But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups one…. (Eph. 2:13-14) The man was dragging his wife to church. It was clear she didn’t want to be there. I didn’t …
Tag: Joy
The Fruit of the Spirit
…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) When I moved into town as a new pastor, I heard terrible stories about George. He had chased the ladies, been too fond of liquor, and been a shady businessman. Every time I heard one of these …
Traveling with Jesus
He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two… He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts… (Mk. 6:8) Recently I was behind a woman in the check-in line before a flight. When she put her suitcase on …
Turning Aside
Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.’ (Ex. 3:3) Today’s scripture is such a small moment that had such incredible outcomes. If Moses hadn’t turned aside and obeyed God’s calling out of the bush, the Hebrew people would have remained …
Worshipping and Praising God
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. (Ps. 96:9) I recently led a workshop on Emotional Intelligence at the sheriff’s academy. Before starting to present the material, I asked the participants what it was like to be police officers these days. They were very forthcoming about all the strains, …
Companions of Jesus
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. (Acts 4:13) On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 people were baptized. The crowds became very curious about the disciples speaking in their own languages. They …
Waiting Upon the Lord
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Is. 40:30-31) Have your tasks ever felt greater than your …
In The Lap Of Jesus
Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God …
A Glimpse of God’s Face
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! ‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ (Ps. 27:7-8) “I can’t wait to see his little face. We’re so excited to see this beautiful baby boy’s face.” Recently one of my colleagues kept saying these …
God’s Heart is For All People – Part 2
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’ (Acts 10:34) The early church struggled with what to do with the Gentiles. Did they need to become Jews before they could …