The human heart is full of eternal hopes. Many people don’t recognize them for what they are—longings for the Kingdom of Heaven and anticipation of living with God and his people forever—but
Category: Encouragement
Here’s Why Invisibility is Not the Same as Insignificance.
You are not called to be noteworthy or special or more successful than your peers, or to be more successful than an earlier version of yourself, or to hustle your way into a better life. You are called to look more like Jesus in each new season. That’s what it means to move forward even […]
Why This Corner of My Home is a Holy Place
THERE IS A CORNER IN MY READING ROOM where I store my issues, the things I often try to hide from God and others. If I find that I’m craving esteem or recognition in an unhealthy way, and if, in that craving, my ego has started maniacally planning all the ways I can get it, […]
How to Pray: Praying When God is Silent
This blog is written by Jarrett Stevens, author of Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God. — Jesus knew the value of silence. He did not run from it; he ran after it. The Gospel writers make sure that we get that silence was a part of how Jesus prayed through his […]
How to Pray When Praying Is Hard
Today’s blog is written by Jarrett Stevens, author of Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God. — I’ve been a pastor for over twenty years, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the following: “I just don’t know how to pray.” “I didn’t grow up doing this kind of […]
Jesus Take The Wheel – How Surrendering Control Brings You Real Freedom
The bent to promote, protect and exalt self starts early in life. One of the first phrases our children said was, “Me first!” Because our self-centeredness is so inbred, Jesus made it clear that if we want to follow him, we must give up our “selves.” Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this verse in Luke states […]
God Knows All About Your Grief – And Here’s His First Step to Recovery
“But remember, like Sarah and Job, we are not helpless.” — This post is excerpted from The Life Recovery Workbook for Grief: A Bible-Centered Approach for Taking Your Life Back, by Stephen Arterburn M. ED and David Stoop. Click this link to experience the whole first step, with workbook questions for your own reflection, for free. […]
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
Adapted from Dr David Jeremiah’s book, Why the Nativity? As the moon lit the treetops and the evening breeze cooled her skin, Mary rested quietly, renewing her strength. She gazed in wonder at the tiny, living gift in her arms. Any child, of course, is a miracle from heaven—a firstborn in particular. Even so, Mary […]
Our Greatest Need is God’s Greatest Gift
There Is More Grace in God than Sin in You Our greatest need and God’s greatest gift are the same thing: forgiveness of sins. And to receive it, we have only to ask and pass it on. But to ask for it, we must first admit that we need it. Instinctively, we wriggle. We want […]
Can I Really Trust God?
Guest post by Jerry Bridges, author of devotional book, 31 Days toward Trusting God. For most of us, life is filled with frustrations, anxieties, and disappointments that tempt us to fret, fume, and worry. Even amidst adversity that we might categorize as ‘minor’, such as an inability to wrestle off the lid of a jar […]
How Our Faith Gives Us Freedom
The same reason we find our country’s freedom precious is the same reason we find the eternal freedom won for us on the cross and in a sealed grave more than two thousand years ago so precious. by Heidi Chiavaroli, author of The Hidden Side I love the Fourth of July. The celebrations, the parades, the […]
Focusing on Hope When Pain Distracts You
By Danny Gokey In a way, pain reminds us that we are still alive. The abundant life we’ve been promised doesn’t come filtered and separate from pain and suffering. It is part of what rounds out our existence. We don’t go looking for pain, yet it seems to find us. We don’t ask for pain, […]