The Lamp Is Not Enough
“The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.” Matthew 25:3 (NIV) You can carry something real and still not be ready. The five foolish virgins were not pretending or rebelling. They had lamps and…
You Don’t Get Ready Alone
“I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV) Maybe you have been quietly missing church lately. Not in a dramatic way, more like one…
Stop Hiding What’s Unfinished
“and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:27 (NIV) You smooth out the wrinkle before anyone walks in. Maybe it is a messy room,…
Your Heart Can Drift Quietly
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV) Nothing about that moment in the garden…
He’s Patient With What You’re Impatient About
“to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,” Ephesians 5:26 (NIV) You hoped this struggle would be over by now. Maybe it is a temper, a habit, or something you cannot name. You have…
He Loved Before You Did Anything
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Ephesians 5:25 (NIV) Some days you feel like you owe God an apology. You think today went badly, so maybe He pulled back too.…
He Is Coming for a Person, Not a Project
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” — John 14:3 (NIV) You have been reducing yourself to your…
The Rooms Were Always Ready for You
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” — John 14:2 (NIV) You have been waiting longer than you planned.…
A Price Was Paid for You
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3 (NIV) A Bridegroom does not make that promise lightly.…
The Silence Is Not What You Think
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 (NIV) He left, and the room went quiet. That is…