Tag: patient

  • Pursuit of Wholiness

    Pursuit of Wholiness

    We may be muddy, dirty, bloody, cranky, angry, depressed, grieving, sad, or even happy and joy-filled. We are still to pursue holiness.

  • 45 Days Countdown

    45 Days Countdown

    Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Daniel 12:5–13; Ephesians 1:7–14 We love countdowns. Before church service starts, we have a countdown. Every sporting event has a countdown. Part of its attraction is the pressure. It moves us. Another attraction of a countdown is finitude. We know there is an end, even if our team is losing (or maybe…

  • Unyielding Prayer

    Psalm 39; 2 Samuel 12:13–23; Luke 18:1-8 (read online ⧉) It’s hard to grasp why God would appear to condemn an innocent child to die. How it occurs is a mystery. We can infer that David understood that the child would die and that God would not save it. This would be in contrast to…

  • From the Heart

    Colossians 3:12–17 οἰκτιρμοῦ (oiktirmou) :: mercy and concern with sensitivity and compassion χρηστότητα (chrēstotēta) :: giving to or providing for a person as an act of kindness ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynē) :: humble attitude and without arrogance πραΰτητα (prautēta) :: gentleness of attitude and behavior / not harsh with others μακροθυμίαν (makrothymian) :: emotional calm despite provocation…

  • Witnessing Falsely

    Jeremiah 5:1–3, Mark 11:12–14, Mark 13:28 Bearing false witness is a known problem. Isn’t it? Maybe not. In Jeremiah, those that bore false witness refused discipline (no matter how loving and grace-filled). In fact, the implication is that they took their behavior and made it a way of life, rather than an incident in life.…

  • Long Haul Saving

    Numbers 21:4–9, Galatians 5:22–24, 2 Corinthians 6:3–13 The story is of the staff is fascinating, and we can see its long-reaching effects even today (look at many ambulances). However, as fun as that might be, we need to talk about one of the underlying causes of the tale…the impatience of the Israelites. In many ways,…

  • Friday after Easter

    John 21:1–19, Isaiah 43:1–12 We often stop with the Resurrection of Easter. That’s the big event. It’s understandable. It wasn’t the end of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Often when we are stressed or unsure of ourselves, we return to old habits. Peter’s old habit was fishing (it was his occupation, too). It was quite…

  • Resurrecting Perspective

    Matthew 28:1–8, 1 Corinthians 15:12–23 HE IS RISEN! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in…