No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13 Early on in my…
Edifying vs. Contentious Speech
Editor’s Note —The James Code is dedicated to “those special and sacrificial pastors, their wives, and in most cases, their widows in Mission:Dignity who have given their lives to serving others so often in “out of the way places,” and who are now in their declining years. While in ministry they lived in church-owned homes…
The Believer’s Code: He Is with Us Through Grief
He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. — Isaiah 25:8 In Psalm 23, David spoke of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. That valley was not his final destination. David knew that we enter this valley from time to time as we…
Jesus Weeps Over Our Sorrows
Jesus wept. — John 11:35 We now come to the shortest verse in all the Bible. Without question, it is the easiest to memorize. It contains only two words, three syllables. However, these two words offer incredible insight into the heart of our Lord. In the small village of Bethany, we find Jesus weeping at…
The Christmas Gift from God: Good News and Bad News
Editor’s Note —The Joshua Code is dedicated to “those special and sacrificial pastors, their wives, and in most cases, their widows in Mission:Dignity who have given their lives to serving others so often in “out of the way places,” and who are now in their declining years. While in ministry they lived in church-owned homes and…
Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?
Psalm 139:7 This question comes from the heart of King David as he meditates on the greatness of our God. The twenty-four verses of Psalm 139 are filled with his wonder at the depths of God’s omniscience, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence. Recently our young grandchildren visited us, and I marvel at their sense of…
In Touch With a World of Hurt
Editor’s Note —The James Code is dedicated to “those special and sacrificial pastors, their wives, and in most cases, their widows in Mission:Dignity who have given their lives to serving others so often in “out of the way places,” and who are now in their declining years. While in ministry they lived in church-owned homes and…
Go the Second Mile
Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. — Matthew 5:41 The phrase going the second mile has found its way into our modern vernacular. Its roots are found all the way back in first-century Palestine. The Romans had conquered most of the Mediterranean world. One of the marvels of their conquest…
Evangelism: Back to Basics
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. — Acts 1:8 Once, the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi and his Green Bay Packers lost a football game that…
Top 12 Devotional Gifts
Some books are more like friends than inanimate leather-bound pages. Streams in the Desert and Jesus Calling have been my friends for years now and my ratty, well-loved copies sit on my desk every day just waiting to bless my heart with today’s Scripture and devotional reading. If you are a regular devo devotee, too, you know…
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