joy

Happy or Blessed?

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” – Psalm 1:1-2 Being happy is a state of mind that God wants each of us to experience. As you think of happiness, words like joy, gladness, and pleased come to mind. I remember memorizing Psalm 1 when I was younger. This Psalm seems like it’s coming from a king, and it is powerful. It reads “Blessed is the one who does not walk in the way of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”

June 7, 2022 No Comments

The Kingdom of God Needs You

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” – Luke 15:8 Jesus, as he often did with his followers, used parables to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. One in particular describes a woman who lost a valuable silver coin. In this story, Jesus referenced a Jewish bride who wore beautiful, traditional wedding attire that included a distinguishable headband adorned with 10 coins. In a normal day’s activities, like going to the market and whatnot, she would have kept the headband on, along with its ten coins. This stunning headband was just as symbolic as the modern-day wedding ring and showed she was married. In this parable, she lost one of the valued coins. She looked through her whole house and couldn’t find it. She looked everywhere in every nook and cranny

June 1, 2022 1 Comment

Receive the New Wine

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” – Matthew 9:17 The discussion of new wine began with Jesus being questioned by the disciples of John the Baptist who wanted to know why the disciples of Jesus did not fast. I picture Jesus saying, “You don’t fast at a wedding when you are with the bridegroom.” Why would you fast at a party? You don’t sew new cloth into an old garment and you definitely do not put new wine into an old wineskin or it will tear, as found in Matthew 9:14-17. Do you know what wine is a symbol of in the Bible? Wine is a symbol of joy, celebration, and abundance. There are some practical things

May 25, 2022 1 Comment

The Surprising Truth About Heresy

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.” – 1 Corinthians 11:17,18 What do you think of when you hear the word heretic? If you’re like most Christians, you probably think of someone who ascribes to and promotes a false doctrine. Like maybe they don’t believe in the Trinity or they don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Surprisingly, this may not have been the Apostle Paul’s intent when he used this term! The root word used to derive heresy is hairesis, which in Greek means “one who chooses.” So a heretic, in Paul’s view, is someone who causes division in the church by choosing their own way over God’s. Thus, it

April 30, 2022 1 Comment

You are a Leader!

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” – Hebrews 13:7 Did you know that you are a leader? Regardless of whether or not leadership is implied in your title, if you are a Christian, you are called to lead. No matter where you are today and how insignificant you think your title is, because you are empowered by the Holy Spirit, you have influence! As we continue talking about our workplaces and how we handle professional relationships, my challenge to you is this: Don’t worry so much about the perfections or imperfections of your employer, but instead focus on transforming your organization’s culture one relationship at a time. Rather than trying to find a perfect boss or a workplace that’s known for being joyful and productive, work to cultivate the atmosphere you seek in

April 27, 2022 No Comments

Grace and Goodness Overcome Evil

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21 I remember when I first got to seminary. I was a young 25-year-old who knew everything because, well, I had the Bible and that was all I needed. However, being part of a Reformed denomination, I was told that if I wanted to be a pastor, I needed to go to seminary. So on my first day, I waltzed into a class and a really well-known theologian was my professor. At one point that day, when he made an assertion about something, I stood up and literally said to him out loud, “You’re wrong!” He didn’t lash out at this point nor did he make me feel embarrassed, he simply began asking me questions. As he worked on dismantling my argument one probe at a time, I gradually lost confidence in my position and sat down

April 25, 2022 2 Comments

Work is a Privilege

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” – John 6:27 Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Within every language there is a philosophy.” This is something that I think really makes sense with regard to the Hebrew language, which expresses over and over again that God loves our work. As we apply ourselves with all our heart and do our daily tasks as though they have eternal value, something changes in the Lord’s great plan! In Jewish culture, going to work was just as worshipful as raising your hands in a church service or reading the Bible. How different this is from our segregated American view that says our job is what we do Monday through Friday. Worship is what we do on

April 3, 2022 No Comments

You + Jesus = More!

“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” – Proverbs 13:4 On my birthday nine years ago, I had no party, no cake, and no presents because we decided to celebrate a week late. This wouldn’t have been so bad except that the house was a mess and it just had to be cleaned — the kids spilled Cheerios and there were toys everywhere! So there I was, cleaning the house on my birthday and feeling sorry for myself. In fact, I made sure to let Hannah know how grumpy I felt and happily displayed a grimace on my face as I was sweeping the floor. Then, in the middle of my bad mood, it occured to me that I had power over how I viewed the seemingly unpleasant responsibility before me, and everything changed! When I purposefully shifted my mind from a

April 1, 2022 No Comments

Give it all to God

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 10:31 When I think about my life before going into ministry and the job that I loved the most versus the one I hated, it’s interesting how pay and prestige had absolutely nothing to do with my level of satisfaction! When I was a 17 year-old young man, I was employed as a handyman on my Dad’s ranch. I worked for a guy named Tim and he would coach me and teach me how to do things like build staircases and make master keys (because he was a locksmith). Even though I was only getting paid minimum wage and had to be up every day at the crack of dawn, the work that I did there was totally fulfilling and exciting to me. I contrast that with the job

March 27, 2022 No Comments

Avodah: Hebrew for work, worship and service

“Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord, Christ.” – Colossians 3:22-24 Did you know that surveys suggest that roughly 65 percent of Americans really dislike their jobs and that at least 15 percent hate them? I know, hate is a strong word. Considering that you typically work eight hours a day, five days a week, this can be a problem! To help us change the way we view our careers, we’re going to begin a series of devotions dealing with how God works in and through us to cultivate a joy that brings new meaning to our work-life. When you think about your favorite job, what comes to mind? Were you ever employed in a place that, although you may have worked hard, you felt satisfied

March 23, 2022 No Comments

Happy or Blessed?

The Kingdom of God Needs You

Receive the New Wine

The Surprising Truth About Heresy

You are a Leader!

Grace and Goodness Overcome Evil

Work is a Privilege

You + Jesus = More!

Give it all to God

Avodah: Hebrew for work, worship and service

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!

WATCH

CONNECT

SHOP

ABOUT

DONATE