Because We Love Him! If Jesus received those who sought Him only because of His miracles how much more will He receive those who seek

Nothing can help God to be God. And nothing can keep God from acting as God. We can only do what is helpful to others

Accepted By God  If Jesus received those who sought Him only because of His miracles how much more will He receive those who seek Him

We often look inward and wonder if we are hypocrites because we are displeased with ourselves. Yet the opposite is true. This kind of displeasure

Paul wrote, “who shall ascend into heaven.” This teaches us that we are not saved by works or effort; salvation and all things pertaining to

Faith and hope are the wings that lift us above the clouds. The Psalmist wrote, “I have lifted up my soul. I have put my

We could think the disciplined Christian life would be too restrictive or not much fun. But it isn’t. It is wholesome fun and certainly more

There is a difference in feeling happy and feeling a deep sense of spiritual contentment. They can run concurrently but they are not the same.

Faith involves knowledge. For example, we are called to faith through some method of preaching or teaching. We are also sustained in our faith because

There is nothing in the natural world which God is not the original source. All the motions and characteristics of the natural world are second

It Is Well With My Soul When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,  when sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, Thou has

The Apostle Peter encourages the People of Faith to to show hospitality toward one another (1 Peter 4:9.) We can be hospitable in many ways,

There is a true story of a poor widow who gave two mites to the church treasury. The mite was the least valuable coin in

In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, “What things you desire, when you pray, believe that you shall receive them, and you shall have them.” In this

There is a difference between Saving Faith and Living Faith. Saving Faith is a gift from God. We cannot cultivate Saving Faith. We can only

It seems helpful to share a few brief thoughts about overcoming what we could call Ordinary Stress and Anxiety. Clinical or acute depression and anxiety

Kindness is an essential ingredient in healthy relationships and favorable outcomes  Kindness requires inward resolve. It does not come from what others do, think, or

If the world was left on its own without intervention from God it would fall into disrepair and rapid destruction. For we know that God

Knowing God and knowing ourselves go hand in hand. When we get closer to God we learn more about ourselves. John Calvin, a prominent church

When we have so much to do we are often reluctant to take time out of our day for Quiet Time with God. Yet, when

In Mathew 6:34 Jesus taught we should not “worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day

When the disciples asked Jesus how many times should we forgive others, He responded with a hyperbolic number (70×7) which means an unlimited number of

Through faith we have access to all that God has to offer. Faith is a gift from God. We would remain in unbelief if it

When the ancient People of Faith were making their way out of Egypt they felt safe and positive about their journey. The Pharaoh had given

I was visiting with a parishioner and good friend, who told me that one of his grown children had asked him to say a prayer

If we spend time with God we kind of know what God wants from us. Sometimes we are confused, or not sure, but on balance

Most would agree that spreading false accusation or stories is wrong or immoral. If spoken it is called slander. If written it is called libel.

“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” (Mathew 5:9) Peace Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where

We have a special privilege to go to God in prayer to receive the comfort we need when comfort is needed and to have faith

We know how prone we are to be intoxicated by great wealth. On the other hand there is at least an equal amount of temptation with deep poverty.

It is rare that a person gets it right the first time around. The People of Faith frequently stumble and fall because of inexperience, weakness,

In Psalms 68 David wrote Oh God when you went out before your people, when You marched through the wilderness with them. David was referring

In the Book of Numbers, we see that the ancient people of faith lived in simple yet functional pavilions and tents. The Tabernacle where they

Adversity is a way that God develops patience. James wrote that the trying of our faith work toward or develops patience. In Scripture patience is

I admit that there are successful businesses and careers that have little or nothing to do with being a Christian; they are monetarily successful because

Joy to the World is a beloved Christmas hymn. This Christian advent hymn was written by Isaac Watts. He lived between 1674 and 1748. Watts

Our world is immersed in some real and challenging problems. Some of them will be very difficult to control or improve. To mention what I

Thanksgiving celebrations in Christendom have deep historical and spiritual roots. Even as far back as Moses; although Jewish, he was a founder of the faith

As people faith we know there is a Heaven; not what we see when we look up to the clouds or sky or when gazing

The people of faith are compelled to please God. Yet, they know that pleasing God all the time is beyond their reach. But they do

Jesus spoke figuratively in parables; making use of an ordinary style of discourse yet always profound and prophetic. In Mathew 13:31 – 33 we read

God led Abraham in various directions with no guarantees other than an inward assurance that God would take care of him. Abraham’s life was not

If we are honest, we have all made many mistakes in our personal, social, and spiritual lives. Saint Augustine wrote about his moral and ethical

There are serious threats in our world today. There are threats which we could agree or disagree, yet, most of us would agree that climate

I was reading an excerpt from one of my commentaries, that our neighbor is injured when we act toward them in any other way than

Some joke and actually might think their lives would be better if it weren’t for the people in it! Well, some people can make life

There is an unintentional misstep we often make when we ask God for help. We ask God for something but never really give Him anything

Jesus encouraged His followers to have faith but never insisted on a faith beyond simple belief.  In Luke 17:5-6, when the disciples asked Jesus to

It is natural to want to act or make decisions when our passions run high. Sometimes this can be helpful because being passionate about something

In our weakest moments God is standing by to strengthen us. The strength we need can come directly from God, the secret comforts through prayer

Life is complicated and sometimes confusing. We might not be feeling good about ourselves or we are going through some challenging circumstances. Paul wrote In

Knowing God and knowing ourselves go hand in hand. A prominent church teacher wrote that nearly all the true wisdom we might have, that is

Biblical Abraham was led about in various directions with no guarantees other than an inward assurance of divine care. Abraham’s challenging life experiences were not

Jesus said “Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” (Mathew 5:4). As we look at this verse today, there are two mainstream interpretations.