Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come into His courts. (Psalm 96:7-8) “Ascribing” is an old Middle English word that means we attribute praise to God for the glory that He already has. We worship the Lord …
Kaspar’s Experiment: Christian Joy and Contentment
To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24-25) One practical way to remain cheerful in Christ, as we live …
Made Like the Returning Jesus
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The world does not know us because it did not know Him (Christ). Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when …
Jesus in the Old Testament
When Christ came into the world, He said: Here I am– it is written about me in the scroll– I have come to do your will, my God….To the Jewish leaders, Jesus said, You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse …
Giving Others the Benefit of Doubt
Surely the human mind and heart are deep, mysterious, unsearchable, and complex. (Psalm 64:6 paraphrase) Christ-like Love Christian mercy includes giving people the benefit of doubt and not making assumptions about them. Various Scriptures lead me to this conclusion: “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out….For who knows a person’s …
Walking in Christ’s Light
You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life….Happy are the people who know how to praise you, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face….Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have …
Jesus, My Strength and Shield
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I give thanks to Him in song. (Psalm 28:7) I used this Scripture with a couple in counseling and they asked me to write down my thoughts. It’s an expanded meditation on a single verse that might …
Christ Knows What He’s Doing (Hurricane Harvey Anniversary)
In Houston, Harvey’s anniversary is being remembered. In case you missed them, you may read our related postings written in 2017: The Blue Marble & Hurricane Harvey Jesus, Hurricanes, God’s Power & Peace Being a “Deacon” to People Who Have None Hurricane Harvey engulfed the Houston metro area and was the costliest tropical cyclone on record. Many have not yet …
Ways to Choose Happiness in Your Life
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. (Psalm 146:5) Pastor Randy Alcorn states: The happiest people in the world have a deep, gratitude-drenched relationship with Christ. We don’t pretend all is well. But knowing God’s commands to rejoice in Him through His all-sufficient power, we meditate on His word …
Planning and Productive Paranoia (Part 2)
If you missed the last post, you can go back and read Planning and Productive Paranoia (Part 1) Quick Review: Last time we looked at Scriptures on Preparation and Discipline and Roald Amundsen’s winning strategy for racing to the South Pole. Application Questions In light of Amundsen’s story, do you need to focus on something like a “20 mile a …