Need encouragement this morning? For believers in Christ, Romans 8:31-39 may be the most encouraging passage of the Bible. Paul begins in verse 31 with a rhetorical question: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Then Paul continues with these encouraging truths (please read the verses in their entirety when you can). …
I’ve heard former Yankee great, Bobby Richardson, quote Psalm 37:4 many times: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Of course, when we truly “delight ourselves in the Lord” (honor Him, attempt to please Him, love Him and love His Word) our desires will change. What are …
It’s easy to develop a lifestyle which compartmentalizes God. We sometimes try to keep Him in a box at church. But, in order for us to grow spiritually and become “God pleasers” instead of “man pleasers,” we would be wise to include God in to every facet of our lives; not only when we are …
In 1970, I was playing MiLB in the old Northern League in Watertown, SD. That’s a long haul from my hometown of Lindseyville, KY. I became tired of always bumming rides with teammates and not having my own “wheels” with me, so I asked my mother to follow my dad when they visited and to …
Shame and guilt are emotions that say “we’re not good enough” to follow Christ. Grace is the great gift that, when fully received, compels us to follow Him. “Shame says that because I’m flawed I am unacceptable. Grace says that though I’m flawed I am cherished.” (Unknown) “For it is by grace you have been …
Anything very special and good that happens in our life is a gift. We may work hard to reach a goal or develop the skills we already have, but we cannot give intellectual and physical skills to ourselves; they are gifts from God. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the …
“Finish Strong.” It’s a phrase I often use when sending notes and messages to coaches and athletes during their playing season. This morning, I want all of us to be challenged to “finish strong” in our lives. The Apostle Paul started off his adult life highly educated and then became fiercely motivated to capture and …
Once when I was going through a very difficult time, a Christian friend said, “you’ve got to give it completely to God.” At the time, it actually aggravated me because I saw his advice as a pious cliche. I saw it that way, because I wanted to fix the problem on my own instead of …
Have you noticed that during interviews in sports, and especially political talk shows, it seems to be acceptable and almost encouraged that people interrupt and “talk over” one another’s comments? Quite frankly, this irritates me and I switch stations or turn off the TV or radio. I found this jewel in Proverbs 18:13: “He who …
Early in my coaching career I admired certain coaches because of their success, charisma and knowledge of baseball. I quickly learned that by hanging out with them I was going to places that caused me guilt and shame and talking about things I knew was detrimental to my spiritual well being and my role as …