Kneeling with Kings
Kneeling with kings at the crib of my Savior, Singing in praise with the angels on high; Here with Your people, wondering about You, I’m thinking of Jesus and wanting to cry! Father, I love You for giving me heaven Wrapped in the form of a newborn so small, But how could You stand to
Are you growing in your love for God?
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ.” And he humbly goes on to say, in essence, “I haven’t fully attained it yet, but I want to, more and more.” It reminds me of a poem the China missionary Isobel Kuhn quotes in her book Second-Mile People, and it begins like this: Not merely in the
You need this one thing to keep moving forward
One of the things I’ve learned about God is that human beings cannot figure Him out! But that shouldn’t stop us from learning how to learn and never stop learning about God and our Lord Jesus. In fact, Scripture tells us: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our
Faith is the best handkerchief
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. — John 20:11 The angels in white, “sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying,” asked Mary, “Why are you crying?” Mary answered, “Because they have taken away my Lord…and I don’t know
No Greater Joy
No greater joy when my children walk in Truth, No greater sorrow when they don’t No greater joy when they love the Lord I love, No greater heartbreak when they won’t. No greater joy when persistent prayer is answered, No greater privilege to pray. No greater work as we fight the battle for them, Trusting
Cheeky Charlie
“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” — John 14:17 Did you know the Holy Spirit can live in you? When Jesus told
Fifty years later
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.” — Luke 5:10 For many people, a call to follow Jesus is all they ever hear. They never hear His Spirit say that it’s time to launch out into the deep.
Let the Spirit lead you step by step
Some people have the impression that God’s will is like the high wire in a circus. The acrobats climb the ladder to the top of the tent, where they get on the wire and put each foot meticulously in the right place. If they don’t, they slip and fall off the wire. Friend, following God’s
Deeply loved
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are deeply loved by God. Be at peace; take heart and be strong!” As he spoke these words, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Now you may speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” — Daniel 10:19 God is the refuge for his people and the conqueror of
Putting people first
No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. — Micah 6:8 People matter more than schedules. People matter more than programs. Making people a priority means putting people first. This is the way
Surrendering to obedience
“Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die. Yet you must not show any sorrow. Do not weep; let there be no tears.” — Ezekiel 24:16 Ezekiel was ever conscious that his people were caught up in a tragedy of their own making and that he had been called to
You’re fully known by God and deeply loved
A little girl once prayed, Dear God, I bet it’s very hard for You to love everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in my family, and I can never do it! God’s love is even more remarkable when you consider what David said in Psalm 139:1–2, “You have searched me, LORD, and you
Ask Stuart: How do I know God loves me?
Q: Stuart, How do I know God loves me? The simple answer is because God says so! The only way that we know anything about God is through what God says and the truth He’s chosen to reveal to us. We can know nothing about God based simply on human speculation. And yet, it’s with
Waiting
Waiting for the dawn to dawn, when night is long and black, Waiting for a heart to heal or a kid to get on track. Waiting for delay to end and wishes to come true, Waiting for a sight or sense of You. Waiting for the one who’s left to find a way back home,
Guilt doesn’t know any songs
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. — Psalm 51:14 When we are truly sorry, and truly forgiven, guilt cannot blanket our souls with depression anymore. Guilt smothers, whispering in our ears, “Don’t try again; you’ll fail.” Or, “The thing you did is unforgivable; you’ll never recover
You’re called to be a blessing to the next generation
Stuart’s mother was a grand old lady. She was a wonderful Jesus-lover and glory-to-God-giver. Mother Briscoe was called home to heaven a long time ago, but her legacy lives on, inspiring our whole family—and many others. Often there isn’t a day that goes by where Stuart or I don’t quote her! Now here I am,
Ask Stuart: How do I live out my faith in a family that isn’t Christian?
Q: Stuart, how do I live out my faith in a family that isn’t Christian? The apostle Peter writes to encourage believers living in an unbelieving world, just like you and me! He says: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds
A word from Stuart: God knows you perfectly
You and I live in a post-modern world that questions our absolute trust in God. One of the things you’ll often hear is that you can’t be certain of God unless you know Him perfectly. A post-modernist is likely to ask you: “Do you know everything there is to know about God?” And my honest answer would be:
Your new Life gets better—from the inside out
Before I came to Christ, I couldn’t imagine how life could be any better. But when I put my faith in Jesus, I discovered there were better things that I didn’t know existed. It was as if I’d lived my life on one track of a railway, and I hadn’t known that on this other
Ask Stuart: How can I be a true Christ-follower?
