Most workers I’ve known with Peter’s tendency toward compulsive behavior changed very little over time. But Peter’s little letter shows us what commitment and the power of the Holy Spirit can do.

How do you respond when the end is near? Peter told his readers to get ready for the end, and then he showed them how.

If we want to show the world that a Savior has been born in us, then we will need to do things differently. The same ol’, same ol’ won’t bring joy to the world.

Today’s verse is likely not one of your favorites, and you certainly don’t bring it quickly to mind at Christmastime. But it gives us hope as we wait for a second return, even as we celebrate the first coming of Jesus.

Actually, all of us are royal. The Bible says so, this post explains why, and suggests what we should do about it.

There is one who is always there when we call. Psalm 138: 3 expressed it this way: “On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.”

We can either trip over Jesus or build our lives on him. As we each construct our lives upon the living stone of Jesus, we become a spiritual framework that God uses in expanding his kingdom.

Long before screenwriters used the technique of a plot twist, the Holy Spirit had already mastered the method. And if foreshadowing is a part of a good plot twist, then the ancient writers with divine inspiration used that technique as well. We see all of this in many places in the drama of Scripture, but maybe the book of Esther is the best example of perfect and powerful plot twists.

Today I am considering that Peter’s beautiful words stretch to include my friends and all of us who share friendships with each other as we watched loved ones depart this world and take claim of what we all believe we one day will also receive.

Remember these four words, and you may find a new reason every day to be thankful.

Living with a bad decision is like walking with a bag of sand tied to your feet. And of all the possible bad decisions, choosing the wrong partner is one of the worst.

Just like my stubborn shoulder, God’s people were hard to handle. The Bible had some corrections for them—me, too!

I’ve never heard a preacher speaking of the relation between Haggai and James. But today I saw something new about how they, and you and I, are connected.

While we’re waiting for important people and big-news events to make the differences we’re seeking, God will probably work through someone almost nobody knows.

How do you grow a business, a nonprofit, a church, or a community without a plan? Is James 4 suggesting that we simply quit thinking and planning for the future? If you read only verses 13 and 14 you might decide that.

Good, not good . . . how good? We may never agree about that in many situations, but God through Christ has offered a way for us to experience unity.

Darkness comes, but it does not win. It can’t because according to Jesus, it is finished.

It’s a humble path and a simple pursuit. Perhaps this is why so many fail to discover perfect, lasting peace.

When we’re a member of a group, we learn to follow the rules the group imposes. But this prominent Jew decided something else was more important.

The pandemic has created stress for everyone, and for some it has been severe. But stress occurred before COVID-19, centuries ago, as we discover in the lament of the prophet.