HOME For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. – 2 Corinthians 5:1 In his book Faith and Doubt, John Ortberg compares life to the game of baseball. He says that the object of..
PIES A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. – Proverbs 11:1 God is balanced, meaning God cares about our whole person and our whole life. Proverbs 20:23 says, “a false balance is not good”. Job 31:6 says, “Let me be weighed in an even balance”. An..
WILL YOU GIVE ME A DRINK? When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” – John 4:7 Water is something we take for granted, clean water that is. It is sold in bottles and buildings have clean water fountains and we never give a thought..
HORSES AND CHARIOTS Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. – Psalm 20:7 Perhaps few other verses in the Bible spell out the spiritual contrast between the trust of the believer versus the belief of carnal man than Psalm 20:7. It brings out..
Trust Jesus in the Darkest of Times
TRUST JESUS IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. – Isaiah 50:10 It was a day I will never forget. The doctor looked at me and said..
YOUR IDENTITY IS IN JESUS For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – Galatians 3:37-28 What is your identity? When you talk about yourself, what markers of personal..
LIVING YOUR FAITH Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:6 The wonderful gift of the Gospel is that it changes us not only on the inside (our heart), but on the outside as well (our life). In other words, our lives as Christians should be demonstrated in..
A REAL WAR Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. – Ephesians 6:11 There have been wars almost since time began. They have come and gone, but there is one war that has been and always will be ongoing until the end..
CHECKING THE RIGHT BOX For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 Social media is the new in. Only ten years ago some college students designed a program to communicate with each other on..
HE CARES FOR YOU So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7 If you are struggling or stressed with life’s obstacles, you need only look..
ENGRAFTED Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 The state where I live is known for raising citrus. There are thousands upon thousands of acres of all kinds and varieties of citrus. While the varieties are different, most have..
Matthew 7.3-6 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of..
Smart phones or not-so-smart phones? There’s no doubt about it, smartphones are changing our world. People carry them everywhere and check them constantly. Emails and texts and Facebook and Twitter and the list goes on. People often comment on seeing a group of teens sitting at a table together, all of them looking down at..
Gossip embroils at least three people in a harmful activity; the speaker, the listener, and the person who is the topic of conversation. Gossip sneaks into conversations under the guise of innocent information, truthful facts, or even as a misguided matter of prayer. Gossip is not an innocent pastime. It is a sin. Gossip, as..
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. – Psalm 37:7 In this crowded world most people don’t want to be alone or away from the crowd, but Jesus wants us to sit quietly in His presence..
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5 An old story says that one day, a man went to visit a church; He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another..
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. – Proverbs 12:18 Words have such a powerful ability to bless or wound. We need to watch with diligence what we say. The wrong words, especially at the wrong time have the ability to hurt both those who speak..
Trust In the Source Of Guidance
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” – Matthew 14: 31-33 It has been..
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34 When Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, it is not a suggestion, but a command. Think about it. God divided time into days and nights so we would have manageable..
Thoughts on Life Living Life God’s Way and Enjoying it Too from the desk of John Grant Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. – Psalm 139:7-8..
Thoughts on Life Living Life God’s Way and Enjoying it Too from the desk of John Grant THE LORD WHO HEALS He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not..
A Marriage Covenant Is Sacrificial
There is no such thing as a covenant without sacrifice, and marriage is designed to be the most sacrificial of all relationships. Covenant represents total surrender and involves the merging of one’s life into another. This biblical image of “two becoming one” does not deny personal identity, but it allows the development of a wonderful..
The Resolution Solution for Conflict
Conflict is a normal part of life, but when conflict between believers involve sinful behavior, they must be handled carefully. Jesus outlined a process toward resolving these conflicts. Is a brother or sister offends us, our first responsibility is to talk with that person about the offense. At this point, the person can be made..
The Importance of Honoring Marriages
One way to honor and strengthen our marriages is to live out a wholehearted marriage. God calls us to live wholeheartedly in the greatest commandment, directing us to love Him and others with all our hearts. We are also told that the very reason Jesus came was so that we could experience the fullness and..
Thoughts on Life Living Life God’s Way and Enjoying it Too from the desk of John Grant So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6:34 Written from a quote and recorded by several artists, it became a popular tune. “Don’t Worry, Be..
Joseph’s Forgiveness – Genesis 45:5
The power to forgive comes as a divine gift. We choose to forgive, but God empowers our forgiveness. The desire for vengeance can be so overpowering that without God’s intervention, genuine forgiveness rarely takes place. God enabled Joseph to choose forgiveness when his brothers deserved retribution. God used that willingness to assure the survival of..
“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings likes eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Will a human being ever swim across the ocean? Run a one – minute mile? Go six months without sleeping? Of course..