Try as he did Jonah could not outrun the presence of God and the work to which the Lord called him Today Derek Thomas observes the merciful persistence of God to sanctify the stubborn hearts of His servants Get Derek Thomas' Teaching Series 'Imprisoned' on DVD and the Digital Study Guide for Your Gift of Any Amount https gift renewingyourmind org imprisoned Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources [... more]

I attended a family birthday gathering where the hostess wove the theme of ldquo favorite things rdquo into the decor the gifts and best of all the food Because the birthday girl loved steak and salad mdash and white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake mdash the hostess grilled steak spun spinach and ordered that favorite cake Favorite foods say ldquo I love you rdquo The Bible contains many references to banquets feasts and festivals pairing the physical act of eating with celebrations of God rsquo s faithfulness Feasting was a part of the sacrificial system of worship practiced by the Israelites [... more]

On her college volleyball team my granddaughter learned a winning principle When the ball came her way no matter what she could ldquo better the ball rdquo She could make a play that left her teammates in a better situation mdash without throwing tantrums blaming or making excuses Always make the situation better That was Daniel rsquo s response when he and three Hebrew friends were taken into captivity by Babylon rsquo s king Nebuchadnezzar Although they were given pagan names and ordered to three years of ldquo training rdquo in the enemy rsquo s palace Daniel didn rsquo t [... more]