Focal Passage: Zephaniah 3:9-20 Fear is an effective tool used by Satan to demoralize and discourage people, especially God’s people. Scripture repeatedly commands us: “Do not be afraid.” And yet, we fear anything and everything all the time: fear of loss, fear of man, fear of being without, fear of sickness, fear of death, etc. In addition, we don’t often think of replacing fear with joy. However, if our confidence
Focal Passage: John 3:4-18 Over the years, I’ve found New Year’s Day to be so refreshing and encouraging. Have you ever felt this way? Whether it’s psychological or practical, there is a sense in which beginning a new year offers closure to the failures and disappointments of the past, and provides hope, renewal and fresh motivation for what is ahead. For many, this might mean a change in diet and
Focal Passage: Matthew 14:22-33 Words like discouragement, melancholy, depression and spiritual lethargy are cousins — word groupings that speak to the kind of mental and spiritual disposition that warrants our attention. The opposite of discouragement is the word courage without the prefix. Discouragement is the inability to think or act as we ought to. Courage, on the other hand, is the God-enabled ability to think and act in faith. Jesus
Focal Passage: Luke 2:1-15 “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!” These are the majestic words spoken to the lowly shepherds by an angel on the night Jesus was born. On that ordinary evening none of them were expecting
Focal Passage: Luke 1:26-38 Satan uses two tools to stymie God’s people: fear and discouragement. Fear causes a person to pause out of cowardice, while discouragement paralyzes us in inaction. Together these twin temptations can prove to be deadly to a person’s faith, producing faithless lethargy. In Mary’s story we see one of these sinister sins at work: fear. Yet, Mary confronts her fear with humble submission to God. Don’t
Focal Passage: John 2:11-23 If you were able to travel back to the first century and meet Jesus, what would you expect Him to be like? Most would think of Jesus in terms of the old hymn by Charles Wesley, “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild … Loving Jesus, gentle lamb …” After all, when we read the Gospels, we find a Jesus who is obedient to the Father, gracious toward
Focal Passage: I John 3:13-18; 4:14-18 If God’s sovereign purposes give us security over fear (Romans 8:28- 39), then God’s sovereign work in us enables us to replace fear with love. If we are secure in the love of an all-caring, eternal, providential God, then we do not have to be afraid. Replacing fear with love sets us free to serve others because we know we’re secure in Jesus Christ.
Focal Passage: John 1:40-51 I recently noticed an advertisement on social media from a low-budget airline offering a $100,000 signing bonus for qualified pilots. Such an offer seemed really impressive to say the least. However, after reading the comments below, some of which were written by pilots in the industry, it was clear that the company’s offer was misleading. A few of the pilots even warned others to be skeptical
Focal Passage: Romans 8:28-39 There are very few texts in all of Scripture that are more comforting and consoling than Romans 8:28-39. So well known is this passage that even unbelievers who have no clue as to its origins can quote this passage in part, if not the whole. However, only the child of God can know and appreciate the depth of its meaning. These two verses remind us that
Focal Passage: John 1:1-14 One of the great blessings I experience each year is reading the Bible through. I particularly enjoy the chronological reading plan because it organizes the daily reading schedule according to when the events took place in history. For example, the plan begins with Genesis 1-11 but then moves to Job before returning to Genesis 12-50. Most scholars believe that Job took place during the period between
Focal Passage: Zephaniah 3:9-20 Fear is an effective tool used by Satan to demoralize and discourage people, especially God’s people. Scripture repeatedly commands us: “Do
Focal Passage: John 3:4-18 Over the years, I’ve found New Year’s Day to be so refreshing and encouraging. Have you ever felt this way? Whether
Focal Passage: Matthew 14:22-33 Words like discouragement, melancholy, depression and spiritual lethargy are cousins — word groupings that speak to the kind of mental and
Focal Passage: Luke 2:1-15 “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto
Focal Passage: Luke 1:26-38 Satan uses two tools to stymie God’s people: fear and discouragement. Fear causes a person to pause out of cowardice, while
Focal Passage: John 2:11-23 If you were able to travel back to the first century and meet Jesus, what would you expect Him to be
Focal Passage: I John 3:13-18; 4:14-18 If God’s sovereign purposes give us security over fear (Romans 8:28- 39), then God’s sovereign work in us enables
Focal Passage: John 1:40-51 I recently noticed an advertisement on social media from a low-budget airline offering a $100,000 signing bonus for qualified pilots. Such
Focal Passage: Romans 8:28-39 There are very few texts in all of Scripture that are more comforting and consoling than Romans 8:28-39. So well known
Focal Passage: John 1:1-14 One of the great blessings I experience each year is reading the Bible through. I particularly enjoy the chronological reading plan
