No one is faithful anymore. People are violent and skilled in doing evil. Rulers and judges use their power to better themselves—not the people. Neighbors, friends—and even lovers—can’t be trusted with what’s important. Even family members dishonor and turn on one other. You may have thought I was describing people in our 21st century world, but […]
How to Trade Guilt for Joy
I remember it like it was yesterday: My heart raced. My eyes shifted downward. And I sputtered out an excuse that sounded lame even to my ears. My mom had just caught me doing something I wasn’t allowed to do—and I knew I was in the wrong. Did you ever have a moment like this as a kid? It’s […]
Why faith in God’s promises isn’t risky
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her! Luke 1:45 (NIV) In the 1st chapter of Luke, two people are visited by angels with miraculous news. An angel told Zechariah that he and his elderly wife were going to have a child after years of infertility. And then a […]
God Never Leaves
Have you ever been deserted in a time of need? Maybe someone you love walked away when life got hard or maybe a colleague didn’t have your back when they said they would. No matter what sphere of life it happens in—personal or professional—this kind of betrayal hurts. On top of the original difficulty, you […]
My Eyes Have Seen
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5) Suffering gives us intimate knowledge of God. Have you experienced this? When everything is going well in our lives, we know about God. We’ve heard that He’s faithful. But that’s just hearsay. Suffering turns that hearsay into personal, experiential knowledge of […]
Bragging Rights
What do you brag about? We don’t like to think of ourselves as “braggarts,” do we? But we all have details in our lives that we’re particularly proud of—and these are the topics we like to weave oh-so-subtly into our conversations. So what are the details you’re most proud of? Is it a skill you’ve […]