Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices (Psalm 37:3, 7, esv)! Rest is such an elusive thing. Our bodies […]
And Jacob was left alone (Genesis 32:23, esv). Time alone is key in the life of a believer. Time alone allows for God to confront you. Let me illustrate. Say you have a friend who’s watching what he eats. Your friend asks you to hold him accountable for any food that goes into his mouth, […]
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31, esv). It was a dark and stormy night—like the cliché opening of a novel. In this case, it fits. Between three and four o’clock in the morning, the disciples got […]
“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6, esv). The secret to prayer is prayer in secret. Jewish tradition in Jesus’ day had reduced prayer down to a shadow of its […]
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers (1 Thessalonians 1:2, esv). Name one thing you “always” find yourself doing, something that’s “constantly” part of your day. How often would giving thanks be an honest answer to that? Perhaps you’d say you’re constantly talking on the telephone. […]
Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16, esv). It’s not enough to own a Bible. Or hold it. Or carry it. Or even respect it. You […]
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42, ESV). What is fellowship? We use the term loosely but often fail to think about what it means. Fellowship isn’t red punch and cookies in the church basement (though many of us grew up with […]
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7–8, esv). Imagine if your daughter came to you and said, “Dad? […]
This is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3a, esv). Often discussions about God’s will seem to revolve around answering life’s big questions like where we go to college, who we choose to marry, which job to take, which house to buy, what our kids’ lives will be like when they grow up […]
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6, esv). If you’re a follower of Jesus—if by faith you have turned from your sins and received His forgiveness—I have news for you. God is after you. He’s still pursuing […]