“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…

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him [Moses] in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” Exodus 3:2 (NKJV) It has been  intensely hot this  summer in most parts of the country. It has also been a season of wild fires. Pictures on television  have highlighted the devastation. When a fire occurs in the forest, it burns rapidly and destroys everything in its path. But in our focus text, a blazing fire rages on a bush in the wilderness, but the bush is not burned up.  It’s a…

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing  but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13 (NKJV) Several years ago, I took a writing course in which one of the essays I wrote was about salt and its  harmful effects on one’s health.  It was later published as a magazine article titled “Don’t Shake It Out.”  The main idea  was to keep the salt in the salt shaker and avoid health problems. My writing teacher had praised my essay but had made a note on my paper saying  that…

“Oh, that you would  be silent. And it would be  your wisdom!” Job 13:5 How good a listener are you?  Communication coaches say that we aren’t  good at listening to others during a conversation.  Check yourself during a conversation, and you may find that you aren’t really listening at all. Your mind has jumped off the rail to think of  things irrelevant to what you’re supposed to be talking about. We’re told that focused listening is  more difficult today with the presence of  our gadgets, the main one being the smartphone. With about 5.4 billion people in the world using smartphones, the temptation to half-listen, or not listen at all,…

“And in him  you too are being built together to become  a dwelling in which  God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22 (NIV) I like to look at building projects, to observe the people and the activities  involved, and I must say I have plenty to look at in  my part of town, where developers are furiously building.  The city officials  appear to be pleased that things are booming along so well. They say the city is growing. It isn’t just the large  complexes that are being constructed. A few  houses destroyed in the major tornado we suffered four years ago are just being rebuilt. It’s good to see all…

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,  that you also love one another.” John  13:34  (NKJV) Did Christ’s disciples need a new commandment?   Jesus knew  the time was coming when He would be betrayed into the hands of His enemies. Death on the cross loomed ahead. Leaving to His discciples  a new commandment  was essential. The  rivalry and self-promotion would have to cease if they were going to be able to  do the  work ahead of them. They needed to love one another in order to carry out the Great Commission. I have heard  Jesus’ new commandment to love one…

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10  (NIV) Not many of us, perhaps none of us, would  admit to being name-droppers. You know, the  person who sprinkles his or her conversation  with names of well-to-do  people they know. Or the individual who, in sharing an incident involving  a friend, unnecessarily  brings up that person’s social status or financial assets. Name-dropping can even extend to the clothing some folk wear. The designer gets top billing on their outfits. Like you, I try to avoid name-dropping, but I recall one instance  when I resorted to it. I was invited back…