Daily encouragement for Christians
At 5 AM I can hear the birds in the trees but I cannot see them–it is still dark. I can’t deny their presence for their voices sing out loudly as if they will awaken the sun. The creatures of the night have settled into their holes and the night becomes day once again. There […]
Good sense tells us to always be aware of our surroundings. After all, danger lurks just around the corner. How alert are you? My dad used to say, “Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see.” It may sound cynical but it’s good advice for a world full of gossips and […]
The same words are spoken from two opposite corners for completely different purposes: “Whoever is unsure of himself, turn in here!” One voice is Wisdom, the other is the foolish woman. They both speak to the weak-willed. Do you ever find yourself wandering around aimlessly, or unable to move at all, unsure of where you […]
My dad raised me to believe that anything worth having is worth working for. I wonder if that thought was in Naaman’s mind as he traveled to Israel seeking a cure for his tzara’at (leprosy). After first being given no hope from the king of Israel, who declared only God could do such a thing, […]
Do you know what the word shalom means? It can be used as a simple greeting–hello or goodbye, but when used in the Bible it goes much deeper. Many translations use the word “peace” in place of shalom. Do you ever think about how deep God’s peace is? Shalom is defined as peace, harmony, wholeness, […]
Do you take for granted the possessions you have accumulated, diminishing their value? It’s an easy thing to do in the U.S. because we live in a land of plenty. Our land flows with milk and honey–things the Israelites only dreamed about for decades. We have enjoyed peace within our borders for the majority […]
Are you a lover or a fighter? Do you know that we are all called to be both? We are to love each other as God’s precious children, always. We are also called to fight the powers of darkness and evil, always. We fail miserably at the “always” part. A contemporary Christian artist, Jamie […]
Have you ever considered how beautiful and peaceful the Garden of Eden must have been before the fall of Adam and Eve? The first garden was planted by God. There were no weeds and the soil was rich, full of all the nutrients needed for proper growth. “A river went out of ‘Eden to water […]
“If I shut up the sky, so that there is no rain; or if I order locusts to devour the land; or if I send an epidemic of sickness among my people; then, if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways; I will […]
Have you ever listened to a sermon given by a feel-good pastor? It seems more and more people are drawn to that “come on, get happy” type of message that only looks at the good side of God’s blessings and never mentions Jesus. They don’t talk about what happened at Calvary; how the blood of […]
