Posts from 2020

Christmas 2020 Have you ever had the thought, “if you really knew everything about me you wouldn’t like me”?  I think most of us have.  Humor writer Dave Barry admitted this in a recent book saying he uses humor to “wrap myself in a protective barrier…because I fear that if they did know me they wouldn’t like me, because deep down inside I am still the…

Last night I joined the prayer service at the Melrose House of Prayer, and a good friend of mine, Pastor Sam Acevedo, preached on this verse:  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer…” (Romans 12:12, NIV).  You can guess which phrase he focused on–be faithful in prayer.  He actually was really on fire at the end and led us in…

Today I recommend that you read the prayer of Daniel chapter 9 where Daniel prays asking God’s forgiveness and restoration of His people from exile.  Please note that, as we saw in Nehemiah chapter 1, Daniel identifies himself with his people even though he is a righteous man.  Here is the beginning of his prayer:“Lord, the great and awesome…

Jesus taught his disciples the parable of the persistent widow bothering the unjust judge until he gave in with this in mind:  “that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1, NASB).  I want to encourage us today with one way to pray and not to lose heart: giving thanks and praise to God. In Psalm 69, David is writing out of his…

I have a wonderful example of putting into practice what I have been writing about the past week for 10 Days.  A friend requested prayer to be more Christlike and not to judge some believers who were acting in a fleshly way, and then prayed this: “I think how can they call themselves Christians and do those things; then I think, how can I call myself a Christian…

As we seek the Lord and greater humility, let’s take one more look at Luke chapter 6, verses 36-38 (NIV):”Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together…

Today I would like to look again at Luke 6, verses 27-29a:“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also….”. These are some of Jesus’ hardest instructions–love your enemies and do good…

If you want to become more humble, simply read and apply what our Lord Jesus taught.  This is from Luke 6:41-42 (NIV):“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? … You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”…

Yesterday we saw in Ezekiel how God marks those who sigh and groan over the sin of their world.  What does God think and feel?  Genesis 6:5-6 tells us: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He…

One of the goals of the 10 Days is for God’s people to not only humble themselves but to also lament over the sin of our land.  I think this is well described in this passage in Ezekiel 9:4 (NASB): The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the…