There is no hour like the early morning hour to meet with God. Oftentimes we put off meeting with God until later in the day, but then our to-do list takes over and all day long we are chasing that quiet moment that does not exist. God does not want us chasing temporary things that…
When my four kids were little, I felt like I was just doing my best to keep all the things together. One night I remember my son, Noah, dropping a small box of hard gumballs, and they all scattered across the hardwood floor, going this way and that. At that moment, I realized that my…
In Acts 7, we see Stephen recounting before the Sanhedrin in chronological order God’s dealings with the nation of Israel. He speaks of Moses and Joseph and the way Israel rejected the leaders God had chosen. His speech comes to a climax when he talks about the ultimate rejection of Jesus in Acts 7:52. He…
It is no secret that the Bible testifies over and over to the power and majesty of God. But did you know that the names used for God throughout the Bible have all different meanings to speak of who he is? Starting here at the very beginning of the Bible, we see the name Elohim…
Did you know that the Chinese pictograph for the word “busy” is two characters: a heart and killing? Isn’t that appropriate? The clock ticks fast every day as I move from breakfast to lunch to dinner and then back to breakfast once again. The calendar pages flip fast and before I know it, we are…
There is plenty to worry about in today’s world. Whether it is a personal health diagnosis, a wayward child, financial struggles, or a strained relationship, the many things we face can threaten our peace and joy. The book of Proverbs describes a woman who, although her life wasn’t perfect, was a person of character who…
In the book of Jonah, we see the prophet making an intentional choice to move away from God. Jonah had been told by God to go to the great city of Nineveh, which was part of the Assyrian Empire. But instead of moving toward God’s will for him, Jonah did an about-face and headed far…
We all love ourselves, so Jesus’ command to love our neighbor is based on our natural love of self. We all have a drive inside of us to be happy and think of ourselves first. No one has to teach a 2-year-old to be selfish. It is their natural default. Notice that this is not…
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind. This includes all of our thoughts and feelings. Is there something or someone who competes with God for your love? If we put the things of this world before God, we will regret it when we…
Romans 8:6 says, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” I am the first one to admit that I can struggle to keep my mind and thoughts under control. Worry creeps in too often, and I find myself going down ridiculous rabbit trails…