What to do when someone sins against you Part 2
When someone’s sin hits you like a stone, hurting you deeply, there are four things you can do. Here’s the second—You can get them back. You can pick up the stone and throw, making them hurt just like they hurt you. That might feel like the right thing to do, but vengeance won’t work. Just […]
What to do when someone sins against you Part 1
When someone’s sin hits you like a stone, hurting you deeply, there are four things you can do. Here’s the first—You can try to forget. That’s what people say, right? “You need to forgive and . . . forget.” That sounds like a nice Pinterest post, but is that idea biblical? I searched the Bible […]
Loved by our Father
Years ago Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a Spanish father and his son Paco who had a falling out, causing the boy to run away from his home to Madrid. Eventually, the father went to look for his son, wanting to reconcile and be with him again. So he took out an ad in […]
Our fingerprints are on the cross
“As the soldiers led [Jesus] away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus” (Luke 23:26). Simon was grabbed from the crowd and commanded to carry the cross when it became too heavy for Jesus. He […]
For women 50 and older (and those who love them)
Paul wrote some curious words about older women: “Teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good” (Titus 2:3). Hmm . . . why would Paul say those specific words to this specific group in the church? […]
For men 50 and older (and those who love them) – Part 1
Of all the official members of my church, about 7 percent of them are what the apostle Paul called “older men,” a Greek word that points to ages 50 and up. If that’s you, or someone you know, listen up: “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, […]
Did Jesus have a beard?
Back in my college days, I wrote love letters to my girlfriend. I tried to be creative and fun. One time I mailed a handful of whiskers. I had shaved off my beard (which she didn’t like). It was a vivid, visual reminder that I was thinking of her. When she opened the envelope, the […]
Build your life on Christ
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6,7). OK, I admit it. Yesterday’s devotion was just a tad vague. Paul encouraged us to continue to live […]