"At the end of the story, we are left with the younger son reconciled to his father while we are uncertain as to the status of the older son; though the sins of the younger may have been more severe, the ultimate reconciliation of the younger son to the father made any gradations of sin irrelevant in light of the category of being in grace. And this, then, is the principle...

"Many of God’s promises, fulfillments of prophecy, and visions sent to his people were completed within the wilderness. Our God is a God of descension. He has shown time and time again that he is present in the wilderness. When we are in communion with God the wilderness is no longer a place of fear, but a place of renewal and strengthening. We may often exist in a dese...

"Maybe I’ve been so frustrated with Jacob because I’m so much like Issac, attempting to pull the grift over on God because I’m so attached to my way of thinking. I’m caught up in my expectations, those expectations that have been shaped by my culture and how my world might view me, that I ignore the possible bigger picture the Lord is working through His unconvent...

"When we throw our hands up, and we are wondering where our unanswered prayers went, we forget that God has given us glimpses of blessings during our trials, according to His plan. We will not have total relief from suffering on this side of heaven, but we will have beautiful glimpses of the Lord’s rest to give us hope in the desert place until the plan for our ultimate ...

“You are loved with an everlasting love and underneath are the everlasting arms.” It’s a beautiful picture and a relieving truth. Unlike the relationships with our fellow human beings, God’s character promises that it is impossible for him to break his trust with us, to deceive us or break a promise. God is perfect. God is everlasting Love. God is unchanging." ...

"We have all experienced seasons of waiting. Whether it is waiting for Christmas to come, a baby to arrive, or a work project to be finished, we all know what it is like to wait. Waiting can bring uncertainty, stress, and pessimism. It can make you wish that time went faster or slower depending on the situation. However, waiting can also bring growth, faith, and hope. If G...

"Friends, don’t look within yourself. Look outside yourself to the Triune God who (like Jacob) chose you even before time began. Enjoy his immeasurable favor, and then go make His glory your only aim."...

"When the weight of the day, the missed opportunities, my discontentment, the sorrow I feel over a life lost, hits me as I climb into bed at night, I need the Lord to redeem my days. Time marches on. But, I serve a God who is outside of time, who planned all my days since before he created the world and who gives me new mercies each morning."...

"After recognizing that God wants to speak to us, another important part of listening is to put ourselves in situations where we can hear him clearly. God is perfectly capable of speaking to me in a thundering voice from the sky next time I go for a hike in the wilderness, but until that happens I’ve learned to also hear him in Scripture, in preaching, during quiet times...

"I am so caught up in my busy life, and my busy heart, that it can be all that I see, and I treat it as my kingdom and desperately try to hold it up. It makes me laugh cynically when thinking of all of this, because we are all laboring in vain and working so hard to do it, all the while being completely oblivious to it. I am deeply thankful for the good news that God calls...