Monthly Archives: April 2017

15 posts

The Dark Shadows

The long, dark shadows of your fears for tomorrow are cast before you. They are like the shadows of the mountains against a setting sun. What is hiding in those shadows? How will you find the help and courage you need to go on and find safety? The hills around you may hide struggles and terrors of all kinds. Where will you find the help you need to keep going? Then your heart remembers that your God made the hills. His sun casts the long, dark shadows before you. His Son, your savior, has taken this path before you. He has prayed for you. He watches over you. Unlike you, he never sleeps. By his blood he has secured your […]

Prayer for Our Leaders

War talk has moved from the speculative to the possible. And it appears that we are subject to the actions of human governments. While the governing authorities and leaders are important, we must not lose sight of the real center of power. The Apostle Paul instructs that we pray for governing authorities in this way:
 “…of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way…” (I Tim. 2:1-2). Why would Paul want to pray for intercession for the Caesar’s and their followers? At least one reason is that government leaders […]

From Your Heart To Their Hearts

The first obligation of any parent is to love God with all that you have to give. This is the meaning of the words in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 where the Holy Spirit, through Moses, instructs parents how to lead their children to follow God. Nothing less than a full-on commitment to love God is in view. These words are passionate words! God calls for you to be all-in when it comes to telling your children about him. God will not be an after-thought or an add-on to your parenting. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” You are to love God with everything that you are as a person: […]

When God Doesn’t Do What You Want

When it comes to life, you and I are often poor script writers. And that is a good thing! Okay, how can I say that this is a good thing? Most of the disappointments that you face in life come because things did not work out as you had planned. This does not mean that what you had planned was necessarily bad or wrong. And this where the difficulty comes. You wanted and prayed for something you thought was good. Perhaps you prayed for the health of someone you love or asked for a relationship to be restored. Maybe there was a gift you wanted to give that you could not. What about the day off you planned to spend […]

Sin Makes You Stupid!

She pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what I want to know!”  She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. One the face of it, this sounds like the man in the scenario is at least being partially to blame for being insensitive to the needs of his companion. Yes, she was wrong to nag him, but it was obvious she thought he drove her to it. After all he was making fun of her, and who likes that! That would be one way to look […]

A Prayer To Love Christ More

Father, grant me the courage to love you for who you are and not for whom I want you to be. Grant me the peace to honor you for what you do and not for what I want you to do. Grant me the power to live for what adds to your reputation and not to my own. Grant me the compassion to long for people to know you. Grant me the humility to speak well of you and not of myself. Grant me the discernment build your kingdom and not my own. Grant me the wisdom to say what praises you and not what makes me look good. Grant me the vision to live for Christ and not for […]

Dark Saturday

Think about Saturday, the day after the crucifixion. This day was different. The trial, the crowds, the drama of Christ upon the cross was past. It was a dark Saturday. The disciples were overwhelmed. Judas was gone. The eleven and those close to them had spent three years with the most powerful person in all of human history. Try as they might they could not anticipate his next move or deed. Now, his calming presence was gone. It appeared their hopes and dreams had vanished before their eyes. The Roman leaders were relieved that this whole mess was behind them. But there was at least one Centurion who knew that a great wrong had been done. And, then there was […]

Here Is Your King

For 21st Century Americans the idea of serving a king is bizarre. One person having authority over life and death, of absolute rule is unthinkable, medieval, even barbaric. We believe we have evolved to a more sophisticated, enlightened way of life. So, if someone were to say to you, “here is your king”, you might be uncomfortable, maybe even outraged at the thought of giving someone total control of your life. 2,000 years ago, the religious leaders of Israel had similar thoughts. The Christ was only fit to be their Messiah, their King, as long as he served their wants. Their idea of a king was someone whom they could rule. The priests and their political allies wanted nothing to […]

The Triumph Of The Resurrection

The resurrection is the defining moment in all of human history. Without the resurrection the holy character of God could not have allowed for the race of men to continue to exist. It is the triumph of the risen Savior as he fulfilled the promise that was made thousands of years earlier. The resurrection means that Christ won hope, joy and peace for his people and for the honor of his Father. It means that all of the mess of this world will be reconciled and made whole. When Christ rose from the dead he made hope more than just a wish. Those whom Christ redeemed are counted as pure and holy. Jesus was faithful to the covenant promise he […]

The Cross: The Ultimate Reality Check

As humans we have an amazing capacity for self-importance. After being with Jesus at the last supper, after having him wash their feet, after hearing that one of them would betray Jesus, the disciples began to discuss an important topic. Actually, it was a dispute. They began to argue about which of them would have the highest public opinion poll! “A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.” (Luke 22:24) Amazing. But not really, the disciples are too much like me for comfort. They typically were interested in things that had to do with them. Sound familiar? Even after 3 years of living with Christ and hearing his teaching, it was still […]