Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. Acts 19:32 Loral Langemeier, one of my first business coaches, taught me about looping logic. Suppose you had a flat tire on the …
Harmonious Team
This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 When we work …
My Father Prayer
Jacob wrestled with God… Genesis 32 Lord, I’m crippled. I’m broken. I can’t go on. How can I be the father I never had? I don’t know the ways of God. my personality stinks. But Lord, here I am, standing alone like a little lost child. And I’m going to stand here. And I’m going to fight. I will …
Heart Matters
If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3 So, it comes down to the intent of the heart…pretty simple but it’s not always easy to do. On a recent 4-hour flight, a 2-year-old sat …
Our Fickle Emotions
When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!” Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. Psalm 30:6-7 These two verses summarize David’s emotional roller coaster. When life runs smoothly, I think I’m unstoppable. Then one little thing breaks, and I think my world …
Intentionally Seeking God
And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14 Seeking God doesn’t just accidentally happen. We have to be intentional. We have to prepare our hearts. Preparing takes time. It takes work. It takes humility. Ben
Sooner Than We Think
This is, all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11 On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, …
Not Alone
But now, listen to the Lord who created you. the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 Rejection can take bites out of a person’s core and whittle away at the very substance of who we are. It can give the …
Stop Being Phony
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) …
