heart

The Value of a Heart

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.” – James 3:13,14 In yesterday’s Positive Minute, we were encouraged to store up intangible treasures such as God’s favor, doors opened for us, and being a trustworthy person. Receiving these gifts begins with the value of a heart that’s like an empty cup. This heart is ready to learn and receive from others. It’s not a heart that is arrogant or prideful. It’s a heart that reflects the Lord’s prayer by asking for forgiveness. This reflection of God’s heart was less common in the Roman culture of Jesus’ day. Rome was known for promoting and boasting of its glory and accomplishments at any cost.

September 14, 2022 No Comments

A Second Conversion

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:38 “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” This famous quote is from St. Augustine of Hippo, who is one of the most famous and influential theologians in Christianity, other than the Apostle Paul. Hailing from Africa, St. Augustine was also a philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity. St. Augustine and Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician who we focused on yesterday, are separated by 2000 years but both probed and answered the age-old questions regarding the need to connect with God and worship Him. Both of these theologians came to the Lord through reasoning and mental exercises. Pascal’s reasoning is famously known as Pascal’s Wager, which argues that it is in one’s rational self-interest to act as if God exists. I actually think it’s

June 29, 2022 No Comments

Revolution Starts in the Heart

“‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘ Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ ” – Matthew 27:22,23 When I look at the story of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, one of the things that strikes me the most is how once the people discovered that He was not the political revolutionary they thought He was, they turned on Him. The crowds that just a while earlier had been shouting, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” were now screaming “Crucify Him and give us Barabbas!” Why did they want Barabbas? Because he was a rebel who had already led a fight against the Romans. They knew what they were looking for and Jesus was not it. Unfortunately, they missed the

June 12, 2022 No Comments

Three Keys to Becoming a Servant Leader

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5,6 As we wrap up our discussion about what it means to love our enemies and bring unity to our workplaces, I want to offer three practical tips that will help you to be a conduit of peace from the inside out. You see, becoming a servant leader is not a matter of trying harder, it’s a matter of the heart. The more you trust the Lord with your life and the more assuredly you believe that serving others is His best plan for you, the more naturally peace and goodness will flow from you. That said, here are a few things to remember: First of all, be patient. Intentionally practice patience and quit hurrying through your life. Instead

May 1, 2022 1 Comment

God Loves the Work of Your Hands

“Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12 Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus had already lived 30 out of His 33 years before He went into vocational ministry? The Messiah spent the first part of His life as what the Bible calls a technoy, or a builder or maker. Though we’ve traditionally thought of His trade as that of carpenter, and He probably did work with wood, He may also have worked with stone and metal. Regardless of the specific job description, we know that Jesus obediently and patiently

March 25, 2022 No Comments

What Love is Not

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:6,7 Yesterday we talked about the purity of agape love and how it can be easily contaminated by selfish desires. As we continue our discussion of what love looks like, I want to share with you two things that it is not. First of all, love is not what you do, it’s who you become. I think we have a somewhat incorrect understanding of love that is often propagated by well-meaning churches. While it is true that love is demonstrated through action, simply willing yourself to do the right thing doesn’t make you a genuinely loving person. The fact is that love is a matter of the heart, and the ability to give agape love to others comes from within. The kind of love that Jesus demonstrated

March 14, 2022 No Comments

The Lust of the Eyes

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” – Ephesians 1:22-23 Yesterday, we looked at the lust of the flesh and talked about how obsessing over physical desires can make our lives vulnerable to the enemy’s destruction. Today, I want to share with you another way the devil seeks to wreak havoc in our lives — the lust of the eyes. We live in a world that is obsessed with appearance. In fact, many of us learn to obsess about our image, or what we look like to those around us, even before we are old enough to understand why. Our materialistic society teaches that in order to be somebody, we must have certain things. In other words, I am what I have and I

February 25, 2022 1 Comment

You Are Redeemed in Jesus

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” – 1 Samuel 16:7 Today, I want to say something to those of you who have felt rejected or ostracized in your life: God does not see what man sees. You are an overcomer and more than a conqueror in Jesus, even though you appear to be an underdog to the rest of the world! King David is possibly the best illustration of God utilizing an unexpected subject to accomplish great things for Him. As King Saul’s successor, his predecessor appeared to be made for the role; he was strong, educated, and tough, with a lot of potentials. However, as time passed, Saul grew engulfed in jealously,

January 17, 2022 4 Comments

The Blessing in Wisdom

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” – 1 Kings 4:29 In addition to righteousness, the second of the three virtues I believe leads to a blessed life is wisdom. While many of us hear this somewhat intimidating term and think it refers to intelligence or “book smarts,” the truth is that wisdom is inextricably linked to character. For this reason, it can always be cultivated and inherited in greater measure. Perhaps this is why James 1:5 says to ask God for more of it, and He will gladly provide. So what exactly is wisdom? I believe it’s simply humility — the opposite of arrogance. Wisdom is an attitude of heart that doesn’t assume it knows best but that seeks advice and input from others. It yields to the Lord’s way and is willing to consider

February 12, 2021 No Comments

The Light of Divine Love

“‘Do not kill them,’ he answered. ‘Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.’” – 2 Kings 6:22 I love the Biblical hero Elisha. His life was not only that of a prophet but of a miracle worker, and he always used his divinely-granted power to point people to God’s heart. Of all the amazing accounts of his ministry recorded in Scripture, one of my favorites is found in 2 Kings 6, which takes place when the armies of Aram were at war with Israel. Since the prophet had supernatural knowledge, he kept alerting the Jewish king as to where the enemy troops were so he could move Israel’s armies away from them. The King of Aram, frustrated by his inability to hone in on

January 30, 2021 1 Comment

The Value of a Heart

A Second Conversion

Revolution Starts in the Heart

Three Keys to Becoming a Servant Leader

God Loves the Work of Your Hands

What Love is Not

The Lust of the Eyes

You Are Redeemed in Jesus

The Blessing in Wisdom

The Light of Divine Love

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