In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul speaks of having a “thorn in the flesh.” He says he pleaded with the Lord three times that it would be removed from him, but it was not removed. Instead of taking away the thorn,...
Read MoreThe prophet Haggai, about whom we know little except what is recorded in the book of Haggai, lived and ministered during a very low period for the Hebrew people. He wrote at the end of the period of captivity...
Read MoreWill you trust God’s words? In Mark 4 we find the story of what happened in the little boat where Jesus and His disciples were caught in a storm at sea. In verse 35 we read: “On that day, when...
Read MoreMark, chapter four, tells us the story of when Jesus and His disciples were crossing the sea in a boat and a storm with strong winds came up suddenly. When they’d left shore, the sea was peaceful and calm. Now...
Read MoreHebrews 12:2 tells us this about Jesus: “Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.” It’s hard to think about all the suffering Jesus experienced and see that as a joyful time. We know He experienced excruciating pain—a...
Read MoreZephaniah was a prophet who arose out of a royal lineage. In the very first verse of the first chapter of his book, Zephaniah lays out where he fits in a family tree that reaches back to King Hezekiah....
Read MoreIn 2 Corinthians 1:10, Paul writes of the promise of our future resurrection: “Who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver...
Read MoreWhen we talk about brokenness, broken people or a broken situation, we usually have an entirely negative connotation in mind. It’s bad to be broken, right?
Read MoreI’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “God won’t put more on you than you can bear.” It sounds good. It sounds like something God might say. Perhaps you’ve repeated it when trying to encourage others.
Read MoreWhen the prophet Habakkuk came onto the scene, it was a dark time for the people of Judah. A time of violence and corruption, injustice and neglect, and a whole lot of suffering. And lurking in the near future,...
Read MoreMost of us have felt at some time—and if you haven’t there’ll likely come a time when you do—that God is doing a number on us. When hard things come our way, we wonder why God didn’t step in and...
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