The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. Luke 4:18 (NLT) Jesus enriches our lives in every possible way. When reading today’s verse, we often think that Jesus had a special place in His heart for those who are living in poverty. While it’s clear that Jesus loves this group of people as He loves all people, the truth is that “poor” can refer to anything that has room for improvement. Poor marriages, poor parenting, poor health—Jesus’ Good News applies to every situation! He came to show us a better way—a way to have great marriages, raise awesome kids, experience good health and enjoy prosperity too! We live in a world filled with …

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) Do you wish you had more purpose and meaning in your life? It’s so easy to get caught up in living a closed, self-focused life. But if we choose instead to serve others using our God-given gifts, it changes our lives as well as those around us. It brings a soul-satisfying purpose to what we do and leads us into the zone of significant living. Maybe you have great ideas for how to teach kids about Jesus, but decide you’re too busy to help out in Sunday school. Or you’d love to sing in the choir but feel like you don’t have …

The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Jonah 1:16 (NLT) Have you seen a beautiful lamp with the dust protector still carefully in place? Or maybe you’ve seen a 20-year-old couch that looks brand new, only because no one has ever been allowed to sit on it! If we’re not careful, we can spend our lives so focused on protecting things that we don’t actually enjoy or use. We often develop this attitude toward our own gifts and abilities, and hide away our potential. Jonah illustrates how sometimes we need a little push to get us moving toward living purposefully. Jonah initially refused to follow God’s mission for him to deliver a …

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. 2 Timothy 4:6 (NLT) Did you know the God-given gifts placed inside of you aren’t intended to be saved for Heaven? They’re meant to be used here on earth! I used to stop in regularly at my dad’s gravesite to spend a few minutes reminiscing about all the incredible life lessons he taught me and how he impacted my life. Sometimes I’d take a little stroll past the other gravesites and I’d wonder, How many of these people used their abilities to the full and lived significantly? And how many died, still filled with incredible giftings they never shared with the world? I wonder how many were talented songwriters who …

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height––to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV) As I’ve travelled around the world, I’ve met brilliant people who know God’s Word backwards and forwards. Some of these people were wonderful and radiated the joy of the Lord. However, others seemed to exude the opposite of joy. At first, I wondered how this could be possible considering the amount of time they spent in God’s Word. Then I came to a revelation: it doesn’t matter …