grace
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Joy Giving Becomes Joy Receiving
Verse of the Week “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 I believe the best definition of “grace” (charis in the Greek) is joy-giving. That’s the gospel: a gift of joy. That’s Christmas. And what feels better at Christmas than…
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The Donkey Was Wiser
Ever been dead wrong and the last one to know it? Meet Balaam. I thought I’d start pulling my “verse for the week” from my Bizarre Bible Stories. The first story in book one is called “Talking Animals,” from Numbers chapter 22. Balaam is riding along, about to do something monumentally foolish, when the angel…
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Finding Grace: A Reflection on James 4:6
Our verse this week is James 4:6, but knowing the context helps. In the first five verses James nails the awful consequences of our selfishness: fighting, the hollow prayers, the misplaced loves. He goes so far as to call us enemies of God because our desires have become our first love. It’s a convicting setup,…
