Discover Hope

“A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression” (Proverbs 29:22 ESV). Have you noticed? There are a lot of angry people today. Public protests regarding any issue increasingly move from dialogue to insults and, often, from name-calling to violence. Angry people are quickly offended and reactionary. I’m not…

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27 ESV). As a boy, my mother disciplined me for behavior prompted by my anger. Unfortunately, my insistence on having my way, combined with my immaturity, caused me to fail to…

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15 ESV). Why is it difficult to “keep short accounts?” Why do I continue to relive an injustice? Do you ever find yourself reliving an…

“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!” (Psalm 37:8 ESV). “And he [Jesus] looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…” (Mark 3:5 ESV). The Bible often defines anger as sinful. The Psalmist admonishes us to “refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.” Yet Mark allows us to see that Jesus was not…

The other day I read the following passage from Psalm 6: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?” (Psalm 6:2–3). As I slowly reflected on those words, they revealed emotions I had been…

It appears that rudeness is more popular than respectful behavior these days. I’m appalled at the growing inflammatory conduct displayed in society. For as many issues that divide us, it seems that the one who yells the loudest believes they will win. But is life only about “winning?” If I win today’s argument, it’s only…

When I was young, I was asked to serve a congregation in Southern California. Full of zeal and short on leadership experience, I was quickly introduced to the world of political maneuvering by individuals having specific agendas. My first board meeting included a contentious debate surrounding what color we would paint our church buses! I…

What are five years of your life worth? A study from the Daily Mail revealed we waste years of our lives worrying. Their research shows the average person frets one hour and 50 minutes a day. That calculates to almost 28 days per year or approximately five years of your entire life.[1] We worry about a lot…

One day, I had an early appointment at the office. Where I live, traffic congestion is extremely heavy from 6 in the morning until around 9. Already running a little late, I noticed my fuel gauge. I muttered: “‘E’ does not mean enough, Richard!” I was annoyed at myself for neglecting to fill my car with…

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). One evening, several years ago, I had dinner with a friend and realized that I was not alone in how I struggle during the Christmas Season. As I…