Daily Readings by Wild at Heart

We feel that God is not only unconcerned with our plight, but that he is actually working against us. And sometimes, we are right… Indeed, in the seventeenth chapter of Acts, Paul gives the Athenians the stunning news that every single thing in the lives of both nations and individuals is orchestrated with this sole objective that they might seek God (vv. 26-28). This revelation requires some refl...

Wisdom is crucial. But wisdom is not enough. Wisdom is essential...and insufficient. Saul of Tarsus was headed to Damascus, "breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples," with official documents granting him permission to arrest all Christians in the city and have them sent to prison (Acts 9:1-2). Now, you and I know that Jesus changed Saul's agenda rather radically before he ever...

Scripture names hope as one of the Three Great Forces of human existence:    Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT)    By saying they last forever, God names these three as immortal powers. A life without faith has no meaning; a life without love isn’t worth living; a life without hope is a dark cavern from which you cannot escape. These things aren’t sim...

Through his cross he paid for our sin, cleansed us, bought us out of the dungeons of the evil one and brought us back to his Abba. Jesus established a whole new way of relating to God. He often reclined at meals with people; he stopped along the road to chat; he touched them, embraced them. He called them by name, and they him. Jesus is always closing the distance. The encounters in the Gospels ar...

We grow during meaningful conversations with kindred spirits. But that's often hard to find in the midst of our non-stop days filled with never-ending to-do lists. Today, we want to lift up several powerful podcast conversations as a way to encourage care for your soul in this season.  Simply click on any of the titles below to begin listening: Simple Soul Practices — Part 1 , Part 2   Enforcing t...

I don't fully understand the modern church's amnesia-plus-aversion regarding one of the most central qualities of God understood for centuries before us: The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. (Ex. 15:3 NIV) The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. (Isa. 42:13 NIV) But the...

Imagine the stories that we'll hear. And all the questions that shall finally have answers. "What were you thinking when you drove the old Ford out on the ice?" "Did you hear that Betty and Dan got back together? But of course you did — you were probably involved in that, weren't you?" "How come you never told us about your time in the war?" "Did you ever know how much I loved you?" And the answer...

Life on the road takes us into our heart, for only when we are present in the deep sentences can God speak to them. That's why the Story is a journey; it has to be lived, it cannot simply be talked about. When we face trials, our most common reaction is to ask God, "Why won't you relieve us?" And when he doesn't, we resignedly ask, "What do you want me to do?" Now we have a new question: "Where is...

The things that have happened to us often suggest that the real script of the play we're all living in is "God is indifferent" rather than "God is love." Deep down in our hearts, in the place where the story is formed, this experience of God as indifferent drives us to write our own scripts. Job apparently lived with this anxiety about God even before his tribulations descended upon him, as eviden...

Creation sometimes screams a confusing message — fear, pain, grief. Fire burns, rivers flood, winds go hurricane, the earth shudders so hard it levels cities. But you must remember — this was not so in Eden. Mankind fell, surrendering this earth to the evil one. St Paul says that creation groans for the day of its restoration (see Rom. 8:18–22), making it clear that everything is not as it was mea...

We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline. (Hebrews 6:18–19 The Message) The hope and promise of the restoration of all things has been planted in your heart — whether you are aware of it or not. It is the only hope strong enough, brilliant enough, glorious enough to overcome the he...

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT) The thing you are made for is the renewal of all things. God has given you a heart for his kingdom—not the wispy vagaries of a cloudy heaven, but the sharp reality of the world made new. This is one of the most important things you can know about yourself. Did you know this about...

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:5) At the Fall, why did God curse Adam and Eve with an emptiness that nothing would be able to fill? Wasn’t life going to be hard enough out there in the world, banished from the Garden? It seems unkind. Cruel, even. He did it to save them. For as we all know, the heart shifted at the Fall. Something sent its roots down dee...

Long before [God] laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. (Ephesians 1:4 The Message)   We exercise because we want to grow stronger; we take vitamins in the hope of being healthy; we attend language classes expecting to learn a new language. We travel for adventure; we work in the hope of prospering; we l...

Is anything too hard for the Lord? ( Genesis 18:14) January 1. A brand-new year. It’s the time of year we start thinking about making changes. This year, rather than writing a quick list of resolutions that we’ll likely forget before February, maybe we should take a different approach. This is a good time for each of us to ask ourselves, What do I want to be different this year? Sit with that for...

He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!” Yes! Come, Master Jesus! ( Revelation 22:20 The Message) There’s nothing like stepping out your door into the beckoning world. This is why people vacation in beautiful places. It’s also the secret to the stories you love — that magical moment when the hero or heroine steps into a “brave new world.” Dear friend...

Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. (Isaiah 53:11–12 The Message) If you woke each morning and your heart leapt with hope, knowing that the renewal of all things was just around the corner — might even come...

“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. ... His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ ” ( Matthew 25:19–21 The Message) You are created to accomplish a work worthy of God; it is one of your deepest yearnings. And you will, in the kingdom; not just once, but many, many times over. Are you employed i...

“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride. Whoever hears, echo, “Come!” Is anyone thirsty? Come! All who will, come and drink, drink freely of the Water of Life! (Revelation 22:17 The Message) Two ideas are absolutely basic to a Christian understanding of this world: first, you are created for happiness and second, that you’ll not truly be happy until Jesus brings into fullness the kingdom of God. So w...

What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Indeed, you are our glory and joy. ( 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20) Where is this supposed coming? The current expression of that is often: “But every age has thought Jesus was about to show up. It might take another thousand years.” It sounds so reasonable. Yes, every age has thought that Chr...

Then I looked, and, oh!—a door open into Heaven. The trumpet-voice, the first voice in my vision, called out, “Ascend and enter. I’ll show you what happens next.” ( Revelation 4:1 The Message) The dreams I have about the kingdom only started this year. Then one day it struck me: Maybe I don’t get pictures from God because I don’t ask for them. So I began asking. And God began answering. Not only i...

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me.” ( Revelation 22:12 NLT) Reward—it fills the pages of both Testaments. C. S. Lewis writes: “If you consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Your Lord finds your desires not too strong, but too weak.” Unblushing means boldfaced, unashamed. Did you know the prom...

“Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating.” ( Isaiah 65:18 The Message) Certainly storytelling is one of the great pleasures in the kingdom. Would you like to write? Illustrate? Act? Produce? These are not obliterated when you step into the life to come; God renews all things. Dallas Willard assures: We will not sit around looking at one another or at God for eternity but will join in the...

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. ( Isaiah 35:10) What will it be like to be crowned with everlasting joy? To be “overtaken” with gladness and joy? There is certainly the joy of relief . People who survive accidents often break out in giddy laughter afterward, relief overtaking the...

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” ( Matthew 5:8 NLT) According to the Scriptures, the heart can be troubled, wounded, pierced, grieved, even broken. How well you know that. Thankfully, it can also be cheerful, glad, joyful, rejoicing. The heart can be whole or divided — as in “Well, part of me wants to, but the other part of me doesn’t.” It can be wise or foolish. I...