When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” (John 19:26 NIV) One thing I know about the character of God, and therefore of Jesus, is that he loves each of us equally. There is no discrimination in the kingdom. So I have often ponder[...]
“Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.” Proverbs 21:23 MSG We have all been misunderstood. We get frustrated by wrong judgments and decisions that are based on wrong information. Yet often, it’s these moments that are some of our most defining, not because of what was said, but beca[...]
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him… Matthew 14: 30 – 31a ESV How often are we in a storm in life, and all we can see is the winds and the waves, and we are terrified - the storm is taking up all the[...]
We don’t much like weakness. Most of us do all we can to shield others from seeing where we are weak. In 2 Corinthians, Paul is speaking about a specific deficiency. We do not desire weakness to be a part of our lives, but it is still present. Personally speaking, I particularly don’t enjoy this type of weakness. Who among[...]
“Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy 6:12 ESV When I was in elementary school, I was admitted to the hospital for ten days due to a fluid build-up in my jaw. I was unable to open my mouth and was in incredible pain. The doctors and sur[...]
The more you push into the question of who you are in Jesus Christ – the more you might start to feel push-back into things that have potentially been contributing to your male “identity.” The male outlook on life seems to have a very particular slant to it. Often, the same components keep appearing to try and define u[...]
In wrapping up his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, in chapters 10 through 12, the Apostle Paul tells the Christians in Corinth about his authority as an Apostle. He recounts all he has done and been through while expending himself completely to bring the Gospel to the various cultures. His motive for doing this is to help them[...]
“Come to me. (…) Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG Many years ago, I had a very vivid dream. I dreamed I was sitting on the ground among the branches of a bush in the middle of a forest. All was quiet until I heard footsteps from a distance. My view was obstructed[...]
"In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Ephesians 3:12 NIV God made a beautiful world to be part of a galaxy (now known as The Milky Way) and part of a universe. Genesis Chapter 1 records that God spoke and brought into existence (from nothing) a world full of life and pronounced it[...]
“Jesus answered him, 'Go in peace; your son lives!' And the man put his trust in what Jesus said and started off.” John 4:50 In John 4:46-54, we witness the power of Jesus' word and a progression from faith to faith in a royal official who is desperate for Jesus to heal his son. His reality was that his son was gra[...]