Steven Wales

You Can Only Trust Your Heart Sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9.

Novelists wrestle with a constant struggle: how do you balance action with heart? Books and movies often open with car chases and gunfights, but it takes only a minute or two before audiences ask ‘Who am I supposed to root for? Why do I care about them? Who ARE these people?’ Action without heart feelsContinue reading “You Can Only Trust Your Heart Sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9.”

EAT YOUR DINNER. Jeremiah 15:16.

How many times a day do you eat? How many meals and snacks? Do you open the refrigerator and stare into the cold, waiting for inspiration? At night, my children trail in and out of the kitchen, often leaving with a snack hidden in the upstage hand, not wishing to discuss that third popsicle. ImagineContinue reading “EAT YOUR DINNER. Jeremiah 15:16.”

COME TO THE FEAST! Jeremiah 15:16.

We know hunger and thirst. Most Americans do not know hunger the way the world’s truly poor know it. But everyone has been hungry. Can you remember the last time? Can you remember the satisfaction of finally eating? Bible readers over the centuries have known hunger well, living through wars and famines, and in desertsContinue reading “COME TO THE FEAST! Jeremiah 15:16.”

Feed Yourself the Word of God: Eat Every Day. Jeremiah 15:16

Are you consuming the Word of God? Ask yourself—are you feeding your spirit, or letting it starve? You have to eat every day. Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by your name. Jeremiah 15:16. Key verseContinue reading “Feed Yourself the Word of God: Eat Every Day. Jeremiah 15:16”

Fastened at the Waist. Jeremiah 13:11.

Christians discuss circumcision and giggle. We read that “testify” comes from “testicle” because of the practice of swearing on the loins, as when Abraham told his servant to “place your hand under my thigh and swear,” Genesis 24:9—and again we giggle. Our understanding is so OVERWHELMED by the sexualization of our culture, we are unableContinue reading “Fastened at the Waist. Jeremiah 13:11.”

How Can We Know Anything About God? Jeremiah 15:16.

Today I found myself engaged in an online conversation about particle physics. My friend Jim wrote that 99% of matter is nothing, and because God is everywhere, God is 99% nothing. First, I attempted to correct his physics—because though space is mostly nothingness, matter itself is never nothing. But I’ve had discussions like this withContinue reading “How Can We Know Anything About God? Jeremiah 15:16.”

Never Say Never. Jeremiah 10:23.

Conversations about the future often end with the cliché: Never say ‘never.’ It’s true: you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes things go exactly as planned; often they do not. God has a way of interrupting our plans. Never say ‘never.’ During my childhood a few things were clear: I could not sitContinue reading “Never Say Never. Jeremiah 10:23.”

“The Love of My Life” Jeremiah 12:7-8; 9:23-24.

Don’t boast about achievements, which don’t last. Instead, brag about this: God calls you the love of his life. I never expected to see that in the Bible. But I saw it this morning: “the love of My life.” In Jeremiah 12, God announces judgment on Israel. Yet even as He punishes, He reaffirms HisContinue reading ““The Love of My Life” Jeremiah 12:7-8; 9:23-24.”

WHAT DO YOU BRAG ABOUT? Jeremiah 9:23-24.

What have you bragged about lately? I know we’re polite people who don’t brag (out loud). But what do you daydream about in the car when no one else can hear you? What does your heart want to brag about in those moments? Think back and see what you find…. They say that everyone worships,Continue reading “WHAT DO YOU BRAG ABOUT? Jeremiah 9:23-24.”

PRAYING THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A BROKEN HEART. Jeremiah 8:21-9:1.

Could you ask God to break your heart? Sounds crazy, right? But if your heart breaks for the right reasons, the suffering will produce incredible results. The Baptist preacher Bob Pierce wrote in his Bible, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” Pierce regularly prayed these words soContinue reading “PRAYING THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A BROKEN HEART. Jeremiah 8:21-9:1.”