“Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” (Lk. 17:9-10) Whatever happened to casting our burden upon the Lord? To the Lord knowing …
Tag: consoler
Fill Your Heart With Good Cheer
“A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” (Pro. 17:22) In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I was asked to become the Interim Director of a department at work. The previous director had been removed for misbehaving and bullying the staff, and I was installed to put the …
Jesus can Lift Up, Heal and Mend Us
“When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’” (Jn. 1:38) When Jesus noticed that some people were following him, He turned around and asked, “What are you looking for?” Did they answer? No. …
The Lord God is Always With You
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9) Once I was asked to give a graduation address to some men who, after leaving prison, had joined an intensive program to change their lives. Before giving …
A Wise Counsel of Elders
“The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, ‘My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” …
We Weep With Jesus but We Can Bring Change
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it… (Luke 19:41) I didn’t want to write about the 19 children and 2 teachers who had been killed in Uvalde. I didn’t want to write about the grief of those parents because I knew that doing so would plunge me into the depths …
Jesus is Our Truth
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ (John 18:33) The Romans' guards have recently captured Jesus. His dearest friends have vanished. He has been betrayed, denied, insulted, and framed. He knows that death is next. Even though it may have looked like everything was …
Becoming Encouragers, Not Discouragers
There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement '). (Acts 4:36) Every month she would tell me how my sermons, the bulletins, or anything else around church could be improved. When she first started sharing her reports, I was thankful for …
Building Up and Encouraging One Another
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other…. (1 Thes. 5:11) One of my most influential mentors was a man named Joel. For the first six months we worked together, I greatly looked forward to our meetings, but then I began to dread them. The format was always the same. We would meet for …
There is No Out, Only Through
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. (Psalm 23: 4) This phrase flooded me right after someone asked me the following question two weeks after my daughter had died: “Jim, just how long do you think it will …