Jesus showed us how much we can accomplish when we stay calm and make things right with love. — Peter said, “Master, I’m ready for anything with you. I’d go to jail for you. I’d die for you!” Jesus said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me.” (The Message, Luke 22:33–34) We…

Then don’t judge yourself. There’s only one judge who matters, and He is a doting Father. — I read a story about a woman who wound up in her parish’s counseling office, husband in tow. He complained that she was forcing him to go to church. When asked why she forced him to go to church, she explained that he preferred to stay at home to watch…

Becoming a Christian involves a passionate, lifelong commitment to being in relationship with God. — But what does [faith] say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you…

Faith is hard but that’s no obstacle to experiencing love that is out of this world. — Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.” (The Message Bible, John 20:29) Jesus knew how hard it would be for us to believe without seeing Him. We need evidence, and we prefer the…

Did Jesus seriously say that we have to abandon our families to follow Him? — One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters — yes, even one’s own self! — can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his…

The Christian life does not begin and end with accepting Jesus as your savior. Life with Jesus means living like Him. — The Bible tells us that we should live and love like Jesus. Would you like to know how to do that? The Bible is a great source for that too. It tells us a lot about how Jesus lived and loved. Read it! You can see for yourself. Jesus loved…

On Christmas Eve, we sing “Joy to the World.” But do we know why we do it? — Families all over the world have Christmas traditions. For many Christians, it’s the only time they go to church, unless they also go on Easter. We go to Christmas Eve services, light candles, and sing carols. We sing “Mary Did You Know” and “Joy to the World,” and we have…

Sometimes it’s discouraging, but it’s never impossible. — Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) If you actually look at what’s going on in the world, it’s hard to feel encouraged. Here in…

The pursuit of happiness is part of life. If you let your soul lead the way, you’ll find it in God’s loving smile. — Happiness is something we feel deep within. Happiness is an internal soul feeling. You look around you, and something in your soul says, “This is good, and I’m peaceful. I’m happy.” There are times when I can look around at my life and feel peace. I feel happiness and say…