If confession is good for the soul, why is it so hard to pray, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner”? Pride is a speed bump on the path to God’s throne of grace. When I confess my sins, it’s like taking out the garbage can and leaving it at the curb so the sanitation […]
Week 02 Application | Even if He Does Not
Prayers come in many forms, and so do God’s answers. David won an impossible-looking victory over Goliath, but do we recognize and applaud the young shepherd’s faith when we read how jealous King Saul chased him into the wilderness? David had to rely on God when he hid in caves just as much as when […]
Week 01 Application | Living With Resolve
In a New Year’s article called “Resolve to Stop Making Resolutions,” the humorist Dave Barry wrote, “Many people give up because they set their sights too high.” He suggested pursuing more realistic goals. • Unrealistic goal: “I will learn to speak Chinese.” • Realistic goal: “I will order some Chinese food.” • Unrealistic goal: “I […]
Week 53 Application | The Erosion of Trust
Our planet’s shorelines, canyons, and deserts bear the marks of gradual destruction from wind, water, and ice. Most days the small creek near my house minds its own business, but in the spring, heavy rains turn it into a small river. Over time, soil erosion has changed the course of the creek. A different kind […]
Week 52 Application | What Made the Wise Men Wise?
We call them Magi, but they weren’t magicians. We associate them with the first noel, but they weren’t the first to see the baby Jesus. Carolers sing “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” but the Bible doesn’t call them kings and “the east” probably doesn’t mean the Orient as we know it. We call them […]