Worthy Words

I was driving down the road a while back, singing along with my 70s Sirius station, when suddenly my brake light came on. What do you think my reaction might have been? "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. If I ignore it, it will go away." I'll tell you that that was not my reaction at all. I was in Colorado on vacation at the time, deep in the Rocky Mountains, and there was no way I would try to navigate those winding hills with brakes that were less than fully committed to doing their job. Otherwise, I could try to take a curve and wind up in the bottom of a gorge. So I took the warning seriously and had my brakes checked out. In the same way your anger is a warning signal that something needs to be dealt with. In fact, any negative emotion is a warning signal that something needs to be dealt with. The apostle Paul said, “And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” (...

As you know Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It kicks off the busiest time of the year for the shopping malls, and it kicks off the busiest time of the year for most of us, too. In the next 4-5 weeks there will be parties to attend, shopping to finish, gifts to wrap, cookies to bake, cantatas and programs to go to, special services at church, visiting relatives, and on and on and on. For most of us, the next several weeks will be the most hectic days of the year. But before the insanity begins, we can look forward to Thanksgiving Day. Though Thanksgiving isn't specifically a religious holiday, it can be spiritually uplifting if you let it. Because a thankful heart opens the door to God's blessings in your life. We have a tendency to rate our lives on a scale of comparison with others. We compare ourselves with those whose lives appear to be richer, fuller, and more exciting than ours. Many times we feel short changed. We wonder why others have it so much better tha...

Is your life a mess right now? What created the mess? What did you do to contribute to this mess? Where did you go wrong? Too often it is easy to blame your problems elsewhere. Does the phrase, “It’s not my fault!” sound familiar? Refusing to acknowledge your role in your mess only ensures that the mess will continue because nothing ever changes. If the cause of the mess is your sinful disobedience, it’s time to admit it, confess it and repent of it. “Have mercy on me, O God…For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” (Psalm 51:1,3-4) You cannot un-mess your life until you’re ready to own up to your responsibility in everything you’re dealing with. When you own up to it the Bible says that God cleanses you from all unrighteousness. You may still have a mess to deal with, but now you can deal with it through his power and with his help. You might acknowledge that your life is like a rol...