"Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"(John 13:35 NIV). The distinguishing mark of a Christian is not a cross, a crucifix, a dove, or a fish on a bumper sticker. The sign of a Christian is love. That's what Jesus says. The world will know you are my followers because of the love you have for one another. Not because of all the Bible verse...

Sometimes we need to remember who we are fighting. And guess what, it's not your spouse or that person you got into an argument with on Facebook. Here's what "putting on thefullarmorofGod" means and why it's important. Click here to listen to this devotion as a podcast. ...

When Christians say, "just give your worries to God," what do they mean? We know weshouldgive ourworriestoGod, but how do we actuallydothat?Here's what it looks like to "give"yourworriestoGod. Listen to this devotion as a podcast, here. ...

Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG) "Before I shaped you in your mother's womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you." God created you for a purpose. That's why you are the way you are. He's shaped you. He's made you unique to fulfill a unique purpose. He wants to include you in his plan. Isaiah 43:7 (NIV) "Bring me all the people who are mine,...

Have you ever had the feeling that something was so very, very right, but then when you did it, it ended up being so very, very wrong? Proverbs 28:26 "Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe." In other words, don't rely on an impression because an impression, most of the time, is just an impression. Feelings aren't facts. Yo...

We all have all different kinds of fears. I'm afraid I'll make mistakes and embarrass myself. I'm afraid that I won't be able to finish what I've started. I'm afraid I'm not good enough. Since we hate to face our fears, what we do is we make up all kinds of excuses. It's been happening since the beginning. When God came to Moses and said, "I've got a big plan for your lif...

A really big part of serving like Jesus served is simply being available. This doesn't mean you necessarily have to have a ton of free time, but you make yourself available when it comes to serving those around you. Being willing to be interrupted. There is a story in Matthew where Jesus was walking down the road to go to Jericho and some blind men start yelling at him. ...

So, last year was hard. But, I do think one silver-lining of the pandemic is that we were forced to slow down. We were given a unique opportunity to remove things off our schedule (even though that may have been disappointing in some instances). We had a chance to reconnect with the people we live with. We could declutter. We could do some weeding. Some of us, hopefully, ...

2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT) " For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!" Paul is saying that the problems you have in your life are not going to last. The problems are temporary, but the reward is permanent. The purpose is permanent. God is a good who can bring good out of ...

In John 14:6, Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Several chapters earlier, in John 8:32, he says,"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."(NIV). One of the things that Jesus sets us free from is guilt. Many people think that Jesus is the one who causes guilt in our life. This is not true at all. Jesus is our advocate. He didn't ...