“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8, ESV). Words come in different forms: on a page, in a text, across social media, and printed on T-shirts. They can challenge us, causing both anger and laughter. Novels are words on a page, and
Football, Parsed Verbs, and Joy! Read More »
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3a, ESV). Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). My mother used to say,
Most Saturdays, I write an Interruption on a Psalm with the number of the Psalm included in the title. Today’s Interruption should be titled Psalms on Saturday ~ Psalm 39. But there’s a fascinating verse in this psalm. . . Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no
When We Don’t Smile Read More »
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:5-7, NASB). T.S. Eliot (the past century poet) described the Christian life as “A
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About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God (Acts 16:25, ESV) Paul and Silas were singing after being beaten and thrown into prison. They’d cast a fortune-telling demon from a slave girl, eliminating her owner’s profit potential. In anger, they stirred up a crowd against Paul and Silas, with the crowd
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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4, ESV). I try to rejoice in all things and often fail miserably. I understand that I should rejoice always but I must admit that I often don’t feel like it. And yet Scripture keeps reminding me to… Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Consider it
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Consider it all joy … when you encounter various trials (James 1:2, NASB1995). The Bible teaches joy in all situations. Not only does James tell us to consider it joy when we encounter trials, but Paul also echoes this thought when he says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say,
Ups and Downs of Walking With Jesus Read More »
Happy are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands (Psalm 128:1, GNT). God wants us to be happy. The Bible doesn’t portray a dour God who wants to pour sour milk over our fun. In God’s Word, most translations use the words “blessed” or “joy” instead of happiness. The GNT (Good News Translation)
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Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2, NLT). Learning to respond to our trials with rejoicing takes discipline. I like the New Living Translation (NLT) version of James 1:2 — that we consider our troubles an opportunity for great joy. When
The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV). Most of us are in food comas now. Be patient, as we have only one more day of celebration (and football games) before we get to our long-awaited diets and signups for the health club. But on the first day of 2024, what Biblical concept should we
The Joy of the Lord ~ New Year’s Message Read More »