I have come to believe that the hardest working people in the earth are those who have rights and those who have jealousy. When I live in a place where I must judge every event based on whether I have been defrauded or misjudged or offended, I will never find an end to the work I must perform to achieve […]
Now the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the holy of holies once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the […]
This phrase is a Persian adage that can be good news or bad. If my leg is healing from a compound fracture, it would be good for me to remind myself that the pain and immobility are only temporary. If I am having a wonderful time with a dear friend, it would be sad for me to remind myself that […]
We all do stupid things by accident. Ideas float in and out of our minds constantly. Our environments attempt to provoke us with events and pictures and words and fears, hoping we will let them master us constantly. When we wake up to that bad influence, though, and find ourselves floating downstream with bad ideas, we can get out of […]
Wicker is a style of furniture that requires twisting green stems of plants into woven shapes that, when dry and hardened, are strong. The wick of a candle is a twisted piece of material that burns slowly because it is surrounded by the wax the candle is made of. Wicked would sound just like picked if we were not using […]
I have both killed and allowed death to take many plants. Some, I killed on purpose, like devil’s walking cane or volunteer wild cherry trees. Others, I gave too much water or not enough. Some, I left out in the cold, others I left out in the heat. Too much fertilizer, no fertilizer, etc… If I take care of a […]
I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)
I think that Jesus places more value on love than on obedience or faith. • I can only love Him after I have experienced His love: anything good in my life is a response to something that came from Him. • If I love Him, I will take pleasure in first learning what He wants of me, then obeying Him. […]
Unless the criticism you receive is for being lazy, being criticized is likely to be a good thing. People who don’t do anything of significance usually don’t take much flak. But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, […]
One of the greatest weaknesses of the institution we call the church is that it compels us to a greater allegiance to its doctrines than to its Head. More time is spent in some circles teaching adherents how to defend themselves from Baptists and Methodists and Pentecostals and Roman Catholics than is spent teaching how to become more profitable servants […]