DID YOU KNOW We are remarkably uncomfortable with unanswered questions. Give us a few facts, leave several spaces empty, and most of us will begin drawing lines between them. We do it with relationships, health problems, disappointments, unanswered prayers, and even with God. We would often rather have an incomplete explanation than admit that weContinue reading “When the Dots Refuse to Connect”
Category Archives: Did You Know
When the Wilderness Begins to Bloom
DID YOU KNOW Anxiety has an unusual ability to make tomorrow feel more real than today. We can be sitting safely in our own home, surrounded by people we love, with enough food for the evening and enough strength for the moment, yet our minds can already be living inside a disaster that has neverContinue reading “When the Wilderness Begins to Bloom”
When Fear Loses Its Authority
DID YOU KNOW Fear has a way of making earthly power look larger than it really is. A hostile person can appear overwhelming. A threatening circumstance can dominate our imagination. A religious authority, employer, institution, diagnosis, financial crisis, or personal failure can begin to feel as though it has the final word over us. JesusContinue reading “When Fear Loses Its Authority”
When Our Plans Get Ahead of God
DID YOU KNOW Planning is not the problem. Most of us need calendars, schedules, goals, budgets, appointments, and some reasonable sense of where we are going. The problem begins when planning becomes a substitute for dependence on God. Isaiah 30 exposes that danger with startling clarity. God speaks to His people as those who areContinue reading “When Our Plans Get Ahead of God”
When Busyness Becomes a Substitute for Being with Jesus
DID YOU KNOW There is a strange temptation hidden inside busyness. We complain about being overwhelmed, yet at times we also wear our crowded schedules like badges of honor. Being needed can make us feel important. Having more to do than we can accomplish can convince us that our lives matter. The danger comes whenContinue reading “When Busyness Becomes a Substitute for Being with Jesus”
When the Monsters in Our Minds Meet God
DID YOU KNOW Everyone has something that can make the heart tighten a little. Sometimes the fear is reasonable; sometimes it is difficult even to explain. The study for today uses the familiar image of Indiana Jones, who could face almost anything until a snake appeared. His reaction is humorous because most of us understandContinue reading “When the Monsters in Our Minds Meet God”
Grace Was Free to Us—But It Was Never Cheap
DID YOU KNOW We often speak about the cost of discipleship, but before we ever consider what following Jesus may cost us, Scripture asks us to look carefully at what our salvation cost Him. Luke 9 brings those two truths together. Jesus tells His disciples that He will suffer, be rejected, be killed, and riseContinue reading “Grace Was Free to Us—But It Was Never Cheap”
The Light Was Never Meant to Stay Hidden
DID YOU KNOW There is a temptation among Christians to wait for the “right moment” to talk about what Christ has done. We imagine that one day the conversation will open perfectly, the circumstances will be ideal, our words will be polished, and we will feel completely ready. But Jesus never taught His followers toContinue reading “The Light Was Never Meant to Stay Hidden”
WHEN FORGIVENESS TEACHES THE HEART TO LOVE
DID YOU KNOW One of the most revealing scenes in the Gospels takes place around a dinner table. Jesus is eating in the home of Simon the Pharisee when a woman enters carrying an alabaster flask of ointment. Luke does not give us her biography. He simply tells us that she was known in theContinue reading “WHEN FORGIVENESS TEACHES THE HEART TO LOVE”
When God Speaks in Images People Already Understand
DID YOU KNOW The Bible is filled with images drawn from everyday life: shepherds, vineyards, storms, mountains, fire, water, kings, armies, harvests, birds, bread, and even clouds. God does not communicate in abstractions alone. He speaks in ways people can see in their minds. That becomes especially interesting in passages such as Isaiah 19. IsraelContinue reading “When God Speaks in Images People Already Understand”