Have you ever heard the old saying that asserts, “Christians are to be in the world but not of the world.” Two different prepositions are used in this charge: in and of. If you are in something, it refers to your setting—where you are physically located. If you are of something, it means you aren’t…
You are a masterpiece! God created you with a purpose and he loves you so much. You see, we are not saved by our good works, but we were created to do good works. Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, that there are good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. This means…
Can you imagine going to war and being told to send your army home? That is exactly what happened to Gideon in the Old Testament times. In Judges 7:2, he was ready to lead the Israelites against one of their enemies, the Midianites, and the task seemed doable with such a great army. Until God…
Zephaniah 2 tells of God calling His people to get their act together because their nation was in a state of disrepair. This prophet—whose name means Yahweh conceals—urges them to repent while there is still time, allowing God to cover and conceal their sins. The Lord’s righteous judgment in this chapter is seen everywhere in…
Life has dealt us all a long list of things that weigh us down. When I am stressed and under pressure, I pretty much crack. Those closest to me have seen this. Sometimes it comes out in tears, sometimes in an overflow of chattiness, sometimes in a temper and other times in a critical spirit….
When I am worried and my mind is restless, it seems I turn to everything else before God. I clean, I do laundry, I work, I go for a walk, and on and on and on. Anything to get my mind off my present circumstances. Most of the time, I don’t even realize I am…
One morning during a sermon I was rather enjoying, my pastor made a bold statement that pinched my heart just a little. He declared, “People pleasers often lie.” Gulp. I had to admit that sadly, there are times I am one fantastic fibber. Sometimes, I slightly twist the truth so I won’t hurt someone’s feelings…
There are two kinds of mouths compared in Proverbs. There is the righteous mouth and the wicked mouth. The righteous mouth has words flowing out that are wise and kind and bring life to the hearer. The wicked mouth is harsh and hurts the one who is listening. How do we get a righteous mouth…
Almost all of us would agree that suffering is the last thing we’d willingly sign up for. The heart-wrenching experience of a miscarriage, the loss of financial security, or struggles with our health are sometimes more than we feel like we can handle. But what if we saw our suffering as a gift? Romans 5…
Recently, someone in my community was spreading untruths about someone I love deeply. I so badly wanted to correct the errors and protect the name of my loved one and—most importantly—zip the lips of the one spreading lies! It was then that I read Psalm 37:7 and the encouraging words: “Fret not yourself.” I just…