"[He has sent me to] provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of...
You've likely heard the phrase, “It's against my religion”, used as an excuse to avoid unpleasant tasks. You'll also know that religions tend to have forbidden practices. That's true across the branches of Christianity. Can you think of any that apply to you now? Or...
"He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7b NIV) "[Herod] plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer." (Luke 23:9 NIV) "When [Jesus] was accused by the chief...
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)Imagine a terrified cat trapped in a tight space — the space between a ceiling and the floor above it. That's exactly where we found our cat one day. Now this is not the contented cat that I...
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27 NIV)Loving yourself is a divine law! It is in the great commandment in Scripture. Yet...
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12 NIV)"But I want the big doll!" declared...
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all...
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV) When I was five and my brother was four, we'd play church. We dressed up just like the grownups....
Have you ever been at a point where you felt that you couldn't go on unless God stepped directly into your life and made His presence known in no uncertain terms? Maybe you're there now. The disciple Thomas was there when he declared: "Unless I see the nail marks in...