To discover contentment is a ‘great gain’ for everyone who trusts God
I think I’m experiencing contentment, and then some struggle falls into my lap or lands on my shoulders. But I can’t deny the good that comes with godliness with contentment.
Just as they were watching Jesus, they may be watching us, too
People-watching can be fun, sometimes even educational. But the bigger question is what people see when they’re watching us!
Looking to words of scripture for the best definition of the church
The apostle Paul used many images to describe the purpose and function of the church. Each one of them can help believers understand how to be the church today.
Quick tech is wonderful, but there’s one thing it just can’t do
With each new generation there seems to be a higher expectation that any and everything should be instant. But as I read Proverbs, I’m thinking about time in the development of wisdom.
Since Jesus and James agree about faith and works, shouldn’t we?
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you read your Bible daily, memorize all of the teachings of Jesus, and then live as if you have never heard of him?
When Paul says ‘above all,’ he’s giving a message we should heed
He didn’t have a second of all or third of all, which I think establishes the point that Paul was really saying above everything else or above all things, this is the priority.
The apostle Paul gives us a new way to think about comparisons
Comparison shopping may be good for our pocketbooks. But many other kinds of comparison can hurt us emotionally, psychologically, or worst of all, spiritually.
From one generation to the next: this is the way faith thrives
Everybody’s talking today about the differences between the generations now alive and active in our culture. But perhaps not enough are discussing the responsibility of one generation for the next.
Urgent prayers, daily prayers, scripture prayers—your prayers?
Sometimes I pray for the emergency. Sometimes I pray about a situation for years. But I’ve learned to keep praying because prayer always keeps me closer to God.
How to find peace by finally realizing who really is in charge
Carrying a lot of responsibility can lead some toward arrogance that suggests only you can figure things out, solve the problems, and save the day. But none of us has all the answers.
Finding the sweet spot between workaholism and lazy idleness
When we embrace the goodness of God and do our work at home and at our jobs, we discover that God rewards and honors our work.
Sleep: It’s been an issue for kings and commoners since Bible times
King David and his son King Solomon both had thoughts about sleep. But maybe the advice of Jesus is the best for us as we tackle our sleep problems.
How to banish anxiety about whatever our daily concerns may be
I may not be worried about what I’ll eat or whether I have the right clothes to wear. That doesn’t mean I’m not anxious about many things.
Why our choice to focus on God over stuff will never fail us
Many folks I know are thinking a lot about inheritance. But Jesus told one inquirer to focus on something more important.
Here’s a four-letter word we shouldn’t hesitate to say or do
It’s a word that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when things were as they were intended, and I suspect will still be with us when all things are back the way God intended.
Jesus is Lord of the harvest. He sends us to be sacrificial partners
Jesus sent them out two by two. And he’s still sending today. Each of us must decide what’s keeping us from a partnership with the Lord of the harvest.
How to avoid making the very same mistake the Samaritans made
The Samaritans rejected the disciples of Jesus because the mission of Jesus wasn’t their mission. Is it possible for believers to make the same mistake today?
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.
So far and yet so near: the apostle Paul’s service long-distance
For some reason all of the remote work in today’s business environment made me look differently at the letter to the Colossians.
Agony, majesty, pride, and surrender—all in one short passage
When we choose to accept the definition of greatness that Jesus gave his disciples, then our path of servant leadership will lead to many being astonished at the majesty of God at work around us.