Faithfulness

Praying God’s Word

For as long as I can remember, I have found such great comfort and “faith building” in the Scripture passage of Isaiah 55:8-11. When I came upon these verses in…

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Choose Joy

Joy. The dictionary defines it as “the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.” The apostle James tells us to “Consider it pure joy,…

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Am I Useful?

Discouragement creeps up on the best of us. It’s lurking in the corners of a promotion. It’s hiding in the shadows of being passed over. It’s slinking through the bends…

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Follow the Ark

We live at the intersection of two theologies, two realities. The faithfulness of God is pursuing from the past—SO FAR SO GOD. And the sovereignty of God is setting us…

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Finish What You Start

  “Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants…Ephraim did not dive out the Canaanites…Zubulun did not drive out the inhabitants…Asher did not drive out the inhabitants…Naphtali did not drive out…

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Fearless Faith

Disciples’ faith in Jesus’ person and power enables them to fearlessly face natural and supernatural calamities. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark…

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Daniel: Dare to Be Distinct

We learn from the courageous story of Daniel that: Life Happens Unexpectedly (vv. 1-2)   The World Demands Conformity (vv. 3-7)   Commitment Begins Inwardly (vv. 8-16) God honors such…

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The Little Things

Fall and Spring are my favorite times of year. “For who hath despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10a   There’s something about a fire that draws me in…

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Gaining a Little Perspective

  Many times I’ve found–after the dust has settled–that things that seemed so significant at the time were really insignificant. The situations or issues weren’t trivial, but they really didn’t…

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Are You Faithful and Meek?

Galatians 5:22-23 lists the qualities of  “faithfulness” and “meekness” next to each other. Faithfulness has to do with the keeping of promises, and the courageous declaration of truth. The Greek…

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Finish Strong: Caleb

Caleb modeled radical faith into his later years. King Asa, in contrast, trusted in his allies rather than God. Instead of getting comfortable and complacent as we age, we should…

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Politics and Culture

Every year, it seems, the amount of attention paid to the mechanics and outcomes of partisan politics grows. Thirty years ago there was nothing like this amount of attention given…

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Pastors, Peeps and Preaching

Easter Sunday is the pastors’ Superbowl Sunday. Countless kiddies hyped up on Cadbury chocolate marshmallow bunnies and shocking pink peeps are forced to wear itchy petticoats, stiff, squeaky new shoes…

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Smyrna: The Perfume Church

Jesus knows about the afflictions, poverty and persecution the church at Smyrna has endured. This has not changed for us today. He intimately knows our pressures, needs and misunderstandings, but…

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From Prison to the Palace

Genesis 41 describes Pharoah’s problem and Joseph’s promotion. Pharoah’s dream has religious overtones because the Nile and cattle are worshipped as gods. We are challenged to emulate Joseph’s mature character…

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Failing Forward

Psalm 32 and 51 are twin poems that describe David’s prayer of brokenness and repentance. Psalm 32 paints a portrait of his emotional pain and how he became healed in…

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Your Work Matters

The ability to work is a gift from God. We should do our work as unto Him, reverently, diligently, loyally and with excellence. God will reward our labors. For more…

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