Q: Stuart, I’m far from perfect. How can I be a true Christ-follower? We’re always going to make mistakes because we’re fallen people. But you and I and every other person on this earth can take great comfort in the story of the apostle Peter, who was susceptible to many weaknesses and errors. Many people
Divinity Wrapped in a Blanket
Divinity wrapped in a blanket, Laid in the arms of the race, Slept while His Father kept silent, Watching with tears on His face. The godhead resides in a body, So weak and incredibly small, While angels bereft of their treasure, Try to make sense of it all. Divinity wrapped in a baby. How simple,
Joy Is Jesus
Joy is Jesus wrapped in swaddling bands, Joy is Jesus in Mary’s loving hands. Joy is Jesus making sorrow sing, Mending deepest heartaches – what a gift to bring! For from the highest heavens, knowing well His plan, God laid Him in our hostile arms, the Precious Son of Man. Knowing all before Him –
A word from Stuart: The role of a grandparent
Today people live longer, stay healthier, and wear the badge of grandparent for many years! During the past 30 years, I’ve been a grandfather to infants, adolescents, young adults, and the newly married. And I’ve had wonderful opportunities to bestow wisdom into the lives of my grandchildren. Let me share with you some roles grandparents
All the Way Home
Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow Me!” Matthew 16:24 One day in India after a traumatic and wrenching ministry visit, Jesus asked me a hard question. It happened like this: Shaken, drained, discouraged, sickly Tired and troubled and depressed, Glad the time of serving over, Now I’ll go home and rest. Hot and
How to live your numbered days well
Some people work hard to delay aging, don’t they? Like many women, my wife Jill buys a face cream that she says helps her skin. It’s called Oil of Olay. I call it Oil of Delay. Because even though everyone you meet is aging, no one wants to look as if we are. You can try to delay
A word from Stuart | What happened in Vegas
The suggestive ad utilized by the city of Las Vegas says, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” But what happened in Vegas cannot, must not, and will not stay in Vegas. The sad news has gone global and people around the world are shocked, angered, puzzled, horrified, and broken-hearted by what happened in a
Everness
Inspired by Psalm 23. When healing oil was needed for the wounds within my soul, When battered raw and bleeding, I needed to be whole. When enemies surrounded me, and all I knew was fear, My Shepherd came and found me, and whispered, “I am here.” He lifts me on His shoulders and laughs in fear’s
Can you expect miraculous healing today?
Many years ago, I faced one of the greatest challenges in my ministry life. There was a man named Jim in our congregation who was in his sixties and battling cancer. He asked our church elders to pray over him. We prayed—and medical tests later confirmed the cancer was gone. God had healed him. The
A word from Stuart: A flourishing faith
Many people settle for living a shriveled life with shriveled hopes. But God wants you to live a bigger, better, grander Life than that! That’s why I love the story in John 5 where Jesus turned up at the pool of Bethesda. All around Him were desperate people longing for a miracle. But Jesus focused on one paralyzed
Jill answers questions about comfort and prayer
Q: Jill, how do you seek your heavenly Father for comfort? I find that when I’m in shock or trouble, my prayers can get sideways. So I get on my knees or sit quietly and focus my heart and mind on who He is, and not why I’ve rushed into His presence. I often read
Use temptations to draw near to Jesus
Let me tell you about the time I went down into a gold mine in South Africa. It was fascinating. Inside this gold mine, I saw a narrow reef in which the gold was hidden away. This reef was only about three feet wide — but it was hundreds of feet deep. The miners used
A word from Stuart: What’s happening on the inside
I remember thinking once as a kid, Why would the same sun melt wax and harden clay? You and I know today, of course, that the sun simply reveals how wax and clay react differently to heat. In the same way, you can expose two different people to the same circumstance, and each will likely react in
Jill answers questions about how to avoid being a temptation
Q: Jill, how can both men and women keep from tempting the other sex? Deep down, you and I both know how. You don’t need a seminar and you don’t need a book. If we’re honest, we know if we’re fluttering our eyelids or giving that signal. Certainly, we know if we’re overstepping the mark
Jill answers questions about relationships and singleness
A: Jill, how should a couple deal with the personality differences that can drive each other crazy? A: Jill, how should a couple deal with the personality differences that can drive each other crazy? Stuart and I have been married 57 years—and we can both tell you that driving each other crazy at times never
A word from Stuart: Language of love
