Lust
Read: Matthew 5:27-30 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out. (v. 29) A student of mine approached me as she faced a difficult decision. Her father had recently left his family of four, and his marriage of twenty years, to marry his co-worker. Now dad wanted my student and her sisters to […]
The Seven Deadly Sins
Read: Galatians 5:16-24 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (v. 16) The seven deadly sins are a famous shorthand for the worst of humanity, but few people take them all that seriously today. In fact, I usually see them used frivolously in pop culture that […]
Belonging to the Lord
Read: Romans 14:7-9 Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (v. 8 NIV) After seeing my mother alive for the last time, the Spirit reminded me of this truth: “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (v. 8 NIV). It brought me such comfort. As the first Heidelberg Catechism question and […]
Belonging to One Another
Read: Romans 12:3-8 So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (v. 5 NIV) Families are wonderful. Families are messy. We need families. From the beginning of creation, we were not meant to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Paul describes Christ’s family as a body. We form his […]
Heirs
Read: Galatians 3:26-29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (v. 29 NIV) What does it mean to be an heir? When my adoptive parents died, as their only living child, I became an heir of their estate and a co-heir of what they inherited from their […]
The Spirit Testifies
Read: Romans 8:14-17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (v. 16 NIV) There is a big difference between being included and belonging. For example, I can attend church and feel included in worship through my participation of singing, praying and receiving communion in the Lord’s Supper. But I can leave […]
President Emeritus Rev. David Bast
At the May Board of Directors gathering, the Words of Hope Board approved a resolution recognizing Rev. David Bast as President Emeritus of the ministry. Rev. Bast became the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope in 1994, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2017. During his time with Words of […]
Children of God
Read: 1 John 3:1-10 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (v. 1 NIV) What does it mean that God lavished his great love on us? It means that God bestowed his extravagant love for us in generous quantities. […]
God’s Forever Family
Read: John 1:1-14 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (v. 12) Being adopted has helped me understand what it means to be welcomed and included as someone else’s child. It is a gift of belonging. Adoptees are often referred to as […]