How we can protect ourselves against moving from praise to complaint
How long does it take to go from praising God for his deliverance to complaining and blaming God for your problems? If the children of Israel are any barometer, the answer is about three days.
Celebrating deliverance: what to do when the waiting is over
Do we always react with such passion and joy when God answers our prayers? I suspect God might sometimes wonder why he gets a tepid response when he does amazing, even miraculous things to help us.
God leads us to awe and grace through his creation and his Word
Maybe it was while staring at God’s creation that David recalled the truth of God’s Word.
Like children, we receive help when we’re not too proud to ask for it
It is childlike dependence on God that turns God’s heart to reveal more and more of himself and of his strength to those who come to him with open hands and hearts.
When to wait, when to go, how to trust—a challenge for all believers
“God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land.” And sometimes he chooses a longer route for us, too.
Seeing spiritual transformation in the community of the classroom
There is a hunger for God. It is being experienced and lived out currently in the classrooms and on campus and it is bringing transformation to our lives.
When we pray, we can remember what Jesus taught about prayer
“Lord, forgive us for being so selective about the things you told us to do. Help us to pray more and more as you prayed.”
Obeying, waiting, praying, leading: interview with a servant
With relentless faith in God and persistence in honest prayer, you will one day find out that what God was doing and is doing is always better than what you could achieve without him.
I need to get me one of those. . . But what would God do if I did?
Believe me, I know how I’d use one of those if God would just put it in my hands. And I’m pretty sure why God hasn’t done it!
We may never feel adequately prepared to do the job God has for us
He never calls us to serve and then abandons us. When he calls us, he promises to go with us and provide a path for us to follow. It is always God who brings the results.
What happens in the gaps? Sometimes they’re spaces for us to enter
Gaps in time, gaps in ability, gaps in capacity. These and other gaps are common to humankind. They’re illustrated in scripture, and they provide opportunity for our lives.
After 16 years of marriage, for awhile the song in my spirit was gone
“Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” And even in my loss, I see I’ve been given so much.
Questions are good, especially when the answers come from God!
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians shed light on the questions David asks in Psalms.
I’m coming to realize I’m a beggar like this one who’s now my hero
She was a persistent beggar. And I’m coming to peace with the fact that at least sometimes, so am I.
God is with us as he was with them, even in times of difficulty
It’s great to have someone with you to help with the task at hand. But even when we feel alone, we can know God is with us.
How living with God and for God can be the ultimate trust fall
When it comes to the ultimate tests of life, our own understanding sometimes leaves us staring at a blank page or worse, a cliff that suggests danger. Solomon suggests a better way.
Undivided attention, uncompromised commitment, unwavering obedience
If we are to follow Jesus, then we must be willing to give him our undivided commitment. There can be no exceptions.
One story to show the surprising way God works to do his will
When I concentrate on the story of Judah, I’m struck anew at the remarkable ways God works in our world.
How to be noticed by others and influence change that matters
First preached to a largely Jewish audience, the Sermon on the Mount has pointed implications for the believer’s life today.
Dysfunctional family, gracious God, faithful walk, spiritual forbears
It is still God’s plan to use broken folks like us—and like those in today’s Bible stories—to share the story of redemption and transformation with those we meet every day.