The twenty-third psalm is often read at funerals to give hope and comfort for mourners. However, the psalm has a powerful message for life. It is a message that will center you on God’s care. The psalm looks at life from God’s perspective. Here are the first two verses: The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. These words are from David. If you think about his life it was not one of idyllic peace that these words describe. David’s life was filled with the ugliness of sin, both his own and the sins of others. David was constantly surrounded by betrayal, bitterness, violence, […]
Wisdom
270 posts
God provides his people with unique gifts that make life special. One of those gifts is joy. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can bring the wonder and endurance of joy to the human experience. Joy is the fruit of his Spirit given to you by virtue of your new birth in Christ. The world around you knows a sense of joy because of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. (Acts 14:17) However, the fullness of joy is found only in the wonder of Christ. Because true joy is the fruit of Spirit it touches every part of your life. Whether in happy times or sad, in times of plenty or want, the joy of the Holy Spirit […]
There are times when everything goes wrong all at once. The kids are out of control. There are problems with the car, with the house. You are tired to the bone. You try to pray but it is like God is on a coffee break. Life gets like this sometimes. Jehoshaphat had such a moment. However, instead of wondering where God was he turned to the praise of his God. Praise often is the last thing thought about when life becomes crazy. We associate praise with good times but not so much with the chaotic times. However, praise is always the appropriate attitude of our hearts, regardless of whether times are good, crazy, or awful. God is still God, he […]
Love is about showing God’s grace to those whom you love, regardless of the price to you. Love is living out the beauty of Jesus Christ. Love is how other people see the uniqueness of Christianity in you. Love is selfless, sacrificial. Love remembers good and not the last offense. Love’s voice speaks gentle, pleasant, solid words. Love is focused on God’s glory. Love does not run from fear but overcomes fear. Love means being vulnerable. Love does not demand praise. Love is quiet. Love gives. Love honors. Love is content. If you believe you are always unfairly treated, if you believe that you are not respected enough, you are not engaging in the Spirit’s love. You seek your own […]
You are angry! Your son just had a minor accident with the car, your golf game for tomorrow got canceled, your neighbor called to remind you your grass is too high and you can’t stop thinking that your boss is giving you too much work and not enough appreciation. You are raising your voice, your face is flushed. If one more crazy thing happens, you will explode! The kids are bracing for the next outburst. Then you feel the buzz from your phone. You look and see it’s your boss, the one who doesn’t appreciate you. You answer the phone in a calm, relaxed voice and tell your boss you were just thinking about him and how can you help. […]
Men, pornography is a lie. You think you are attracted to it because of sexual temptation. That is a lie of the enemy! Yes, the lure is about sexual lust is real. But the attraction to pornography is also about the degradation and humiliation of women for your own lusts. Indulging in pornography promotes and aids human trafficking, slavery, physical abuse, emotional abuse, rape and, in some cases, death. In short, viewing of pornography is finding pleasure in the slavery and destruction of women. The enemy has deceived you into thinking that pornography is about fulfilling your sexual fantasies and lusts. The enemy is laughing all the way to hell as, literally, tens of millions of men and women believe […]
Is heaven something that dominates your life? God means for heaven to be the anchor that helps you make sense of a world dominated by sin and injustice. The Holy Spirit has guaranteed you an inheritance, which includes the reality of heaven. What a huge blessing this is! The most wonderful and spectacular destination any human can have has been secured for you by God’s Holy Spirit. God wants you to see heaven as relevant to your everyday life. Life without heaven is a life that makes no sense. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (I Corinthians 15:19) In other words, life without a vision for heaven […]
Gentleness is God’s answer to conflict. Gentleness is the quality you need to present God’s truth fairly, accurately and effectively to your children. Gentleness is part of the Holy Spirit’s fruit which stands in direct contrast to the works of the flesh. In Proverbs, we learn that gentleness turns aside wrath. Paul tells Timothy to instruct his opponents with gentleness. James describes gentleness as displaying wisdom from above. Jesus describes himself as gentle and humble of heart. These are five robust examples of the power of gentleness: Gentleness stands against the deeds of the flesh. Gentleness turns aside wrath. Gentleness instructs those who oppose you. Gentleness demonstrates wisdom from above. Gentleness describes the heart of Christ. Gentleness is the forgotten […]
“Mommy, Heather was so mean to me today at school. She laughed at me and told me I look dumb. I thought she was my best friend! I am really, really sad. I just want to stay home and not go back, ever.” Your daughter has just experienced how cruel and sad life can be. Your first thought is to protect and defend her from the cruel words. But, then you want to see how God can use this to prepare your daughter for the difficult challenges that life will bring to her. You want her to know that through the hurt she can know and experience joy and the comfort of God. What brings joy to you profoundly impacts […]
It is late in the day and you’re exhausted. Your head is pounding. It’s time to prepare dinner. At this precise moment, a dispute breaks out about who has the gaming screen next. So you do the only thing that seems logical, you shout: That’s enough! I’ve had it. You want dinner? Then sit down, give me the iPad and don’t say another word until I call you for dinner. Do you understand? As if on cue, one child starts whimpering, and the other one defiantly looks at you and says, “that’s not fair!” You find yourself somewhere between despair and overload. With iPad in hand, you turn back to the kitchen. Somewhere in your deep consciousness, you find yourself […]