People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you…
Author: Norm
2 Chronicles 13-21:3
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 13-21:3 This is what the prophet Micaiah was facing in 2 Chronicles 18. What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER Lord, show me where I am following the crowd instead of You. Give me the strength of Micaiah to live and speak for the truth, no matter the consequences.
Being good citizens
SCRIPTURE: Mark 12:13-17 Interesting that Pharisees (extreme fundamentalists) and Herodians (worldly liberals) worked together. Their scheme here is to get Jesus in trouble with the Romans; get Him to advocate rebellion. In His clever answer, Jesus affirms paying taxes, but… ‘give back to God what is God’s’, what isn’t God’s? We are called to obey our…
The surgeon’s knife
SCRIPTURE: Mark 12:1-12 When God speaks, it cuts into our hearts, exposing and challenging and healing us (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is the Voice (Word) of God, and what He says cuts deep, like a surgeons scalpel. The point of this story is a challenge, exposing their sinful, selfish hearts, how they are resisting God. “They knew…
Playing games with Jesus
SCRIPTURE: Mark 11:27-33 Play games with Jesus, and you will lose. The religious leaders had interrogated Jesus many times, they were not interested in His answers. Jesus knows their hearts, He knows they are already against Him and determined to eliminate Him. He answers their question with a ‘trick’ question, they know it and refuse to…
Become a secret agent!
Yesterday I spoke on Matthew 6:1-4, how Jesus encourages us the discipline of secret service. Check out this website (http://www.secretagentl.com) and consider becoming a secret agent, specializing in anonymous acts of kindness. The assignment for the week is to perform a secret act of kindness every day for this week. This is your mission, should you…
The kind of prayer God supports!
SCRIPTURE: Mark 11:20-26 Prayer is not a technique to get something from God; it is a personal relationship. When we are bonded with someone in love, we work together and support each other. If one person moves, the other moves with them; they decide and work together. Jesus is partnering with God in a close, personal…
Arming myself in the Lord!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 57 (You can read the story behind this Psalm in 1 Samuel 24). David is afraid, he is in danger, he is under pressure, he is under attack… and he prays this prayer. He is hiding himself in God when life gets overwhelming. He is confident that God will help and rescue him, so he pushes…
2 Chronicles 8-12
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 8-12 What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER
To see or not to see?
This week I am speaking on Matthew 6:1-4. I am looking at what seems like a contradiction in the words of Jesus. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen…