Yesterday I wrote about some Biblical characters whose circumstances led them to listen to God. Let’s continue today with some that are not quite so dramatic. Acts 8:26-40 tells the story of Philip the Evangelist’s encounter with an Ethiopian official. According to verse 29, “The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and walk along beside the carriage.’” (NLT) Philip…

One of the crucial benefits in learning to be still is that it gives us an opportunity to become more aware of our circumstances. God often speaks to us through our circumstances. I’ve had occasions where I sensed something was the will of God and then things just fell into place circumstantially. I’ve also had the opportunity to hear God…

It has been said that the Lord gave us one mouth and two ears. Maybe He wants us to listen more and speak less. Proverbs 18:13 says, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” Our words are a table of contents to our life. What we say gives away who or what we really are.…

It seems that everything is changing today, but there’s one thing that never changes: God’s love. God loves us no matter what. Our failures, our brokenness, and our sin can never diminish His love. Knowing that we can count on God’s love provides us a rock-solid foundation for our life. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is…

Few people in the Old Testament had a better understanding of God than David. He knew what it was like to be favored by God. In 1 Samuel 13:14, he is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. But he also knew the business end of God’s discipline because of his affair with Bathsheba and the death of…

Some Christians and some who are not believe that God is some kind of cosmic killjoy with his “Thou shalt nots.” Yes, God tells us what to avoid. He warns us of things that are perilous to our spiritual health. But at the same time, He tells us what to engage in. He reveals to us what will push the…

Happiness can be such a shallow concept. We live in a country that supposedly believes in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But not all people believe that this is for all of us. Some livelihoods are poor at best. Some do not feel free to live a life of liberty and while many pursue happiness, not all achieve…

The following are going to be some devotionals on the pursuit of happiness. They could be very surfacy with nothing deep or lasting about them if it were not for our Christian faith. One of the greatest tragedies of our modern culture is that too many people aren’t happy regardless of their wealth. Philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote, “The search for…

To live an abundant life that overflows with God’s goodness, the first thing we need to do is be grateful and not complaining. The second thing we need to do is to be content and not comparing. God made you to be you. He doesn’t want you to be anybody else. If we compare ourselves to others, we might get…

If we want to go from overwhelmed to overflowing, there are two things we need to start and three things we need to stop. Today we’ll look at the first pair: start being grateful and stop complaining. Studies have shown that gratitude produces chemicals in our brain – dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin – that makes us feel peaceful and happy.…

Thank you is a phrase that is so important to use especially in our relationship with God and Jesus Christ. No matter what is going on in our life, saying those two important words is vital. Here’s an example in the New Testament. Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with ten lepers. When they saw Jesus approaching their…

This is the first part of a two-part series on the simple act of saying something that is very simple, but simply profound. It’s the act of saying what we were supposed to learn as children, thank you. Let’s begin in the Old Testament. King Jehoshaphat took an uncommon approach when his enemies waged war against him. 2 Chronicles 20:21…