If a one-year-old snags a lollipop from a bin at the grocery store and eats it without paying for it, we likely handle that differently than if a ten-year-old does it. By the time a child is ten, he’s been taught that he shouldn’t take something that doesn’t belong to…

God is God and I am not. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song with that phrase as its title and, boy, is it true. But how often do I try to “play” God? How many times have I thought a person was a lost cause, or some other person couldn’t…

HYMN DAY! The composer and writer of this Victorian-era communion hymn aren’t known, but its words are beautiful: “O Lord, I Am Not Worthy.” O Lord, I am not worthy That thou should’st come to me; But speak the word of comfort, My spirit healed shall be. And humbly I’ll…

Humility kind of gets a bum rap. Some people think being humble means being weak; others think it means being a doormat. Neither is true. Humility is a simple recognition that God is sovereign over man, and therefore man should heed God’s instruction. An arrogant person thinks he is always…

Does God want us to be in a constant state of mourning and weeping? No, of course not. He brings us joy unspeakable! But unless we come to the place where we realize we are lost and in need of a Savior, we will never mourn His absence. We will…

This verse used to confuse me. Wasn’t God always near? That’s what my parents told me. So why did I need to draw near to Him? Well, I think I’ve found a pretty simple answer to that question. I need to draw near to Him for ME. Yes, He’s always…

Temptations abound, don’t they? We can’t get away from them. Maybe that’s why Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “…when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (I Cor. 10:13 NIV).” The devil can certainly tempt us, but he cannot MAKE us…

“Search Me, O God,” by J. Edwin Orr was written during a revival meeting in New Zealand in 1936. He was only 24 years old, and it only took him five minutes to pen these powerful words! The verses make a beautiful prayer. 1. Search me, O God, And know…

I remember a sermon from when I was a fourth grader. The minister shared from Psalm 37, and verse 4 (“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart”) captured my attention. I had lots of desires, most especially a Spirograph set. I didn’t…

One thing I will say about James: he doesn’t pull any punches. He speaks wisdom and truth, and he isn’t worried about stomping on someone’s toes. This particular verse can make a person draw back in consternation because it feels a bit like an accusation. But when we really look…