Daily encouragement for Christians
Have you ever known anyone who declares, “Things have been going pretty well lately but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop?” Solomon advises: “When things are going well, enjoy yourself, but when things are going badly, consider that God made one alongside the other, so that people would learn nothing of their futures.” […]
When you think of God giving the ten commandments for the first time do you picture Moses on the mountaintop with two stone tablets? That’s the most common thought. Actually, God gave them verbally from Heaven to the entire Israelite community. But the people were too afraid to listen: “All the people experienced the thunder, […]
“What we have seen and heard, we are proclaiming to you; so that you too may have fellowship with us.” (1 John 1:3) Do you talk to others about the things you see and hear? Many of us have practiced doing that in the form of gossip. The big issue I see with that is […]
I started today with three possible topics to write about. I did my regular reading schedule, picked up my pen, and began tumbling those ideas through my head, waiting for one to fall in the slot–like a bingo or lottery ball. But my mind kept jumping back to the last thing I had read this […]
Hate the sin, not the sinner. Have you ever heard that before? It appears to me that in our efforts to prove we don’t hate the sinner, we have begun to celebrate the sin with them. As Christians, we are being labeled as supremacists with phobias if we do not embrace the self-indulgent sin the […]
Does fear of failure keep you from saying yes when you are offered an opportunity? Do you examine yourself looking for your weak areas and convince yourself that you will let someone down and look foolish for trying? I am guilty of this reaction many times. However, I have noticed that God does not just […]
“Shout for joy to ADONAI [the Lord], all the earth! Break forth, sing for joy, sing praises!” (Psalm 98:4) “With trumpets and the sound of the shofar [horn], shout with joy before the king, ADONAI!” (Psalm 98:6) Can you picture in your mind, a time long ago, when somewhere in the wilderness the whole community […]
Have you ever witnessed the power of prayer? If you have ever spent serious time in intercessory prayer for someone, you have probably been tempted to stop. Why? Because although prayer changes people and situations, the process is often very painful, not only for the person being changed but for you as you stand by […]
Nebuchadnezzar said to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, “ If you won’t worship, [my statue], you will be immediately thrown into a blazing hot furnace–and what god will save you from my power then?” (Daniel 3:15) They answered, “If our God, whom we serve, is able to save us, he will save us from the blazing […]
I recall watching a movie, although I don’t remember the name of it, where a professor said to his class: “If God is real let him punch me in the face,” or something similar to that. A student came down the stairs and approaching the professor, punched him square in the face. Perplexed, the professor […]
