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I’m sure your days and weeks are long and hard and full. Yet three practices will help you make it through each day. They also cause you to look for and find God’s blessings strewn along your path. Focus on the end. Focus on the overarching end purposes for which you live each day—to serve […]
Read Three Ways to Make It Through Every Day on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Because you and your spouse as “one flesh” are a team, ideally the two of you have the potential to accomplish twice as much by working together toward common goals. Like Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Unfortunately, in our imperfect world […]
Read Working Together as a Couple on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Serving is a simple and noble assignment that pours from our heart. And it is perhaps the most obvious sign of Christ-like maturity. When you are serving others, your heartfelt, Spirit-filled service is a dazzling reflection of the heart of your Savior, the greatest servant who ever lived, the One who set the standard when […]
Read How to Serve With a Heart of Joy on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Here’s something to think about: Are you making spiritual decisions…or physical decisions? For instance, someone asks you to do something and, if you feel good physically, the answer is yes! But if you don’t feel good or are tired, well, the answer is “No thank you” (while thinking No way!) You can be thankful that God gives […]
Read Teen Tuesday—The Right Way to Make Decisions on Elizabeth & Jim George.
God is generous and giving. When the disciples came with a need, Jesus filled the need by giving food to five thousand people. Are you nurturing a giving spirit? Are you generous with your resources? Giving God and people your time is sometimes the most expensive, and most appreciated, gift you can give. Generosity also […]
Jesus expects you to live for Him. The Christian faith isn’t about dying—it’s about living! If Jesus is your Savior, you are no longer alone, for He now lives in you. He is your power for living and your hope for the future. His Spirit in you empowers you moment by moment to follow in Jesus’ […]
Read Living for Jesus on Elizabeth & Jim George.
How would you rate your relationships with your family? It’s sad to have to say that most family relationships are not what God desires them to be. Many times, we do things that hurt our parents or family members. And, at other times, one of them does something to hurt us. That’s often the way […]
Read Loving Your Family — and In-Laws on Elizabeth & Jim George.
In order to fully enjoy God’s peace, we have to actively trust Him. Jesus stated as a fact, “In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33). But as Christians who abide in Christ there is peace (even in tribulation!) as we rest in God’s presence and trust in His promises. When you and I walk […]
Faith—what a price tag it has! The life of faith is not an easy one. And that’s exactly what Sarah discovered. Life was going quite well for her in her hometown of Ur. True, she and her husband, Abraham, didn’t have any children yet (Genesis11:30). That may have been more bearable as long as she […]
Where does life find you today? What season are you in? Spring—Are you in the early beginnings of life? Are you tasting the joy of fresh starts and taking your first steps as a Christian? Summer—Have you progressed along the way with the Lord to the place of wisdom, of a blossoming knowledge of the […]
Read Yea, Though I Walk Thru the Valley on Elizabeth & Jim George.
God has stated, promised, and demonstrated that you are valuable to Him. He created you. He sovereignly cares for you. And He reinforces your worth as you stay close to His Son and your Savior. So what can you do to help remember your worth in Christ? Thank God…that He created you exactly the way […]
Once Moses received his commission from God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, he brought his burdens and problems to God. He continually took his issues with Pharaoh to the Lord. And in every case, God gave him answers. Then in the wilderness, on the many occasions when the people disobeyed God, […]
Similar to the bountiful bouquet we’ve been discussing, your life is also like a flower that unfolds with the passing of time. The Lord promises each of us that we are His “handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). We are beautifully […]
Read A Bountiful Bouquet – Part 3 of 3 on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Are you a mom after God’s own heart, ready and desirous to be used by God in your children’s lives? Then ask God to help you faithfully pass on your faith and trust in God from generation to generation so your little ones might be boys and girls and young men and women after God’s […]
Read “Who’s your Mama?” on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Elizabeth here! Do you realize God actually has a Plan for Success in the Bible? I first found it as a brand new Christian when I began memorizing Bible verses. The second verse I ever learned by heart was Joshua 1:8-9. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall […]
I remember a particular time when Elizabeth and I had concerns about how things were going in our daughters’ lives. The issues that caused our concern weren’t big ones, but they were quickly recognized because we had been watching as part of our duty as parents. We worked through the minor issues, but it still […]
Read From Jim’s Heart – Watching Takes Time on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Going to school can get old with day after day trudging off to the same classes, only to come home and do homework. But I want to encourage you! The good habits and disciplines you develop during the next few years will lay the foundation for the rest of your life. Here’s my story…. When […]
Read Teen Tuesday—Where Are You Headed? on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Whenever I’m tempted to feel sorry for myself or to think no one is suffering as much as I am or in the same way, I recall one of my favorite scriptures—2 Corinthians 12:10. This verse clearly teaches there will be times we’ll be persevering through different kinds of pain. It also cites the apostle Paul’s […]
While peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit that we crave for ourselves—patience, kindness, and goodness—has to do with our treatment of others. The order of this listing implies that kindness is the next step we are to take after we have practiced patience when wronged. I know my natural response when someone […]
Read Things to Do Today to Walk in Kindness on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Sometimes we are so overjoyed by God’s goodness that we break forth in praise! If prayer is simply communing with God, and praise is a way of voicing our thanks to Him, then prayer and praise go hand in hand. That’s what happened with Moses! Moses’ first recorded outbreak of praise came early in the escape […]
Read Prayers of Praise on Elizabeth & Jim George.
