“My brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God” (Josh 14:8). The pessimists and optimists see the same lush valleys and rich farmland; they see the walled cities, too. The difference will be whether we measure the giants against ourselves or God […]
“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (Ps 78:4). The best inheritance for our children is recounting to them the reasons for our stedfast confidence in the Lord; our yesterdays can show […]
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev 19:18). Holding a grudge is like feeding yourself rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. The Lord tells us the surprising antidote: kill them—with kindness. […]
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Gen 28:16). Our Lord reminds us He is the ever-present link between God and men (see Jn 1:51), promising He will be with us always (Mt 28:20). Let’s live in the joy and power of His nearness today. […]
“I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink” (3 Jn 1:13). Similarly 2 John concludes: “I did not wish to do so with paper and ink” (v 11). Is there a note I should send to someone today? On the other hand, who needs […]
“Where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (Jas 3:16). Envy sours the soul, confuses the mind, and becomes a breeding ground for evil. Avoid it like the plague; confess and flee it; pray for those who are its subject; and replace it with acts of love. […]
“…My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord” (Jer 31:14). The world’s news is full of badness; its entertainment glorifies it; its empires build on it. Christ’s sheep should keep their noses out of the world’s pigswill. Satisfy yourself with His goodness. […]
“Beware…lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them…then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth’” (Deut 8:11, 12, 17). Material wealth often hides spiritual treasure. I like John’s description, that the Heavenly “city was pure gold, […]
“There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (1 Ki 8:56). Five hundred years later, Solomon declared God’s faithfulness; 2000 years after Christ’s promises, we recall His mercies, march through our difficulties, and say, “He never fails” (Zeph 3:5). […]