Why is God holding back?
Just one glance at the news can make anyone wonder, “When are You coming, Lord?” It is a question God knows full well. In Luke Chapter 17, the teachers of the religious law asked Jesus the same thing: “When will [the Kingdom of God] come?” Jesus’ answer likely took them by all by surprise, “The Kingdom of God is already among you.” (verses 20-21) The Kingdom of God takes residence within each and every person who welcomes Jesus into his or her life as Lord. Many of the disciples had experienced it, yet most of the religious leaders were still looking for it, blind to what was right in front of their eyes: Jesus, God in the flesh. (see Joh

Can We Listen Without Hearing?
I love coming across promises in the Bible. We can always trust God at His Word, praying it back to Him in faith, and fully expect to receive the promise offered, though perhaps not always how we expected it. There are so many promises! Promises for protection, comfort, the ability to forgive, or even to ask for more faith to take hold of more promises! But there are also some promises that at first seem less appealing. One of these appears in Mark Chapter 4, verses 24-25. In these verses, Jesus is speaking to his twelve disciples and other followers (see verse 10), where He says, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you

What Can You Learn From a Crook?
Have you noticed how often dishonest people seem to get away with their schemes? So many are willing to pay an incredibly high price for things that, in light of eternity, have no lasting value. In the beginning of Luke Chapter 16, we read about a dishonest manager who was embezzling money from his employer and got caught. His boss ordered him to get his books in order because he was going to be fired. Sadly, instead of trying to make things right, the manager decided to “make friends” whom he figured would help him after he was fired. This way, he thought to himself, he wouldn’t have to resort to manual labor or begging in the streets.  The manager decided to ca

You Are Not Here by Accident
Do you know that when God fashioned the earth, sun, moon, and stars, He did it all for you? He was thinking of you when He created the trees, flowers, and all kinds of fruit and food. It is no accident that the first humans, Adam and Eve, were created only after everything else was in order. Let your heart really soak this in: when God set out to design the world, it was you He had in mind… Take, for instance, a husband and wife looking forward to starting a family. Even before they learn they are expecting a child, they begin to dream about what their child will be like, start putting extra money aside, and excitedly talk about

Lessons From a Soldier, an Athlete, and a Farmer.
It’s so easy to blame other people or our circumstances for the reason we don’t make time for God. A busy schedule, demanding children, your boss the taskmaster, are all fair excuses to sleep through what would have been a wonderful quiet time. But what happens when the missed mornings with God become a habit? A day may come when you stand before God in heaven and ask Him why you never became all that you knew He intended you to become. His answer may simply be, “I waited for you each morning with guidance, wisdom, and strength; however, there were many times when you didn’t show up.” “…you didn’t show up.” You can hear the tender sadness in His voice.