“And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel.’ Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid” (Ezra 3:11). Ever feel a bit shaky? Today […]
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…” (Titus 3:4-5). Kindness. Love. Mercy. That’s the reason for His moving towards you, believer—not what you do, but who He is! And every day, […]
“So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace” (Jud 6:24). Isn’t this a surprise? Because God had just called Gideon to wage war against the hosts of Midian! And then we remember that peace is not the absence of turmoil, but the presence of God. […]
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Pet 3:18). Growth! Silent. Tenacious. Miraculous. See a seedling push it’s way through a crack in concrete or a sapling root itself in a cliffside. Awaken today to the possibilities […]
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’” (Mt 25:34). Love loves to share everything with those it loves. How can we grasp the fact that our Jesus didn’t want the Kingdom without us? […]
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thess 5:23-24). There it is, what we might call the punchline promise. When all […]
“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’” (Obad 1:3). Pride is self-deception, putting us in place of God, and self-destructive, putting us on a path opposing His […]
“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” (Mk 4:38). In the terror of the moment, in Matthew’s account some call Him “Lord” (kurios); in Mark, “Teacher” (didaskalos); in Luke, “Master” (epistates). In a storm today? […]
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). You become what you repeatedly do; holiness is a habit, not simply random, unrelated acts. That’s why we are called to a walk: simple, repeated actions, all moving in the same direction. […]