Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. Colossians 3:2, TLB There is so much to worry about on this earth! Perhaps your burdens are pressing down on you like an anvil. We have to look up to heaven and remind ourselves that Jesus is on the throne. We… Read More »

So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Exodus 33:11 Abraham is the only person in the Old Testament who was called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). Some have suggested that “friend” is a covenant term since it was Abraham with whom God established an unconditional… Read More »

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:14 In the biblical world it was common for personal names to reflect the character or attributes of the person. The same was true of God’s name Jehovah… Read More »

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 Many people have a mistaken view of faith, thinking that faith is believing in something or someone despite the evidence and we have to take a “leap of faith.” That is nonsense. It doesn’t work in any area of life. You don’t… Read More »

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8 Toddlers are small enough to fit comfortably in the lap of a grandparent to read a book, watch a movie, or just snuggle. In other words, it’s not the activity or the… Read More »

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2 Distracted Driving Awareness now has its own month—April. During this month, police will be especially vigilant, and public service announcements will fill the airways. Too many people have been involved in wrecks because they took their eyes off the road to… Read More »

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 God is more patient than we are because He sees us from the perspective of eternity. That’s why Moses wasn’t called to his work until age eighty. That’s why Jesus began His ministry at age thirty. That’s why Abraham’s prayer… Read More »

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 It is important to remember that Jesus’ ministry began in the waning years of the Old Testament period. Much of His teaching came out of the context of the history of Israel. For example, when He taught His disciples to pray for “daily bread,” they no… Read More »

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 The nineteenth-century Irish pastor Philip Bennett Power had a tender way of comforting those who were suffering from pain or the various trials of life. He suggested three axioms for strength and… Read More »

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. Psalm 40:9 Voices of deception are ringing around us, and that’s why the voice of the Church must be heard. This is no time to be intimidated, ashamed, or embarrassed. When… Read More »