Connecting the Dots
As children we would trace from dot to dot and then discover that we had created a picture. Life is about connecting the dots. It may take us a while to see the picture. Connect the love of God with your own thought that you are unloveable. Connect the mercy of God with your
Rock of Refuge
Throughout the ages rocks and mountains with their caves have been sources of refuge. There are times we need such places of protection. The Psalmist found such a place in the temple at worship. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house
God Holds it all Together
God holds together what He created. The universe does not fly apart because of God. You are becoming His new creation. You may think it is all going to fly apart; but the one who called you can keep you. The One who loves you will see you through the darkness and bring you
The Intersection of the Cross
Isaac Watts said of the cross “Did ere such love and sorrow meet…”. In Christ love and sorrow meet; yes, even yet, dwell together. It was His great love that gave the birth to His great sorrow; it is the pain of loving. It is the cross where divine love intersects with human misery.
Christ before Jesus
Before Jesus was born Christ was! The Christ was present with God and was God: He made everything that is (John 1:1-5). That same Christ became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, He was before creation, He was the instrument of creation and was active in it before He was present in it. It
Healing the Broken
When we make sin normal we shut off the sick from healing and the broken from wholeness. We acknowledge our sin by confession, not to make it the norm for others, but to bring about our own healing. Jesus comes to us where we are; He grants His healing touch, but remember, He said,
Loving Like my Father
To Love as He loves is the goal of our spiritual maturity. His love does not delight in the demise of bad folks. He hurts for the consequences of bad decisions. He loves enough not to interfere with reaping what we sow; His own love is His inner pain, the source of His tears.
Un-rung Bells
Spiritual truth undiscovered and unexpressed is an un-rung bell. So is gratitude for unnoticed folks and manifold gifts. Neglected praise to our God for the blessings we missed. Then there are testimonies not given, joys not expressed, prayers that were not prayed, songs that did not get sung, books that did not get written,
Limited Choices
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could choose your own struggles? You could just say no to unpleasant circumstances and problems getting ready to head your way. Well, you did not choose your DNA, how you were nurtured or not nurtured, where you lived, your parents, your extended family, your teachers, the good ones
Being with the Lord
We say, “I have to pray more.” Prayer is more than a job to be done; it is a conversation to be had and a relationship to be cultivated. The goal of prayer is to learn to delight in conversation with our Lord. It is always a delight to have conversations with the ones
Be Present
To be present in the present is blessed contentment. To despise who we are and where we are is a discontentment that will rob us of our life and its times. Our rejection of where we are and this present time is an overestimation of our own importance. We may think we are too
Healing Love
We are rescued (saved) by love; we are saved to love. The great sickness of humanity is the failure to receive love and the failure to give love. It degenerates society; it degenerates every soul. The law does not have the power to convert; love has the power to transform. The law can and
Attitude Is a Choice
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances” (Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning). Frankl learned this in a Nazi concentration camp. We want to think that our attitude is a mere reaction to what
Grumbling and Complaining
We need to learn that grumbling and complaining are no harmless pastimes. It is so easy to find our undisciplined tongues listing the offenses of those around us. Most of the time we do not stop to think about the things that we have done that are just as bad or worse than those
Salvation Heals
Sin is more than lawbreaking that needs forgiveness; it is a sickness and brokenness that needs to be healed. Salvation is more than deliverance from guilt; it is the healing of the soul. Sin is a failure to love; when we do not love, it sickens our very being; the sign of our recovery
Giving and Receiving Love
Our purpose in life is to give, receive, and experience love; we were created for no less than this. This is a bundle to be held together, both the giving and receiving of it. Some want only to perfect the receiving. They become narcissistic takers. Some can give but are too proud to humbly
An Instrument of Christ’s Love
We think we have to fully understand someone’s problems before we can act or help them. The truth is, all the facets of their problems we probably cannot know. We may try to draw conclusions about other people that end up being partial and incomplete. God alone can discern, understand or evaluate all the
Surrender to the Cross
Dying to self is not an abstract spiritual experience. It is what you do practically day by day in the circumstances and relationships of your life. Even our spiritual experiences are tested and proven in these two arenas. The call heard and answered is a call to be lived. The surrender at His cross
You Are the Temple of God
Since my physical body belongs to Christ and He dwells in it as His temple, then I must reconsider how I think of myself. I am not free to abuse what is His with the harmful. What I eat and how much I eat is taking care of His body. The gnostics separated spirituality
Unrealistic Expectations
Do not expect to have growth and maturity without discipline. Self-discipline with the discipline of the Lord is necessary for the maturity of the Father’s children. Do not expect to have the joy of the summit without the labor of the climb. The steep grades of difficulty must be conquered. Do not expect resurrection
Feelings and Presence
There are times when the presence of our Lord is so real that it is overwhelming. There are times when we have no sense of His nearness. These are the times that, by faith, we hold firmly to Him. Never doubt the nearness of your Shepherd. Know that He is most attentive to His
The Greatness of the Creator
Creation was designed by a Mind greater than any mind that will ever look at it, even greater than the sum total of all minds that have ever looked at it. We have not even begun to grasp how ‘great is our God’. Be observant, for creation speaks of the matchless majesty of God.
Obedience as Worship
When the believer forgives another, it is an act of worship to the great Forgiver who graciously has forgiven us! To do the things the Lord taught us is indeed adoration to our God. The action of obedience is beautiful worship. Going the second mile, being kind to those who are unkind to
The Gates to Heaven are in Odd Places
“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it’" Genesis 28:16 (NASB). Have you been there, thinking that you were alone, only to find out later that the Lord was there? In your grief? In your rejection? In your loss? In your
Regaining Strength
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually” 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NRSV). There are times when our strength fails, when it seems like we cannot go on. It is in these times that we must remember that life is to be lived, not in our own strength, but with the strength that