I could take you to where God told me to marry my wife, Susan; where God told me to give up music and pursue a life of speaking and writing; where God told me to start a church. These were nothing less than shouts from God. What I mean is that He spoke so clearly and so strongly impressed Himself and His will on my spirit, it was as if He had thundered from Sinai. There was no doubt in my mind what I was to do. His finger had written it on the tablets of my heart. God will do that from time to time. For Moses, the first of many shouts to his heart from God was a burning bush. The story is worth a close look: Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the ...

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you… blessed are all they that wait for him (Isaiah 30:18). We must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is more wonderful still, of God’s waiting upon us. The vision of Him waiting on us will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His children. And you ask, “How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the help I seek, but waits on longer and longer?” God is a wis...

God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27), which means He imprinted upon us several of His attributes. This sets us apart from the beasts of the field and the birds of the air (Genesis 1:28). Yet, God did not endow humans with all of His characteristics, hence why man stands at a lower rank than even the angels (Hebrews 2:7). In our search to see where God left His fingerprints on us, we’ll discover what He shared with mankind (communicable attributes) and what qualities belong to Him and Him alone (incommunicable attributes). What are the communicable attributes that God shares with us? Before we dive into this, we do have to understand that if we share attributes with God, we do not share the full extent of them. For instance, both God and humans have an innate sense of justice (Proverbs 2...

Will you finish your course? JULY 21 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course” Acts 20:24 Do you pay a price—some extra time in the morning—to get into the Word of God?  Do you pay the price of being ridiculed because you keep your Bible on your desk in the office or bow your head and thank God for His gracious goodness to you when He gives you a meal? Are you willing to be different? Will you finish your course? When you’re running this race, you’re going to find out that you’re running right against the grain. Don’t get the idea that there’s the broad road and the narrow road, and the narrow road runs alongside the broad road, and over there a bunch of people are going this way, and over here you’re going in the same ...

The parable of the Prodigal Son, or Lost Son, is found in the New Testament of the Bible in Luke 15:11-32. It is the third of three parables in that chapter directed at a mixed audience of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees (religious leaders), and teachers of the law. All three parables are on the topic of lost things being found: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. Likewise, all three parables point to the heavenly joy over every sinner who repents from sin and turns to Jesus. Jesus had his specific audience, a mixture of “sinners” and “righteous,” in mind when he told these three stories. Jesus was prompted to tell these parables because the Pharisees and teachers of the law were accusing him of welcoming sinners and eating with them (verse 2). Clearly, the Pharisees and teachers...

I sometimes just say “Lord Jesus, lovely Lord Jesus” over and over slowly, there is nothing better or more healing… There hath not fail one word of all His good promises. All the promises of God are “yea” and “amen,” and that’s enough right there to go on. — Dottie, my mother-in-law Life on this planet can be tough. Jesus never promised otherwise: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) John recorded that in his gospel, but he doesn’t leave it there. In his first letter, John puts it in perspective for those who are born again: In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This ...

Although Christians differ about the age of the Earth and how long each day of creation took—whether seven literal days or millions of years between the days—Christians do agree on one thing. God created the Earth and everything within it. Granted, some differ on whether He did so via evolutionary means or through direct creation, but nothing exists on Earth that God did not have a word in. However, when you encounter the first two chapters of Genesis, it appears as though there are two separate creation stories. Genesis 1 follows the seven days of creation in a chronological, organized manner. But when we get to Genesis 2, the narrative seems to take a step back and focuses on the sixth day, the day God created man. Differences in the language, some contradictions in the text, and the dif...

One of the challenges in any sphere of life, particularly ministry, is staying creative. And it’s an important challenge. We need creativity in our messages, children’s programs, outreach strategies and so much more. So what is the solution to becoming more creative in your output? It’s simple. Become more creative in your input. Here are five easy ways to increase your creativity input and, as a result, increase your creativity output. 1. Read – There is no substitute for a steady stream of good books that will fill your mental tank with ideas. 2. Travel – Exposing yourself to new places, and ideally, different cultures, will expand your creative vision exponentially. 3. Capture – When you have a creative idea, capture it immediately. Write it in a journal, take a note on your phone, jot ...

That Boy Dating Your Daughter is More Than a Nuisance  by Shawn McEvoy Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…Psalms 95:7-8 My little girl will turn eight in a week, and believe it or not… I’m looking forward to the day she starts bringing boys home. Oh, believe me, there’s no rush. I’m happy to remain Numero Uno in little Lauren’s eyes as long as possible. All I’m really saying here is that I believe in her, in how she’s being raised, in how she’s taking after her mother. Whoever she brings home – I’m confident saying – is not going to be a person without redeeming qualities. So what has me so primed for this experience that I don’t sound like the typical dad at the door with a sneer and a shotgun...

Hosea was a prophet during the reign of four different kings (Hosea 1:1) spanning approximately 38 years in the 8th century B.C. And Gomer was a “promiscuous woman” (Hosea 1:2) the Lord told Hosea to marry. Their life together was an enacted prophecy pointing to the pain God experiences over our sin and the love he feels for us despite it. The words of Hosea’s prophecy concern the wrath of a spurned husband and the forgiveness of true love. The Story of Hosea and Gomer Their life is a love story, but not the fairy tale kind. Hosea was called to the ministry of a prophet early in his life, and the book of the Bible devoted to his name spans almost the duration of his lifetime. What we see as 14 pages of the Bible are snippets of a life devoted to the work of God. In Hosea’s time, the Israel...

July 18, 2019Need Encouragement?  Give Encouragement!Mary Southerland Today’s Truth The third time He said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep’ (John 21:17, NIV). Friend to Friend Giving is not just about money. That does not mean we should be less than generous with the money God has given us. We should be quick and happy to share the financial resources we possess. But Kingdom giving encompasses every part of our lives. The only miracle besides the resurrection of Jesus reported in all four Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand. As a teacher, I know the importance of repetition. If a truth is worth repeatin...

God welcomes sincere questions. God welcomes honest and sincere questions from His children. The Bible gives examples of believers who asked God questions because they ultimately wanted to honor and please Him, but they were puzzled over how their circumstances could work out. Gideon asked an angel, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” And when God commissioned him to save Israel out of Midian’s hand, Gideon asked, “But how can I save Israel?” (Judges 6:12-18). He struggled with his weakness and position in Israel, and wondered how God could use him. Also, Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked an angel how it could be possible she would give birth to the “holy one” since she was a virgin (Luke 1:34-38)—a logical question. These believers needed a word from the Lord about t...