Monday, June 30, 2025

BELIEVING AND DOING

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

If you plan to reach the next generation for Christ, don’t ask them to believe what you believe, instead invite them to do what you do.

Beliefs are a dime a dozen. This generation has seen every variety of spiritual beliefs you could imagine (and many you couldn’t imagine).

They’re extremely turned off by people who don’t live what they claim to believe.

This generation doesn’t want to hear about what you believe. They want to see your beliefs in actions. And if you’re daring enough to live like Jesus, you’ll have a shot at reaching the next generation. If your version of Christianity is limited to what you’re against, you’ll not likely reach many. If, on the other hand, your faith is so alive you must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and love the outcasts -- all in the name of Christ, the King -- you will attract interest.

As strange as it might sound, if you truly live a missional and Spirit-filled life, the young generation might join you and do what you do, then one day believe what you believe. 

-- Craig Groeschel 

Friday, June 27, 2025

IN THE SHEPHERD’S CARE

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

The Twenty-Third Psalm is familiar to many people because they’ve heard its comforting words recited at the funeral of a loved one. Though the rest of the psalm carries peaceful images of the Lord as a shepherd, green pastures, quiet streams, and an overflowing banquet table, verse 4 is the heart of the psalm and is one of the Bible’s most powerful truths to combat fear.

In the original Hebrew language, “the valley of the shadow of death” literally translates into “the valley of deep darkness.” Death is only one kind of “deep darkness.” There are many other dark times people fear to pass through, such as illness, unemployment, or rejection. The landscape of some valleys is not carved out of actual circumstances but out of fear itself. Being afraid of what misfortune the future may hold can keep you stuck in the darkness of depression and anxiety. It prevents you from walking through the valley to the other side.

The secret to alleviating fear is remembering that you never have to face your fears alone. Your Good Shepherd, the all-powerful God, is right there with you, rod and staff in hand. A shepherd uses a rod to protect his flock from predators. He uses the staff to guide stray sheep back onto the proper path. God figuratively uses these shepherding tools as He keeps you safe and headed in the right direction. By staying close to Him, you’ll discover comfort and courage close at hand when you find the struggles of life, and death, directly in your path.

At the first hint of fear, picture God as your loving shepherd, fighting off whatever you fear with His rod and nudging you closer to Him with His staff. 

– From “100 Favorite Bible Verses” 


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Thursday, June 26, 2025

LET LIGHT SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS – Part 2 of 2

“Our concert of praise
To Jesus we raise,
And all the night long
Continue the new evangelical song:
We dance to the fame
Of Jesus’ name;
The joy it imparts
Is heaven begun in our musical hearts.”  
(Charles Wesley in “Hymns for the Watch-Night”)

There could hardly be a better time to preach the gospel of Christ, and surely no better time to sing it. The gospel has always been needed, since it is God’s solution for the human race, but in our day the need is more poignant and more dramatic. Whether one looks at the penultimate threat of nuclear destruction, or the private anguish of the lonely soul in an impersonal society, one cannot imagine a world more starkly in need of a Savior. There could hardly be a more demanding, more exhilarating time to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. We have never been more needed.

But we must have a song to sing. Without a song, we will only add to the dissonance of the times. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “Our First Song: Evangelism in the Hymns of Charles Wesley” (1984)


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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

LET LIGHT SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS – Part 1 of 2

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  (2 Corinthians 4:4-7 NIV)

Let us remember that it is a full salvation that we offer. Some… have been content to save their people and leave them to heaven. John and Charles Wesley insisted that we are saved so that we can grow. They believed that their somewhat ragtag group of butchers, miners, and household servants could become saints. We are challenged to believe as grandly for the computer generation, for a century of skeptics, and the spiritually cautious.

