Do you ever feel like God may have had a plan for your life at some point in the past, but since you keep messing up he’s probably moved on to someone else to help him accomplish his purposes? If that’s you, think bigger. You should broaden your understanding of God’s… Providence. In short, providence … Continue reading Confidence in providence
mistakes
The God of pursuit
God said to Jonah, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2). Jonah didn’t go to Nineveh—at least not at first. He ran away and went to Tarshish (verse 3). But God didn’t throw his hands up and move on to someone else. … Continue reading The God of pursuit
Not disqualified
When we’ve made mistakes or experienced failure in the past, we can mistakenly think that we are defined by those experiences on an ongoing basis and that God has no further use for us. But as I said yesterday, God is not limited by your limitations. To think that your previous failures handcuff God’s power … Continue reading Not disqualified
Failure is never final
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). Have you ever felt like a failure? We can feel like we’ve failed when our lives are not what we had wanted them to be, or when we haven’t handled a certain relationship well, … Continue reading Failure is never final
Love boldly. But when you miss the mark…
James 2:8 says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.” With that in mind, let me tell you a story. In 1993 a well-known theologian from Croatia named Miroslav Volf was doing a talk on loving your neighbour. Afterward someone asked him, “But … Continue reading Love boldly. But when you miss the mark…
Punishment? Or consequence?
Today I want to address something that sometimes comes up in conversations. It’s kind of a big one. Someone will say, “Because of all this bad stuff happening in my life I feel like God is punishing me.” Have you ever said something like that? Have you ever felt it? I get where it comes … Continue reading Punishment? Or consequence?
When you haven’t kept your word
For the past two days I’ve been talking about being a person of your word—a person who is honest and trustworthy. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus taught about the importance of speaking with sincerity: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” It’s a statement that … Continue reading When you haven’t kept your word
The perfect day to begin again
I came across an unsettling statistic. It was that most suicides occur on Sunday nights, and that most heart attacks happen on Monday mornings. (If you’re reading this on Monday morning, don’t stress—take a deep breath!) Maybe it’s because, for many people, Monday signals the return to responsibility. And with it, a reminder that there … Continue reading The perfect day to begin again
If you’re in a hole, quit digging
Proverbs 26:11 says: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” In other words, if you keep making the same foolish mistake, you’re like a dog who keeps returning to its own vomit. Gross! When we take a moment to think about the mistakes we’ve made, many of us probably think … Continue reading If you’re in a hole, quit digging
Are we supposed to have it all together?
Are followers of Jesus supposed to “have it all together”? Good question! After all, in Matthew 5:48 Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Some Christians do in fact think they have it all together. They drip with religious condescension. -Some people know that they definitely don’t have it all together… … Continue reading Are we supposed to have it all together?
