When someone uses the word “strict,” what comes to mind?Maybe you think about a “strict” parent—someone who has lots of rules and doesn’t want their kids to have any fun. Some people think about God like this as well. But this simply isn’t true. Let me highlight one of the uses of the word “strict” in the … Continue reading The surprising detail about “strictly” following God
helping others
Being someone’s answered prayer (when yours feel unanswered)
“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).What if you are someone’s answered prayer even though yours feel unanswered?You’ve probably heard the first part of that statement … Continue reading Being someone’s answered prayer (when yours feel unanswered)
A servant people
I remember reading a book which provided a summary of the biblical descriptions of the church. It was (and is) the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the people of the Spirit, the household of God, a community of disciples, etc.Another one was “a servant people.” Jesus’ people are a people who serve. This … Continue reading A servant people
Play your part
The Apollo 13 spacecraft launched into orbit in 1970. Many of us know the general parameters of the story because we’ve seen the moving starring Tom Hanks.In short, things go sideways. Stuff starts breaking and the lives of the astronauts are in danger. At home, everyone watches their TV screens in suspense and send up … Continue reading Play your part
Maturity is meant to be shared
In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is more spiritually mature needs to … Continue reading Maturity is meant to be shared
Rarely does he let me see the script
In her book No Greater Love, Rebecca McLaughlin writes: “I thoroughly believe that God directs my life, but rarely does He let me see the script.”* Can I get an Amen?! Like McLaughlin, I thoroughly believe that God directs my life. Perhaps you also agree that God directs your life. When she says that God … Continue reading Rarely does he let me see the script
Success is servanthood
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17). That was a prayer of Moses, the great man of God. But what did he mean when he asked God to “establish the work of our hands”? It’s … Continue reading Success is servanthood
Experiences of hardship
It’s an unpopular thought: Experiences of hardship can make us wiser and better positioned to help others. Here’s why it’s unpopular. When you’re in the middle of hard times, you just want them to end. You want things to be good again. When enduring incredible stress and strain you probably don’t want to hear about … Continue reading Experiences of hardship
The fruit-yielding tree God will use to bless others
Psalm 1 describes a person who is seeking to be righteous. They delight in God’s teachings and meditate on them consistently (verse 2). Verse 3 describes something important about that person’s life: “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season…” They are a fruit-yielding tree, metaphorically … Continue reading The fruit-yielding tree God will use to bless others
Being compassionately different
“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Lyman Stone is an advisor for Demographic Intelligence. He highlights something which made Christians stand out from the crowd in centuries past: “Probably a disease related to Ebola, the Plague of Cyrpian helped set off the Crisis of the Third Century in the Roman world. … Continue reading Being compassionately different
