“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.” 2 Peter 2:15 In “The Wittenburg Door”, Mike Yaconelli writes the following: “I live in a small, rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around […]

‘Without Me you can do nothing.’ John 15:5 Self-help books and motivational speakers are like cheerleaders standing on the sidelines shouting, ‘You can do it! You can do it!!’ They can be helpful, but if the ‘you can do it’ philosophy always held true, we wouldn’t need God. Paul understood […]

“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” – Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 In his book “Lectionary Sermon Resource: Year A Part 1”, Will Willimons writes: “Burnout is the disease of our age. Time magazine had an editorial way […]

‘She came and has continued from morning until now.’ Ruth 2:7 After 10 years of sorrow and hardship in which she lost her husband and her support system, God introduced Ruth to her new husband, Boaz. Where? – In the field where she worked each day. Who was Boaz? – […]

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This, too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” – Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 Pastor John Piper offers 15 Biblical things we must do to […]

“I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.” – Ecclesiastes 2:1 Allan Carr was the greatest hedonist of his time. The Beverly Hills talent scout managed Tony Curtis, Peter Sellers, Joan Rivers […]

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29 The word of the Lord is likened to fire and a hammer that breaks rock. In this powerful metaphor, God’s word is depicted as a force of divine power […]

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 In the book “Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas”, U2’s Bono describes God’s grace: “After describing how the concept of karma is central to […]

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 While John warned against deception in the last days, and we should be mindful and discerning of the times in which we […]

“And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 The Impala […]

  “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and […]

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 In her book “It’s Not Your Turn”, author Dr. Heather Thompson Day writes: “A 2007 study conducted […]

“The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” Psalm 119:72 In this psalm, the psalmist extols the immeasurable worth of the words that emanate from the mouth of God, declaring them to be more precious than vast riches. The comparison […]

“I have blotted out … your transgressions, and … your sins. …’ Isaiah 44:22 When you have a hard time forgiving yourself. There is only one unpardonable sin named in the Bible Luke 12:10. And as a believer, you probably haven’t committed it, so God will forgive you for everything […]

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 Roy Baumeister and John Tierney in their book “Willpower”, write the following about self-control: “Researchers were surprised to find that people with strong […]