD.” – Isaiah 54:17 Isaiah 54:17 is a popular verse that we call to mind...
“For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of peoplewho by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” – Romans 1:18 Whether we realize it or not, we all intrinsically understand that wrath and judgement are good and righteous qualities. And the absence of them is evil. For...
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand markedoff the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?” – Isaiah 40:12 My dad...
“Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:4-5 I can’t remember a time when I laid worried in...
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” – Proverbs 29:25 What is motivating you today? Many of us spend our days in the trap of “fearing man.” The decisions we make, the things we say, and the places we...
“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” – Malachi 3:6 God does not change. This truth is known in theological circles as God’s “immutability.” To say that God is immutable is to say that He does not mature or grow old; He...
“When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment.” – John 16:8 We, as people left to our own, have no ability to change hearts. So often, when thinking about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, we make the mistake of thinking...
“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well...
March 1, 2017 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105 Why is it important to spend regular, disciplined time in the Word of God? Because God’s word is the fixed point on which we set our bearings in order to...
“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish– ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:27-28 In the ancient world, sheep from many shepherds were often kept in large communal pens...
“God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:9 All of us, at one time or another, have probably struggled with finding our purpose. Why are we on this earth? What plan does God have for our life?...
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32 After 19 years of marriage, I get an incredible amount of peace from my relationship with my wife. We have been through so much together. I have seen her in so many different situations,...
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep...
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” – John 1:4, 14 The opening verses of the book of John give us a picture, not of a cold distant god, but of an intimate Creator. The picture...
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” – James 4:10 When we get down, depressed, and discouraged in life, we often make the mistake of turning inward and attempting to lift ourselves up out of the darkness. But the book of James clearly gives us the...
“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” – Luke 8:13 Over the last several days here on the plains of Colorado,...
“He said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” – Matthew 22:37 What does it mean to “know God”? Surely it means more than just knowing things about God, because Satan knows more about God than any...
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24 As we close out the last week of 2016, I have heard a lot of talk about how bad the year has been with the loss of many favorite celebrities, a...
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” – John 3:19-20 For quite some...