Squandered opportunity
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. – Romans 12:10 A good friend of mine (and a fantastic leader) is fond of saying, “Great leaders establish other leaders.” The most influential people I know have used their platform as a way to encourage, celebrate and give opportunity to those […]
Perfected in weakness
The Lord is the Strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. – Psalms 28: 8 Most men have a hard time asking for help. We see it as a form of weakness, so we don’t ask unless we absolutely have to. However the Word says, ”My power is perfected in […]
Good men to do nothing
“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” – Psalm 82:3 The saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” comes to mind upon studying the above verse, especially in its context. God is calling out those who […]
THEN he says to run with perseverance
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Heb 12:1c The first part of Hebrews 12:1 talks about the previous chapter and how the author describes all these people who set examples of perseverance and trusting God. Then he asks us to put our sin aside and THEN he says to […]
Deprive the flesh
So I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 Do you ever feel like your flesh is challenging your spirit and your spirit is challenging your flesh? Even as a redeemed Christian, there is an internal war for control. Whichever one is exercised the […]
Talk about miserable!
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. – Jonah 2:8 When God pursues us, we can feel loved and valued. But if we haven’t surrendered, God’s pursuit can feel downright miserable. This prayer comes from a man who ran from God. He knew what God asked of him and […]
Use your creative intellect
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. – Psalm 99:5 “Exalt” is not part of my conversational vocabulary. I looked at synonyms and got “elevate” and “glorify” which is not much help. How do we “exalt the Lord our God” in a way that feels natural and genuine? Here […]
Encouragement takes courage to give
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” – Hebrews 3:13a Encouragement takes courage to give. For some people it comes more naturally than others, but it always requires that you offer something to someone else – and you have to risk that your words will be spurned or ignored. This week, […]
Words and actions did not add up
Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12b “How do you think that impacts your son?” These are the words I spoke to a man who was convicted of abusing his wife. He had just finished bashing this woman, calling her all […]
Battles that don’t matter
For the battle is not yours, but God’s. – 2 Chronicles 20:15c Have you ever gotten into an argument and then, upon reflection, realized how dumb it was? Me too. Don’t waste your time and energy fighting battles that don’t matter. It sucks you dry spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically. Focus on the battles […]