Worried? Confused? Maybe the first solution is simply to be still
“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Being active in the ministry of encouragement
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.”
Fishing in a different pond…
There is a moment when each of us must consider if at the words of Jesus, we would be willing to shift our focus to the kingdom work of Jesus over and above anything else we might be trained to do.
Houston, we have a problem
It is critical that we look and act differently than the world.
…the Son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees his Father doing. Jesus
Only a life submitted to the will of God can achieve the results that Jesus said were possible.
Is there something worse than your current situation? Can you prevent something worse happening?
The worst thing is going through life disconnected from God and from others. John tells us that Jesus came to give us full and abundant life. He came to restore us to our intended state of wholeness. And by being restored in our relationship with God, we can experience the joy of right and full relationships with each other.
Why you should not underestimate God’s ability to redeem your story
You likely can look back over your life and find times when you feared some outcome that was a result of your mistakes or even someone else’s bad intentions. But have you noticed that God can take messes that we inherit and even the ones we create and turn them around for a good purpose?
We are loved by God, redeemed by God, and called by God to share his goodness
When we become confused trying to discover God’s will for us for a situation, in an argument, and in all things, we can start with the basics. Treat people fairly and advocate for those who experience injustice. Treat others with kindness. Walk humbly with God.
When it comes to prayer, we would do well to follow the patterns and instructions given to us
We will need God at every age and in every season as we face new and sometimes repeated challenges as we pass through various stages of life.
We really have only two options: Trust God or trust something else
When we put our trust in Jesus and abide in him, he produces fruit in our lives and through our lives that endures even into eternity.
Facing undue pressure and a list you can’t complete? Get away!
Seeing how Jesus handled the busyness of his assignment gives us a clue to how we can manage the pressure of our own.
Promises of old sustain us today as we serve and walk with God
We will still face difficulty, opposition, and enemy attacks, but God promises we will never face them alone. With him beside us, we will get through them.
In an unthinkable tragedy, we discover an unequaled blessing
This community was simply living out the standard for forgiveness set by Jesus for everyone. They had taken to heart the model prayer of Jesus: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
God’s promises, stars in the heavens: more than we can imagine
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
‘Come and see,’ an invitation to discovery and transformation
When we invite someone to “come and see,” we must engage in conversation. And conversations take time.
‘Into the wilderness’—comfort for us in the way God used Jesus
I find myself far more comfortable with the Holy Spirit leading Jesus through the wilderness than leading Jesus into the wilderness. But the Scripture suggests both.
To wait or not to wait: How to know which God wants us to choose
Yes, the Scripture does tell us to wait on the Lord. But sometimes, just as certainly, we are to act now.
Better than fried chicken! Comfort to last beyond a lifetime
God’s promises were not just for Jerusalem but for all people and for all time. Our best hope, our only hope, is in the promises of God. His gift of Jesus changes everything.
In the majestic world God created, he has given us responsibility
“Even as fragile and small as we are, we have been entrusted with responsibility to manage the planet. . . . Our work of creation care is given by God to be lived out daily.”
He must increase, and we must decrease—understanding our Jesus mission
We must remember we point or prepare the way for others to see Christ. And we likewise must remember we are not asked to do the work that only Christ came to do.