One of the most repeated commands in the Bible is to “fear not.” Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount not to worry about tomorrow. And Paul assured the Philippian Christians, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And…
Tina Turner once sang, “What’s love got to do with it?” I would counter that love has everything to do with it. As we continue to study the Book of James, he mentions the royal law (James 2:8). This law, he goes on to explain, is to love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, he…
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:31 What do you do to stay in shape? For me, I try to hit the gym every day. I find it interesting that…
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet…
James begins his letter with the statement, “Count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds.” Not if we meet them but rather when we meet them. He says that if we remain steadfast we will receive the crown of life. In our text from yesterday, James points out that God is not…
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 Growing up I loved reading. One of my favorite genres was spy novels. I read all of the James Bond novels.…
We all have a past. Some good and some bad. How we deal with our past impacts our future. In the Old Testament, Joseph certainly had a strange and difficult past. He was thrown into a pit by his jealous brothers and then sold into slavery. He was falsely accused of impropriety by the wife…
In the Old Testament, there is a man named Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s story started with a burden. As the people were set to return to Jerusalem, he saw the condition of Jerusalem’s wall and knew the situation was desperate. Without a wall, people returning to Jerusalem after years in captivity would be unprotected and vulnerable to…
Remember the Tina Turner hit song, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Well, as I read through God’s Word – the scriptures, I find that Love has a lot to do with it. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love… I am nothing…Love is patient and…
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 We just finished Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I believe that many…