The Beauty of Restoration

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)—Colossians 4:10 (NIV)

In Acts 13, we meet John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, Paul’s friend and partner in spreading the gospel. But our first impression of Mark isn’t a good one.

From Paphos, Paul and (more…)

The God of All Grace

Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little while. – 1 Peter 5:10

This verse jumped out at me as I read through my Sunday school lesson a few weeks ago, so I immediately wrote it on an index card (more…)

The Power of Praise

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated . . . And the fear of God was on was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of (more…)

The Renewal of Hope

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Romans 5:3-5

They say bad news comes in threes, but (more…)