Our words are powerful! They can tear souls down, they can destroy the closest of friendships, they can dishearten, and they can and do cause wars. Our words can build souls up, they can encourage and strengthen friendships, they can be healing, and they can prevent wars. Our words are real, and they have meaning….
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human…
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a solder (2 Timothy 2:4). The world wants your attention. There are an endless number of causes that try to get our attention: political issues, social issues, environmental issues. Much of the news…
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). When we look at the Apostles, they had not been to the rabbinic schools. They were fisherman. However, it was not their ignorance; it was…
The saying goes, “Things aren’t always what they seem to be.” Ad agencies study the facets of human nature: what things attract and what maintains attention. This is because their clients want to make a sale. Often, the consumer is aware of being played but follows through, buying the product. Because marketing analysts are in…
“It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I am.” So said Cassius Clay, Nebuchadnezzar, Adolf Hitler, Ozymandias, the Pharisee in Luke 18, Pharaoh, and a host of others. How close is this to saying, “It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I AM”? “God said to…
Exposure is the experience of or contact with something. It could be a physical element or a social association. It is usually not a friendly term. Exposure is often used to articulate something bad or excessive such as radiation exposure, over or under-exposure, or even indecent exposure (something lewd, immodest, or criminal). But we want…
Have you ever completed a task, reached a goal, or built something you looked back upon with some satisfaction? Not a feeling of pride or lifting yourself up but just a feeling of satisfaction. Maybe it’s part of your home that you renovated or improved. It could be an object that you built or sewed….
God’s word endorses mercy, as Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The prophet Hosea wrote that God desires “mercy, and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6), which Jesus echoed (Matthew 12:7). The Lord wants mercy more than rituals performed by worshipers. James warns us that “judgment is without mercy to…
Everybody likes to be encouraged. The feelings that come from being encouraged can often last a lifetime. It is not uncommon for people who have lived a good long life to happily remember back to an encourager that they knew when they were a child. Encouragement makes an impact. It is also looked on very…