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 move and walk around. “Immovable” … Continue reading A decision: I will be steadfast
Author: Matthew Ruttan
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 same sketch to young children … Continue reading The eyes of your heart
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 and looked back on his … Continue reading Crooked lines?
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 rightly so, because your faith … Continue reading Increasing in faith and love
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 morning. But we need to … Continue reading Just because something doesn’t have a bow
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 this, we can focus (almost … Continue reading Permission to smile
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 and perfect gift is from … Continue reading Rushing is not a friend of noticing
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 you. All of them are … Continue reading Encased in grace
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 be happy all the time, … Continue reading Shallow positivity
Soul gription
What are your stability structures for the coming storm? I don’t mean to be alarming. However, Jesus said that before his return there would be wars, rumours of wars, increased Christian persecution, false Messiahs, more lawlessness, and less love. That’s no walk in the park. So when I ask about your ‘stability structures’ I’m referring … Continue reading Soul gription
