He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. John 21:5 God is always solving problems in the Bible. Famine. Illness. Hunger. Barrenness. Death. Eternal death. God uses His people to bring extraordinary solutions to really big problems. Elijah and the widow. Two loaves and five fish. Abraham and Sara. The story of Lazarus. Jesus' death on the cross. These are all examples of God's problem solving throughout history because of His love for mankin

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." -Proverbs 5:5-6 Elizabeth* went to her job one morning only to be taken aside by her boss, away from the other employees. "I'm so sorry Elizabeth, but your position has been eliminated. Please go inside and pack up your things and go home." Elizabeth was shocked at the loss of her job. Technically, it shouldn't have been her who go

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" -Matthew 7:8-11 A girlfriend of mine was tithing (giving 10% of her money) to church when her debit card number had expired. Normally she had the card number on file, but she had forgotten to change it. Th

"The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work." -Proverbs 12:24 Do you enjoy your job? According to Forbes magazine, 70% of all employees hate their jobs. That's a HUGE number! It seems many of us are in jobs where we either don't enjoy the work, don't enjoy the atmosphere, or both. I know I have been in jobs before that I didn't particularly enjoy. I worked as a server for several years and initially I DREADED the idea. But you know what's cool abo

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." -2 Corinthians 4:8-10 In America, we are blessed to be able to enjoy religious and economic freedom. We are able to go to any church we choose, build a business, go to school, or pursue a dream. Even tho

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." -James 1:2-4 You know, in life it is pretty safe to say that people don't tend to enjoy being around negative people. There is enough negativity out in the world, coming from the news, ou

"Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live." -Ezekiel 18:23 As a Christian, I have often wondered why people had to die in the Old Testament. It seemed so harsh -- why couldn't they just have been forgiven? What I didn't realize was that Jesus had not yet come to die. There was not yet any power of redemption on the earth. If people committed a sin, they would be subject to ju

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." -2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Have you ever heard an offering message and then felt guilt

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." -2 Corinthians 10:4 Have you ever heard of a "stronghold"? A stronghold in a spiritual influence in our lives that compels us to make decisions that aren't good for our spiritual or even physical well-being. Much stronger than a habit, a stronghold is something that makes us feel as if we don't have any control over its influence. But, fact of the mat

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-16 A couple of friends of ours came into town for one of our conferences. Afterward they stayed with us as we debriefed from what happened during the event. The question was asked, "From an outsiders' perspective, what do you think we could have done differently?" "Talk more about forgive