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How long, Lord?
When will it happen? When will it be over? How long, Lord? Even Jesus asked this question: ““And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”” (Matthew 17:17) Your reality may be tough. You may be agonizing about the…
Read MorePray About the “Little Stuff”
I shouldn’t bother God with that little thing… I’ll just pray about the big stuff. Huh?! “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was…
Read MoreI Can
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) “Phil 4:13” is often written on athletes’ eye blacks, bodies, and uniforms. They claim the verse guarantees they can win. But the verse, in context, is about being content, with the Lord’s help, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are hungry…
Read MoreWho’s the Star?
Who’s the star? I just read an interesting article about pitchmen that has obvious implications for Christians giving their testimonies. When a celebrity pitches a product, the celebrity is the star. However, a successful pitchman makes the product the star. Some Christian testimonies seem to focus on their experiences, especially how lost they were, rather…
Read MoreSpiritual Strength-Training
“God never gives us more than we can handle.” HA! The point of trials is exactly to give us more than we can handle. By facing more than we can handle, we are forced to lean on His strength. We are forced to learn we are not sufficient in ourselves. We learn to “not trust in ourselves,…
Read MoreUnfair!
Unfair! Something bad happened. You were accused of wrongdoing. You were criticized. You were excluded from something important. What happened? Was it unfair? Or worse? Was it the Lord’s discipline? What should you do? Is it an opportunity to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit? It is a battle you should engage? Bad Things are…
Read MoreMore Than We Can Imagine
Nothing is impossible with God. We can ask, but He can give more than we can imagine. “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) At the same time, we must live in dependence on and surrender to God. He…
Read MoreThe Christian’s Seventh Sense
There are five physical senses: smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing. Neuropsychologists say thinking is the sixth sense. Seventh Sense Christians have been given a seventh sense: spiritual discernment. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because…
Read MoreIf Only
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I–finally—ordered “grown-up bookcases” to replace my college concrete block and board shelves. I carefully measured to maximize the shelf space and pictured how wonderful they’d look. But I didn’t, not for one second, consider getting the bookcases from the driveway into my study. The corner unit could not be maneuvered through the hall and…
Read MoreHow to Get Out of the Mud
Oops. That was muddier than I expected. How to get out of the mud How to get out of the mud. 1) Stop digging. And Jesus said, “Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:11) 2) Don’t spend all your energy thinking about how you got here (but that’s useful to help prevent getting back…
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