When Jim and I first married, we lived on a honeymooner’s budget, which means we did most of our furniture shopping at the local flea market. One day we discovered a wonderful antique brass bed. Orangey and almost black from the oxidation of the metal, its dismantled pieces leaned against the wall of a dingy […]
Read Welcome Your Tests on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Is your husband a key focal point of your prayers? If so, your husband is a blessed man! To make him your special “prayer project” for life, here are a few suggestions—and cautions—to keep in mind. Pray without expecting instant results. God is always at work. and He doesn’t work according to your timetable. Applying […]
Due to some wrong choices I’ve made, I can sure relate to Abraham when a famine occurred … and he chose to go to Egypt during the famine in search of food. It appears that Abraham reacted to his circumstances without praying for God’s guidance. He relied on himself rather than God, and he failed […]
Read What Happens When We Don’t Pray? on Elizabeth & Jim George.
When you allow God’s Word to “dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16), you’ll be blessed and notice that things happen. Wonderful things! Amazing things! Even things you don’t understand and can’t understand or explain. When you hide God’s Word in your heart, here are ways you will be blessed— You’ll discover fresh energy, new excitement, and a […]
I have to say that my wife, Elizabeth, truly understands and lives her roles and responsibilities as a wife. And I thank God that she desires to be a woman and wife after God’s own heart. But still, I can’t force her to read her Bible, pray, go to church, or be part of a […]
Read From Jim’s Heart – Commit to Spiritual Growth on Elizabeth & Jim George.
(Parents, this devotion is material from A Girl’s Guide to Prayer. We pray it blesses you and your tween!)
When you see your friends, you don’t just say “Hi” and keep on walking. No, you want to catch up and to talk about all kinds of things! That’s how God desires for us to do with Him through prayer.
One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal… Philippians 3:13-14 August 31, 1974 was a red-letter day in my life. That was the day my wife and I sat down together and each wrote some lifetime goals. Up until that day, I had […]
Read From Jim’s Heart—A Man of Impact Makes Goals on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Why have a schedule? First there’s your purpose—God’s purpose. I love the impassioned words of the apostle Paul. When he spoke of God, he added these words—”to whom I belong and whom I serve” (Acts 27:23). To whom do you belong, and who is it you are serving today? A schedule helps you live out […]
Read A Bountiful Bouquet – Part 2 of 3 on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Jesus loved to pray. He not only prayed before important events and significant decisions, but in any and all other circumstances. Day and night, prayer was His way of life. Here are just a few of the many times Jesus prayed: • Prayer in the midst of a busy life. “In the morning, having risen […]
Read Learning from When Jesus Prayed … on Elizabeth & Jim George.
What do you do when you are struggling with obeying God? When your passion for God has cooled? When you have a pile of trials and aren’t sure how to handle them? Answer: Ask God to give you His strength. And that strength will come as you… faithfully read His Word, faithfully hear the preaching of His Word, faithfully listen […]
Elizabeth and I have been working on the last several chapters of our next book, A Couple After God’s Own Heart. I have to say, it’s been quite an exercise! It reminds me of being told, “Don’t pray for patience because you’ll have to go through trials to get it!” Well, all I can say […]
Read My Wake-Up Call as a Husband on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Fasting was part of the prayer life of many of the remarkable people in the Bible. Hannah, Samuel, Nehemiah, Daniel, and, of course, Jesus, fasted. The preparation and eating of food requires a significant portion of a person’s day. Therefore, fasting gives us extra time to pray and to consider and confess areas of sin. […]
Proverbs chapter 2 is filled with solid, godly direction for parents. This wisdom is meant to prepare each child for facing life and avoiding its pitfalls. How does Proverbs say this is done?
