“He is my Shepherd”
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23.1). How many times have those words flowed off our tongue as we stood with those who had lost a loved one, just before we lowered them to their final resting place? But what do these words mean? What does a shepherd have to do with me, and why is this passage often read at funerals? As David pens this song, his goal could have been to offer its…
“Turn To Him”
“I wish I had never been born,” Job said to his friends. “I wish that my birthday was just wiped off of the calendar as though it never happened.” Who could blame him? The loss that he had endured in mere moments had been catastrophic. Job had experienced a wonderful life until that day, when all he had known changed. I know that many people have endured tragic losses, but Job’s defeat seems unfathomable. Isn’t it ironic that, although…
DISCUSSION
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”(James 4.17). So, what are you going to do today? That is all! PRAYER REQUESTS____________________________________________________
“Difficult?”
DISCUSSION One of the saddest passages in the Bible is found in John 6.66. John writes, “After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. “ Why? What would cause a group of believers to turn away from Jesus, never to return again? The reason for their exit was based on a statement from…
“Save Me”
DISCUSSION Do you know the feeling of anxiety when you’re overwhelmed with projects, problems, and other issues? You feel as though you are doing everything you can do to keep your head above water. Whether you believe it or not, you are not the only one to ever feel this way. David describes that exact feeling when he cries out, “Save me, O God! For the…
“Thank You”
DISCUSSION I don’t know Dennis Jernigan and chances are neither do you. He is a noted songwriter of many of the songs that we sing in our churches and devotionals. What you also don’t know is that prior to 1981, Dennis was a practicing homosexual who was in a committed relationship with another man. Someone introduced him to Jesus and he became a believer. Today he is married and has nine children. I am not…
“Faith”
DISCUSSION The Gospel of John tells the story of a young boy who was dying in Capernaum. I assume his father had exhausted every medical mean at his disposal, but he had one option left. There had been talk of a physician named Jesus who was using a strange new type of medicine, but Jesus was a least twenty miles…
“Masterpiece”
DISCUSSION : Have you ever been to a museum? It has always been a dream of mine to visit the famous Louvre in Paris. It was built in 1792 and contains nearly 35,000 items including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and many other works that are considered “masterpieces.” What if I told you that you didn’t have to travel all the way to Paris to…
“Gratitude”
DISCUSSION: There is tremendous power in showing gratitude. Francesca Gino, an Associate Professor at the Harvard School of Business, conducted a study and published it; It was called “Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How We Can Stick to Our Plan”. Gino found that “Receiving expressions of gratitude makes us feel a heightened sense of self-worth, and that in turn triggers other helpful behaviors toward both the person we are helping and other people, too”. That just means…
“God Knows”
DISCUSSION: Has there ever been anything that you wanted so badly that you thought your heart would burst? When you read of Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel about how she longed for a child you can almost feel how badly she wanted to have a baby of her own. But she didn’t give up. Instead, she prayed to God for the gift of a baby and promised that she would dedicate the child’s life to God’s service. …
“God’s Awesome Creation”
DISCUSSION: You can see it every day, feel it, even taste it. What am I talking about? God’s creation. God’s creation testifies that we serve an almighty God. Everything that God made reveals his power, goodness, wisdom, and salvation. The scripture in Psalm 19 says they have no excuse for not knowing God. His power is all around us every day. We get so caught up in our daily lives we forget to look at the beauty…
“Transform”
DISCUSSION: Gods love for us is unconditional. His values have nothing to do with money, personal comfort, pleasure, and “things.” He does the impossible. Jesus even reminds us, how even the world hates he who loved the world. (John 15:18). Sadly, many times when you make comparisons to those who are supposed to be representing Him, we just don’t come close. We, on the other hand, have trouble forgiving, have trouble seeing beyond earthly treasure, have trouble believing…