Why waiting on God is better than wishing for the pandemic to end
Waiting on God is something altogether different than just about any other kind of waiting we can experience, especially our weary want for this pandemic to be over.
Walk with me on the highway of God to a bright future reality
They were weary in their “wilderness moment.” But the prophet urged them to look beyond the horizon to the future God was promising.
The greatest storyteller, our perfect hero, offers our only hope
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers.” Thus begins just one example of storytelling like none other.
Here’s how I plan to keep today’s bad news from making me afraid
Sometimes I let the bad news get the best of me. But the Scriptures I remember here are part of the way I overcome my fear and choose to focus on God.
The risky prayer that can accompany a most haunting question
Maybe you’ve asked the question while speeding, when discovering a mistake, or after a difficult conversation. But have you prayed the prayer that best accompanies it?
Someday, after simple meals along the way, a future feast is coming
Isaiah promises a Heavenly feast. Jesus says something about the earthly food to be shared by those who will sit someday at that banquet table.
How to cope when it seems we are just checking off the days
When will this be finished? How can I get through it? The life of Moses and the psalm attributed to him give us the beginning of answers to questions like these.
Intimately confronted by the majesty of God, we have but one response
Any of us would have been overwhelmed by an encounter with God like Isaiah’s. And many of us, engulfed by his grace and power, are answering his call today.
No matter how bleak or confusing our today, we can know hope
God’s people couldn’t imagine that salvation would arise from their defeat. And we sometimes cannot see how hope will conquer today’s bleak problems. But God’s promises are available to those with eyes of faith.
Wealthy folks have helpers. But sometimes they don’t help enough
What trust this landowner placed in the hands of the caretakers! What does this say about what God wants from us?
Jesus has the answer for all our prejudices, weaknesses, and fears
Some tried to trip him up with their questions. Another desperately struggled to believe. All of them challenge us to think afresh about our faith.
Two kinds of “no.” Which do you remember uttering most often?
One said no but then thought better and went to do it. One said yes but never got around to following through. Which was better? And which reminds you most of yourself?
A story with a strange ending, questions with a penetrating point
The one-hour workers were paid the same as those who showed up first thing in the morning! Of course, this wasn’t fair, but are we really interested in God being fair?
When ‘Stay in your lane!’ is a life-giving warning, not a reprimand
The young king did well for years . . . and then he tried to assume for himself a job that God had given someone else. In his tragedy is a warning for all of us.
Jesus told a story about a debt too huge to repay—just like ours
How often are we to forgive an infraction? How much have we been forgiven? The numbers will never match.
The kiss you may have ignored, the kiss to put on the top of your list
“There is a meeting, but this is not a speed date or simple meet and greet. There is nothing casual in this encounter. This is intimacy. And it is followed by a kiss. Not a peck on the cheek. It is an embrace. And with this intimate embrace, there is the an“
Have you learned what Bono knows? ‘Two are better than one.’
Bono gives us one of the most impressive examples of teamwork. The question is why I too often try to go it alone.
Might you be looking for greatness in all the wrong places?
Jesus chose children, with no status and no power, as the standard for greatness in his Kingdom. It’s a concept foreign to our culture today, just as it was then.
When someone says, “God told me,” how do we know that’s true?
Sometimes we need to more carefully discern between God’s will and personal preference. God’s people have been failing at this for centuries.
Why “Not if I have anything to do with it!” may be a sad response
While God invites us into participating in his Kingdom mission, our actions will not stop God’s plans or success. Our response, even if we arrogantly refuse or think we have a better plan, will never stop the advancement of God’s Kingdom.