And we are saved to serve our present age. Traditionally, we have believed we could spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. Now we must do so in a time when family structures are under assault, while political systems build their new Babels, and when the evils of misery, poverty, and war seem more entrenched than ever. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “Our First Song: Evangelism in the Hymns of Charles Wesley” (1984)


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Tuesday, June 24, 2025

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)

One of the marks of the early church was their commitment to connectedness because they knew connectedness doesn’t just happen. They met together every day. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Over time, however, that value began to fade. So the writer of Hebrews said, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.” (Hebrews 10:24-25a NIV)  

In other words, keep committed to community. 

-- Adapted from John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”


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Monday, June 23, 2025

THE LOVE OF GOD FILLS OUR HEARTS

“For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”  (Romans 5:5b NLT)

There’s a God many of us try to outrun. The God we fear might be watching us from afar with a clipboard of our failures. The God we’re afraid to talk to because we assume He’s angry, distant, or disappointed. Maybe you’ve met this version of Him through harsh words, religious trauma, or your own shame.

But what if that God isn't real? What if the true God -- the one described in Romans 5:5 -- is pouring love into your heart right now, through the presence of the Holy Spirit? What if this God is exactly who your soul has been aching to find?

The God of Scripture is not out to condemn you but to claim you in Christ. Not to shame you, but to heal and transform you. His love is not conditional. It's not earned or revoked. It’s poured out, overflowing, even in our mess, even in our doubts.

This is a God who orchestrates your story with purpose. A God who uses even the broken pieces as breadcrumbs back to Him. He doesn’t delight in your failure, but rather rejoices in every step you take toward Him -- even the shaky ones.

Romans 5:5 reminds us that this love, God’s love, is not a distant idea. It’s a present reality. It dwells inside you, if you let it, through the Spirit He’s already given.

Today, take a deep breath. Rest in the quiet assurance that God is not who you feared -- but far better than you dreamed. He sees you. He loves you. And yes, He’s the God you’ve been looking for all along. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources


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Friday, June 20, 2025

DON’T GIVE THE ENEMY A SEAT AT YOUR TABLE – Part 2 of 2

“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation -- but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.”  (Romans 8:10-12 NIV)

Allowing the Enemy to have a say in our lives should not be normal. In Jesus’ name, we can refuse him and all his ways. We don’t need to accept them. He leads us to sins that are harming us and choking the life out of this generation, but they don’t have to stay in our lives. Romans 8:10-12 says the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us. This same resurrection power is available to us. Jesus Christ has broken the power of sin, and God’s invitation to us is to embrace a new mindset and a new way of living. In Jesus’ name we don’t have to let the voice of the Enemy control the way we live. In Jesus’ name we don’t have to give in to sinful desires; we can win the battle for our minds. Thanks to Jesus, we are no longer slaves [to sin]. We are set free. We are alive. We are children of God. 

-- Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”


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Thursday, June 19, 2025

DON’T GIVE THE ENEMY A SEAT AT YOUR TABLE – Part 1 of 2

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  (Psalm 23:5 NIV)

In less time than it takes to snap your fingers -- if you’re not careful -- the Enemy can pull up a seat at the table your Shepherd has prepared for you.

We’ve come to accept the Enemy sitting at our table as normal. That’s a big problem. We give him permission anytime we say things like, “Oh, that’s the way it is these days. Anxiety is just a part of the equation. We’re all anxious, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Life’s just so chaotic today. Of course we’re all strangled by worry. Look at the news feed. Why wouldn’t I be afraid?”

In the same way, we accept the false narrative about our lives that we aren’t worth much to God… or anybody else, for that matter. We think people don’t get us. Or they don’t value us. Or that they are flat-out against us.

Or we flip to the other point of view. We think we deserve more, so we allow envy and greed and comparison to cannibalize our God-given identity. We scroll our way through social media feeds determined to get what other people have -- or, better yet, to get more.

More stuff. That’s what we need. More friends. More layers of protection. More likes. Or maybe another table. After all, we all live in a corrupted culture, and we know it. Why stress over a little lust here, or a moment or two of pleasure there? Before you know it, you talk like the Devil and think the thoughts he wants you to dwell on.

That’s just the way it is, right? No! 

-- Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”


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Wednesday, June 18, 2025

A PRAYER FOR THOSE ADRIFT

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”  (Psalm 139:9-10 NIV)

God, You are at the center of this. Or You are all about me. Or even though I cannot name how You are here at all, still You are.

I cannot rush matters now. Where would I rush to? I cannot deny that I am completely at sea. The sea and the drifting are all I look upon, day to day.

Yet somehow, by the thinnest of membranes, You keep me from sinking into the abyss. With Your barely perceptible touch, You convey me, though I have no idea where. Through all of this uncertain movement, let my heart be toward You. Let me trust . . . and wait.

Amen.

-- Stephen V. Doughty from "Adrift" in “Weavings Journal,” March/April 2001, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN.   Used with permission.


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Tuesday, June 17, 2025

“I WILL BE WITH YOU”

At the unburning bush, God said to Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). To which Moses replied, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (v. 11). Here may be the most beautiful and powerful part of the whole encounter. Behold God’s answer to Moses’s question: “I will be with you” (v. 12).

God did not tell Moses why he was selected for the mission. He didn’t say a single word about Moses’s qualifications or lack thereof. God did not attempt to build up Moses’s sense of self-worth or credibility or give him a pep talk or say, “You can do this, Moses!” The answer to Moses asking “Who am I?” was God stating, “I will be with you.”

In the face of impossible things and insurmountable challenges, God doesn’t ask us to go and develop a strategic plan and then raise a gazillion dollars to make it happen. The truth? If it can be done with a strategic plan and a gazillion dollars, it’s not big enough for God.

Get back in touch with the moment. The God of the cosmos made an appearance through an unburning bush on the far side of the wilderness to an octogenarian sheep herder and said he was sending him to rescue and deliver a nation of a million or more slaves from their oppressor -- a man who happened to be the most powerful person in the world leading the most powerful nation on the planet.

And to all of our quandaries about impossible things and our quizzical inquiries about improbable outcomes, God responds with: “I will be with you.” 

-- Excerpted from “Wake-Up Call” with J. D. Walt


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Monday, June 16, 2025

THE WAY WE SPEAK MATTERS

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”  (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT)

We can turn people on to the church or turn them out of the church by the way we speak.

Catherine Booth (1829 –1890) was co-founder of The Salvation Army, along with her husband William Booth. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army she was known as the 'Mother of The Salvation Army'. When she died, her body was carried to a great auditorium in London. For hours and hours, people by the hundreds streamed by her casket in an outstanding display of love, affection, and gratitude.  One man in that long line expressed what all were feeling that day:  "She spoke to me as no one ever had before.  She cared for me, and I could tell it by the way she talked to me.  I was an outcast, lonely and lost.  I will never forget her voice.   There was something so wonderful and so meaningful about the way she spoke to you.  You could feel the spirit and love of Christ in her words."

How is it with you?  Are people drawn to Christ and to the Christian faith by the way you speak? 

-- Adapted from James W. Moore in “When You're a Christian, the Whole World is from Missouri


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Friday, June 13, 2025

JESUS TO THE RESCUE

"Then [Jesus] got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded…" (Mark 6:51)

Sometimes we are, as it were, in the middle of the lake and the storm breaks, usually from a quarter we don't expect, and we are doubtful whether the little boat is going to stand it. We feel helpless, making no progress and are inclined to say: "I have gone to bits; I have no help, no support. This cannot be a spiritual life." We begin to lose our grip. The boat is very cranky and unstable, the waves very threatening and steep, the sky darkening. We are in utter wretchedness and discouragement.

It was like that when Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. Then the situation was transformed by His presence. One way or another, life brings every awakening Christian soul this experience. When we recognize and reflect on it -- for it may come in a way that seems very simple -- it fills us with awe and grateful love. God in Christ intervenes between us and the storm that threatens to overwhelm us. His power is brought into action just where our action fails. He comes to the rescue of those caught in the toils of circumstance…

Certainly life is not made soft for Christians but it is, in the last resort, safe. The universe is safe for souls [when Christ is there]. 

