Goodness
Read: Matthew 5:13-16 Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works. (v. 16) As a pastor, I regularly encounter people outside the church who say, “I don’t go to church, but I try to be a good person.” I regularly encounter people inside the church who say, “I’m here because […]
Women’s Sewing Center
In Lohardaga, India, Words of Hope operates a training center to teach women living in poverty how to sew, tailor clothing, and knit. This hands-on ministry provides women with a marketable skill so that they can provide for themselves and their families. The relationships formed during training often open doors for sharing the gospel with […]
Kindness
Read: Romans 2:1-4 God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (v. 4) In his memoir, actor Danny Trejo describes how he once accidentally stumbled into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting while trying to crash a rival gang’s house party. Trejo, armed and expecting a fight, was welcomed by a room full of friendly older people. […]
Patience
Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 As we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (v. 5) Years ago, my wife noticed a peculiar phenomenon. Every time I got in line at the grocery store, a fast-food restaurant, or a border crossing, that line would grind to a halt. We tested her […]
Peace
Read: John 14:23-27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. (v. 27) In a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair magazine, actress Jennifer Lawrence disclosed that a recent period of overwork and burnout had been driven by a preoccupation with pleasing people. Lawrence says, “I reached a point where people were not pleased […]
Joy
Read: James 1:2-5, 16-18 Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of various kinds. (v. 2) During my early years as a pastor, I led a retirees’ Bible study of the book of James. When we reached James 1:2, one of the participants interrupted. He said, indignantly, “It sounds like James is saying we should […]
Love
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (v. 7) First Corinthians 13 is most often associated with weddings. It seems the perfect passage to pair with a celebration of romantic love. The irony is that Paul’s famous “love” chapter is not about romantic love at all. […]
Signs of Life
Read: Galatians 5:22-25 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (vv. 22-23) Actors are sometimes required to undergo significant physical changes for roles in film and television. It has become fashionable for celebrities to post photos of their “body transformations” on social media. The signs of a radical […]
More than Conquerors
Read: Romans 8:35-39 In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (v. 37) On social media, I’ve observed a common trend. When someone disagrees with a post or headline on a news story, the comments quickly devolve into aggression and insults. They want to be winners, fighters, conquerors. The apostle […]