I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth; I will praise Him in the presence of many. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who would condemn him. (Psalm 109:30-31 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) Many needy people are around us when we interact with the world. They have emotional needs, […]
One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it. (Proverbs 11:24-26 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®) Your […]
“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I […]
After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his prosperity and doubled his previous possessions. All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances came to his house and dined with him in his house. They offered him sympathy and comfort concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a qesitah, and a gold […]
The men went back to Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for them and the whole community, and they showed them the fruit of the land. They reported to Moses: “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, […]
Your behavior, your attitude, your values system and your desires are measurable indicators. What they indicate includes whether you are more influenced by the first list Paul made in chapter 5 of his letter to the congregations in Galatia, or the second list. The first list there he titled, “the works of the flesh.” He called the second list, “the […]
Baptism is a place of death. The drama plays out in 3 acts. In Act 1, you are living a certain way in a certain place. In Act 2, you pass through some medium of destructive power. The media include rivers, wildernesses, fires, graves, oceans, the Holy Spirit, and maybe a thousand other possibilities. The commonality in each of them […]
On days, being heard is not nearly as important as hearing is. Be quick to hear, and slow to speak (James 1:19). How can they believe, if they have not heard, though? (Romans 10:17) When our conversations include more listening than talking, we might be much more effective with the little that we say, because we hear people’s fears or […]
I was considering recently how ridiculous all of us are. Then I remembered that we are the crown of all that Jesus has created. As I marveled at the contrast between our ridiculousness and the position humans hold in the created order, I was reminded by His Spirit first that those who are born from above, of Him, are even […]
Trading worries for peace:Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®)