How to use the Bible as a tool
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all…
What can you handle?
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (NIV) No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (MSG) No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is…
Upon Your Commencement
For Michael upon graduating high school . . . and leaving us . . . Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 So it is finally time. I remember when I was eighteen, leaving for the uncharted territory of college, in an unfamiliar city, fashioning a grown up life for myself. The freedom was exhilarating; yet, I ached for home. There was one bastion of familiarity in that place: you. You were three and a half, your brother was brand new. Your parents invited us…
Grab the happy!
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 5:13 I think sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Something in life can be really, really hard . . . BIG things, things we have no control over, things that we cannot fix. The enormity of these problems can overshadow all other joy in our lives. But I refuse to let the mountains define my reality! This week for my family has been crazy: a beautiful birthday party for our four year old complete with fairy wings and little pirates running around the back yard, my husband’s birthday,…
“Do not worry . . .”
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not…
