living in the light of God's grace
Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-11 NIV) Jesus spared this woman from a death sentence she incurred for her sin. He then told […]
“We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:5-6 NIV) The Israelites, after being rescued from bondage in Egypt, were now free, living on manna that God provided daily. Yet, […]
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16 NIV) Jesus would preach to multitudes and heal the sick, but He also knew when He needed to withdraw from it all to spend time in prayer. To pray to God is not a ritual, but a conversation with our heavenly Father and a […]
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40 NIV) Has your spiritual life been defined by activities? We might justify busy […]
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV) Jesus […]
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Psalm 62:5–7 NIV Rock. Fortress. Refuge. The imagery is unmistakable: In […]
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 NIV) King David might have been a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), but he was far from perfect. When the prophet, Nathan, called him out on his sins, David cried out to God, “Create in me […]
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26 NIV) The psalmist laments over the prosperity of the wicked: they have no struggles (Ps. 73:4), speak with malice (v.8), […]
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2 NIV) In the wilderness, under the unrelenting heat of the sun, we thirst. Our very lives depend on quenching this […]
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. (Luke 4:1–2 NIV) The wilderness is where we are stripped of our […]
