…your life has new meaning!

Love You to Death
     ''Winging It' from Stan Smith

I'm sure you've heard it; might have even said it. "I love you to death!" An endearing phrase, I'm pretty sure. But can you take it literally? God did. Think about it. Paul said, "We preach Christ crucified." (1 Corinthians 1:23) What a story! He even recognizes the problem. "To Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness." And that's the Christ we preach--crucified. But it's huge. I suspect we suffer from a little nearsightedness and often don't see just how vast God is and, in consequence, how vast our sin is. We stand guilty of Cosmic…

A Great House Falls
     'The Way' from Kevin Pauley

I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me. I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. – 1 Samuel 2:30b-31a Eli was a good man with bad sons, a frequent phenomenon in the Bible. Eli’s two sons were supposed to assist him at the temple, but they began to take for themselves meat that was supposed to be sacrificed to God. As if that was not enough, they took the meat by force and they also slept with women who came to worship at the temple! Eli tried halfheartedly to rebuke them but was too weak…

Mercy and not Sacrifice (October 4, 2010)
     'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington

Mercy is at the heart of the Kingdom of God. Take away the mercy which God placed there and the Kingdom becomes no better than any other organization or cause. When mercy departs the Kingdom, so does grace, forgiveness and longsuffering. In short, the Kingdom of god apart from mercy cannot be the Kingdom of God simply because mercy is inherent in God's character. The following account from the life of Christ illustrates the tremendous and irreplaceable role that mercy has in the kingdom of heaven. “Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against…

Understand the Significance of Jesus Ascending
     'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw

I cannot imagine what it must have been like to see Jesus Christ go. These men were so different on that awesome occasion. They were able to take it in their stride. We read the account of the Ascension in the opening section of ACTS and also in the concluding words of the Gospel of LUKE – and we come to Ascension……

7 people to cut loose from your inner circle
     'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess

Devilish Advocates There are numerous examples of this type of person, but Job’s wife is an epitome. By no means am I advocating divorce here. I am pointing to the need to choose a wife or husband carefully. Matthew Henry points out a stark truth. When Satan was given permission to take any and all that belonged to Job, he left Job’s wife. This seeming oversight was filled with devilish purpose as we see in Job 2:9. She was like Michal to David by scoffing Job’s faith. To her, trials and troubles were signs of God’s lack, not His power or purpose.…

God Inhabits The Ordinary
     ''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs

At times God may seem distant. It can be a very lonely feeling. At times, to the point of desperation. In these times, we long to reduce the distance, feel His closness again. This can be caused by distractions, neglect, and the ever present business and demands of our human existence. We feel the need for closeness with Jesus Christ, and we sense that He is somehow far away. All of this would evaporate by believing and understanding that Jesus inhabits the ordinaries of life...the seconds, minutes, and hours of our seeming mundane activities. Then there are those trials of our…

Long Life-Psalms 91:16
     'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. Psalm 91:16 KJV This guy I know is one I don't want to be traveling with on a long road trip. He's a good guy, but his mouth tends to speak everything he is thinking. I mean everything. From the rising of the sun, till he lays his head down at night, he would say everything he's thinking. It's the gift of gab on a double shot of espresso. My ears work overtime consuming the thousands of letters crammed into my brain. The processing power it takes for my mind to comprehend the surplus of words causes me to lose…

True Success Is A Team Effort
     'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell

Are you successful in your career, home life, love life, and being in general? Were you always this way, or did you have circumstances and people which helped make you who you are? No matter our positions in life, all of us have had others to help, nurture, support, and pay for our success along the road regardless of achievement. From giving birth to a child to our daily work as being loyal, caring, sympathetic, and encouraging to those we love, the devotion should never end on both sides of the equation. But, do we pull them along with us as we grow and surge forward, or conveniently…

Bible and Quote - March 11-15
     'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Psalm 51:12a Man cannot find true essential joy anywhere but in his relationship to God. Oswald Chambers, 1874–1917 .sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12 My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel, and my ways reluctant to amend. The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions, 1600/1700s (After King David ask God to restore and sustain him) Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will turn back to You. Psalm 51:13 Take your mess and turn it into a message. Don Piper, Baptist…

Trusting God Yields Happiness
     'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester

He who heeds the word wisely will find good; and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20 (NKJV) Words of Solomon I found a form of this verse in a gift book that I ran across in my living room. The book is entitled “Growing Through Prayer”. I am certain that each of……

Counting the Cost and Bearing the Cross
     'Point of Reference' from Fred Price

In these days of excuse-making for sin, tolerance of any and all behavior etc., the Progressives of one party demand we acquiesce to their agenda while the Conservatives lash out in anger against anyone who fails to meet their standards, however low they may be. What’s a Christian to do? First,……