And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.…

“Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:3,5 (NCV) When we struggle…

If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you… James 1:5 (GW) There are times in life when we may struggle in a relationship with another person. We don’t know what to do to fix things. We can try to make…

At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God. But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are…

“Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.” James 3:18 (NLT) It’s not always easy to live in peace. At times we can easily be offended. Other times we can unknowingly hurt someone else’s feelings. As we go through each day, we need to plant seeds of peace.…

“…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:14 (NIV) How do you love people with flaws, faults, and failures?  How do you love and serve people when they’re not meeting your needs?  There’s…

“Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.” Mark 10:45 (ERV) We always have an assignment to do for Jesus. Jesus is our teacher. Jesus teaches us that loving and serving in our…

“ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT) God won’t stop until His work in us is finished. God is using our tough relationships to make us into His finished…

“Love each other as I have loved you. This is what I am commanding you to do.” John 15:12 (GW) We can’t always choose our closest relationships. We can’t choose our parents or our children or who they become. We have very little control in many of our relationships. However, we can choose how we…

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? …

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Matthew 7:20 (NLT) What do your actions tell us about you?  Do your actions and words tell conflicting stories about your life?  What you say is far less important to people than your actions.  If you…

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Proverbs 4:25 (NLT) If you’ve ever been to a professional basketball game, you’ll notice that something interesting occurs when the opposing team is ready to shoot a free throw.  Typically, the fans for the home team will begin shouting, waving their arms or…

The tongue has the power of life and death… Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) Your tongue (or what you speak) has the ability to build people up or tear people down.  It can be used as a tool to bring encouragement to someone or as a weapon when you feel someone has done something against you.  It’s…

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.  Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.  Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.  Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Proverbs 4:23-26 (NLT)  We are encouraged to…

A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness. John 10:10 (NCV) The thief (satan) comes to steal, kill and bring destruction in our lives.  Let’s analyze his strategy for a moment.  The bible refers to satan as a roaring lion looking for someone to…

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV) God loves us so much that He promises to give us our heart’s desire, but it is on one condition – we must delight in Him first. We need Him to be our primary focus. As we…

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) As parents, we are always careful of who we let come in contact with our children. We want to protect them from bad things that can happen to them. We also want to keep them away from bad…

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp…

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT) It is easy for us to copy what everyone else is…

..the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone.” Genesis 218a (CEB) Many times we try to conquer life on our own. We prefer not to ask for help when we really need it. We would rather struggle alone than ask for help. We will figure out a way without the help…