“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” — John 15:8 Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about being rooted — in Jesus, in prayer, in the Word, in community, and in obedience. But roots aren’t the goal. Fruit is. When I’m rooted in…
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” — Psalm 8:1 Psalm 8 begins and ends with wonder. David looks up at the night sky—the moon, the stars, the vastness of creation—and is overwhelmed. In the face of such greatness, he asks an honest question: “What is mankind that you are…
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 At first glance, “submit” and “resist” seem like opposites. One sounds like giving up; the other sounds like fighting back. But James uses them together as two sides of the same spiritual coin. When we submit to God, we…
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 Think about someone you’ve known who was strong and steady. Not the loudest. Not necessarily the most successful. But someone whose faith stood the test of time. Maybe it was a grandparent who read their…
“Then Jesus told him (Thomas), ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” John 20:29 Following His resurrection, while appearing to Thomas, Jesus spoke of a future group who were to one day believe in Him. We who are included in that group do…
In a season often marked by a frenzied busyness, Advent is an opportunity to set aside time to prepare our hearts. The term advent is a version of a Latin word that means “coming.” The four weeks before Christmas are set aside as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’…
Have you ever thought of failure as a success? When we usually think of failure, we think of missing the mark – not achieving our goal. I believe that failure can also be part of the journey that leads to the successful completion of that goal. In our garden, Margie and I haven’t always gotten…
“Then Jesus told him (Thomas), ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” John 20:29 Following His resurrection, while appearing to Thomas, Jesus spoke of a future group who were to one day believe in Him. We who are included in that group do…
When you hear or read the words, “evangelism” or “witnessing,” how does it make you feel? For some, they will break out in sweat or hives, or even in to a full-blown panic attack! I remember when I first became a Christ follower. I was bubbling with excitement and the church group I was with…
James tells us that, “…faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about talents given to three servants and how they used – or didn’t use, those talents. For the two servants that used their talents for work, the master responds with the words, “well done, good and…