At the Cross
The Creator died for the creature. The maker died for what He had made. The Master died for the slave. The Lord died for subjects. The sinless One died for sinners. The Rich One gave Himself to the poor and was not diminished by the gift. Love gave Itself for the fallen. Hope offered
Barriers to Hearing
All of us, as believers, want to listen to the “still small voice”, those whispers of the Spirit. On the negative side, we must turn off the loud voices of the culture. We must mute our preconceived notions. We must know that Satan will try to imitate it. We must know that well intentioned
The New Birth
We are prone to reduce the new birth to what happens at the end of a “salvation formula”. I have heard many testimonies of conversions that did not conform to any formula. We should not be surprised, Jesus said that the new birth would have the element of mystery in it; this mystery He
Formerly Lived
There is the way that we previously lived and there is the way we should now live. Transforming grace brings real change. Repentance is to turn from an old way of living to a new way of living; it is to put the old life behind you. There is a false thinking that excuses
Discerning Right and Wrong
There is good and there is evil, right and wrong, truth and lie, light and darkness, etc. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20 NIV). Satan wants to blur the
Truth or Confusion
Truth brings clarity. Lies bring confusion. God brings order out of chaos. Satan delights in bringing chaos out of order. God is not the “author of confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33), but Satan is. When sin becomes a fad and unrighteousness a status symbol, a deep rot has set in. This is the way of
Worship and Evangelism
There is nothing more winsome than true worship. If worship is your lifestyle as you live your life in the world, it will have drawing power to the inward Christ whom you adore at the center of your life. Worship is about worth-ship; it is what you value most. What you truly value will
Sowing and Reaping
Behaviors have consequences. Smoking can lead to lung cancer and other diseases. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. Poor eating habits can produce lifelong health problems. Promiscuity may spread disease or produce unwanted babies. Perjury may result in jail time. Laziness, wasting money, and mismanagement can bring poverty. Failure to
Serving With Tears
Paul’s description of his service in Asia was that He was “serving the Lord with all humility and with tears.” Tears are a way of expressing our brokenness. Sometimes they come out as a sobbing from deep within. They become confessions of hurt, loneliness, disappointment, and inner pain. They can come forth as prayers
Tears Of Joy
Tears of joy are a precious release. We need them to balance the tears of sorrow. You have seen these tears of joy. A mother holding a new born. A graduation. Someone’s sight or hearing restored. A soldier returned home. A prayer answered. A scholarship awarded. An athletic victory after long years of training.
Tears For The Wayward
David’s kingdom was being torn apart, and so was his family. He mourned everyday over what was happening. His child had turned on him. The wayward child hurts, and it hurts deeply. It is like living with a heavy weight on your heart. It is like trying to paddle when you are dragging an
Tears of Loss
Jesus had been cruelly murdered. “Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping.” The loss of those we hold dear can be so painful. I have watched parents grieve over the loss of a child. They say there is no pain like a parent losing a child. We weep over the loss of those who
Relearning Tears
Stoics do not cry. Men do not cry. Big boys do not cry. Big girls do not cry. But they do! They all do! If they do not, they should. Do not repress or deny your pain. Do not keep back that release. Relearn how to cry. Let the healing begin. Let your tenderness
Shared Tears
“Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15b). I shared my bad news with a friend. Before he said a word, spontaneous tears began to flow down his cheeks. I knew he cared. I could tell he was hurting with me. It did not take my tears away, but I had a fellow weeper who
Tears of Slavery (2)
Addiction is slavery. You know what got you there, even though you did not think it would. Now you deal with the tears. Do not let them be tears of despair; let them be tears of intercession. Cry out to the Lord. Seek His help. You are powerless to free yourself. You need One
Tears of Slavery (1)
Imagine yourself in Egypt. Picture yourself in slavery. It is a place of real bondage. Forced labor! Persecuted for your non-Egyptian ethnicity. You are treated like an alien instead of a fellow human being! You are scorned and demonized. They fear you because you are different than they are; they fear you because they
Tears Of Exile
“By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps” (Psalm 137:1-2, NRSV). What a picture! Have you ever been in the place of exile? Are you there now? It hurts to have homing instincts and not be
Bottled Tears
“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record?” (Psalm 56:8, NRSV) This is an amazing picture. Bottled tears! Intercession! A Father who sees and hears. A Father who never forgets where we are and the tears that brought us to this place. You
Watering Tears
“He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:6, NASB) Picture it. The weeping sower. Weeping that the precious seeds saved from last year will give a harvest this year. Seeds need water to germinate.
Tears
Tears are a gift. Tears can express joy and happiness. They can express sadness and pain. Sometimes we are afraid to cry, for fear we cannot stop. Tears can bring us to a place of release. They may be with us when on the verge of despair. They are a part of life in
Debt
“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another” (Romans 13:8a, NLT). Debt can be a crushing burden hampering every area of one’s life. Both OT and NT caution against it. It can become a form of slavery. In our day it is too often entered into because of greed driven consumerism.
Discernment
I have often wished that my ability to discern had been better in many situations. Had I been more sensitive and prayerful at the time, I may have understood what was God’s best in the circumstance which confronted me. I would have been able to minister more effectively. I have looked back with regret
Misrepresenting God
The mom said, “Jane, what did you learn in Sunday school today?” Jane replied, “I learned that God was really mad at us, but now that Jesus came, God is not mad anymore.” The Father and the Son are not on different pages. They are on the page of love! The God revealed by
The Son
The Son was with God and was God. The Son descended through the Virgin’s womb. He was born. He was one with us. He lived the life of God among us. He brought the Kingdom of God to be yeast among the governments of earth. He suffered with us. He died. He arose. He
Our Neighbor’s Pain
The person who most upsets you and your life may be dealing with an inner pain that you cannot even imagine. So much of what folks do is trying to cope with or react to a deep hurt. Our sufferings do not always take the same form, but we all have them in one