-- Evelyn Underhill in “The Soul's Delight”


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Thursday, June 12, 2025

TRUSTING IN GOD OUR SAVIOR

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”  (Isaiah 43:1-3a NLT)

What do we do when the earth shakes, the mountains split in two, and the sun and the moon go dark?

We do exactly what we should do every day: live the gospel as Jesus preached it and lived it, trusting not in ourselves nor in the material world but in God, who was at the beginning and will be still after the end.

-- Mary Anna Vidakovich in “Meeting God on the Mountain”


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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

EVEN THOUGH… I WILL

On page after page of Scripture, we find people in situations where life has closed in on them. It might seem logical for them to chuck their faith. We wouldn’t be surprised if they turned away from God in the midst of difficulty, or if they leaned toward their favorite addiction in an attempt to feel better. Unfortunately, that’s what too many people do when the going gets tough.

See, when life turns hard for us, we’re almost always tempted to welcome the Enemy at our table. But when we realize that Jesus invites us to follow Him even though life is hard, we discover the foundational truth for winning the battle of our minds. That is the depth of faith we see throughout the Bible…

The prophet Habakkuk stated it clearly when he cried out:
“Even though the fig trees have no fruit
    and no grapes grow on the vines,
even though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no grain,
even though the sheep all die
    and the cattle stalls are empty,
I will still be joyful and glad,
    because the Lord God is my savior.”  (Habakkuk 3:17-18 GNT)

The last two lines indicate a huge faith. And did you notice the two phrases repeated three times in Habakkuk’s prayer?

“Even though… I will…”

These two phrases lay out a powerful cause-and-effect relationship as an example for us to follow. Even though bad things happen, I will still praise the Lord. 

– Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”


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Tuesday, June 10, 2025

THE WATER OF YOUR SOUL

“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:14 NIV)

Jesus does for your soul what water does for your body. And, thankfully, we don’t have to give Him directions.

We give none to water, do we? Before swallowing, do you look at the liquid and say, “Ten drops of you go to my spleen. I need fifty on cardiovascular detail. The rest of you head north to my scalp. It’s really itchy today.” Water somehow knows where to go.

Jesus knows the same. Your directions are not needed, but your permission is. Like water, Jesus won’t come in unless swallowed. That is, we must willingly surrender to His lordship. You can stand waist deep in the Colorado River and still die of thirst. Until you scoop and swallow, the water does your system no good. Until you gulp Christ, the same is true…

Internalize Him. Ingest Him. Welcome Him into the inner workings of your life. Let Christ be the water of your soul. 

-- Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”


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Monday, June 9, 2025

FAITH THAT TRANSFORMS

Faith is much like a journey -- it’s not just about reaching a destination but about the transformation that happens along the way. Here are the journey markers:

BELIEVE – Faith starts with belief. It is more than knowing about God -- it is trusting in His love and promises. As John 3:16 reminds us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Belief is the first step of surrender, a foundation on which everything else is built.

BEHAVE – True belief changes how we live. As James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” When we trust in God, our behaviors shift -- we serve more, love deeper, and reflect His character in our choices. Walking with Christ is a daily transformation, shaping us to live according to His purpose.

BELONG – Faith isn’t meant to be walked alone. Romans 8:15 declares, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.” In God’s family, we find acceptance, encouragement, and a place to grow. We don’t just believe and behave -- we belong to something greater.

BECOME – Faith is a journey of becoming. 2 Corinthians 3:18 speaks of transformation: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.” As we believe, behave, and belong, we grow into who God created us to be -- more loving, more faithful, more like Him.

God invites us to believe in His truth, behave in obedience, belong in His family, and become transformed by His grace. Through this process, we step into the fullness of His plan.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of source


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Friday, June 6, 2025

THE SPIRIT AT PENTECOST – Part 2 of 2

Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” (Acts 1:8a NIV)

Pentecost is about power, the coming of the Spirit to empower the church to fulfill its purpose and calling.

