strength

God Is Patient… I Should Be Too (Judges 6:13)

I woke up this morning sort of frustrated, but God reminded me through His Word and His Spirit that He is sovereign and that all things happen in His timing and under His control.

I’m going to practice my own self-control and restraint in this post and not actually mention what was frustrating me, but the story of Gideon in Judges 6 definitely spoke to me in ways that reminded me that He is patient and gracious with us through all of our humanity, blindness, and ignorance. (more…)

When Bad Things Happen (John 9:2-3)

“His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'” (John 9:2-3)

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” This is a very popular cosmic question that tries to assign blame for any number of reasons we may find ourselves in difficult life situations. (more…)

I Must Decrease (John 7:18)

“He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:18)

A few weeks back I asked my 10-year old daughter to pray over me, as I was leading our church’s worship team to prepare for Christmas Service. Out of all of the wonderful things she prayed for, one of the things I remember vividly is when she said, “God, prepare Daddy’s heart so that he isn’t doing this to impress anyone, but that he is only doing this to worship You.” (more…)

“It Is I; Don’t Be Afraid” (John 6:18-21)

“A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” (John 6:18-21)

There’s a popular saying that states: “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” This is a call for people to depend on their own strength and to just “push through” their circumstances and “hang in there.” But fortunately God gives us a better way! (more…)