truth

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

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

Heavenly Happiness

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3 As Christians, we hear the word “blessed” a lot, but we tend to lose sight of its actual meaning. When we read things like “blessed are the poor in spirit,” we imagine that the term denotes goodness, righteousness, or holiness when in reality, it refers to something that seems far less spiritual. In Hebrew, the word most often translated “blessed” is asher, and in Greek, it’s makarios. Both of these can be defined as “happy,” and they infer that blessed people are living the good life. Unfortunately, long-faced religion has taught that true discipleship is not synonymous with happiness…yet perhaps this is because our view of the latter is inaccurate. When we think of being happy, we often associate it with worldly pleasures — stuff, sensuality, wealth, and achievement — rather than the state

January 24, 2021 No Comments

Stand on His Promises

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” – Psalm 18:32 Well, 2021 has gotten off to a bit of a rough start. As the COVID pandemic continues to rage and political strife runs rampant, it’s important to remember and consistently focus on the source of our strength. The events of this troubling time can be an energy drain since it seems as if everything is more difficult than it used to be. It’s easy to get bogged down and pulled under by the “bad news” of the day, but thankfully, Jesus offers us a much better alternative! In fact, the Bible says that He arms us with strength. That’s an interesting way of saying it because it infers that our spiritual toughness is a weapon, which further implies that our spirits are under attack. We are not our own worst enemies — Satan is,

January 19, 2021 No Comments

Jesus Wants to Bless You!

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13 If there’s any truth I want you to internalize this year, it’s that God wants to bless you! Many of us who were raised in church, especially in legalistic environments, wrongly believe that our Lord is a killjoy and that we should expect nothing more from Him than our salvation. That said, we approach Him with fear and an underlying conviction that He will bring calamity upon us if we don’t “measure up” to His standards. Thankfully, this is not the truth! In fact, David wrote in the Psalms that although we endure difficulties and hardships, we can be confident that we will see His goodness manifest in our lives on this earth. Though our outcomes may not always be what we want them to be, because the

January 15, 2021 No Comments

A Garden of Goodness + A Temple of Truth

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16 Yesterday, we talked about the Garden of Eden and how it gives us a powerful illustration of the fruitfulness of Christ in our lives. Today, I want to share with you how Adam and Eve’s original home correlates to another one of the Lord’s chosen dwelling places — the temple. We know that the temple was the center of Jewish life, and it’s also where the Spirit of God lived. But what we may not realize is that the plans for constructing God’s House contained many parallels to the garden. The Creation story happened in seven days with seven speeches, and the tabernacle and temple were both built in seven days with seven speeches. And, just as Adam was told to guard and care for the living things in

January 11, 2021 1 Comment

Build a Meaningful Life

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1 As we welcome the second week of 2021, we continue to look ahead to the possibilities that a new year brings. Like Peter, we can become rock-solid in faith, because we were taken from the quarry of Jesus Christ. He is unshakable, powerful, and secure, and so are we when we build our lives on the foundation of His truth. Though many of us have experienced major challenges and setbacks in the past year, it’s imperative to remember that these very challenges are what the Lord uses to craft and chisel us into the masterpieces we’re to become. If we look at people like Moses, Abraham, and David,

January 8, 2021 1 Comment

The Root of the Problem

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’” – Matthew 5:27-29 As Christians, we should constantly seek to become more like Jesus. While this is an everyday aspiration, looking ahead to a new year gives us an opportunity to commit ourselves again to the call of discipleship. In light of our divided culture — one in which social media has given everyone a platform — many of us feel a burden to cultivate unity. More than ever, we’re zealous about bringing divine justice and mercy to earth, yet

December 28, 2020 No Comments

Healed Hearts Change the World

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3 Today, we officially begin the countdown to a new year, and if you’re anything like me, I’m really looking forward to a fresh start. There’s something about the promise and possibility of the next season that fills my heart with hope, and I pray that it does for you, too. That said, as we look at the state of our world in these times, what we see can be disheartening. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, social and political wounds run deep in our culture. Knowing this, I believe now is a better time than ever to embrace the truth that every positive change begins with Jesus in us. There’s an old song that says “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” While I used to think it was really cheesy, I’ve come

December 26, 2020 1 Comment

Divine Mysteries

The Blessing in Wisdom

Heavenly Happiness

Stand on His Promises

Jesus Wants to Bless You!

A Garden of Goodness + A Temple of Truth

Build a Meaningful Life

The Root of the Problem

Healed Hearts Change the World

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