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In the depths of God’s Word
Recently I was driving on a four-lane highway. Everyone in front of me started to break. Some started to veer off at the next exit. Since I wasn’t very far from my destination, I did the same. “Problems ahead, better go around.” This is often how we treat difficult parts… Listen ⇢
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A prayer for times of Christ-un-likeness
“…as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Our faith is good news. Part of the reason it is good news is because it addresses so much of the bad news around us, including the bad news from… Listen ⇢
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Being weird—and glorifying God
In the previous devotional, I talked about holiness. These days, we don’t tend to talk about holiness too much. Perhaps we think it will make us sound snooty. Or weird. However, the fact remains that God’s people are called to live in a way that is distinct from the world… Listen ⇢
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Heaven’s map on earth
A few years ago, I came across this prayer from Thomas Watson: “Perfume us with holiness and make our hearts a map of heaven.”* To be holy is to be set apart (i.e. distinct) for God’s special purposes. He calls us to reflect his character in the world. In this… Listen ⇢
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Loving people (when you don’t like them)
Something we all have in common is that we’re surrounded by people, and that our lives are embedded in relationships. If we’re being honest, some people drive us crazy. These are people at school or work, at church, out there in the community at large, or even in our own… Listen ⇢
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Set apart for God’s special purposes
When you’re young, certain ideas seem big, bad or burdensome. One of them is “responsibility.” It probably made you think about cutting grandma’s lawn or doing chores when you didn’t want to. Over time, however, you realize there’s more to it than that. It’s “response-ability.” God has given us certain… Listen ⇢
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Feelings can betray
Faith is more than feelings. And that’s actually very good news. Let me explain. Our feelings are important. They tell us things about what we are experiencing. The risk is when we falsely equate certain feelings with the presence of God, or with a “spiritual” idea that we think is… Listen ⇢
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Affliction can be an accelerant
Affliction can be an accelerant which refines you to bless others in your future with greater integrity, wisdom or power. Let’s unpack that sentence a few ideas at a time. First, affliction. It’s one of those things that isn’t nice, but can serve a greater purpose over the long haul.… Listen ⇢
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Keep focused on the end game
In 1 Peter 1, the apostle is encouraging his readers to persevere and to have hope, even when they are experiencing hardship and affliction. In verses 8-9, he says: “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with… Listen ⇢
Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.
Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.
