Confident Hope
My faith is not blind. If it were, when I say I have faith in the promises of God, I would be saying I have confidence in someone whose character I do not know. I may not have ever seen God with my physical eyes, but He is visible in every part of my life …
Doing Good
What is “doing good?” Paul gives us the Fruit of the Spirit at the end of the previous chapter: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we listen to that inner voice of the Holy Spirit and follow through with forgiveness when our pride is yelling, “NO! They don’t deserve grace!”— …
Eternity Starts Now
This is the last verse of the 23rd psalm. I love that it comes at the end of the psalm. After going through the darkest valleys of life with God, David is confident he will not only walk with the LORD every day of this life but that eternity starts now. “Our Father who art …
Pitch Perfect
When I read this verse this morning, I immediately thought about piano tuning. Weird, I know. THIS is why I believe the Holy Spirit whispers to us in our quiet time. I am not musical. I know nothing about piano tuning! However, I remember reading something about piano tuning, lol! I don’t know when, where …
Friendship Grace
When I read this verse this morning, I immediately paused to give thanks for the abundance of people in my life who love me well and whom I am blessed to call friends. Then I started thinking about the traits that make someone a good friend—they are loyal, trustworthy, encouraging, honest, fun-loving, understanding—the list goes …
Thank You Notes
Give thanks for every good and perfect gift in your life today. Make a list if you need to. Start a gratitude journal. Somehow find a moment in the busyness of life to thank the Author of ALL life for the gifts He has given you. It is like writing Thank You notes; yes, I …
Luke 6:28
John was very competitive when we played games, and we played a LOT of games through the years. In Ecuador, almost every scrap paper we could find was repurposed as a scorecard. Well, let me tell you, when John was winning, I knew it! My favorite thing to do was to lay down a 40-point …
Crossing the Threshold of Grace
Keeping His commands isn’t necessary to enter into a relationship with Jesus; His death on the cross opened that door of grace. Keeping His commands, stretching each day to be transformed by my relationship with Christ, trying, and most days failing, to love like Jesus is the evidence of my love for Jesus, not the …
Whole Hearted Halleluiahs
“Praise the LORD, oh my soul; And all that is within me, praise His holy name!” Psalm 103 is a beautiful love song written by David to the God of his heart, his soul, his everything. There are no half-hearted hallelujahs for David. He wants to bring every bit of his being before the LORD …
Sacrificial Praise
The previous verse speaks of maintaining a posture of sacrificial praise to God, our Father, for the gift of Christ, our Savior. Praise is usually thought of as an overflowing of joy and gratitude to God as we walk happily through life. Sacrificial praise, however, comes from a place of profound emptiness; from a place …
