Would you do better being poor than being rich? JULY 29 “Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity [falsehood] and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [needful] for me: Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Proverbs 30: 7-9 To pass the test of life, one test you may have to pass is the test of poverty. If so, the Lord has some advice for you. See your poverty in the proper perspective. Because in the Lord Jesus Christ you are highly exalted, no matter how poor you are. Having Christ, you are richer than the richest man on earth without the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you have gone from rags to riches. Did you kno...

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”(1 Samuel 7:12) Ebenezer is only mentioned three times in the Bible. By definition Ebenezer means “stone of help.” The background of its meaning and significance begins in 1 Samuel 4 with Israel and the Philistines. 1. A Place of Defeat Israel set up camp beside Ebenezer in preparation for battle against the Philistines. During this period of time, Israel was infected with the worship of idols, practiced rituals, and neglected offerings to the Lord. In 1 Samuel 2:24, we are told, “[n]ay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.” While in this sinful state, the elders of Israel felt if they fetched the Ark of the Cove...

DEALING WITH THE THIEF “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”  John 10:10 What would you do if a man came to your door one Saturday afternoon with the sole intention of stealing all your stuff? He wants your big screen TV, your computer, your phone, your furniture, and any spare cash you have around. Keep in mind that he has no weapon and no authority—although he sounds very authoritative. Furthermore, while he looks mean and menacing, he is really no tougher than Don Knotts (aka Barney Fife from yesteryear). In actuality, he couldn’t whip your ten year old in a fist fight. How would you respond to this thief? Would you let him have his way and rob you blind? Would you ...

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6) Do you sometimes wonder why Jesus loves you? I mean, of course, we all know that God does love us because—insert classic children’s melody here!—“the Bible tells me so-oo.” (See John 3:16 and Romans 5:5 if you need proof.) And we know that God’s love for us is great—see Romans 8:38-39 for a beautiful reminder of that. But seriously, don’t you sometimes feel like King David when he wrote the lyrics of Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT)? “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” God Loves Me We certainly don’t deserve God’s love, and He’s not obligated to love either. ...

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A Prayer for When You Fear DeathBy Greg Laurie “The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 Have you ever been stung by a bee? It’s not a fun experience. But though it’s painful for the person being stung, it’s fatal for the bee. When a honeybee stings a person, it can’t pull its little barbed stinger back out. This is a one-time experience for them. They had better think carefully about who they are going to sting, because once they do it, they are not going to survive. When a bee stings you, not only is the bee’s stinger left in you but also part of its abdomen and digestive tract, as well as nerves and muscles. This massive abdominal rupture kills the bee shortly after it stings. That is what h...

Throughout Scripture the right hand is used as a picture of strength and capability. A large portion of the world is right-handed, so most people resonate with the sense of dexterity, strength, and ability coming from the right hand versus the left. However, when Scripture uses the image of God’s right hand, it is meant to be a picture of the pinnacle of strength and ability. In passages that specifies God’s right hand, strength is a key focus. Here are some other instances in the Bible where God’s right hand touches the lives of His children: Right Hand of God: Protection and Salvation “For by their own sword they did not possess the land, and their own arm did not save them, but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, for You favored them.” (Psalms 44:3) “Wondrously ...

All my friends are looking awful.   That was my thought when I briefly dipped off of Instagram last week for a minute, despite the fact that I have an ironclad rule against even looking at social media in the summer. Turns out, of course, what I was seeing was a series of altered photos, instantly aging, for instance, a twenty-five year-old into a virtual eighty-five year-old. These were the craft of FaceApp, downloaded now by well over a 100 million people. Within days of the craze, reports emerged about the serious privacy concerns circling around this app’s Russian developer and the sweeping terms and conditions most people check without thinking. Still, for most people, the app was a fun diversion. And I wonder why we like it.  In the New York Times, author Nicci Ge...

July 26 The Basis for Discernment Hebrews 4:12-13 Since spiritual discernment is the ability to see life from God’s perspective, it requires that we know how He thinks and acts. The Bible is His unchanging, infallible revelation of Himself. However, the Lord doesn’t simply give us a list of facts about His character and ways. All throughout the pages of Scripture, He illustrates who He is and how He operates. Although the Bible is ancient, it’s not a dead book. It’s alive and as fresh as if He were speaking directly to you. The stories may have taken place centuries ago, but the principles and applications are current and relevant. It’s our instruction book about how to live. Guidance for decisions and discernment about situations are found from Genesis to Rev...

Meditation is a key component to a Christian’s growth. While meditation isn’t described in Scripture as many think of meditation today, which is greatly influenced by Eastern meditation methods, meditation in the Bible is associated with growth and prosperity. Definition of Meditate in the Bible The following words are translated in Hebrew and Greek (respectively) into our English word for meditate: Hagah: muse, growl, moan, utter (Strong’s 1897). Found in: Joshua 1:8, Job, 27:4, Jeremiah 48:31, as well as various times in Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah. Suach: muse (Strong’s 7742). The Complete Word Study Bible further expands on the usage of this word to mean, “a verb meaning to be bowed down; to be downcast. It refers often to the despair of one’s soul.” Found in: Genesis ...

I’ve written in the past about the five “C’s” I look for when hiring staff or inviting volunteers into strategic leadership roles: competence, character, catalytic ability, chemistry and calling. But in various settings, I’ve found myself talking increasingly about the defining character trait of those who pass those five and grow with an organization—the defining mark of someone who truly succeeds. I don’t mean the world’s definition of success, but those who make a mark for the Kingdom and who stretch toward their full redemptive potential as an ambassador for Christ. It’s “teachability.” Not sure that’s a word, but it works for me. It means someone who is (obviously) teachable. This is more than being able to learn, but being willing to learn. Eager to learn. Desiring to learn.  An...