How was your first week of Bible reading this year? Maybe you've been struggling to keep up. It can be a daunting thing to read certain chapters every single day, especially if you're not used to that sort of discipline. But it's worth the struggle, I promise you. Here are a few suggestions for staying faithful: 1. Determine what time of day is best for you to read. Some people swear by early morning devotions. They read before they even get out bed, or at least before breakfast. Personally, my brain can't focus until I've had some caffeine sustenance, so I read later in the day -- usually while I eat lunch {it also reminds me to actually eat, since I often forget about lunch when [...Read More]
Spiritual Discipline
October 22, 2012 By 10 Comments
Life happens. It's never calm or comfortable for very long. Hard things come. Chaos runs through our carefully made plans. And... life happens. And when life happens, when you get so overwhelmed with busyness, it gets harder to keep up with reading God's Word every day. It gets harder to be at church whenever the doors are open, when you just need time to sit back and breathe. It gets harder to maintain a consistent and meaningful prayer life when you feel confused or discouraged. Because those things take work. They call for us to flex our puny spiritual muscles -- and usually leave us in pain, when we do. Whether it's reading or studying the Bible, praying for yourself or others, [...Read More]
Learning from the Prophets
September 27, 2012 By 5 Comments
Right now, I'm in awe over the magnitude of our salvation: where it comes from, how it helps us now, what it gives us in eternity. You see, I'm working on memorizing 1 Peter 1 with the group over at Do Not Depart. And, true to form, as I memorize and internalize God's Word - it changes me. This week we're working on verses 10-11. I actually want to include verse 12 in this post, though. You'll see why in a minute: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully... It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those [...Read More]
What’s keeping you busy?
August 9, 2012 By 8 Comments
Imagine you leave your three kids home one day while you go out to run errands. Before you leave, you give them each a detailed list of things to do while you're gone. They don't know how long you'll be gone - and are encouraged to get their work done first, before they enjoy some playtime. Now fast-forward several hours. You've been busy running around town, meeting people and taking care of business. You finally finish your list for the day, head home, and unlock the door. You walk in to find one child sitting at the kitchen table, diligently working on the next day's homework. Her duties included sweeping the kitchen floor, emptying the dishwasher, and taking the trash out. And guess [...Read More]
Running on yesterday’s fuel.
July 12, 2012 By 14 Comments
I need some motivation. Or some suggestions. Or maybe both. Many of you have read about my goal to read through the whole Bible this year. I am still working on it. And I am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm realizing the continuity and coherency of the Bible as a whole, in a way I've never experienced before. I'm discovering overarching themes firsthand, not just because someone tells me they're in there, but because I'm reading about them in every single book. I'm seeing the big picture, not just all the individual details. But lately I've been having trouble reading every single day. Lately I've been going two or three days, and then playing catch-up. It's not because I don't want to [...Read More]
Giving Your Best
July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts... But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations" (Malachi 1:8, 13-14). Maybe we don't [...Read More]
Doing Righteousness
June 16, 2011 By 1 Comment
Joseph: son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, great-grandson of Abraham. Descendant of the three patriarchs of God's chosen people, Israel. The last twenty chapters of Genesis chronicles his life, and the lives of his family. He was born to a patriarch of Israel (in fact, to the original Israel himself), and went on to become a great leader of their nation. A father to them. He carried on his father's faith, and his grandfather's faith, and his great-grandfather's faith. He was faithful to God, and God was faithful to him. He remained faithful, not only during times of triumph and leadership and prosperity, but during times of trial. He remained pleasing to God through much-less-than-ideal [...Read More]
Responding in Worship
May 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD ... So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built [...Read More]
Making Spiritual Progress
October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Attaining spiritual maturity is a life-long task. Every disciple of Jesus Christ, no matter how long he has been walking with God, has more to do to grow spiritually. And he must persist in growing and maturing, for his own sake and for the sake of the Gospel. Consider Paul's exhortation to Timothy: "Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress" (1 Timothy 4:15). These instructions imply that spiritual progress is to be continual, a life-long endeavor. Nowhere is Timothy told to stop "practicing" and "immersing" once he reaches a certain level of maturity: he is to keep on doing it and doing it, constantly progressing and maturing. Reflect for moment on [...Read More]
The Christian, A Soldier
July 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Most of us are familiar with Paul's frequent allusions to fighting "the good fight" and putting on the "armour of God." It is clear that one aspect of the Christian's life is to be a good soldier for Christ. But what does that really mean for us, for those who are unfamiliar with military life or have not experienced it firsthand (or secondhand through our spouse)? Consider this quote from Essential Virtues (Jim Berg): "Military personnel in any branch of our armed forces, when protecting our country's interests, must be able to subordinate their personal passions in order to carry out the country's mission. Their bodies may be screaming for rest while on an extended march, and their hearts [...Read More]
