Few things are as fixed as mountains. But, on the day after Jesus cursed the fig tree, He declared that they can be moved.

“Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” (Mark 11:23)

Did Jesus mean this?

God’s “good” is not specific to the individual as much as it is tied to that which benefits the corporate body. God’s “good” is about conforming us to the image of Christ. That is our greatest good. Our greatest good is that which most glorifies God and promotes worship of his holy name among the nations. God’s greatest good for us is leveraging our lives for the purpose of redemption. Yes, that is right, leveraging our lives. We are the servants, he is the master. Sometimes “good” is nailing you to the cross for the good of others in God’s redemptive kingdom plan.

I read an interesting research study that looked at the actions we can take to create the emotion of happiness. You might think at the top of the list would be going on vacation or receiving a gift of some kind. But the study showed that “the emotion of happiness is really a sense that comes when you are helpful, when your purpose is tied to helping someone else.” In other words, we are the happiest and the healthiest when we are loving and serving other people.

In this short talk, Sarah Zylstra—co-author (with Collin Hansen) of the new book Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age—talks about some of the reasons anxiety is on the rise. She explains how Christians can find peace in two seemingly contradictory ways: by thinking big, and by thinking small.

“Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn.”
Ruth 2:2

Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field of promise. Here are abundance of precious promises, which exactly meet thy wants. Take this one: “He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.” Doth not that suit thy case? A reed, helpless, insignificant, and weak, a bruised reed, out of which no music can come; weaker than weakness itself; a reed, and that reed bruised, yet, he will not break thee; but on the contrary, will restore and strengthen thee…

My thought today is simple, put in the work. Yes, it will take more time and effort and you will get tired, but if God called you to it, He will most definitely see you through until the end.

Giving up is an option, but you won’t see your hard work pay off. The work God has called you to will take more, it’s going to take “elbow grease”. I know it seems like the residue of your last loss or disappointment won’t wipe clean, but try again!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to get to a spotless finish:…

It’s Time to Use Our Words to Declare Good Things

I once read an article about doctors who incorporated “talk therapy” to treat patients suffering with depression. Instead of medicating the problem, the doctors instructed the patients to start making positive declarations over their lives, saying such things as: “I have a bright future. People like to be around me. Good things are in store.”

Martin Luther King Jr. observed that 11 a.m. Sunday is our most segregated hour. This was true in the 1960s, and we still see the reality today—86 percent of American congregations remain overwhelmingly mono-ethnic. Derwin Gray, founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church in North Carolina and former NFL safety, has written Building a Multiethnic Church: A Gospel Vision of Love, Grace, and Reconciliation in a Divided World to encourage multiethnic ministries…

Imagine God in his royal study behind the desk that runs the cosmos. If he were like you and me, he would be intensely focused. He probably wouldn’t even notice us enter the room. From somewhere deep within, we muster up the courage to say something. Maybe we don’t even know what we’re saying, but we want his attention. So we stumble over our words. Eventually, something resembling a sentence comes out and he looks up. What now?…

The Best Things in Life are Worth Waiting For

We live in a world where we want what we want when we want it.  Some people refer to this as a “microwave society”.  Yes, I know it’s hard.

You’ve prayed to God to heal you, to open up an opportunity, to bless your finances, to bring true love your way. You may have even asked the Lord, “Why hasn’t it happened for me yet? Because frankly…