Today’s Walk in the Word

If it is the Lord’s will.     —James 4:15 Ellen Langer in The Illusion of Control asserts that we usually overestimate our degree of control. James agrees: “You that say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to a certain city, where we will stay a year and go into business and make a lot […]

Be strong and courageous.    —Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Jo 1:9). With these three sentences, God sealed Joshua’s commission to lead Israel. The first sentence consists of two positive directives: Be strong and courageous. The second […]

Encourage one another.  —1 Thessalonians 5:11 Everyone remembers the painting of Benjamin Franklin conducting his kite experiment to ascertain the electrical nature of lightning. Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky is just one of many famous historical scenes produced by artist Benjamin West. When he was a youngster, West’s attempt to draw a picture […]

Set an example for the believers.                   —1 Timothy 4:12 “Some Assembly Required.” Those three words strike terror into the psyche of the all thumbs me. The pictures on the carton don’t match the parts in the box. Pieces are missing. Following the instructions—assuming they were included—would […]

[Mortals] are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.                        —Psalm 144:4 A couple of hundred years from now, historians will look back at this year with as much fascination as we look back on the world of George Washington or Bonnie […]

I am doing a new thing.      —Isaiah 43:19 We have moved out of the old year and into the new—a time of emancipation from the past and an embracing of the present. It is, of course, artificial. Looking at a circle, you can’t know the point of its beginning or ending. Nor is […]

Do not dwell on the past.            —Isaiah 43:18 Russell was a man of sweet temperament and serene disposition. Asked how he maintained such calmness, he said, “When I shut the door, I shut the door.” “For many years,” he said, “I worried myself sick. It was absurd. Why had I […]

[You] have left undone the weightier matters.                                —Matthew 23:23 When we come to the close of a year, we often come up with a few give-this-up resolutions: I resolve to quit this; I resolve not to do that. That’s good. […]

We too may live a new life.              —Romans 6:4 We all say “Amen” to Louisa Fletcher’s poem: I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again, Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches| And all of our poor selfish grief Could be dropped […]

The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.                               —Hebrews 13:6 Two things are essential to your success and happiness: First, let go of the past. Nothing you do can change it. You may have been through some rough […]