Make Our Thoughts Obedient to Jesus Paul tells the church in Corinth to capture every thought and make it obedient to Jesus. Likewise, Proverbs advises us to guard our thoughts (Proverbs 4:23). (Some translations say to guard our hearts, putting a different twist on the same concept). This is often hard to do—but not impossible. […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 24 Today’s passage: Luke 12 Focus verse:“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:31) Jesus teaches about worry. Specifically, he says not to do it. We aren’t to worry about life, about what we eat or wear. I’m sure Jesus’s audience then had […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 23 Today’s passage: Luke 11 Focus verse: “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) When Jesus’s disciples ask him how to pray, he gives them an example. We call this “The Lord’s Prayer” (though “The Disciples’ Prayer” may be a better label). Some people call it the “Our Father” after its […]
What We Do After We Pray Matters We know that we should present our concerns to God. Paul writes that we shouldn’t worry about anything. Instead, we should pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7). But praying is just the first part. We must do our part too. We must pray and act accordingly. When we in […]
The People of Israel Ask Samuel To Intercede for Them Throughout the Old Testament, the Philistines show up as a recurring nemesis for God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel. The Bible mentions the Philistines 191 times in seventeen of the Old Testament’s books. In most of these cases the Philistines are doing something to […]
3 Steps to Realize the Improvements You Desire As we move into the new year, many people make New Year’s resolutions, a practice I’ve criticized on many occasions. I’ve never been a fan of resolutions. Instead I set goals. These goals help me move forward into a better tomorrow. Some of my goals are for […]
When Paul writes to the church in the city of Colossi, he says he always gives God thanks when he prays for them. He doesn’t just give God thanks for them occasionally but always. This is because of their faith in Jesus and their love for all God’s people—not some of them or the ones […]
Discover What to Do When You Go Through Dark Times in Life The book of Lamentations is a five-chapter collection that contains a quintet of laments. A lament is an expression of grief, mourning, or sorrow. Each chapter of this book contains one such communication. They read like a poem, a psalm even—a psalm of […]
Look to the Wellbeing of Others and Not Focus on Ourselves In Isaiah 39 we read a prophecy given to King Hezekiah by Isaiah. This occurs after Hezekiah does something foolish. He graciously receives envoys from the powerful behemoth, Babylon. Not only does he show off his nation’s wealth, he also provides his enemies one […]
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 […]