It’s so important for a married couple to understand what makes each of them feel loved. The language of love for a wife might be affection and small gifts. The language of love for a husband might be just showing up at a ball game. And we’d better understand what God’s language of love is—because
How you can forgive even when it seems impossible
I was talking with a woman—I’ll call her Sharon—who was struggling with forgiving her husband for wronging her years ago. She told me, “I’ve forgiven him, but the hurt won’t go away!” Then Sharon admitted she was always “playing the tape” of how he’d hurt her, which told me she was being strangled by a
Where to find rest when you feel burned out
Have you ever been in a place in life where you’re burned out and have nothing more to give? Maybe you’re there right now. Burnout can be an emotionally exhausting place where we lose our perspective on God. I’ve been there before—in a place where I think God is standing over me with a great
Jill answers questions about finding rest
Q: Jill, how can I break free from overwhelming busyness and just be still? I read recently about a woman who fasted from technology. How she managed to do that, I have no idea—she worked in the technology industry! But she did it—and she came back a new person. It wasn’t just that she had
A word from Stuart: Time bandits
Have you ever heard someone say, “There aren’t enough hours in the day!”? The truth is there are exactly the right number of hours in a day—but we try to jam too many things into those hours. Our tendency is to look at our lives and believe there are “time bandits” trying to steal our
A word from Stuart: The ladder of prayer
It’s a struggle for some of us to keep our prayer lives alive and effective. Sometimes we even get to the point of wondering if prayer really works. But when we look at Jacob’s vision in Genesis 28:10-22, we see clearly how powerful prayer really is. In this dream there’s a ladder that reaches all the way
Jill answers questions about prayer
Q: Jill, how do you pray for a child who is slipping away from their faith? Once someone has come to personal faith, it’s possible for them to back away from getting to know Jesus better. However, once Jesus has come into someone’s life, He’s promised to never leave. So we can’t slip away from
Embracing the “Father-ness” of God
In Scripture we see how the Holy Spirit always leads us to Jesus, and how Jesus always leads us to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If we want to see the Father, then we have to
Your inadequacy, His adequacy
I’ve noticed there are an awful lot of feelings of inadequacy around today. And the thing about inadequacy is that it’s determined by what kind of expectations you have. If you set your expectations too high, chances are you’ll feel more inadequate. But if they’re too low, you’ll continually feel more than adequate. Growing up,
How you can prosper through God’s pruning
Years ago, I went into the hospital with stomach pain. After examining me for a few moments, the doctors told me they needed to quickly take out my appendix. Easy enough, I thought. That’s a routine procedure. After my surgery, I had to endure a second painful operation. Facing 10 more days in the hospital, I laid there
Finding God’s will for me
My husband Stuart and I have traveled the world over many times in our four decades of ministry. And one of the most common questions people ask us is, How can I find God’s will for my life? You’ve probably asked that question yourself. What we tell people is that one of the biggest problems about discovering
What to Do When Your Spiritual Tank is on “E”
Most of us experience a time in life when it feels like we hear nothing but silence from heaven. Yes, we know intellectually that God is ever present with us. But if we were to be very honest, there are times when it simply doesn’t feel that way. The book of 1 Samuel, chapter 1,
Why Is the Church Losing Our Youth?
A look at some possible reasons and what we can do about it. According to the Barna Group and the subsequent book, You Lost Me by David Kinnamon, the contemporary church is facing a serious situation related to young Christians leaving the church and—in many cases—abandoning the faith. Despite the recent research, we aren’t the first generation
How to find peace and purpose when life’s pain shocks you
During World War II in England, we lived in Liverpool which was bombed continually. So my father, on leave from the war, moved the family to the comparative safety of the English Lake District. There were no houses to rent or buy at the time because of such a tremendous migration of people from the
How to live for God in an ungodly world
You and I live in a mixed-up world that fundamentally embraces a different worldview from our own. Now, I know that this is a statement of the obvious, but I believe we often struggle as followers of Jesus Christ to figure out how to live in such a world. It is fallen and broken, driven
How to make the most of the time God has given you
Time passes by quickly, doesn’t it? The days, months, and years seem to rush by at a rapid pace. And so, as one year finishes and another begins, how are you going to make the most of the time God is giving you? Solomon, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes, pondered this exact same