Some people resist the change. The ungrateful servant did. In the story Jesus told, the servant owed more money to the king than he could ever repay. Try as he might, the man couldn’t make the payments. He’d sooner find frogs in the clouds than he’d find cash for the debt. “So the king ordered…
Wrestle with God
All of us at one time or another come face-to-face with our past. And it’s always an awkward encounter. When our sins catch up with us we can do one of two things: run or wrestle. Many choose to run. They brush it off with a shrug of rationalization. “I was a victim of circumstances.”…
God’s Perfect Peace
“His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (NLT) Believing prayer ushers in God’s peace. Not a random, nebulous, earthly peace, but His peace. Imported from heaven. The same tranquility that marks the throne room, God offers to you. Do you think He battles anxiety? You suppose He ever…
Love Accepts All Things
Love . . . bears all things, believes all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NKJV) Wouldn’t it be nice if love were like a cafeteria line? What if you could look at the person with whom you live and select what you want and pass on what you don’t? What if parents could do this with kids? “I’ll take…
Be Strong and Courageous
Have I not commanded you; Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9 Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize…
Believe in Others
Love . . . does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. — 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV) Everyone else has written off the person you care about. “He’s too far gone.” “She’s too hard . . . too addicted . . . too old .…
This is Love
It has been a long day. Jerusalem is packed with Passover guests, most of whom clamor for a glimpse of the Teacher. The spring sun is warm. The streets are dry. And the disciples are a long way from home. A splash of cool water would be refreshing. The disciples enter [the room], one by…
Love that Lasts Forever
Love never fails. — 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV) “Love,” Paul says, “never fails.” The verb Paul uses for the word fail is used elsewhere to describe the demise of a flower as it falls to the ground, withers, and decays. It carries the meaning of death and abolishment. God’s love, says the apostle, will never fall…