What are you called to do? This is a good question. One I imagine you have probably asked yourself more than once–whether it was in high school before graduating and figuring out the next steps of your life, or the million times since then like me, just because you want to make sure you are in the will of God. ...
Grace is divine, unmerited favor available to the sinner for salvation and the redeemed for victorious living. Ephesians 2:8-9 says,“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This is what unmerited means– you didn’t earn it. It was a gift. “For ...
Perfection. That thing we are all silently striving for. Have you ever thought why? What is it about perfection that drives us as humans? We want to be the perfect parent, perfect spouse, perfect at our craft, with the perfect body, perfect teeth, perfect home, etc, etc, etc. It’s exhausting to think about, yet perfection remains this thing we all ...
A faith to live by. A purpose to live for. A self to live with. It took me awhile to understand each of these, but I now know without any hesitation that these three are a must (not an option). “But without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, ...
Endurance. Just hearing the word makes you sweat. Endurance describes a person with the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or some other adverse condition. It is the picture of bearing pain and hardships. One image that comes to mind is from the reality TV show “Survivor” where all the contestants were required to hold ...
Jesus was the ultimate game changer. In His message to the multitude, he repeatedly gave them one train of thought and then countered it with: “But I say to you…” For example, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said of those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ BUT I SAY ...
In looking at the story of the woman at the well with Jesus, I noticed something I had not seen before. Remember, Jesus’ disciples had left Him at the well to go into the city to get food. They were surprised when they returned and found Him talking with a woman (John 4:47). The Bible says the woman left and went to ...
Years ago, I used to help oversee a local community project called Kidsteem. The name was derived from the purpose: to help boost the self-esteem of children on the first day of school. The program raised money from local donations and distributed it to lower income families for school clothes, shoes, or supplies. I remember one little boy, who also ...