I did OK in school, but I seldom spoke up. I’m learning later in life that may be a pretty good approach.

Jesus told his disciples what to do with themselves after his ascension before he returned again. We, too, can obey what he taught.

Now is our time to throw off the distractions weighing us down and move forward in response to the encouragement we’re receiving from on high.

They were simply offering the hospitality expected of them, but soon they realized they’d had an encounter like none other.

Sometimes we do not realize that we have in fact had an encounter with Jesus who is living inside of the person who helps us.

I need my friends. I highly value my friends. But none of them can offer me what Jesus brings.

I love my routines. But Isaiah reminds us that God is doing a new thing, a new thing Jesus has ushered in for us to experience today.

The ultimate act of Jesus’ surrender is seen in his death on the cross. But he had been anticipating that moment since long before.

When the exiles finally heard hope that they one day could return home, maybe the news only overwhelmed them. Isaiah’s message to them can encourage us, too.

God’s plans, in the words of the prophet, are “faithful and sure.” And they’re far better than any of the progress humans can manufacture.

If giving thought to God’s Word leads us to good things and ultimately to God’s blessing, then reading scripture is an essential aspect of our lives.

Those arresting Jesus came under cover of darkness, just as those pursuing evil today often work in the shadows. But God has told us how to bring light to every situation.

I have a love/hate relationship with planning, it’s true. But I’ve learned quite a bit from what the scripture says about it.

Our difficulties create opportunity for the enemy to distract and discourage, even going so far as to suggest that God surely is not with us. These are times when we must lean in on the promises of God. And these are the times when if we falter, we can discover the richness and beauty of repentance and restoration.

So who is in charge in your home? Your job? Your club? Your town or country? You may have a title that says you are at the top of the ladder, but are you?

Wouldn’t it be great if we just knew how everything would turn out? But we don’t. And the disciples didn’t. But Jesus does.

Allowing idle thoughts can be good. But letting them lead us away from Jesus is dangerous. There are several ways to keep that from happening.

Questions abound . . . some of them good, some of them with motives that inspire even more questions. And some come from God himself.

Like you, I sometimes have trouble for a long time before deliverance appears. And sometimes it seems the wicked walk away from trouble and not into it. Did the wise writer of Proverbs get something wrong?

The only place I know to go in hard times is to Jesus. With all of my training and experience, I find myself running to Jesus again and again.