Holy Spirit

Divine Mysteries

“She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.” – Luke 2:38,39 Yesterday, we learned about Anna the prophetess and how she devoted herself to a life of service to God after she was widowed at a young age. Interestingly, because she was such a passionate seeker of the Lord’s heart, and since she walked so closely with the Holy Spirit, as soon as she saw Jesus at the temple, she began to worship. And while there were thousands of people present there on the day He was dedicated, she knew there was something special about this child. Though to most onlookers He appeared to be just another baby, she recognized Him for who He was, and her excitement bubbled over as she began sharing

March 3, 2021 No Comments

Sacred Patience

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.” – Luke 2:25 I love the story of Simeon. He was a faithful follower of the Lord, and the Bible says that the Holy Spirit was on him. This is significant because before Jesus came, the third person of the Trinity primarily visited people on certain occasions, not on an everyday basis. However, it’s clear that Simeon loved the Lord more than anything, and because he set his mind on things above, the Spirit spoke to him regularly. In fact, since he dwelled so closely with God, he clearly heard Him say that he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died. How elated he must have been upon receiving this news, but how long the wait must

February 28, 2021 No Comments

The Call to Prepare

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.” – Luke 12:35 When Hannah was pregnant with our first child, Haven, she was certain she was going to deliver after her expected due date. Since her mom had given birth six times and was late each time, she figured she would follow suit, and she kept saying it to me. I took her words to heart, so you can imagine my shock when she woke me up in the middle of the night three weeks before her due date. Half-dazed and with blurry eyes, I heard her tell me that her water had broken. Like a scene out of a movie, I stumbled and fumbled to get my stuff together so we could get to the hospital. Thankfully, we made it there in time and everything went smoothly once we arrived. However, when we got home, I realized just

February 24, 2021 No Comments

Stretch Your Tent

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” – Isaiah 54:2 Our God is the God of redemption and restoration. Though His people were in captivity in Babylon for many years, He never ceased reminding them that He would ultimately bring them home to Israel, and that when He did, their lives would be even better than before they were exiled. While what they could perceive with their physical senses spoke of defeat, He invited them to assume spiritual vision that could see beyond their immediate circumstances. Since they lived in tents, He advised them to expand their dwelling places, embrace their new home, and expect Him to move in their midst to broaden their strength and influence. In fact, this account is the root of a spiritual principle that can benefit us today — we should

January 21, 2021 No Comments

Feet Like a Deer

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.” – Psalm 18:32,33 Yesterday, we talked about arming ourselves with the promises of Scripture, especially in chaotic and uncertain times. Today, I want to look at the result. Though the world won’t stop trying to distract and discourage us, when we live anchored to His truth, the Lord lifts our burdens and enables us to travel difficult terrain with ease. In fact, Psalm 18 says that He makes our feet like those of a deer, so we can scale and stand on the heights. If you’ve ever seen a deer in motion, you know that they are quite large, yet they move speedily, gracefully, and effortlessly. In fact, since their legs are long, they can climb steep mountains quickly

January 20, 2021 No Comments

The Joy of Encouragement

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” – Proverbs 11:25 As Christians, we’re blessed to be a blessing. I remember when I moved to Oklahoma as a teenager, I tried out for the varsity basketball team since I had played JV throughout my 9th and 10th grade years. However, the day of the tryouts, they paired us off into two teams, and I ended up making a big mistake by letting my team’s ball go out of bounds instead of attempting to save it. I was new in town and I was already nervous, but to make matters worse, when I fumbled, the team captain totally “dressed me down” over my gaffe, and I felt like I was about six inches tall. For weeks following, I walked around school embarrassed, and I kept my head held low. Though there were other ways he might have handled

January 16, 2021 1 Comment

Actions Before Feelings

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” – James 2:14 January is a time we often spend setting goals, working toward resolutions, and trying to become the best version of ourselves. To that end, I want to give you an important tip today that I believe applies in many different areas of life, but especially where it concerns carrying out our calling as disciples of Christ: actions overcome feelings. As we resolve to walk out our identity as God’s temple, or the vessels in which He dwells, we will be required to step out of our comfort zone to minister to others. Whether this means putting aside our own schedule to help a friend, giving of our resources to assist someone who is going through a rough time, or simply taking a few moments

January 14, 2021 No Comments

Just Do It!

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 To build upon the goal of making 2021 a year of grace, today, I want to offer another thought to ponder. What if healing actually comes through stepping out in faith and serving the Lord? Years ago, I knew a guy who was an awesome bass player, and for some reason, he really wanted to play in our church worship band. However, he was outspokenly not a Christian. While this might have been cause for rejection in a different congregation, I took his enthusiasm to mean that the Lord was

January 5, 2021 No Comments

God’s Construction Project

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9 Yesterday, we talked about how God’s temple is in us. To further expound on this thought, today, I want to share another analogy. Our experience last year may have made us a bit “trigger shy” when it comes to fully embracing what’s ahead. After all, none of us could have seen what was coming, and if we could have, we might not have set our expectations so high. However, as Christians, I don’t think there’s any compelling reason to pull back our hopes and dreams for 2021. Even if the coming months bring disappointment or loss, we can adopt an attitude of courageous faith which trusts that everything that happens is part of the Lord’s construction project in our lives. I love C.S. Lewis’ analogy in Mere Christianity in which he explains that

January 3, 2021 1 Comment

The Honor of Being God’s House

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 As we prepare our hearts and minds to embrace the year that’s ahead of us, I think it’s important to have a framework. In other words, to be able to visualize and understand the role we play in the Kingdom of God, and why it’s so vital and powerful. Though it’s almost too much to fathom, the truth is that we — and all who have received salvation through Jesus Christ — have become His temple. In the Old Testament, the temple building was the center of Jewish existence. It was the hub of activity, but it’s also where the presence of the Lord lived. In

January 2, 2021 4 Comments

Divine Mysteries

Sacred Patience

The Call to Prepare

Stretch Your Tent

Feet Like a Deer

The Joy of Encouragement

Actions Before Feelings

Just Do It!

God’s Construction Project

The Honor of Being God’s House

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