Here’s how we can be sure that we’ve truly come to know God: if we keep his commands. If someone claims, “I have come to know God by experience,” yet doesn’t keep God’s commands, he is a phony and the truth finds no place in him. We can be sure that we’ve truly come to live in intimacy with …
Sincere Darkness
Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! Matthew 6: 22, 23 If I …
The Day I Realized I Might Not Be a Duck
My life had fallen into the deepest, darkest night of the soul I had ever known. I was spiraling down, down, deeper and deeper. In 1996, my book, Weeping May Endure For a Night had just been published. People were calling me for advice I didn’t know how to give. They thought I could help them. I wanted to …
Treasure in Clay Jars
We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that the extraordinary overflow of power will be seen as God’s, not ours. Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option. 2 Corinthians 4:7-8 “We are like common clay jars. …
All of Us Are Blind
Then Jesus spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” So, the man went and washed and came back seeing! John 9:6-7 With another man, Jesus used spit without mud and healed him in two phases. First, the man saw …
Dig Deep
A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 6:10-11 Nothing will come easy that’s worth fighting for. This can be from our relationship with God to our daily work. Each day could be …
It’s the We
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 The past couple of years I’ve come to understand that the gospel isn’t a “me” gospel. It’s a “we” gospel. What I mean is that God looks at how we interact …
Think in Bible
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who …
I Will Cling to My Father
Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, …
Living Life!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly John 10:10 Over a recent weekend, I went hiking in northern Arkansas. While walking through the woods, a million thoughts flew through my head. I found my mind thinking about problems and things I want in life. Finally, …
I Die Daily
1 Corinthians 15:31 Organizations are fueled by the human spirit and human energy. Like the mighty river that originates from a little spring, everything in the organization begins, rises, and falls from what happens in the leader’s secret heart. It’s way too scary. I remember the years when I wanted to be the top guy, I wanted everyone to …
How to Succeed at Anything
The word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. Psalm 33:4 I’ve discovered you can apply the Bible to any facet of your life and it works just like is says it will. The Bible literally is a life-instruction manual. It’s not, “Try this and see if it works for you.” It’s, “Try this. It works …
Defying Gravity
In a world full of noise and sensual distractions wanting to fill me and whip me around, I can live in and for its pleasures. Or I can lock myself inside a lonely shell. There’s a third option: I can look up to God for help. Must I follow the world’s pleasures until I’m in trouble and then cry …
In the Hot Flames of Temptation
From Psalm 39 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” But as I stood there in silence— the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got. Sometimes my insides feel like …
Complete the Work
I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. Titus 1:5 Some people fight for positions. They want to stand on a pedestal above their peers for various reasons, such as pride, power, feeling insulated, or the illusion of job security. God wants …
It’s Okay That I’m Not Okay
Let all who are helpless take heart. Psalm 34:2 You, David, felt helpless? The great king, the warrior-poet who relentlessly pursued after God’s heart, and one of the greatest men in the Bible…? You… Felt… Helpless? No. Read that again. The verse doesn’t say you felt helpless. It says you are helpless. It’s a little mind game I play …
Climb the Mountain of God
Psalm 24 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. We already belong to him. But in this life, he won’t take what’s his. He offers me the gift of his love. He wants the gift of my love from me. He won’t demand it or take it from me. …
Take Enough Time
When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good. Proverbs 20:8 This means stepping back, listening, observing, taking plenty of notes, going home, studying, doing research, praying, and getting advice from wise people. When I’m the person in authority, slowing down and being thorough is my job. It’s not optional. Whether you’re …
A Mother’s Advice to Her Son Who is a King
O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. Proverbs 31:2,3 Occasionally, we see a good king who wants advice from godly counselors. However, most kings don’t take advice from anyone, except perhaps their mother. Sometimes my sons accept advice from their mother …
Instead
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4: 32 It’s like God says, “Take a chill pill.” Let go of bitterness and strife and all evil that wants to live inside you. Instead, be kind. It works much better. Tenderhearted—let go, life is easier this way. Forgive, …
His Light, Not Mine
Psalm 27:1-4 The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? One thing I learned from my years of depression is that I’m not a source of light. I might have a little dim light in me, but mostly, I’m full of darkness. The Lord is my light. I’m afraid of the dark. Are you? With …
Why Jesus Came
Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease. (From the hymn O Holy Night) …
Pointing the Way
You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. Titus 2:15 Jesus said very few people will enter heaven. Only those who do the will of God will be there. Yet he never leaves us in the dark. God raises up men and women who have come through their own dark night, who now look to …
Clean it All Out
Psalm 32 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I remember carrying unresolved guilt inside me all the time. When I cleaned it all out, I got a clear sight of God. Unresolved sin… …
Chip on The Shoulder
Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. Proverbs 3:30 I no longer want to live with the illusion that my life is my own. Lord, I want you to search my heart. Let’s stop at the nearest altar and remove any chips from my shoulder. You know what they are, …
Add to Your Faith…
From 2 Peter 1:1-5 And keep adding, all day, every day. Some people think it’s enough that they added information to themselves when they went to school. So they stopped adding. I meet these people every day. They bring impressive resumes, seeking high-paying jobs. I ask them what they’re doing now to grow themselves. “I haven’t read a book …
Acceptable Sacrifice
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Matthew 16:25 Who can know God? Those who learn to know themselves well and then surrender the self they know so well on God’s altar in grateful sacrifice. As they release their …
A New Operating System
Be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. Romans 12:2 Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” When we switched our company to Lean Manufacturing methods, we soon learned it wouldn’t be effective to apply the Lean practices unless we changed …
A Good Life Made Simple
from Psalm 34 Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. I’ve used this passage as a clean, simple formula for living a good life: Phillip
More Than a Diploma
We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God… totally committed to doing good deeds. From Titus 2:12-14 Following Jesus is a conscious, daily choice. You must fully immerse yourself in study, practice, and hard work. You can’t afford to deceive yourself into thinking you’re a Christian because you were baptized, had an encounter …
