Five Days of Prayer – Day 3 You are a shield around me, O Lord. —Psalm 3:3 Dear God, I thank you often for obvious blessings: family, friends, food. But there are many favors I take for granted; I fail to thank because […]
Known and Unknown Blessings Read More »
Five Days of Prayer – Day 2 You believe at last! —John 16:31 Dear God, There are things I don’t understand. I don’t understand … why babies die, why children are abused, why psycho butchers are allowed to mutilate and murder the helpless, why good people get cancer, why companions die when the
Five Days of Prayer – Day 1 With God all things are possible. —Matthew 19:26 Dear God, You have often done the seemingly impossible— You turned … darkness into light, chaos into order, water into wine, sickness into health, sinners into saints, death into life. Today I ask you to do
Luke 15:11-31 I smiled when I saw the sign in the front yard. It was as big as a bedsheet: WELCOME HOME DAVE! Dave was the son of Jack and Nancy Carter. Fine young man. He had just finished the semester and was coming home to Littleton, Colorado, for the summer. You see it when
Is it Too Early to Have a Party? Read More »
Why do you judge your brother? —Romans 14:10 It’s easy to overlook faults, forgive failures, tolerate weaknesses, pardon offenses, excuse sins, and forgo judgment—when they are our faults, failures, weaknesses, offenses, and sins. It’s a bird of another feather when the same flaws tarnish our neighbor. When we take seriously the Lord’s command to love
Devote yourselves to prayer. —Colossians 4:2 The power in prayer is not in the one who prays, but in the One who hears prayer. When you pray you acknowledge that God is in charge, taking your concerns … to One who knows more than you; to One whose answers
You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom. —2 Peter 1:11 There is a harsh theology that brutally hammers the fragile, allowing no room for weakness, little room for grace, and almost no chance for salvation. God, on the other hand, is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
Triumphant Admittance Read More »
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? —Matthew 16:26 The Roman emperor Charlemagne was buried, not in a sleeping position, but seated on his throne dressed in robes of state. Legend has it that an open
What is Your Answer? Read More »
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. —Romans 4:18 Hope is not giddy optimism. It is faith that God makes good on his promises—fully believing what borders on “too good to be true.” Abraham “against all hope …
He is nearsighted and blind. —2 Peter 1:9 The apostle Peter tells us that if we are not adding spiritual qualities to our life, we are nearsighted. Other translations have it “shortsighted” or “seeing only what is near.” We think of the “real” as being near—what we can see
Are You Nearsighted? Read More »
