Tag Archives: joy

The Penniless Preacher Who Became the Center of History

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Mark Cole

H.G. Wells, one of the most influential historians and writers of the last century, made a startling admission:“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Jesus, Wisdom | Tagged breaks addictions, center of hope, courage, dominant figure, eternal life, gives purpose, grace, H.G. Wells, hate into love, heals, heals broken lives, heart-level, His influence, His teachings, historian, history, influence, Jesus, Jesus changes people, Jesus Christ, joy, King of kings, liar, living Savior, living Saviour, Lord, lunatic, outlived Rome, penniless preacher, redeem, redeem humanity, salvation | Leave a comment

Psalm 100 — The Joyful Way Into God’s Presence

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Mark Cole

Psalm 100 is one of the most loved passages in Scripture. It’s short, memorable, and overflowing with joy. But it’s also deeply theological. In just five verses, the psalmist gives us a blueprint for how to approach God, how to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Worship | Tagged all the earth, approach God, bless His name, enter His gates, faithful, faithfulness, give thanks, gladness, guides, He made us, heart, His gates, His people, how to, joy, joyful, leads, praise, protects, Psalm 100, shout for joy, singing, thank you, thanksgiving, understand God, unfailing, we are His, worship God, worship the Lord | Leave a comment

Kept by His Power

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Mark Cole

“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault.” Jude 1:24 (NLT) On the Christian journey, most believers know what … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Teaching, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged confident trust, devoted, discouraged, falling away, God's ability, God's power, grateful, great joy, guarded, guards, heart of God, His presence, hope, joy, obedience, perseverance, preserves, shepherd, tempted, tired, Trust, without fault, wonder, Worship, worship the Lord | Leave a comment

No Greater Joy Than Seeing Our Children Walk in Truth

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Mark Cole

There are some verses in Scripture that hit differently as the years go by. John’s words in 3 John 1:4 are one of them: “I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Family, God, Leadership | Tagged children, choose truth, discipled, following the truth, fruitfulness, give thanks, greater joy, hope, Jesus is the way, joy, keep praying, life, long view, Loving God, loving people, mentor, next generation, no greater joy, parent, pray, serving, serving the church, sowing seeds, speak truth, truth, walk in faith, walk in truth, winning | Leave a comment

Not by Force, Not by Strength — But by His Spirit

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Mark Cole

There’s a moment in Scripture when God speaks directly into the exhaustion and discouragement of His people. Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, was staring at a mountain of impossibility: a half-built Temple, limited resources, political pressure, and a tired people. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Wisdom | Tagged building, burden is light, comfort, courage, direction, discipling, empowerment, energy, God-sized, God's Spirit, God's timing, He completes, He finished, He finishes, He sustains, heals wounds, heaviness, human strength, joy, leading, limits, obedience, peace, pray, rest, skill, softens hearts, Spirit of God, strength, Surrender, Trust, yoke is easy | Leave a comment

When Praise Sounds Like Joy and Weeping: Learning from Ezra 3

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Mark Cole

Some moments in Scripture are so human, so raw, so emotionally honest that they pull us right into the story. Ezra 3 is one of those scenes. After decades of exile, the Israelites finally return to Jerusalem. The city is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Jesus, Worship | Tagged answered prayer, both generations, cymbals, emotion, Ezra 3, faithful love, foundation, God at work, God is moving, gratitude, grief, grieving, He is good, honest worship, joy, new, old, older generation, past and future, praise, rejoicing, restoration, shout for joy, sorrow, sound of revival, weeping, Worship, worship practices | Leave a comment

The River of Healing

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Mark Cole

Ezekiel 47:1–12 gives us one of the most beautiful pictures of spiritual renewal in the entire Bible: a river flowing from the Temple, growing deeper and deeper, bringing life and healing everywhere it goes. It is a reminder that God’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, God, Healing, Health, Holy Spirit, Jesus | Tagged alive, bless others, bondage breaks, bring life, chains break, conviction, Dead Sea, every season, faith, family, fresh, fresh and alive, fruit every month, fruit grows, fruitfulness, gentle prompting, go deeper, God's presence, healing, heals, hearts soften, His Spirit, hope rises, joy, life, ministry, move of God, obedience, old age, participation, power, prayer, renewal, restores, River, river flow, small beginnings, small step, small trickle, spiritual, Surrender, transforming, transforms | Leave a comment

“Teach Us to Realize the Brevity of Life” — Psalm 90:12

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Mark Cole

Learning Wisdom from Moses’ Oldest Psalm Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm in the Bible—written not by David, but by Moses. He knew something about time. He watched an entire generation rise and fall in the wilderness. He saw God’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, God, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged brevity, brevity of life, clarity, days are numbered, decisions, each day is a gift, eternal, eternity, freedom, generous, give, grow in wisdom, invest, invest in people, joy, life is brief, life is short, live wisely, living intentionally, love people, love your family, next generation, obedience, oldest Psalm, perspective, petty conflicts, priorities, Psalm 90, relationships, repent quickly, speak encouragement, teach us, use your gifts, wake-up call | Leave a comment

10 Blessings of Using Your Gift to Serve

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Mark Cole

Every follower of Jesus has been entrusted with gifts—spiritual, practical, musical, relational, organizational, and countless others. God never hands out these gifts randomly. He places them in us with purpose, expecting us to invest them, not bury them. And when … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Family, God, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged blessing, blessings, compassion, empowered, equipped, expand, friendships, gift, gifts, give it, God's grace, grow, healthier, honor, humility, influence, invest, joy, just do it, mentor, mentoring, ministry, more like Jesus, multiplies, musical, offering, organizational, purpose, relational, serve, shared service, smile of the Master, spiritual, steward, strengthen, stronger, teaching, to serve, use it, Well done | Leave a comment

The Joy of Using Your Gift for Others

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Mark Cole

“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” — 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) One of the greatest privileges of following Jesus is discovering that God has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Family, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Leadership, Wisdom | Tagged Body of Christ, deep joy, encouragement, encourager, gift, gifts, gifts grow, God given, great variety, grow, growing, hospitality, humble, joy, leader, musician, organizing, serve, serve others, servers, service, serving, spiritual gifts, stay humble, stop comparing, teacher, teaching, use it, use your gift | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: joy

The Penniless Preacher Who Became the Center of History

Psalm 100 — The Joyful Way Into God’s Presence

Kept by His Power

No Greater Joy Than Seeing Our Children Walk in Truth

Not by Force, Not by Strength — But by His Spirit

When Praise Sounds Like Joy and Weeping: Learning from Ezra 3

The River of Healing

“Teach Us to Realize the Brevity of Life” — Psalm 90:12

10 Blessings of Using Your Gift to Serve

The Joy of Using Your Gift for Others

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Categories

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Meta

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :-)