Tag Archives: perspective

God Is Good

VineWords Devotions and More

Living the Blessed Life The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds. ~Psalm 145:17 When we learn that people have received answers to prayers, we might say, “God is good!” When things go right, we continue with, “God is faithful!” We may associate living the good life with images of ease, comfortable scenarios, and dreamy settings. We often ascribe the words “blessed” and “blessing” to these circumstances. I have undoubtedly had this mindset countless … Continue reading →

Be Bored, Be Creative, Be Busy

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But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. ~Luke 5:16 NLT The Boredom Be bored, be creative, be busy. There’s something to be said about that. By today’s standards, my cousin and I were bored country boys. We lived before technology had crept in and covered so much of our every waking minutes. We, however, still needed something to do, like some of my grandsons who live in the country and are not allowed much screentime. So we dreamed … Continue reading →

Doing Right Things for Wrong Reasons

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People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. ~Leviticus 23:22 ESV Doing right things for wrong reasons will never bring transformational change to our lives. There was once a prison inmate who had completed a Christian discipleship program while incarcerated. After his release from jail, he was back behind bars within a few months. In one of his first meetings with the Christian group in the prison, he stood up and said, “I did … Continue reading →

Traveling Lighter

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Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ~Matthew 11:28-30 ESV For the first time in two years, my car is not only cleaned out, but also wiped down, windows washed, and vacuumed. The outside was shiny … Continue reading →

Don’t Forget to Look

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The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ~Psalm 19:1 ESV Sometimes, I must remind myself: “Don’t forget to look.” My View One morning, I had to run a quick errand before heading to work. The errand took me in the opposite direction of my usual morning route. As I set out, the beauty before me left me speechless. The oranges and yellows of the sunrise danced with the blues and purples of the … Continue reading →

Revelation for Our Blind Spots

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Our salvation includes a transfer from living by the rules and wisdom of the fallen world to obeying the principles and promises of God’s Kingdom. The transfer is instant, but full comprehension dawns gradually as the Holy Spirit gives us revelation for our blind spots. Consider an encouraging example from the day right after Jesus’ resurrection. The story takes place on the road to Emmaus when Jesus overhears a sad, discouraged conversation between two of His followers. The men only … Continue reading →

Live as God’s Creature

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The Holy Spirit showed me that I must live as God’s creature and stop the hyper-negative thoughts about myself. I go way beyond convictions to stringent routines and harsh criticism. God called me His “Unearthly Thing” one day as I prayed for direction. His new title for me came with such profound love. I cherished the name so much that I wrote a song about it. Then, I used it to title my monthly column I write for an online … Continue reading →

Grace-Filled Coffee

VineWords Devotions and More

The place was packed, and the line moved slowly. It was too early, and I hadn’t slept well. Call me grumpy. When I finally plopped my bagel and coffee onto a table outside, a message on the sleeve of my cup screamed at me in all happy caps: WAKE UP AND GET IT TOGETHER. I was a little less than amused. Maybe what frustrated me most was the assumption that I did not have “it” together. I needed some grace-filled coffee.  … Continue reading →

The Power of Giving Thanks

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Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV The power of giving thanks aligns us with the truth of God’s goodness and expresses our trust. When parents teach their children to say “please” and “thank you,” the children may or may not realize they imitate the teaching of our Father God. And just like little children who don’t always feel like minding their manners, we can find … Continue reading →

Age Is Just a Number

VineWords Devotions and More

And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing. ~Psalm 71:9 NLT It took a while, but I finally learned age is just a number. As a young boy, the thought of being sixty years old seemed far away. That was the age of grandparents or even great-grandparents. If I imagined myself at that age, I, like Scarlet in Gone with the Wind, typically said, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Then, … Continue reading →