One of the telltale signs of our pride is in how defensive we get when we feel we are attacked. When our intention and motive are questioned, do we immediately put up a defense or even go on offense accusing the other person of their flaws? It takes tremendous humility to simply listen and nod […]
“Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight” Prov. 3:6. One way to acknowledge God is to consult him before making decisions. Have you asked God before you made a major decision? For example, whether you should marry the person you are dating? Whether you should take that job? Whether […]
Psalms 55:18–He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. In our natural reaction of wanting to rectify or make peace with situations that cause us stress, many times we can look at the “cause” so much, that we can ignore the “effect” it has on […]
In our opposition to the prosperity gospel – the belief that God will give us prosperity in this life if only we have faith – we can easily overreact and choose the “poverty” gospel – that we are saved by choosing suffering and poverty. But neither is the true gospel. We are saved only by grace […]
Psalm 51:1–Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. All of us possess within us an “inner lawyer”, that is desperate to defend and justify ourselves amidst every decision and/or disagreement we find ourselves […]
Today is the morning-after for me. Easter season is usually the busiest for pastors, and we had a very exhilarating day yesterday celebrating Easter with our community. The day reminded me of my personal shortcomings. I wish I were more outgoing and sociable. It’s not that I’m not sociable. I like people. But being around […]
I will be honest. I have not been consistent in my time with the Lord this week. This is a “service” week for the school I teach at, and I’ve been leaving home earlier than usual, and since I usually do my devotions in the morning… Well, at least that’s my excuse…. So, with somewhat […]
Romans 1:16-17–For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” […]
These days I’m reading through the Book of Leviticus. And there are line after line of descriptions of what is clean and what is unclean and if unclean, how to get clean. I can understand why people stop reading the Bible usually at this point. It’s hard to see the relevance of these Jewish laws to […]
1 Kings 3:3–Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. It can seem almost simultaneous to strive after the Lord, while still struggling with a mentality from a past we’ve been redeemed from. That […]