"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Mark Mark 1:35 "But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, bu...

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,so that I may win more.""I do all things for the sake of the gospel" Paul 1 Corinthians 9:19, 23 In John White's book Magnificent Obsession he records part of an actual letter written by an American communist living in Mexico City. He's writing to break up with his fiance for the sake of his commitmen...

"Flee immorality! Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body." Paul to the Church 1 Corinthians 6:1...

"And indeed, all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Paul to Timothy 2 Timothy 3:12 Nobody in their right mind would choose to have their heart broken, their spirit crushed, or their bodies beatenor would they?!?! So many suggest following Jesus is the beginning of a great, abundant life since now the King of all creation is our Father and He l...

"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD."Solomon - Proverbs 16:33 2012 looks like it's shaping up to be a really interesting year! Perhaps it's too early to be dogmatic but it seems the ingredients are coming together for this to be a year that'll be hard to forget. Consider some of our realities: we're still in the middle of all kinds of ec...

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Paul Romans 8:37-39 M...

"Speak for your servant is listening" Samuel 1 Samuel 3:10 A number of years ago I became mesmerized by something Jesus said in John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow me." The simplicity of the statement captured my attention and I began to note the passages in Scripture that talk about God's voice and specifically us hearing His voice. Consider...

"the precious possession of a man is diligence." Solomon Proverbs 12:27b By the inspiration of God Himself, Solomon could not have said anything more profound, more timely, and more desperately needed in our culture today. In large measure men have stopped living like men as God intended us to be. Every time I read this verse I immediately think of my dad. There are ver...

"However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord" Judges 14:4 One of my favorite things about God is the magnificent reality that He creates, controls, and manages even the "it" of our lives. Sometimes that "it" is really good stuff, sometimes "it" is heartbreaking and buckles our knees. But that's exactly what I've learned and still learning to enjoy...

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Jesus John 17:3 "In order towhat?" This is truly one of my favorite questions! A number of years ago, while I was working at Shea Homes I was strongly encouraged to ask myself this question continuously. I'm going here or I'm doing this or that "in order towhat?" If I...