With the merciful You will show yourself merciful. Psalm 18:25 The words of David about God. David knew the mercy he had been shown from God, as he once had an innocent man killed. Having received this mercy, David was compelled to be merciful. When Jesus gave us the model prayer, he said, “and forgive…
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 The words of King David above are believed to have been written when he was young. Looking back, he rightly described God as…
“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9 These are the words of Joseph when confronted with a decision to do that which was not right, that which was against God’s words. Joseph turns away because of his commitment to God. Joseph recognized the grace of God that had…
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25 A house divided will not stand. A marriage divided will not stand. A business divided will not stand. A team divided will not stand. A nation…
Much clouds our vision from God. We easily become enamored with assets or issues, inadvertently changing our views, our actions, maybe even our beliefs. Our focus moves from God to the things of this world. “There is nothing new under the sun.” These are the words of King Solomon, called the wisest person on earth…
How’s the new year going? If you are anything like me, you went from zero to hundred overnight after the holidays. The year starts fast and furious, and we settle into that speed for the next twelve months. A danger for me is to leave the previous year without reflecting on all that God has…
Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, the son of Isaac, one who received the covenant directly from God. As you read about the life of Jacob, God consistently surrounds him. In Genesis 32, we find Jacob in a state of fear over his life. He ran to his Anchor in prayer. Toward the beginning of…
You jump in the ocean, swim for a few minutes, turn around to look at your family and friends, and they have moved! In reality, you have moved, and you didn’t even realize it. Slowly the current moved you down the beach. You drifted without knowing that you were moving. Just like the subtle movement…
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 My favorite pastor used to say that “if you can believe Genesis 1:1, you have the Bible licked.” So true. From the first verse, the Bible is a book of faith. Depending on the version of the Bible, the word faith is used…
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” One of my favorite quotes on life, insinuating that we learn from challenging experiences. Once , in Indonesia, in an area known as the Thousand Islands in the Java Sea, I was taking an open air boat with about 50 people to a nearby island. Among the…