“In the same way let your  light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify  your Father  in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16 (NIV) With all the bad news we read and hear about in the  nation today, it may begin to seem that there’s a dearth of good deeds, but good deeds do  occur, and opportunities for doing  them  abound.   Christ’s followers are noted for their good works, a large amount of it being done in groups or as part of an organization. In times of disaster, church groups join together and work tirelessly in community efforts to help the hurting victims. The people who do this…

“But you are a chosen people,  a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 1:9 (NIV) Like me, you may have received a letter more than once alerting you that there was a security breach of the electronic  system at your bank or your insurance company. We’re told of the nature of the breach and how our identity may have been affected. We become uneasy learning that our  identity might have been cocmpromised, but we take heart in the company’s reassurance that they are doing everything to…

“But the wisdom  that is from above is first pure,  then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without  partiality and without hypocrisy.”  James 3:17 (NKJV) Our society values knowledge. The same can’t be said about its feelings about wisdom because it seems to think that  wisdom resides in people with academic  degrees or in philosophers or perhaps in television pundits.  But God sees differently. Our focus text is a panorama  of virtues that define wisdom, and it’s evident  that you and I can be wise. Today the kind of wisdom that Christ promotes seems like a tall order, even for us Christians,  but as we…

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Colossians 2:6 (NKJV) None of us remembers  how or when we  first learned to walk. That is a faraway occurrence for us adults, although our parents kept alive  vivid memories of that day.  Babies crawl before they walk; some crawl for months  and then suddenly one day  begin to take steps, unsteady  at first, but after a while, they get a firm grip on how to navigate terra firma.  After that, it seems nothing can stop their progress. In the apostle Paul’s gospel, “walk” has a wider meaning than mere physical activity. It refers to a way…

“All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded.”  Exodus 35:10 People who work with their handsa—the metal workers, the  carpenters, the bricklayers, the  carvers,  the  stonecutters, and, yes, the seamstresses—grace  the world with  beautiful things that enhance our cultural, religious, and everyday life.  Many times they are overlooked in deference to the highly educated people, but they are the ones who use their gifted hands to make  things that endure. Some of the world’s cathedrals  attract thousands of visitors each year because of  their  masonry, engravings,  carvings, and stonework,  all of which is exquisitely fitted together to make edifices that are…

“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” Luke 19:5, 6 (NIV) How do you deal with unexpected visitors to your home, especially at mealtime?  Some of us who prioritize neatness  and hospitality  tend to go into a tizzy at such a time,  trying to be gracious but wishing we had been forewarned. When I was a teenager living on the island, I was impressed with a  lady whose family I was visiting.  I noticed that she set a spread of delicious island food  for…

“We live by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) Faith is an abstract noun  just like words  such as conscience, happiness, morality, and piety.   We can’t see or touch them. Yet faith, like the other  words I’ve cited, is real; moreover, it is essential  to our Christian walk, because we have to trust even when we cannot see. We exercise faith all the time. It can be a simple acceptance  that something will happen following an action. For instance, we flip the light switch and expect the room to  light up. That’s faith on a superficial level of expectation. But we grow in understanding and  learn …

“Clearly you are an episstle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is,  of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV) In our day, we say  letters instead of epistles, although the length of some letters may derisively earn them the  name of epistles.  The business letter is still a part of the corporate world, but not many people write friendly letters anymore. The handwritten letter on fine stationery has gone out of style. People hardly ever  write   “thank you” notes nowadays. We live in a practical age, one without…

“When I consider Your heavens, the works  of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that you visit him?”  Psalm 8:3, 4  (NKJV) Attendance at our church services this past Sabbath day was scanty because nearly all the members were at the annual Outdoor Church service.  It’s a major event on the church’s calendar.  Each fall the members leave the well-appointed sanctuary to spend a day in God’s great outdoors. It’s  a refreshing time of learning, worshiping, and fellowship in a setting that celebrates our great Creator. In our focus text, the…

“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,  that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature….”  2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV) These are days when everything seems to be changing so fast that we find it hard to keep up. The old standards that  provided  purpose and surety  are eroding in the culture; we need to put  our  faith  in Jesus Christ and the strong promises of His word.  When there’s no stable foundation on which to stand, the promises of God are a sure support. In this week’s devotional post,  I have put together a list of Bible verses for our encouragement.  I…