by Janina Marie Rivera | Aug 27, 2021 | Blog
So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 We may not know how long we are to live on this earth, but each day we have ought to be a day with intention. When we number our days, we won’t live as if we are swept by a schedule we...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Aug 17, 2021 | Blog
Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. Psalm 76:11 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Psalm 96:8 In ancient times, it was a necessary...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Aug 13, 2021 | Blog
Dead flies turn a perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more potent than wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1 When a fly lands in our soup, we are horrified. It’s not enough that we “spoon” the fly out; we change the whole bowl of soup...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Aug 9, 2021 | Blog
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom. Psalm 51:6 AMP When David wrote Psalm 51, it was after the confrontation of the prophet Nathan. David had sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Aug 3, 2021 | Blog
Life Stops at 50? I once had a college professor who remarked in class, “I think fifty years for people to live are enough. I’m okay with my life ending at that age.” The whole class laughed. I remember snickering, too. We needed an explanation for this kind of...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Jul 27, 2021 | Blog
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-58 Jesus: the Ultimate Example Following Jesus comes at a...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Jul 20, 2021 | Blog
“Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5 There was a time when I looked at this passage of Scripture only through the lens of character. “What...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Jul 13, 2021 | Blog
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Jul 6, 2021 | Blog
Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). Genesis 35:18 Labels that Hurt In life, we encounter many hurtful words...
by Janina Marie Rivera | Jun 28, 2021 | Blog
Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 We need food to survive, and the Lord knows this. When we don’t eat, chances are we feel lousy, irritable, hungry, forgetful, and angry. While mulling over Matthew 6:11, one of the things that struck me was how we can...
