Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. –Psalm 37:4 ******************** Psalm 37:4 is one of those verses that Christians can twist to suit their own fancy. I have heard some preachers claim, on the basis of this verse, that God will give us anything we want. […]
869) Ask and It Will Be Given You? Read More »
(…continued) The Bible has a great deal to say about confidence. There is a little bit there about self-confidence, a little bit more about having confidence in others, and quite a few verses about confidence in God. Proverbs 3:25-26 says, “Have no fear, for the Lord will be your confidence;” and Proverbs 14:26 says, “The
868) Funeral Sermon for a Confident Man (b) Read More »
Whenever I think of Uncle Ray, there is one particular memory that comes to mind. I remember a hot summer afternoon, perhaps about 15 years ago, when Ray and Laverne were living on East Silent Lake. Many family members were there for a weekend visit. We swam, went boating, did some fishing, and had many good
867) Funeral Sermon for a Confident Man (a) Read More »
(…continued) ‘By Faith,’ is a phrase the Bible often uses. An often quoted definition of faith is to “Let go and let God.” Let go of your fears and your anxieties and have the faith to let God take care of you. It has a nice ring to it, but I was never
705) By Faith… (part two of two) Read More »
Painting above: Conscience, by Nicolai Ge, Russian painter (1831-1894) Judas watches as the soldiers lead Jesus away ——————————— (… continued) In the same way, Philip Yancey and the couple that lost their son to cancer, in spite of disappointment and confusion, kept looking to God. And though they were disappointed and heartbroken, sadness
695) Disappointment With Jesus (part two of two) Read More »
A friend of mine was telling me about some friends of his. “Years ago they would always go to church,” he said of the friends, “but then their daughter was killed in a car accident, and they have not been back to church since the funeral. They are upset with God for letting
694) Disappointment With Jesus (part one of two) Read More »
Photo above: Rushford, Minnesota, August 19, 2007 From a sermon given the following Sunday. ———————– Seven years ago my wife and I bought the house in which we are now living, and I am very happy to report that in all that time, that house has not moved even one inch.
657) When the Foundations are Destroyed Read More »
Recently I ran across an old videotaped recording that contains a fascinating conversation between two men, Tim and Greg. Thirty years ago, when the conversation was recorded, both men were in their middle 30’s, and both were teachers at the same college. At about the same time, they were both diagnosed with an
591) Healed, Not Healed Read More »
By Caryn Rivadeneira, in Christianity Today, October 2014, pages 56-58 (edited). She is the author Broke: What Financial Desperation Revealed About God’s Abundance (InterVarsity Press). ————– It had been more than a year since I had seen her. We’d had our share of good conversations when our kids had attended Christian school together,
547) Blessed are the Broke Read More »
(…meditation on John 6, continued) Yet, Jesus is critical of this desire. He rebukes the people, and although his criticism is gentle enough, he does make it clear that he has come for more important things than to hand out free lunches. In verse 26 Jesus said to the crowd, “I tell you
536) The Bread of Life (part two) Read More »
