Do you sometimes feel that you fall short in living the Christian life? If we’re honest, I think many of us would say yes. We may put self before service; perhaps we deny Him by the words we speak, the way we live. We may be easily distracted, love only when it’s convenient, and at times willfully disobey God’s word. Yet Jesus has an amazing way of restoring us back to Him when we fail. He doesn’t ask us to try harder. He doesn’t demean, degrade, or disgrace us. Rather, He simply asks that we consider our love for Him….
Well-known radio broadcaster, the late Paul Harvey, told a heartfelt story on air every December that people loved. It portrays why an invisible God sent His Son to earth as a man. What follows is a condensed version of the story. Enjoy! Once there was a skeptical, non-religious man who just couldn’t swallow the “Jesus story” about God coming to earth as a man. One snowy evening as he sat by the fire reading, he was startled by a loud thud against his house. Then another, and another. He went outside to discover a flock of birds huddled miserably…
As we busily move through our days—and especially when things are going well—it’s easy to leave God on the back burner. So often, it’s when the burdens of life become overwhelming or too tough to handle on our own, that we cry out to Him. And although in His graciousness and goodness He hears us any time, God never intended that we navigate through life alone. In Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit, He’s given us a helper, or comforter, a companion and friend to walk with us through the peaks and valleys of our journey. When the burdens of…
Psalm 1 describes the person who doesn’t follow worldly methods and means, but who takes their greatest delight in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. (Psalm 1:1-3) Great joy, blessings, fruit, and prosperity follow this person. So how do I make the Lord…
Our times are in His hands . . . How I was recently reminded of this when my dear friend Sarah’s husband died on May 15. Shocking. Unexpected. How can this be? My heart yet aches with sorrow—for Barry, leaving us too soon; for Sarah, now alone after 35 years of marriage; for their three wonderful daughters, left without a dad. Our times are in His hands . . . An expression of our smallness, and His bigness. But also an expression of hope—that our Heavenly Father has an everlasting plan for us and our loved ones—wherein one day there…
