In one of his books Martin Thielen tells the story of a man named Gus. He got cancer and was angry about it. It was inoperable.‘Why me?’When he was in hospice he noticed a girl who was five years old. She too was a patient. It just seemed wrong that a five-year old was in … Continue reading Who’s taking care of this kid?

John Piper is a theologian. His colleague had a saying: “Beware loving loving God rather than loving God.”*Let me state that again: “Beware loving loving God rather than loving God.” Are there times when we love the idea of loving God instead of actually showing him our devotion and commitment? Let’s apply that logic to the … Continue reading Loving loving your neighbour, or loving your neighbour?

Mark 9:36-37 describes a moving scene: “He [Jesus] took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’”Today, people think … Continue reading Serving those who cannot repay us

In Mark 9:42 Jesus said: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”Wow! He went on to say that if their hand, foot or eye caused them to sin … Continue reading Your example matters

I saw a hat: “Make Canada Great Again.” It is, of course, based on the slogan to “Make America Great Again.” I even saw something on the internet to do with making Europe great again.It’s a word we use not only to describe nations but people. “So-and-so is great.” When we use it like that, … Continue reading How did Jesus define greatness?

In James 3:8 we read: “…no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”At first that sounds a bit harsh—but not if you’ve been on the receiving end of some verbal poison! Today’s devotional is quite simple. Be careful with your words. They can do serious good, and they … Continue reading The ripple effect of words

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).A man named Abba Elias told an old story about a man who was living in a temple. Demons came to pester him, trying to get him to leave. To some of you that might seem shocking. Perhaps you’ve been told … Continue reading Call out to God. Don’t wait.

It’s critical to know the difference between salvation and sanctification. When we get them confused, it can be a source of misunderstanding—and even anguish.Salvation is about your standing with God. (This is sometimes called “justification.”) By ourselves we are sinful and separated from him. But when we trust in Jesus and in what he has … Continue reading God’s will: your sanctification

“Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).More time with God puts you more in tune with God.When you spend time with a friend you learn more about them. The same happens with a spouse. You start to anticipate how they will respond to certain situations. You might even start … Continue reading Put in the time

Motivation matters. For example, people who do better in surgery are people who have a reason to live afterwards. It’s a matter of motivation.Or consider the 17-year old girl who didn’t want to go to soccer practice. But then her mom told her that the scout for the university soccer team would be there. “Why didn’t … Continue reading Spiritual muscle matters