Stephen Seamands recalls a story about a missionary in a faraway land. He went to share and show the good news of Jesus. But he wasn’t making any headway with the locals. It was as if they were closed to who he was and what he had to say because he was simply “not one … Continue reading He cries just like us!
love of God
His love was greater than his fear
What did Stephen say in the very moments in which he was being killed (by stoning) for his faith? Let’s listen in to Acts 7:60: “Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’” Picture the scene. While he was being pelted with stones by grown men, … Continue reading His love was greater than his fear
To unbosom the soul
Near the end of The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, Richard Baxter says that we live in a “vain, vexatious world.”* Can I get an Amen! He talks about how hard it can be to live in this world, and also how soul-satisfying it can be to talk to a best friend. Some you have a best … Continue reading To unbosom the soul
How you respond
Chuck Swindoll has been known to say, “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond.”* I don’t think he was quoting a scientific study. My sense is that he was making a general observation: Your life isn’t all about what happens to you, but how you respond to what … Continue reading How you respond
Greater than your grip on him
Last year I wrote a devotional called “God’s grip on you.” I don’t normally do repeats, but as I was thinking about what to share with you today, it struck me that there might be some people who need to hear this message again. Perhaps a global pandemic has given you a shake and you … Continue reading Greater than your grip on him
No matter what
Today I want to share a word of grace in a difficult time. Something I’ve noticed is that many people are being really hard on themselves. I get it. You want to do well. You want to put your best foot forward in every area of your life. You want to hit the proverbial ball … Continue reading No matter what
When high ethical standards seem hard
Followers of Jesus are called to a high ethical standard. Do you ever read about those standards in the Bible and then feel bad because you realize of how often you mess up? Maybe it’s the passage about loving your neighbour (Mark 12:31), or even your enemy (Matthew 5:44). Or maybe it’s Colossians 3:12: “clothe … Continue reading When high ethical standards seem hard
The darker it gets
In Matthew 24, Jesus answers a question from his disciples about when the Jerusalem temple would be torn down, and also when he would return one day in glory at the “end of the age” (v. 3). In response, he offers various insights about things that are going to take place, including this: “Because lawlessness … Continue reading The darker it gets
God’s grip on you—kind of like a sleepwalking rope
No matter how often we’re told otherwise, it’s easy to slip back into the thinking that God only loves us if we do a really, really good job of loving him back. All the time. ‘If we’re really bad,’ we think, ‘he won’t forgive us.’ ‘If we miss the mark, have an off day (or … Continue reading God’s grip on you—kind of like a sleepwalking rope
Why your love outlasts you
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus describes four responses to God’s word—three lead to nothing, and the fourth to everything. People in this last category “hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown” (Mark 4:20). Wow! That’s definitely something to shoot for! But … Continue reading Why your love outlasts you
The Up Devotional 