“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).I was recently surprised to learn that JRR Tolkien could get discouraged about his work. He wrote the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, perhaps one of the greatest movie epics of all time. It chronicles the battle between … Continue reading The Lord of the Rings and encouragement
power of words
They shot their books
If you go to Central American University in El Salvador you can see the room where six Jesuits and two women were killed.But the killers didn’t only shoot people. They shot their books. That’s right: their books were riddled with bullet holes.One of those books was a theological dictionary. It was open to an article … Continue reading They shot their books
Let your yes be yes and your no be no
In yesterday’s devotional we talked about the importance of being honest with your words. Makes sense, right? After all, God is a God of truth. Jesus comes to us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God’s “word is truth” (John 17:17). If we want to be his disciples, reflecting his truth needs to be a … Continue reading Let your yes be yes and your no be no
Standing up for the truth of God
Honesty is important. But when push comes to shove it’s easy to let a lie slip when it will make things easier for us or when it covers up a mistake we’ve made.It was Mark Twain who said: “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” … Continue reading Standing up for the truth of God
The ripple effect of words
In James 3:8 we read: “…no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”At first that sounds a bit harsh—but not if you’ve been on the receiving end of some verbal poison! Today’s devotional is quite simple. Be careful with your words. They can do serious good, and they … Continue reading The ripple effect of words
The mocking voice stopped
Max Lucado was teaching a group of people in Jerusalem. They were in an enclosed space. They were accompanied by a tour guide and some guards. His text was John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal … Continue reading The mocking voice stopped
The spiritual power of allegiance
In Matthew 16 Jesus asked his disciples about his identity. Peter answered correctly: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you … Continue reading The spiritual power of allegiance
Saying it out loud
We’ve been talking about the power of words.These days we tend to devalue them. When someone says “actions speak louder than words” they are commenting on this very trend. While our actions should certainly back up our words, words can still have incredible power on their own.In Jesus’ day his words were thought to have … Continue reading Saying it out loud
A stone in his mouth for 3 years
In elementary school there was a kid who did a lot of annoying things. He would slap people in the back of the head for no reason or pull a girl’s ponytail and run away.Other kids would inevitably chase him or call him names. In response he would shout out the well-known playground rebuttal: “Sticks … Continue reading A stone in his mouth for 3 years
Words that build up
Anthony Ross was a famous Scottish priest, also known as a preacher. He had a stroke which left him wordless. For a man whose work was so closely tied to his use of words, it was a big blow. The doctor actually told Anthony that he wouldn’t be able to speak again. In response, he … Continue reading Words that build up
