It’s Not Your Job to Rebuke the Devil

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”—Jude 1:9

Years ago, while I was in the thick of a trial that didn’t seem to go away, a friend gave what she felt was helpful advice. “Rebuke the devil!” (more…)

Guilt, the Gift That Keeps on Giving

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:13-14

I recently dropped off something at a neighbor’s house, and he commented about my (more…)

The Miracle of Righteousness

I’ve been reading in Genesis again during my quiet times, and the past few days have reminded me how much I dislike Abraham’s nephew Lot. I’m pretty well convinced if Lot lived today he’d be some hotshot Christian celebrity living in Hollywood and being universally admired for maintaining his integrity in the face of such temptation.

But eventually the press or bloggers (more…)

A Family Likeness

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.—1 Corinthians 4:16

I never looked like anyone in my birth family. My mother had medium brown hair, dark skin and blue eyes; my sister was blond, blue-eyed and big-boned; then there was tiny little black-haired, green-eyed me. “You must be adopted,” I heard more than once—from extended family members, no less.

In fact, everything about (more…)

When the World’s Going to Hell in a Hand Basket

Wars and rumors of wars. Persecutions. Plagues. Disasters. I have to admit I’ve been having a bit of a tough time knowing how to pray for as I watch the world churn. And I can’t be the only one. And when I read that “all these are but the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8), I find little consolation. If all (more…)