To be great in the kingdom of Heaven requires less reaching for the top and much more serving at what we perceive to be the bottom.

Each new time I face an overwhelming challenge, I, like David, remember how God has rescued in the past.

A tiger won’t change its stripes, and some things won’t change about you, either, even after you submit to the Holy Spirit. Here’s some help in thinking about how to deal with this.

The enemy of God will always interrupt the things of God. But there—in the middle of the storm—God will prevail.

Jesus gave his harshest critics advice that can apply to each of his followers: Good trees produce good fruit; bad trees produce bad.

So what if some seed doesn’t sprout? So what if all our effort doesn’t produce the desired result? After all, this is exactly what Jesus predicted and Paul experienced!

We may have some success going it alone. But God’s eye on us can give impact to last for generations.

The prayer Jesus prayed at the cross was a psalm for us to pray, too. Just as it brought him some comfort and release in his time of trial, it can do the same for us.

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. . . . The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

We can’t possibly know how the story will end. But the overarching love of God combined with both the promises of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit can allow us to know that God will not abandon or reject us. He will, in fact, accomplish his purpose in us for his glory.

David finished his urgent prayer for help with an affirmation of his belief that God had control over his whole situation.

To pull back from helping instead of rushing in when you know there is so much to do seems odd and maybe even like we are shirking our spiritual responsibility, but consider that this is exactly what even Jesus did.

Again and again, no matter the issue, Jesus seems always to have come back to the same solution. When we’re feeling short of capacity to accomplish his will, we can try his approach.

Leadership training methods and manuals abound, but as Jesus prepared the disciples for service, he showed what’s most important.

Neither Moses nor any of the apostles were called to do something for God like what they were already doing. Could it be that his call to each of us will be similar?

Since when does a shepherd ever choose to put his flock in the middle of danger? Yet in Matthew, Jesus sent the 12 apostles out by themselves, warning them of danger that would accompany them the rest of their lives.

I really can’t add anything to Psalm 17, but I can invite you to pray it with me today.

How did these common, uneducated men bring a revolution that still lasts today? Their “secret” is as simple as something that’s available to every one of us.

“Go over and join this chariot.” That was all the information Philip was given. But lives were changed because he simply obeyed.

If you think your failures have ruined the story so it cannot possibly have a good ending, you probably aren’t paying attention to the way God has woven his story and master plan all through history.