to the heart
The year was 1897. In a village garbage dump at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, two British archaeologists unearthed some scraps of paper—the discarded contents of a wastepaper basket. When the men read the first few words on the “trash,” they knew they had discovered something big—very big.
The Greek New Testament has a vocabulary of nearly 5,500 words, of which some 500…
healthy and growing
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[Jesus] makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love (Ephesians 4:16).
living free isn't easy
Galatians 5:1: Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Living free isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding. Living by faith while residing in a world filled with sin and corruption can be very difficult at times. Let’s look at this subject in a…
why we sing
Music is a kind of language—an experiential language. It allows us to communicate what we feel or to evoke what we hope to feel. When I want quiet—soft jazz helps me express that longing. When I want to experience joy—folksy bluegrass hits just the right chord. My wife Miska and I both have songs that, whenever we hear them, trigger…
beauty and glory
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O Lord, what a variety of things You have made! In wisdom You have made them all. May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all He has made! (Psalm 104:24,31).
you'll never have to leave
Words to ponder:
We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control (Philippians 3:20-21).
I’m just a small…
spirit of adoption
Romans 8:14-17: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s…
desperate
Tom Thompson works for the charitable organization World Help. One day as he sat in a boat on the Ganges River, he saw people ceremoniously dumping ashes from incinerated corpses into the same water where people bathed, collected drinking water, brushed their teeth, washed their clothes, and disposed of sewage in the most old-fashioned way imaginable. (Don’t think too hard…
free to live and love
I admit it. I’ve been brought up in an environment that if one doesn’t work, one won’t eat. The works-based philosophy of life has permeated so many cultures and societies such that each vacation requires another vacation. Each coffee break makes us long for another one. Each leisure hour makes us yearn for more leisure hours. Working for one's wages…
rise
1 Thessalonians 4:16–18: For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the…
invisible fire
Marty, my hairdresser, told me about this guy she knows—he has flames tattooed on his scalp. With a full head of hair, no one can see the inferno on his skull. But, when he shaves his head, the fire is visible. It’s kind of a cool concept—now you see it, now you don’t. Unless he chooses to share it, the…
trees and trust
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This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness,…
why Lord?
Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
One of the biggest arguments in the modern history of America is the debate over the origin of creation. Christians believe the account that is recorded in the Bible, but the world…
hurt to help
One of professor Haddon Robinson’s seminary students once came to speak with him about her husband’s assignments. She told him that her husband was under a lot of pressure and had been working hard, but he was running behind on getting his work done. But rather than asking Haddon to cut her husband some slack, she asked him not to.…
