The motto on the front door says “Happiness happens when you get.” The sign on the lesser-used back door counters “Happiness happens when you give.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5 – 6 NIV.
How many disasters would be averted if we’d go first, in faith, to Jesus?
The key to spiritual growth is not increased church attendance or involvement in spiritual activities. People don’t grow in Christ because they are busy at church. They grow in Christ when they read and trust their Bibles.
Out of the lions’ den for Daniel, the prison for Peter, the whale’s belly for Jonah, Goliath’s shadow for David the storm for the disciples, disease for the lepers, doubt for Thomas, the grave for Lazarus, and the shackles for Paul. God gets us through stuff.
That God saw him as such gives hope to us all.
For that’s what faith is. Faith is trusting what the eye can’t see. Eyes see the prowling lion. Faith sees Daniel’s angel. Eyes see storms. Faith sees Noah’s rainbow. Eyes see giants. Faith sees Canaan.
The story of Joseph is in the Bible for this reason: to teach you to trust God to trump evil. What Satan intends for evil, God, the Master Weaver and Master Builder, redeems for good.
We are building our lives on the promises of God. Because his Word is unbreakable, our hope is unshakable. We do not stand on the problems of life or the pain in life. We stand on the great and precious promises of God.
There is one word to describe the night He came – ordinary... But God dances amidst the common. And that night He did a waltz.
If you aren’t you, we don’t get you.
Nothing has a greater impact on spiritual growth than reflection on Scripture. If churches could do only one thing to help people at all levels of spiritual maturity grow in their relationship with Christ, their choice is clear. They would inspire, encourage, and equip their people to read the Bible.1.
If the Bible is called the Good Book, it’s not because its people are. Blood flows as freely through the stories as the ink through the quills that penned them.
Do not meditate on the mess.
The path to peace is paved with prayer.
In the treatment of anxiety, a proper understanding of sovereignty is huge. Anxiety is often the consequence of perceived chaos. If we sense we are victims of unseen, turbulent, random forces, we are troubled.
The next time you fear the future, rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty. Rejoice in what he has accomplished. Rejoice that he is able to do what you cannot do. Fill your mind with thoughts of God.
You can. With God’s help you can close the gap between the person you are and the person you want to be.
You wanted to know how you’ll make it on your own?” Manny asked as the sights and sounds of the lush Jerusalem garden gave way to the sterile hospital chapel. “You’ll never know. Because you never will be.
There is no separation. There is no chasm between you and the heavens. There is no divider, no veil between you and God’s love.