abide

God’s House

“And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Mark 11:17 Did you know that ancient Jews didn’t call the temple the temple? This description was given later, but in Jesus’ day, it was simply known as “the house.” Just like people, God has a dwelling, and though His permanent residence is in Heaven, He chose a particular location in which to contain His glory in Old Testament times. This means that the Spirit of Jehovah lived at the temple, and it belonged to everyone who followed Him. It was the center of Jewish life, and it was the place where the hurting, broken, and outcast could find safety and experience His heart. This is precisely why it upset Him so much when the money changers turned

September 4, 2021 2 Comments

At Home with Jesus

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1 A friend of mine sent me a video, and as is usual these days, it started with a commercial. The first shot was of a man and woman in their mid-thirties staring at a screen with saxophone music playing in the background, and it had a kind of salacious feel. When it came on, I was wondering if it was going to be appropriate, but it turns out it was an ad for Zillow, and the couple was drooling over houses they might buy if they lived somewhere more affordable. While to some, purchasing a home does not seem like a fantasy, to those of us who live in locations like California or New York, it can

September 3, 2021 No Comments

To Roar or Shine?

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12 There’s an old story in Aesop’s Fables in which the north wind and the sun both want to see who can get a man to take his jacket off faster. The north wind goes first, and he begins howling, roaring, and sending violent gusts that he is certain will blow the coat right off of his subject. However, much to his chagrin, the gales only cause him to pull his garment closer. Reveling in the wind’s defeat, the sun steps up and says, “Watch this!” Then, he turns up the heat and shines so brightly that his unsuspecting victim begins to sweat — and sure enough, off the jacket comes. Though this is an ancient story,

August 11, 2021 No Comments

Remain in Him

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” – Isaiah 55:12 There are many benefits of abiding with the Lord. When we choose to stay with Him and continually acknowledge that He is with us, the world takes on a new vibrancy. Perhaps this is why Jesus told us to remain in Him and offered a corresponding promise that doing so will cause us to bear fruit. In fact, the Bible gives us specifics about the type of harvest we can enjoy when we practice His presence, and Galatians 5 tells us that the crops we will cultivate are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Thankfully, choosing to abide with God doesn’t demand that we be super-Christians or that we spend three

January 22, 2021 1 Comment

As Long as It Is Called Today

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13 Happy New Year! And congratulations, you made it to 2021. I think many of us are breathing a sigh of relief today, but the truth is that we are much stronger, wiser, and all-around better people than we were this time last year. Walking through the fire and enduring the difficulties of 2020 offered us a precious gift, and I pray that we won’t lose sight of it in the days ahead. As we look forward to resuming life as normal (whenever and whatever it is), let’s not forget how precious it was to be reminded of what’s most important. As we’ve brought our focus closer to home in the past ten months, God has used a trying time to align our hearts with

January 1, 2021 2 Comments

Abide in Him

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” – John 15:4 The word “menno” means to abide. To abide. The words abide and abode have the same root. And they mean that you make a home there; that you belong there. You remain there. You’re able to kick off your shoes, take off your wet socks after walking through the snow, and you warm up by the fire. Like your relationship with God. There is this ongoing, never-ending communion between you and the Father that fuels your decisions. It gives you real spiritual power; it gives you vision, discernment, wisdom. Prayer God, I want I abide in you. Thank you for making a home that I belong to. Help to put my security in that home,

March 14, 2018 No Comments