Neither Poverty Nor Riches
Did you know there are hundreds of verses about wealth and money in the Bible? If we include gold, silver, riches, inheritance, debt, and other financially related topics that number climbs well into the thousands, more than nearly any other subject. Why would God put such a heavy emphasis on our monetary affairs? Could He […]
Outcry for Justice
Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive we must get grain. Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during […]
The Secret of Oil
At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with […]
No Power Apart From God
This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 The Moabites and the Amnonites came to wage war against King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Some men came and told the king that a vast army […]
Standing Strong against Opposition
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. Exodus 14:13 Although Pharaoh released the Israelites to leave Egypt, he later changed his mind. So he took 600 of his best […]
Turning Complaints into Constructive Action
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, or he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” Numbers 12:1-2 Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses’ wife being a Cushite. Their complaining turned into judgment of Moses and […]
Doubt is Not a Bad Thing
I have just returned from a cycling trip and I am still marveling at the beauty we can see when we travel by bicycle. I was able to climb elevation (with pedal assistance!) up to 4,000 feet along the Croatian Islands. As I looked down (made me dizzy!) I marveled at God’s creation. This week […]
Turning Darkness into Light
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16 After Jesus was led into the desert and was tempted by Satan, He began to preach to the people. He came preaching with power and was filled […]
Buried in Stress
Friends, since this blog is about making space for God I am going to be very frank with you. More and more Christians seem to be stressed out, overcommitted, having little time for breaks in the day. Ruth Haley Barton describes this as indicating that we are not able to be present in the moment […]
Sin
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 The Greek translation for sin is amartia. It means “missing the mark.” Sin begins with temptation. It doesn’t become sin until you give in to the temptation. As courageous leaders, we must resist temptation by having the […]