Peace. That wonderful quality of calm and serenity that can be so difficult to maintain in the turbulent days of our lives, is linked with righteousness, not with circumstances. This is good news for those of us who seek for the peace of God to rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15). We may not be experiencing peaceful feelings due to outward conditions or events, but we have been graced with the possibility of an internal state of peace which can remain unaffected by what goes on around it. …read more

David prayed in Psalm 5:1-3 “Oh Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” …read more

Now more than ever, it is imperative to have “the power of an endless life” (Hebrews 7:16) at work within us. With headlines bringing news of pervasive distress, terrorist activities, and countless other current events, we feel the urgency to ever be pressing toward the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.  …read more

Ever since Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin from God in the garden, mankind has had the temptation to hide his sin from the eyes of the Omniscient One. How futile this is when we consider that God is able to know every moment of our being, nothing being hidden from Him. Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Luke 8:17 says, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”…read more

Church. The word by itself evokes a powerful image in the mind of most Americans. We imagine a building with a steeple, a gathering of like-minded people, the place people go to worship on Sunday or Saturday, at least on Easter or Christmas. Love it or hate it, church has been a part of our culture, and the culture of many parts of the rest of the world, for a long time. …read more

In these days, what do we need as believers more than anything else in this world? How about the need for a personal realization of the power of God resting upon us as stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9, where Paul is describing the revelation God had given him of this very thing? …read more

We have a choice to make in what we “savor;” what we delight in or take pleasure in. We can choose the things that be of God, or the things that be of men. Unconsciously we make those decisions all day long and I’ll speak for myself here, I bet I savor the things that “be of men” more often than not. It can be so automatic, so mindless, this pleasing of our flesh. …read more

Matthew Henry’s commentary on Philippians 4:2-9 had this portion that caught my eye today as I was studying. He says, “We must join thanksgiving with prayers and supplications; not only seek supplies of good, but own the mercies we have received.” …read more

Among the many things I’m thinking about this holiday season is this mind-blowing truth that the God of all creation has called us His children. I am “beholding what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us” as the King James translates this verse. To behold is to see, “to feast your eyes on,” and what I want to be able to see with the eyes of my understanding is the grand meaning of His love toward us. …read more

Christians have tried to explain why bad things happen, why they happen to good people, and why they happen in our own lives. In a message on the storms of life, Tony shares three biblical examples of why Jonah, the disciples, and Paul all encountered a terrible storm. Simply stated, Jonah’s storm was encountered because of disobedience, The Disciples’ in the midst of Jesus’ mandate to go to the other side (Mark 4:35-41), and Paul’s because of the decisions other people made that affected his life while on his way to trial in Rome (Acts 27). …read more

For several years now I’ve had Philippians 3:10-11 rolling around in my heart. I have prayed it many times over family members, friends and strangers. It is my standby prayer when I hear the sound of a police car or fire truck siren for the folks involved in whatever situation warranted that siren. There is a longing in my heart for people to “know Him” and all that the knowing entails, and so I find myself speaking this scripture often in prayer form. …read more

I can’t seem to let go of the idea that God gets great pleasure out of taking nothing or very little, and doing great things with it. From the beginning we see Him creating something from nothing. He formed man out of dirt and yet the Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Something happens when God breathes on dirt. Something happens when Jesus asks His Father to bless a few fish and some loaves of bread. …read more