Identify Abuse and Leave It Behind

Godly parents want their children to learn, accept, and know the lesson below. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes… Read More

Gentle correction

Godly discipline allows children to please parents. It fits the punishment to the crime. Children come to understand cause and effect, sowing and reaping. Big crime gets a big punishment; little crime receives a little punishment. With abuse, punishment is arbitrary and often unfair, but Godly discipline distinguishes between a mistake and a deliberate sin. Or… Read More

Ephesians 3:11-13 He’s carrying me through my troubles.

When my circumstances stink, when I’m up against a wall, when I’m surrounded and the harder I try the deeper I sink, when I feel alone and abandoned, when others hurt me… God says, “Don’t be afraid; trust me. Boldly go out on the mission I laid out for you. I feel your pain–I’ve suffered… Read More

Ephesians 3:9-10 Chosen

Has God chosen you for a specific task? I’m in the grandma stage of my life, so I have a lot of years and choosings to look back at. I realize that God chose me for certain tasks at different stages in my life. It was only about ten years ago that I thought, “Aha.… Read More

Ephesians 2:11-13 I didn’t have a clue!

Once I was on the outside. Now I’m part of the family of God. Once I had no clue about God, his promises, his love, and his grace. Now, because of his mercy, sacrifice, and victory over death, I am in on it altogether. God is love, and He loves me. I don’t take it… Read More

Ephesians 2:4-10 We neither make nor save ourselves

There’s no way I can pull myself up by my boot straps to be good enough for God–which is the perfection in which He created us and placed it. We chose and daily choose against him–you’d think he’d be so sick of it and us that He’d throw us far away so we wouldn’t hurt… Read More

Ephesians 2:1-5 Inhale unbelief–Exhale disobedience

What am I filling my mind with? What do I take in through my five senses? What do I dwell on? What do I spend my time and money on? That’s what will come out. Inhale. Exhale.   Ephesians 2:1-5 (New Living Translation) Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.… Read More