Are you facing a difficult decision? A painful situation? Whether we like it or not, trials and tribulation are part of our everyday lives. II Corinthians 2:10 speaks of five types of trials that we will likely face in this world: weakness, insults, hardships, persecution for the sake of Christ, and difficulties. As you fall […]
Do you ever feel by the end of most days that everyone is looking for you? Well, in a small way, you are getting an idea of how Jesus may have felt on one particular day that is described in Mark 1:29-39. No matter how tired Jesus was, He reached out and healed Peter’s mother-in-law in […]
From Jim’s Heart— Decades ago I made my first visit to the vast country of India. That visit marked my life forever. While trekking through India, I heard about a remarkable village. This village and its people were not unlike the thousands of other villages in the country. The people were poor and lived in deplorable […]
Have you ever traveled down, down, down into any dark valleys? Can you remember a time of foreboding or panic? Of suffering and sorrow? Of terror as darkness seemed to overshadow you as you journeyed into the unknown? Thank God we can praise Him for what we learn about Him during such times. On the […]
John Wesley was passionately devoted to reading the Bible. He laid hold of the Bible because His heart’s desire was to grow… and the Bible laid hold of him as well. Every year, he lifted up this prayer as a covenant to God, expressing his desire to growing in the knowledge of Christ: O blessed […]
Read God’s Power to Accomplish Great Things on Elizabeth & Jim George.
In addition to the teachings of James 1:2-4, there is another scripture I draw upon every time I’m faced with a trial. No matter what is happening to me, what I am up against, what is breaking my heart, or what I am suffering, I turn to the strength offered and assured in 2 Corinthians […]
Read Finding Strength in Weakness on Elizabeth & Jim George.
From Elizabeth’s Heart— According to online sources, communication appears consistently on the top-ten lists of reasons couples divorce. I’m sure you have had issues with your husband’s choice of words or means of communication. And I’m just as sure there have been times when he has struggled with your methods of communication. The first way to […]
Read How to Communicate Better with Your Husband on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Do you ever feel by the end of most days that everyone is looking for you? Maybe you even feel like this when your day is just beginning! Your husband, children, boss, parents, women’s committee, and prayer chain at church are all clamoring for a piece of you. Well, in a small way, you are […]
Read When Everyone Is Looking for You on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Have you learned to be hospitable? Did your parents host friends and acquaintances for dinner? Was your home open to your peers when they needed a safe place to talk and laugh? What a legacy of love hospitality is! Are you sharing that legacy with your children? Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain […]
Daniel was a man of exacting prayer. He knew how to pray and what to pray for. For instance, in the midst of a crisis caused by King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel prayed specifically, precisely, and earnestly. He had two requests: That God would reveal the secret of the king’s dream, and that God would preserve […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is…peace.” Galatians 5:22 What exactly is this peace that God’s Spirit gives? Many people think of peace as the absence of problems, as the feeling that is experienced when all is well. But the peace of the Lord is not related to circumstances at all. In fact, God’s peace comes […]
What happens when you fail to pray? You end up feeling distant from God. And that, in turn, makes you even more reluctant to pray. No matter how distant you might feel from the Lord, God is always close by. He hasn’t changed, moved, disappeared, or lost interest in you. So close the gap. Take […]
Read Closing the Gap Between You and God on Elizabeth & Jim George.
Forgetting the past is not easy to do, but the following three steps will help you let go of the past so you are free to press on and serve God in the present. Step 1: Discover the gold. Whatever has happened to you in the past and whatever is happening in your life now, […]
Your genuine joy—which is rooted in Christ—is a sure sign of the presence of God in your life. As a child of God, you have some great reasons to be joyful. Reason #1—Your joy is permanent. Because your joy is rooted in your all-loving and unchanging God, it is permanent. In John 16:22, Jesus said that […]