“But seek first his kingdom.” Wouldn’t it be great to have a simple blueprint to eliminate worry and anxiety? If we had access to the blueprint, would we follow the design? At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, recorded by Matthew in chapters five through seven, Jesus gives us a model to live…
“They continue to grow stronger.” Do you feel tired? We rarely make it through the year’s final month with the kind of rest that genuinely refreshes and revitalizes us for the upcoming year. Imagine if a recipe existed that could make us stronger so we could move from strength to strength instead of nap to…
“We can serve God without fear…” What does your picture of fearless look like? Skydiving? Facing a grizzly in the wild? Facing the grizzly at the office? Standing in front of 1000s to give a presentation? What would you accomplish if you were fearless? When serving God, fear often drives us to need assurance. The…
“You are blessed because you believed.” Are some people more blessed than others? Most people think of material blessings first, like income, home, and enough money left over to go on vacation. We might add good health, if applicable, to our blessed list. The deeper connections with people could also be seen as a blessed…
“Let it be…” Do you find Mary’s faith surprising? A young, innocent 14-year-old teenager has an encounter with an angel. If that were not terrifying enough, the news the angel shared was so unbelievable that Mary must have been reeling: you’re going to have a baby, even though you’ve never been with a man, and…
“How Can I be sure…” Is my need for assurance okay? I ask myself the above question often because I do not want my need to be assured that I am on the right track to be a lack of faith. I am afraid, however, that my attempts to be righteous mask my need to…
“Gracious and merciful, slow to anger.” “What characteristic of God are you the most grateful for?” My therapist asked during a session. Thinking for a moment, I responded, “His patience.” I am overwhelmed when I think about how patient God has been with me through the years. If I were God, I would have given…
“The living God is among you…” Have you ever had a time when someone one-uped you? You have the ability, you have diligently put in the effort, and the time has arrived for everything to come together. Instead, another colleague, acquaintance, or stranger steps in and steals your entrance, the job, or says what you…
“I am with you always.” Do you ever feel pulled in a million different directions? We are needed here, there, and everywhere, all at the same time, and we do our best to accommodate this inhuman behavior. Thanks to modern technology, we can be here, see what is going on somewhere else, and feel like…
“The eye of the LORD is…” Are your prayers more about getting God’s attention or confidently claiming His promises? Recently, I confess I have been in a fit-throwing, attention-grabbing, a bone, a scrap, anything God, type of prayer mode. Unlike the passionate tenacity of the persistent widow in Luke 18, my prayers were motivated by…