In his classic work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan tells of Christian’s struggle as he attempts to climb up “The Hill Difficulty.” Facing the arduous task of ascension, the weary traveler drinks from the nearby spring to refresh his soul. He resolutely declares:

“The hill, though high, I covet to ascend,
The difficulty will not me offend;
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up heart, let’s neither faint nor fear;”

For Christian (and any Christian for that matter), the goal of prayer is to go higher with God. It is to ascend the mountain and …

Growing up as a child in the 1980’s, I remember when the Jenny Craig weight loss plan first began to spread throughout the nation.  Originally started in Melbourne, Australia, the craze made its way to the United States with vehement force.  Her brand of weight loss flooded commercials, billboards, magazines articles, and just about every woman’s auxiliary group in Baptist churches in the southeast.  What made her program so effective was that she prepared 6 prepackaged meals that provided proper nutrients and portion control.  Jenny Craig made dieting easy, fresh, and strategically appealing.  As a result of her visionary efforts, …

On a scale from one to ten, how joyful are you?  I would like for you to really give an answer.  Go ahead; assign a numerical value to the question.  Ponder it for a few moments.  Make an honest assessment of the joy in your life, and place the number somewhere in your heart.

I am not really interested in what it is as much as why it is.  Why is it a 7, or a 4, or a 10?  How is joy constituted in your life?  Is your joy the result of money, security, friends, or position?  Are you …

It had been forty years since Moses left the privileged position in Egypt’s palace. Tending his father-in-law’s sheep in Midian was a far cry from the aristocratic courts of Pharaoh. But as divine providence would have it, this was the lot of the fallen prince. This is where life had taken him. But, on an ordinary and extraordinary day, God spoke.  The bush burned, Moses turned. God was concerned.

And from this, you and I can learn.

Hear the heartbeat of holy God as His glorious words blaze from the flaming fire:

“And the LORD said, I have surely seen …

Years ago, a neighbor’s grandson entered into our home unannounced and uninvited.  Seeing him for the first time, we were alarmed by the grand entrance.  Little did we know that our children had befriended him and gladly offered him a refreshment from our kitchen.  When we investigated the matter, the “intruder” suddenly became a guest, then a neighbor, and finally a friend.  His boldness to enter was made possible by the invitation of my sons.

The Blood Secures Our Boldness

What grand privilege we have obtained in the offer and the offering of the Son of God.  Christ’s death on …