READ: LUKE 19:1-10; ROMANS 15:7 Sometimes I find it difficult to take feedback from others. I put a lot of effort into what I do, so it can be hard to hear notes and criticism about the work I’m doing, whether it’s about my job, writing, singing, or just my personal life. And it’s even worse when the feedback comes with a rejection—like when I haven’t done x, y, or z, so I’m not qualified for whatever I was pursuing. Back when I was looking for a job, I would hear phrases like, “Sorry, you don’t have the right experience,” or “We’re looking for someone with a different degree,” or “You should ..read more

READ: JOSHUA 2; HEBREWS 11:29-31; JAMES 2:25 Rahab is one of my favorite people in the Old Testament of the Bible. We remember her because of her faith in God. Though she was not an Israelite by birth, her faith in the God of Israel prompted her to hide two Israelite spies in her home within the walls of Jericho. As a result of this act of faith, Rahab and her family were spared when the Israelite army conquered Jericho. The Bible notes that not only was Rahab a Canaanite, but she was also a prostitute. We might be tempted to think of Rahab as “worse of a sinner” than other people—after all, s ..read more

READ: PSALM 145:17-19; ACTS 12:5-17 After we ask God for something in prayer, it can be easy to just move on without actually looking for His answer. We can get distracted by a thousand different things that steal our attention away—meanwhile His answer to our prayer is right in front of us. We find an example of this when Peter is thrown in prison and the believers begin earnestly praying for him. God answers their prayers by sending an angel to free Peter and lead him right out of the jail. But when Peter gets to the house where they’re all still praying for him, they can’t believe it’s Pete ..read more

READ: ISAIAH 55:8-9; MATTHEW 19:26; MARK 9:14-27 I come to You, and I wonder if You can. I have turned to others, and I have tried myself. I question You, not sure if You understand my needs. I doubt You, not sure if Your plan and my plan will align.   If I have tried already, how can things be different? If it has been impossible for me, how can it be better? If I leave it in Your hands, will I end up disappointed? Am I making a mistake even just by turning to You?   You tell me that Your ways are not like mine. You tell me that what’s impossible for humans is possible for You. You ..read more

READ: PSALM 139:7-12; LUKE 15:1-7; ROMANS 8:31-39 I spread mortar on the next brick. The thick sludge looks like grey toothpaste as I smother it on the porous red block. I set the brick firmly on top of the others and reach impatiently for the next one, scoop another trowel-full of mortar and slap it down. Another brick, and another, and another. The wall is tall enough, and now I’m making it thicker. I lost track of how many layers of bricks I’ve put up. It doesn’t matter. I don’t bother to focus my eyes on anything. I just keep going. I don’t feel anything. I just keep going. I’ve gotten pre ..read more

READ: MATTHEW 7:1-5; JAMES 2:10; 1 JOHN 1:7-9 Are you ever tempted to believe that your sins are bigger or smaller than somebody else’s? It’s an easy lie to fall into. But in God’s sight, there are no big or small sins. It’s all just plain sin. It might be helpful to think of sin like stepping on a rock. Whether you trip over a large rock or step barefoot on a small, sharp pebble, it hurts! Stumbling on a rock of any size can stop us in our tracks. It’s easy to think that “small” sins like hiding the truth, gossip, and jealousy aren’t really a big deal, but even little pebbles can cause great ..read more

READ: PSALMS 32:8; 91:15; 119:105; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 Imagine for a moment you’re in a car, driving. On and on you go, but soon you realize you’re absolutely, hopelessly lost. The narrow, dead-straight country road stretches out before you with no chance to turn to the left or the right. Should you turn around and go back? You pull over and haul out your phone to use the GPS. It doesn’t work. What should you do? You’re in the middle of nowhere, and you have no idea which way to go. Is this the right way? How far can you go before you run out of fuel? There’s nothing to do but go on. Surely if y ..read more

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; 1 PETER 5:6-7 Has a Bible verse ever hit you like a freight train—in a good way? I had that experience a couple months ago. I was going through a very stressful time in life with a number of large, sometimes painful decisions in front of me. I was weighed down, desperately trying to work through several problems in my own life while also coming alongside others experiencing problems in their lives. I was reading through 1 Peter 5, and I came across verse 7: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I have read this verse dozens or hundreds of tim ..read more

READ: PSALMS 34:5; 89:14, 30-34; ROMANS 8:1 When you were younger, did you ever get hurt while doing something you knew you weren’t supposed to do? Like, maybe as a toddler your parent told you not to touch the hot stove, but you did anyway and got burned. Or maybe when you were a bit older you went ahead and built an amateur ramp to jump your bike, even though your babysitter told you not to, and you ended up breaking your arm. The best thing to do when we mess up and get hurt is confess what we’ve done and ask for help. Similar to how we’d confess our disobedience to the adults who were tryi ..read more

READ: PSALM 23; ISAIAH 53; MATTHEW 18:12-13 Remember when you were a little kid and would imagine what it would be like to be an animal? I do. I would wonder, What if I was a bird and I could fly? Or what if I was a cheetah and could run 75 miles per hour? What if I was a house cat and could lounge around all day without a worry in the world? Well, these musings aren’t just for kids. In fact, the Bible often compares God’s people to sheep. Think about that. We are God’s sheep. The fact that we are fallen humans can sometimes distract us from this truth. As humans, it seems like there is so muc ..read more