Fear. It's all around us, most recently with coronavirus. Here are 3 suggested responses for God's people.
trust
A FROG in your heart
I was visiting a woman in a nursing home. She has aches and pains. She’s had more than her share of heartache. Through it all she’s had an enduring faith in Jesus. On this particular visit, she told me her outlook on life: F.R.O.G. Um, pardon? Then she explained it: “Through every stage of life … Continue reading A FROG in your heart
Why it matters that God is good
Right now I’m in the midst of a jam-packed, high-energy Vacation Bible Camp. Our key verse is Psalm 106:1: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The main idea of the Camp is that God is good! Day 1: When life is unfair… God is good. Day 2: When … Continue reading Why it matters that God is good
Control
Control. It’s a big problem. And who knows: maybe you’re one of the ones who—knowingly or unknowingly—wants to control every possible situation, conversation or person in your life. But when you try to control everything, everything starts to control you. You get consumed with more and more details and worries that you think you need … Continue reading Control
Can you trick God into a miracle?
Lately I’ve been thinking about miracles. As a part of that, I’ve been looking for patterns in the New Testament stories—particularly the ones about healing. Yesterday I talked about (a) how desperate many of the people were who came to Jesus, and (b) how convinced they were that he could actually help. [You can read … Continue reading Can you trick God into a miracle?
He’s got you
Dr. J. Robertson McQuilkin used to be the president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary. But he gave up his presidency to care for his wife Muriel who was struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. McQuilkin wrote about a time when he was with his wife and their flight was delayed for several hours. Every few … Continue reading He’s got you
The spirit in which you act
From what I can tell, the word “obedience” in wealthy, western societies (like mine) is a heavy, negative word. It smacks of blindly and mindlessly doing what someone else tells you to do. In popular culture it reeks of oppression. But in Christianity, chosen obedience is a positive thing. Since God and his will are … Continue reading The spirit in which you act
God’s got this
“Faith” is a word that is easy to throw around. “Journey of faith,” “Faith in God,” “Have a little faith.” But what does it mean? Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) says this: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Can’t argue with that. It’s in the Bible! But in … Continue reading God’s got this
Sifting for wisdom in the age of “experts”
Do you sometimes feel like we live in a time that is saturated with “experts”? There are food experts and weather experts and psychology experts and sports experts and economy experts. They share their wisdom on talk shows, books and blog posts. I think a lot of that is great. We can really benefit from … Continue reading Sifting for wisdom in the age of “experts”
The faith of Indiana Jones
In the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harrison Ford plays Indiana, the adventure-prone professor of archaeology. At one point he comes to the edge of a massive cliff and needs to cross the huge gorge in front of him. But there’s no bridge! It’s definitely too far to jump across. So he checks … Continue reading The faith of Indiana Jones
The Up Devotional 