“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2Timothy 2:1-3).  There is a need to maintain the consistency of effort in fulfilling a shared vision. The instructions of Paul…

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1John 5:16). The contrast between light and darkness is becoming more apparent and on different fronts. There are those who stand outside of what now is now considered to be the norm because they continue to uphold a standard that appears…

“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys” (Exodus 40:36). The glory cloud would settle the potential disputes among the children of Israel as to whether or not it was time to proceed on their journey. Otherwise there would have been unsettled arguments in interpreting the right…

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1John 4:11). God’s love obligates us without force. We are rather persuaded by His love if it is authentic. As we grow in knowledge of the dimensions of the love released from the Father through the Son to us, our confidence in Him increases. To know His…

“Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him’ ” (John 9:3).  It was customary for sicknesses and diseases to be directly associated with an act of sin. A blind man who was born that way was in question as to whether it was his sin or his parent’s…

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children” (Matthew 11:19). Sinners flocked around Jesus and loved to be his companions, while the religious found Him to be repulsive and were made to feel uncomfortable. Prostitutes and publicans…

“Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ ” (John 19:27).  Jesus made an oral testament to John, the beloved disciple, to provide as He would for her after His death. It was a binding agreement in the company of others, if accepted, to care for her needs as the second oldest son. Even though there were other children,…

“He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children” (Psalm 113:9). The exercise of affection in guiding the household and caring for children produces a joy in the heart of mothers. She was made to love her children and to maintain the household in which she has the pleasure to occupy. But what if there was no…

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1Peter 3:15). A sanctified heart is directed towards God alone. There is no other direction to which it may be turned that can satisfy the believer…

“When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.” John 2:9 Only the servants were knowledgeable of the source of the wine that was changed from water. Those who served…

“So, when you pray in your private prayer language, don’t hoard the experience for yourself. Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy” (1Corinthians 14:13 MSG). True love is never selfish. It takes pleasure in giving more than receiving. God has called us into deeper levels as our hearts are in sync with His own. Our…

“The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:8-9).  There is a peace offered by God that surpasses what the crowd demands. Yes, fairness in judgments must be executed, and the wild behavior of the wayward majority…