Don’t be a Pain

 Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’tContinue reading “Don’t be a Pain”

Don’t Run Away

“That same day, two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their discussion, Jesus appeared and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. HeContinue reading “Don’t Run Away”

See a Need, Meet a Need

The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing. The man threw his armsContinue reading “See a Need, Meet a Need”

Rise After Falling

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21 NIV) I’m a firm believer in God’s power to resurrect anything and anyone (just read Rise Again!). But for Him to do that He often allows us to experience a death of sorts. There are probablyContinue reading “Rise After Falling”

Lord of Life

“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25 NIV) There’s a common theme in every resurrection story we read about in the Bible. After funeral arrangements were made and some of the dead were ready to be buried (or were already buried), Jesus came along and disrupted the funeral progression. The son of theContinue reading “Lord of Life”

Lost and Restored

God, your God, will restore everything you lost. (Deuteronomy 30:3 MSG) God is a restorer. From restoring people who have wondered far away from Him to restoring our peace, hope and joy and right down to trivial matters, nothing is a lost cause for Him. Restoration is what He specializes in. He is a giverContinue reading “Lost and Restored”

Glory in Suffering

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4 NIV) Some people don’t want to go through the difficult things you’ve had to go, but they do want the glory that is revealed in you through those sufferings, such as endurance, whichContinue reading “Glory in Suffering”