The Love Behind God’s Discipline

God does not want to spoil His children. The Bible says, “Do not despise the discipline of the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:5) Just as an earthly mother or father doesn’t want to spoil their children—knowing it would lead to self-centeredness—God, our Heavenly Father, also doesn’t want to produce self-centered brats. So, out of His great love for us, He disciplines us. Sometimes He withholds things we desperately want. If we’re not careful, we may think this means God doesn’t love us—but the truth is exactly the opposite. Sometimes, like the apostle Paul, we may have a “thorn in the flesh.” And…

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When Pain Leads Us Back to God

Today I am struck by the realization of how God makes all things work together for our good. I have experienced both pain and blessing in my life, and I have come to see that His presence is what makes life wonderful, not our circumstances. There is a strange paradox in this truth. Some of the most blessed seasons of my life were not happy ones, simply because I gave too little attention to Him. Pain and suffering have a way of driving us straight to the well of living water.

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A Friend Like No Other

Imagine a friend who is the Creator of the universe. Because He created all things, all things obey Him. If something is wrong, He can fix it—because the universe obeys His voice. Now imagine that this friend loves you so much that He’s there for you in every situation. If something went terribly wrong, He not only has the ability to fix it—He wants to. Because He cares for you deeply. This friend is like a wonderful father or mother who would die for you. That kind of love brings great peace and security. What if this friend was always…

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The Only Source of True Peace

This world has promised us peace and security—but it cannot give either one. The harder we try to gain peace and security from this world, the less peaceful we become and the more fearful our lives become. There is only one place we can receive true peace and security: from the Creator God. He is the only one who can fix what is broken. He alone has the power to truly change things. Man can only change things temporarily—and before long, they break again. Jesus said, “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give…

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The Cry of the Soul

Our soul wants to go higher because it knows how temporal this present world is. It is crying out for a better land—something better than what we have. Crying for something permanent. Something greater than ourselves and the things we own.

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Identifying Soul Parasites

There are things in our lives that extract from us. They can take our very soul and give nothing—or very little—in return. We must identify and eliminate these parasites, lest we die. They take our joy and our peace. They are a never-ending black hole, sucking life from us, promising happiness and peace but never delivering—because they can’t deliver what they don’t have.

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Ecclesiastes and the Weight of Eternity

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us of the futility of a natural life. It pulls back the curtain on deception and keeps us from unreality, showing us how things actually are. The natural world gives us no hope for the future. It shows us that much of what we’re involved in is worthless and futile—apart from a relationship with God. All in the natural world will be lost. Death wipes everything temporal out, bringing it all to nothing. The book begins with, “Worthlessness, worthlessness, all is worthlessness,” and then it describes why. Ecclesiastes is so important in shaping our lives.…

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