Patience is not my strong suit, as anyone who really knows me can testify. Thankfully, our God is perfectly patient. But, we dare not mistake His patience for righteous indignation. His is both patiently merciful and exacting in judgment.

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Animosity or compassion? Honestly, how do you feel about non-believers? Are you irritated by their ungodly behavior, or burdened for their salvation?

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It's the best thing to do when you don't know what to do. "We do not know what to do, but we look to You." (2 Chronicles 2.20 Holman)

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In two sentences, how would your life be summarized and described? Hopefully like this...

What is it that you are called to do? A "call" seems to be a mysterious sense of leading that some followers of Christ profess to have. Fact is, all of us have been "called."

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No one ever said it would be easy, but it definitely is worthwhile. Gospel work is both challenging and rewarding.

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Dare to be a Daniel. Few stand out in the Bible as does this exceptional young man. Taken away from his homeland and family as a young teen, he exhibited character qualities that far exceeded his years. He and some of his exceptional teen friends were placed in a cultural immersion program to purge them of their Jewish values and beliefs, and reshape them into Babylonian cultural emissaries. It proved to be an exercise in futility.

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Things of importance require maintenance. Neglecting regular oil changes, tire rotation, and filter changes on your car will have consequences. If you value your means of transportation, you will tend to maintenance. "we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it." (Hebrews 2.1)

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It's sometimes called the "God-in-a-box" syndrome. It's a human tendency to try and resize our Creator into a package of our choosing.

"David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is the footstool of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?' says the Lord,
'Or what place is there for My repose? 'Was it not My hand which made all these things?' " (Acts 7.46-50)

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Here is a prayer truly worth praying. "O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again." (1 Kings 18.36-37)

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What does God look like? If He directly revealed Himself to you, how would you put it into words? That's the challenge in what we read in Ezekiel 1.

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World peace. It's been the elusive dream of many since the great wars of the twentieth century. But, present reality reveals it to be exactly that: an elusive dream.

The follower of Christ, however, enjoys the reality of peace evasive to the world. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14.27)

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It's not about how well you begin, but how you continue. Many runners at a track meet or marathon start out with their best energy, only to become winded and lag behind or quit before the race is finished. Endurance is the key.

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He is absolutely incomparable. "O Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart" (1 Kings 8.23)

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"His truth is marching on." These song lyrics reflect a concern and passion that the apostle Paul had. "Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith." (2 Thessalonians 3.1-2)

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Choices seem obvious when clearly seen in the light of what they truly are. No one would make a bad choice if they saw it as exactly that: a bad choice.

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2.13)

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It's a sordid story of sex, lies, and murder; hardly what we would expect from a man after God's own heart. Reading like a modern-day tabloid, all the details are there in 2 Samuel 11.

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Some would say love is all you need. Years ago, a popular song proclaimed that, "what the world needs now is love, sweet love." Well, more love and less hate would go a long way, but love is really the foundation for Christian growth. Consider this prayer: "Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." (1 Thessalonians 3.11-13)

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