Jabez was barely mentioned in the Bible. His story, along with his famous prayer, is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me…
There’s only one person who doesn’t have any hidden struggles. That is the person you haven’t met. Once you get to know them, you will discover they are just like everyone else. They have personal struggles that are not always obvious to the rest of us. Someone said, “I walk around like everything’s fine, but…
Duke Ellington said, “There are two kinds of worries – those you can do something about and those you can’t. Don’t spend any time on the latter.” I find myself reciting The Serenity Prayer more and more these days. It reminds me to separate the things I can do something about from those things over…
Paul wrote to Timothy, “Train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). The word that is translated “training” referred specifically to the disciplined training done by gymnasts in Paul’s day. The commentators of The Recovery Bible add, “It is amazing what human beings can…
“You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). Let that sink in. In recovery, we must endure a lot of trials, temptations, and tests. We must deal with our past, pain, and persecution. We must move beyond our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. But there is one thing you never have to…
You want to be happy. We all do. But how do we find happiness? Let’s consider the research. Studies show that happiness is not simply an outcome of success, but is an ingredient to create success. Dr. Sonja Lyuboirsky explains that a worthwhile life comes from happiness, not the other way around. Harvard psychologist Jal…
“God sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10). There was an old mantra of Puritan dogma that read, “No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.” I agree. Your sin is never so great that it extends beyond the grace of…
“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em Know when to fold ‘em Know when to walk away And when to run.” – Kenny Rogers, The Gambler, 1976 That is the story of every addict. He must learn when to walk away and when to run. Never was there a harder lesson for me to…
Jonah was hardly an exemplary example of integrity and obedience. But once he had been disciplined by God, once he had paid for his poor decisions, he came to one life-changing commitment. The young prophet declared, “I will fulfill my vows” (Jonah 2:9). One can question whether Jonah’s follow-through matched his intentions. At least for…
When I want deep philosophical thought, I turn to . . . Charlie Brown. One day, Lucy looked at Charlie Brown and saw that he was depressed. She said, “Charlie Brown, the problem with you is that you are you.” Charlie responded, “Oh, and what can I do about that?” Lucy replied, “I’m not here…