I think we may be more self-centered than we realize; this is a blanket statement which I cannot attribute to everyone but I can give you food for thought at least. Lately I've been waking up, thinking, what if today I just exceed who I've been and be the person God wants me to be. Yes, I desire to live for God everyday, but there are areas where I am severely lacking. The areas where I fall short may be different than the areas where you fall short. But I'm afraid the trap w

"He upholds the universe by the word of His power" ~Hebrews 1:3 Yesterday was Election Day. Some people may be happy this morning; others may be sad. Some may feel fearful; others may feel hopeful. Regardless of your feelings about the results, the fact is that Jesus upholds the universe. He is sitting "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (4). That fact should always be at the forefront of our minds. While we pray for the leaders of our state and country, we first and

"Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces" ~Luke 11:43 When you go see a movie or a play doesn't it bug you when someone taller sits in front of you? It hampers my experience because I can't see what's going on, not to mention I paid good money for admission. But what about at church? When your "experience" isn't optimal do you wish you could get your time back? In Luke, Jesus is reproaching the Pharisees for seek

"Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness" ~Philippians 2:29 How does it make you feel when someone smiles when they see you? It makes you feel good, doesn't it? You realize that your company is appreciated, and you are respected. It sounds simple enough, but the act of greeting someone with a warm smile can go further than we realize. Why do you think Paul instructed the followers in Phillippi to greet their old friend Epaphroditus with all gladness? Don't you t

"the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel" ~Philippians 1:12 It's a natural reaction for us to complain when things don't go our way. Maybe we sulk and say to ourselves, "Why me?" or we ensure others know about our suffering. If anyone had reason to complain, it was the Apostle Paul. He experienced numerous beatings, starvation, shipwreck, and nearly constant danger, yet he still told people all of this happened to him to adv

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." ~Matthew 11:28 t strikes me as ironic in the very next verse Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you" right after He says that He will give us rest. In fact, Jesus finishes his statement by saying the only way we can have rest for our souls is only if we take His yoke upon ourselves (29). But don't worry, He assures us that His "yoke is easy, and [His] burden light" (30). Taken at face value the first pa

"according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" ~Ephesians 3:11 In the Academy Award-winning film, Hugo , the titular character discusses with his newfound friend Isabelle the deep meaning of life without necessarily realizing it. His father keeps the clocks running at a train station in France. Those clocks serve the important purpose of keeping the trains running on time and ensuring people don't miss their train. He realizes that surely if

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." ~Galatians 6:9 A few years back, my wife had a necklace that had become terribly tangled. She hadn't even gotten to wear the necklace. I told her I would untangle it for her...famous last words. A few days later, my fingers were numb from picking the necklace apart with toothpicks. While I had made progress, I didn't accomplish my mission of untangling the necklace. I lost h

"he departed from Him until an opportune time." ~Luke 4:13 In the Scripture for today, Jesus goes into the desert where he eats and drinks nothing for 40 days; during his fast and isolation, he is tempted by the Devil multiple times. First, the Devil hits Jesus where it hurts, his stomach. After failing to appeal to his hunger, he gives Jesus the path of world domination--a far greater reward than simply turning a stone into bread. Now, his ultimate temptation is a game of tr

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" ~Mark 3:24 These words that Jesus spoke are so simple yet so true. They have been used by famous leaders throughout history. Abraham Lincoln quoted the following scripture, "And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (25) when speaking about the divided nation during the Civil War. It was obvious Lincoln wanted a free, united country for all people but so many accused him of being a t

"For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” ~2 Corinthians 6:16 Many Christians make one big mistake. They think being a Christian simply means being a good person...not a perfect person, mind you, but a decent individual who gets along fairly well with his fellow man. Well, I'm going to burst your bubble; I have to tell you that's wrong. Being a Christian is not just

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” ~2 Corinthians 3:5 When I was a child, I loved going to the Rainforest Cafe with my family. Eating among the animatronic animals and hearing the jungle noises felt like traveling to a different part of the world, especially for my childhood imagination. In one section of the restaurant, there was a giant statue of Atlas holding up the world. Sometimes, as Ch

"For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” ~1 Corinthians 16:9 In this section of the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks about how he "will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost" because he sees a great opportunity to share the gospel despite many enemies trying to stop him. The fact that so many are opposed to the gospel shows how great their need is for it. To understand Paul's mindset of seeing an opportunity among adversaries

"his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.” ~1 Kings 17:17b This week, we conclude our look at 1 Kings 17. It is still the time of drought across the land. So far, Elijah has been fed by the mouth of ravens and through the power of God, he has miraculously provided a single mother and her son with enough food to last them until the drought ends. Even though these are hard times everything seems like it's going to turn out all right. That is until towar

"For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth'” ~1 Kings 17:14 We're continuing to look at the story of Elijah in 1 Kings chapter 17. Many fascinating things happen in this chapter. Last week, God fed Elijah from the mouth of ravens. This week, through the words of Elijah, God performs a miracle for a single mother and her son. After leaving the brook, the Lord co

"Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he dran

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ~Matthew 19:14 As a child, we held awe and wonder of creation. Everything was new: the taste of food, the names of colors, the time, and the seasons. Sadly, as we grow older, we tend to become cynical about life: we are fed up with the cost of living, the fallibility of those in leadership, or the "way the world is heading." One of the beautiful things about life

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." ~Matthew 11:25 From the wise and prudent, God has hidden the truth of the works of Jesus. In this Gospel reading, Jesus rebukes "the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done." They were being rebuked because the Almighty walked among them, performed miracles, offered them salvation and pardon for their sins, and still, the

"...an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). Your inheritance is reserved. For all those who believe, your inheritance is eternal life along with the rewards God has laid up for you. Remember when you were a child and your birthday was coming up? I remember it was all I could think about as the time drew near! The delicious food, the mouthwatering dessert, the colorful boxes and bags filled with prese

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). The sign of a true follower of Christ is one who does the will of God which always bears good fruit (Matt. 7:15-20). Paul says, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20a). Now, this is easier said than done, but remember Jesus would not have said those who do the will of His Father will enter the kingdo