Picture a treasure chest. Not a small box that might hold jewelry on a girl’s nightstand — a large treasure chest, larger than any suitcase you own, larger than any suitcase you’ve ever seen. Picture a massive oak treasure chest, like pirates might have used, with large iron hinges and a huge clasp. The size…
Focus on Love This Christmas
Let all that you do be done in love. —1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV My friend from law school, Diana, pulled into the snow-covered drive. I put on boots and went out to greet her. “Merry Christmas,” I said, embracing her. “Thanks for inviting me to your family Christmas,” she said. “I thought I’d have to…
Endless Grace, Endless Love
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness . . . and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. — Colossians 2:6-7, Colossians 2:10 Come Monday morning I forget. A…
Living the Blessing
We get it that many people today are spiritually homeless when it comes to a church or doing much with their faith. But the Blessing is all about getting to know and love Jesus — whose love and blessing we’re going to be living out with others. He modeled loving people well — blessing them.…
Truth Plus Joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. — Galatians 5:22-23 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible…
When You Believe in God But Aren’t Sure He Loves You
Several years ago, I was having lunch with a man I had just met. For some reason, he opened up to me about his struggling marriage. When I asked him how God fit into his marriage, his countenance darkened, and he cut me off: “I don’t believe in God, and I don’t want to talk…
The Lies We Believe: “God’s Love Must be Earned.”
“Diane,” I said, “why do you think you’ve never found your faith in God to be a source of comfort or joy?” “Would you if you always felt you were trying to measure up and never making it?” she challenged me. “No, I wouldn’t. You know, what you are describing is something a lot…
And Lo, the Kingdom of God is Like a Terrible Football Team
My son is like me. He’s not much into athletics. But we signed him up for a flag-football league when he was in sixth grade. My wife told me the league needed someone to coach my son’s team, the Rams, and I told her, point-blank, I would not be doing it. I know nothing about…
Palau: Proclaiming the Gospel
There is a harvest waiting around the world for those willing to obey and gather it. I have seen it in every country, on every continent. I’ll never forget being in Hong Kong in 1997 (the second time we went there), as the people of that beautiful island pre- pared for an uncertain future under…
A New Understanding of God’s Love
Your salvation depends on what [Christ] has done for you, not on what you can do for Him. It isn’t your hold on God that saves you; it’s His hold on you. ~ Billy Graham WELCOME “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” From our earliest years, many of us…