Tag Archives: Christian Life

Fear

Fear can be paralyzing. It’s mentioned throughout the scriptures, with stories of people fearing each other, fearing to follow God’s instructions, fearing the presence of angels, fearing death, etc. In many passages, the words “Do not fear” are also included … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Peers

The pressure to conform to cultural norms is part of life. Even within faith circles, there are those who position themselves as the guardians of all things “acceptable”. Jesus spoke of such people, and one of His statements about them … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Asking

When praying, we must remember that God’s parental perspective is far beyond ours. As parents, we often struggle regarding “what, when and how”; but God doesn’t. He never paces the floor with worry or stays awake at night wondering, because … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Being

One of the biggest struggles in the life of faith is the pressure to “do”. Whether it’s spoken, unspoken, self-imposed, or “others-imposed”, the expectation to be “doing” something for Christ can distract from the powerful reality of “being” something in … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Voices

In our “connected” world, loud voices call out everywhere; on TV, the radio, and social media feeds. In the first century, there was also a mixture of voices calling out. For a disciple, Jesus gave an illustration of how a … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wisdom 21.3

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” – Proverbs 21:3 NKJV Doing the “right thing” may be seen by many, a few, or only Him. We must remember that choosing righteousness and justice is ultimately … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free

With each cultural shift, the world system promises new liberties, but delivers bondage in creative new ways. There’s only one form of true personal liberty; “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

And

The word “and” can make a lot of difference. For example, it can cause anxiety, like “The meeting is tomorrow AND the report is due”; or joy, like “Grandma’s coming AND she’s bringing a cake.” When it comes to spiritual matters, … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Greatest

Pride is relentless. It can cause self-deception, and distorts our view of reality. Even though the disciples spent every day hearing and seeing Jesus, pride was a constant foe; and the battle was real. Consider this moment: “Then He came … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wisdom 20.29

“The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” – Proverbs 20:29 HCSB The way a society views its elder population, reveals much of its spiritual condition. May we in the … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Help!

Admission of weak faith can be the beginning of moving forward. For example, Mark records that a father brought his son to be healed from an evil spirit and the disciples couldn’t help him. Later, when Jesus arrived, the father … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Avoiding “Sudden Speech Syndrome”

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain (in the presence of Peter, James and John), His heavenly glory burned bright as the sun. Excited by what he saw, Peter immediately began talking of his plan for monuments, but the scripture … Continue reading

Posted in Christian Life, Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Principles

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christ

“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?” – Matthew 16:13 NKJV There have always been various opinions of Jesus; even during His earthly ministry. When He asked the disciples what the “word on the street” was, … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Heaviness

Jesus sighed. The reality of sin’s weight on the world moved Jesus to express a heaviness through what we call a “sigh”. Even though a “sigh” isn’t verbal speech, we know what it means. It’s a pause that reflects something … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wisdom 19.21

“Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the LORD’s decree will stand.” – Proverbs 19:21 HCSB There’s an old saying among carpenters, “Measure twice, cut once.”, because after the cut is made, it can’t be undone. Perhaps it’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Powerless

The disciples knew empowerment, but they also knew weakness. In Mark chapter 6 records where they were sent out by Jesus with the power over evil spirits and to heal. Afterwards, they returned with stories of demons being cast out and … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perceptions

Jesus was a carpenter. Compared to creating the universe, a hammer would’ve been easy to get the “swing” of. But for those who knew Him growing up, the image of a tradesman was fixed in their minds, and that’s all … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reaching

Pride and fear can build walls of separation. There was a woman in the Gospels who’d suffered from a bleeding affliction for twelve years. In addition to the obvious physical challenges, she would have also been considered perpetually “unclean” according … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Peace

Storms are powerful displays of nature, and when seasons change, the weather can get nasty. In our personal life, “changing winds” can also bring a storm. In the Gospels, there’s a pivotal moment where the disciples sailed into rough seas while Jesus … Continue reading

Posted in Daily Devotions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment