By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Faith, God's promises, Prayer and Devotions

“GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. ” (Habakkuk 3:19) We’re designed to plug into God to recharge our spiritual batteries the same way our digital devices plug into a computer to recharge. Deer are known for being swift and sure-footed–and for leaping and jumping up to eight feet in the air, tying into the high places often difficult for a human to climb securely. And when we read the preceding verses, it’s hard times Habakkuk has in mind: Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produceRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, God's love, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19) Today we are handed a fragment of a prayer that begins in verse fourteen and we learn the purpose of it from verse thirteen: So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bowRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) This verse begs a few questions. First, explicitly: why in the “therefore” and secondly what are encouraging, what are we building up in one another? Verses 8-10 answer both questions: But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.Read More →

By:
On:
In: God's love, Gospel, Idols, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17) The most famous passage in the bible, John 3:15-18,  tells us Christ was lifted up on the cross so all who believe in him would have eternal life, that God loved us so much, he gave us his only son so that no one who believes in Christ should perish. Today’s verse asserts at this point that God’s goal was not to condemn everyone else, but to save the world.  Verse eighteen adds sadly, however, that those whoRead More →

By:
On:
In: Prayer and Devotions

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” (James 1:19) Oh to be more like this bible verse! What would it be like, to have open ears that hear the other person’s words, a mouth that doesn’t run before the other person is finished talking? To be patient and not quick tempered or easily frustrated? To be self-controlled, not impulsive? If more of us knew and lived by this advice, what would the world be like? Oh for grace to be such. Lord, grant me ears to hear, a patient, disciplined tongue, and a peacefulRead More →