Loving Discipline Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Revelation 3:19 Do you love discipline? Most of us don’t. But Scripture says, “My [child], do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he …
But God Produces the Harvest
Who Gets the Credit? I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 During my daughter’s school years, she disliked group work. “I did my part, but we got a C because Jimmy didn’t do his work,” she said. Or “Julie took credit for what I did.” I empathized. I’d felt the …
But God Chose the Foolish and Weak
The People God Calls Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. …
But God Raised Him from the Dead
The Life-Giver Peter said, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.” Acts 3:15 The religious leaders came to watch an execution. They mocked the man who hung on the cross. “‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself’” (Matthew 27:42). His crucifixion was a victory for them: the popular rabbi wouldn’t charm …
But God Knows Our Hearts
God Sees the Real You He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:15 What do you do when no one else is around? Do your actions match the image you portray when someone else is watching? …
But God Is My Strength
Keep a Forever Perspective My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 A Psalm of Asaph “Life is not always fair,” I once said in a class of four-year-olds after hearing once too often, “That’s not fair!” Those words were repeated all day—and when the parents came …
But God Cares for the Needy
“I’m Blessed” But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. Psalm 9:18 One day I walked into the soup kitchen where I volunteer and encountered a regular, whom I’ll call Roy. “How ya doing?” I asked. He responded with a broad smile, then said, “I’m blessed.” Roy was homeless. He’d been camping in …
But God Ate and Drank with Them
See God and Live But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. Exodus 24:11 On August 21, 2017, thousands of people in certain parts of the United States were able to see a complete eclipse of the sun as the moon came between the sun and the …