The Book of Acts is the story of this power in the lives of the disciples and the new church. Peter is an example of the power of the Spirit in a life. He was the one who denied Jesus in the crisis moment of his life. But following Pentecost, we meet a new Peter, one who preaches boldly and performs miracles in the name of Jesus. When told to quit preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name, Peter responded with great courage and fearlessness: “I must obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29 paraphrased). He had received the gift of power… The purpose of the church is to equip us with the power to face the struggles of life.

That Greek word for spirit, pneuma (meaning “air” or “breath”), is the root word from which we get pneumatic tires -- tires filled with air. The significant thing for me is that this reminds us that things filled with air consistently bounce up when thrown down, or, if in water, float, not able to be kept under, but always rising to the surface. This is also true of [people] filled with the Holy Spirit, the pneuma. They cannot be held down, they have the power to continually and consistently bounce up and rise again. Pentecost is the gift of power, the power to be a witness and the power to face the struggles of life. 

-- James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” 


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Thursday, June 5, 2025

THE SPIRIT AT PENTECOST – Part 1 of 2

Jesus said to His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8 NIV)

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”  (Acts 2:1-6 NIV)

Before ascending to the Father, the Risen Christ promised His disciples that He would be with them always through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He promised that they would receive power when the Spirit came upon them, and He charged them to be His witnesses beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and out to the ends of the earth. And on the day of Pentecost it happened! It was a sudden, powerful and dramatic event that defied description. They could only say it was like the sound of a mighty, rushing wind, and there was the appearance of tongues of fire and harmonious, understandable, and incredible communication. The Spirit of God had come upon them and they had become the church of Jesus Christ. They and the world would never be the same again! They had received the gift of the Spirit. 

-- James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” 


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Wednesday, June 4, 2025

THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL LIFE

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS -- we think of them as the supreme virtues of plain people. Yet they, too, are the fruits of the Spirit. In the long run we cannot really manage them without God. The good citizen, good employer, good artist, good worker -- the faithful husband or wife or [parent] -- in these, too, Divine Love, selfless charity, is bringing forth its fruits within the natural order and on the natural scale: proclaiming the dignity and possibilities of our human life on all levels, disclosing the full meaning of the Word made flesh. Another lesson in not being high-minded; another invitation to come off our self-chosen spiritual perch, whatever it may be, and face the facts of human life.

-- Evelyn Underhill in “The Fruits of the Spirit”


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Tuesday, June 3, 2025

A SPIRIT OF UNITY

“[Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”  (Colossians 1:17 NIV)

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.  

When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together.  Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

When love prevails among believers, especially in times of strong disagreement, it presents to the world an indisputable mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ. 

-- From “Our Daily Bread,” October 4, 1992


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Monday, June 2, 2025

AN “EVEN THOUGH” KIND OF FAITH

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 ESV)

God Almighty is with us.

No matter the troubles you’re walking through right now, the good news is not simply that God will help you. That’s not the whole message. The message is that God is with you. He’s with you in the sickness. He’s with you at the grave. He’s with you when the job opportunity doesn’t come through. He’s with you when you receive hard news. He’s with you in the chemo ward. He’s with you in the storm, and in the wind, and in the trial, and in the valley. God Almighty -- your Good Shepherd -- is right there in the midst of the difficulty with you. This is a game-changing revelation, and it shifts your prayer life. Because you don’t need to pray anymore, “God, I’m in a storm -- help me.” Instead, you pray, “God, I’m in a storm. Thank You for being in this storm with me. You’ve got my back. How are we going to get through this together?”

Peace and victory and freedom don’t come from sitting around wishing we didn’t have any problems or pain. No, the reality is that we all will be led through the valley of the shadow of death in some way, shape, or form. God promises in Psalm 23 that peace, victory, and freedom will come in the midst of problems, pain, and loss. That’s how we develop an “even though” kind of faith. We live by knowing that, in the midst of a broken world, God Almighty is with us. 

-- Louie Giglio in “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”


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