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The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.” – Psalms 58:10-11 Have you ever been on the receiving end of a great injustice? Have you ever been "wronged" by another? One might as easily ask if you have ever lived on this earth! Whether the injustice was small (like someone breaking in line ahead of you) or large

The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. - 1 John 4:8 We have all heard the old saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know." In West Africa, this is very true. Young people with degrees from a university must often "know" someone with influence in order to find a professional job. It isn't enough to be talented or gifted. A person needs connections. Another example of this adage was discovered when something needed repair (a weekly occurrenc

I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." - Psalm 57:9-10 Do you have a "life-song?" I think King David had a lot of songs in his heart, but the verses above seem to bring them all together. They express His understanding of God's faithful love and the need for that love to be expressed before all peoples (nations, tribes). I like it. It

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. - 1 John 4:7 Who are you? What is the one word that those who know you best might use to describe you or your life? Yeah, I'm not sure I want to see that list either, but have you ever known someone whose life could be defined by the word "love?" I'm not speaking of physical desire, romance, or strong affection, but rather an unconditional, sacrificia

Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. - Psalm 51:8 If you have lived past 30, then you have no doubt already had plenty of opportunities to endure a trial (or two). This is not to say that a person cannot endure much more before 30, but only that the older we get, the more our chances at difficulty increase. Of course, I am not speaking of your everyday minor challenge, but rather of the bone-crushing, joy-robbing, hope-quenching events that m

We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. - 1 John 4:6 Back in 2009, when my wife an I lived in West Africa, I would be out in the city and people would ask if I was French. Perhaps it was the beret, neckerchief, and pencil thin mustache that confused them ( just kidding )! When I told them that I was in fact, an American, then one word always came

Our God is coming; He will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes Him, and a storm rages around Him. On high, He summons heaven and earth in order to judge His people. - Psalm 50:3-4 Do you ever get a little overwhelmed or depressed by the news here in the U.S., or like others, do you just ignore it? This morning as I was doing my regular morning online "check-in", I found myself wishing I could just escape and go live somewhere else. As a person who holds to a biblical faith

They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. - 1 John 4:5 Though I am (by spiritual and physical heritage) a Baptist, most of my ministry has been spent in places that would neither be considered Strongholds for that particular denomination. This has often led the "locals" to make the oft-repeated, obvious statement, "You're not from around here are you." Of course, this observation hit its zenith when we moved to Africa

This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words.(Selah) Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. - Psalm 49:13-14 In one French translation of this passage, it reads (literally), "Here is the way of those who put their trust in themselves, here is that which awaits the ones who love to hear th

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4 My wife and I once lived in a predominantly Muslim country. Every year, during Ramadan, most of the nearly 500,000 inhabitants of our city would fast from sunrise to sunset (and then party from sunset to sunrise). As I would drive around, it would not be unusual to see hundreds of men on their knees praying and chanting. Five

Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers, note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation: "This God, our God forever and ever -- He will lead us eternally." - Psalm 48:12-14 "Zion" was another name for the mountain of God (Horeb) and, for the Israelite, it was a reminder of God's power and presence. The mountain served as a visible, tangible expression of a spiritual reality. I have pastored two churches that had a deep and rich histories.

But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. - 1 John 4:3 Are we in the last days? I'm fairly certain that if I could somehow post this question in order that the cyber-world might respond, then my inbox would be maxed-out with replies. Honestly, I do not know the answer. I don't even know my own last day, though it is probably wise to live as if it cou

Stop [your fighting] — and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth. - Psalm 46:10 Why is it necessary for us to "stop our fighting" (cease striving, be still) in order to know God's power and presence in our lives? The Lord certainly wants us to exert ourselves in His service, but can this effort (no matter how feeble) also blind us to His involvement? Let me illustrate it this way. Have you ever been on a moving sidewalk? With just a little effor

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. - 1 John 4:2 Have you ever stopped to consider the difference one word can make? The Southern Baptist's annual offering for international missions is named in honor of a former missionary to China named "Lottie Moon." A friend once mistyped it in an email and it auto-corrected as "Lottery Moon!" I thought, "Well, that might increase giving!" In John's stat

Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. - Psalm 42:11 In days of great difficulty it is easy to feel sorry for yourself and throw a "pity-party," but those who follow Jesus should consider the truth that this might not be the desire of God for their lives. Christ's disciple should realize that their deepest trial is often their greatest opportunity to reveal His indwelling presence. Of course,

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1 I have been writing these little daily thoughts for quite a few years now and with social networking it seems that a few people (whom I will probably never meet) manage to stumble across them. Frightening and sobering! I first began to write to provide encouragement and teaching to the church I pastored and

Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. - Psalm 41:10 In this Psalm, David spoke of betrayal (with a clear messianic reference). Yet, I wonder, who was David's greatest traitor? Was it Absalom (his son), Ahithophel (his counselor), or Joab (his commander)? Was it a person at all? The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Perhaps in all his life, David's gre

... and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight. - 1 John 3:22 If I said that I knew a way by which you could have whatever you wanted from God every single time you asked, would you be interested? One hundred percent of the time, every request fulfilled by the all-powerful God of the universe, do I have your attention? Good. Here is the key. Are you ready? It is simple, just want whatever He wants. You see, God

Yahweh, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how transitory I am. - Psalm 39:4 There are times in our lives when it seems that physical sickness is everywhere. Of course, the larger the group of acquaintances (Facebook?), the greater these occurrences seem. I once knew of at least seven people with cancer (or suffering the results of cancer) at one time. I did what I could to encourage them, but ultimately I think I was the one who was encour

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn [us] we have confidence before God.... - 1 John 3:21 For all the criticism that one may hear against healthcare in America, it is decades (even a century) ahead of the basics we saw when we lived in Africa. Where this truth was most evident was among the mentally ill. For example, there was one man who walked the streets of our large city completely naked. He apparently survived on handouts and good will, but was totally oblivious t