We Must Align Our Plans With God’s Will If We Expect His Blessing King David desires to bring the Ark of the Covenant home, restore it to its rightful status, and put it in its proper place. He envisions a major celebration, one for all the people (1 Chronicles 15:28). Yet he seeks to build […]
Tag: Holy Spirit
Do You Know How to Hear God?
If We’re Ready to Listen, God Can Speak to Us through His Holy Spirit In the book of Ezekiel we come across an interesting passage. Some of the leaders of the nation of Israel approach Ezekiel. They ask him to seek God’s input for them. They want to hear God, but they can’t do it […]
We Should Be Like Jesus
To Discover WWJD We Need Only Look at What the Bible Says Jesus goes to the synagogue in his hometown to worship God with his family and friends. It’s his turn to read scripture and the day’s scheduled passage is from Isaiah. It’s a prophecy—about Jesus. After he reads it, he simply confirms that he […]
Grace, Love, and Fellowship
A Trio of Blessings Reflects God’s Nature and Character Paul wraps up his second letter to the Corinthians with a blessing: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14, NIV). This trio of blessings proclaims grace, love, and fellowship. […]
Still Sparsely Attended
Where Two or Three are Gathered A church that popped up during our initial online search for nearby houses of worship was Church #21. We’d never heard of them, and no one we talked to knew anything about them. We vacillated whether we should visit, and when we had trouble finding their location on Sunday […]
Replacing Judas
Going Back to Twelve Disciples Today’s passage: Acts 1:15–20 Focus verse: “Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.” (Acts 1:16) Besides praying, the disciples also do something else as they wait for the Holy Spirit. Peter […]
How to Find a Mentor
Mentoring Can Help Us Grow in Our Faith and Increase Our Impact People sometimes ask me to mentor them. I’m honored that they ask. I want to say yes. Instead, I decline as respectfully as I can. Why? It’s because God hasn’t called me to be a mentor—at least not in the traditional sense. He’s […]
Saul Squanders What God Gives Him
Even If God Sets Us Up for Success, We’ll Fail If We Don’t Obey Him God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, ask for a king. This isn’t what God wants, but he gives them what they request. He gives them a king. At God’s direction, Samuel anoints Saul as king, appointing him ruler over […]
An Introduction to 52 Churches “Where do you go to church?” Oh, how I dread that question. It isn’t that I don’t go to church or am too embarrassed to answer. Instead, my frustration comes from the scowls I receive as I fumble through my reply. No matter what I say, I cause confusion. This […]
Only God Is Awesome
Discover Why God Should Inspire Our Awe The word awesome is overused today, so much so that it’s almost cliché. When most people say awesome, what they mean is outstanding or really good. Yet slang aside, the primary definition of awesome is to inspire awe. Given this, in the strictest sense, only God is awesome. […]