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A decision: I will be steadfast
There’s a saying of an old wise man that traces back many centuries: “Thou shalt stand immovable in joy and sorrow like the bones of the dead.” A few things stand out about it. First, it uses the word immovable. Of course, people aren’t literally immovable when they’re alive. They… Listen ⇢
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The eyes of your heart
During a Ted Talk, Al Sekel showed an audience of adults a picture of a cartoonish black and white sketch. He asked them to describe what it depicted. They said it looked like a man and a woman in a provocative embrace. Sekel then explained that when he shows the… Listen ⇢
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Crooked lines?
A father was teaching his son how to plow a field in straight lines. His advice was this. “Pick an object on the other side of the field, and then walk towards it with the plow.” So that’s what the boy did. But when he got to the other side… Listen ⇢
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Increasing in faith and love
The church in Thessalonica was having a tough time. They were getting assaulted on the outside (persecution) as well as on the inside (false teaching). Despite these hardships, they were doing well. Paul praised them with these words: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and… Listen ⇢
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Just because something doesn’t have a bow
Just because something doesn’t have a bow, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a gift. Let me explain. Gifts often come in packages with bows. When someone gives us a gift it is pretty obvious what is happening, especially if we’re at a birthday party, at a graduation, or on Christmas… Listen ⇢
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Permission to smile
There are problems everywhere. But there aren’t ONLY problems. There are blessings too. They are gifts from God. To notice you may need to give yourself permission to smile and to enjoy life a little more often. Life can be hard. There are serious issues in the world. Because of… Listen ⇢
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Rushing is not a friend of noticing
In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about the ‘art of noticing.’ It was about the art of noticing God’s goodness all around us. This doesn’t mean that everything in your life is good. But everything that is good is from God. James 1:17 reminds us of this very fact: “Every good… Listen ⇢
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Encased in grace
God showers the people of his world with blessing. That’s not to say that every situation is good. But everything that happens which is good comes from God. In fact, you experience many godly blessings each and every day that you probably don’t even realize. Blessing is happening all around… Listen ⇢
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Shallow positivity
The people in the TV commercials are always so happy. I know, I know—they’re actors. But it makes me think of the phrase “shallow positivity.” Shallow positivity is the idea that we’re supposed to be happy all the time. Although not many of us would agree that we’re supposed to… Listen ⇢
Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.
Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.
