“Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list.     But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’     These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the […]

“And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.”1 John 2:28 MSGLive deeply. Live ready. With whom? Christ.    See, when you live deeply in Christ you […]

The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!    And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the […]

“While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.    She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him […]

What a relationship! A deep, abiding relationship! Every time this person crossed the Apostle Paul’s mind,  he couldn’t help but thank God for him. Was it this person’s friendship, kindness, and generosity that were on-display? Those would be great attributes of a co-worker to appreciate. But Paul went deeper. He went to the Source of […]

“I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long.     I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic” Psalm‬ ‭27‬:‭4-5‬ MSG Where do […]

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have […]

“We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us.    As it turned […]

“Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart.    On a good day, enjoy yourself; On a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days So that we won’t take anything for granted.” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭3, 14‬ MSG Do you laugh more than you cry? Or […]

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!    Body and soul, I am marvelously made! You know me inside and out, know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was […]