Said “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.” John 16:1 (NLT) Words have tremendous power. With them we can build or destroy, lift up or tear down, encourage or discourage. Jesus Himself used His words to strengthen His disciples, assuring them that they were not alone, but that the…
When There Is Love, There Is Sacrifice Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.” Genesis 29:18 (NLT) True love always leads us to giving and sacrifice. Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and…
To Whom Did God Make This Promise? I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 26:4 (NLT) God is a God of covenants and generations. The…
My Life Is the Grain with Much Fruit Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. John 12:24 (NKJV) Jesus used the image of the grain of wheat to teach a profound spiritual principle: only…
Abundant Life The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT) When Jesus spoke of abundance, He was not limiting it to money or material possessions. The abundance He offers goes far beyond: it is a full life in every…
By Stages From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. Genesis 13:3 (NLT) The Christian life, as well as ministry and personal projects, is not completed all at once, but by stages. Just as Abraham advanced step by step…
Miraculous Signs A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. John 6:2 (NLT) The miracles Jesus performed were not a show; they were signs of the Kingdom of God in action. The crowd followed Him because they saw the manifestation of divine power…
Between Sowing and Harvest You know the saying, “Four months between planting and harvest.” But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. John 4:35 (NLT) Jesus reminds us that between sowing and harvest there is a time of waiting. However, He also awakens us to the reality that…
New Things And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (NLT) How encouraging it is to remember that what we live today is not the end of the story….
Authority After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. Revelation 18:1 (NLT) The word authority reminds us that there is a legitimate power to establish and carry out what is commanded. In John’s vision, the angel descends with authority that comes…