Today in my reading, I was captured by the words of Paul found in Galatians 5:5: “For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.” The life of faith is lived in and through the Spirit of God. Paul reminds us that we are eagerly awaiting for something. Not just waiting but excitedly and expectantly awaiting. Waiting is something we all must do, and…
Read MoreWhat about distractions?
One may start the day with the best of intentions, but it will not be long before you face the inevitable distractions that come at high speed and from all directions! Every generation thinks that they are living in the most challenging times, yet it would seem there are more opportunities at present to lose focus than at any time in history. I believe this to be true, yet I…
Read MoreBecause of the Lord’s great love.
Lamentations 3 is not a pleasant and upbeat chapter until you arrive at verse 21: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” When facing challenging days, it is easy to believe that we are in ‘unprecedented’ times. Though our trouble may seem to us as something that…
Read MoreWhat is Your Story?
Everyone loves a story. I served for many years as a pastor. Several times over the years, someone would mention a particular sermon that I had preached, and they never remembered much of the content or the specific point. They did always remember a story I told. Stories connect us, and they are picture windows that let us see into a person’s heart and life. All of us have a…
Read MoreWhat Do You Think?
Having attended a couple of zoom meetings today, or allow me to rephrase that: having been apart of more than 80 zoom meetings in the last few weeks, I am suffering “zoom-fatigue.” For a few moments, I was proud of myself for inventing a new term. After just completing an internet search, I have discovered that I am quite late to the party: the phrase has already been coined! I…
Read MoreTake Your Shoes Off
There are three verses in the Bible in which the Lord says to take off your sandals. The first one is Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Taking your shoes off communicates three things: 1 An inconvenience. Stop what you are presently doing, and slow down, perhaps sit down and remove your shoes. It…
Read MoreSmall Beginnings
Jesus says in Mark 4:30-32 “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under…
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