Author name: Paul Cannings

Choosing God’s Word Over Our Differences “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–40 (NASB) The Challenge of Loving Others We live in a time when opinions are plentiful; disagreements are common, and differences often become reasons for division. Whether those differences involve politics, race, religious beliefs, personal experiences, or even the way we respond to difficult circumstances, we can easily allow our opinions to take precedence over God’s Word. Yet, as believers, our responsibility is not to allow our differences to divide us but to let Scripture guide us in how we respond to one another. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we are reminded that our fundamental calling remains unchanged: to love God wholeheartedly and to love others as ourselves. Of course, loving others is not always easy. It becomes especially challenging when someone has hurt us, treated us unfairly, held opposing beliefs, or requires ongoing care because of a long-term illness. In these moments, our natural response may be to focus on what the other person has done, how their actions have made us feel, and whether they deserve our kindness. But biblical love is not determined by how others treat us. It is demonstrated through our willingness to obey God, even when obedience requires us to deny ourselves. First Corinthians 13:5 reminds us that love “does not seek its own.” This means that love requires us to move beyond our personal preferences, pride, frustrations, and desire to be right. It calls us to consider how our attitudes and actions reflect the character of Christ. This is why self-denial is central to discipleship (Luke 14:26–27). Following Jesus means surrendering our right to let our emotions dictate our behavior. It means choosing God’s principles over our personal impulses and allowing His truth to shape our responses. Our love for one another is more than a personal virtue; it is evidence of our discipleship. Jesus declared in John 13:34–35 that our love for one another would identify us as His disciples. Therefore, the question is not simply whether we attend church, know Scripture, or profess our faith. The question is whether our lives demonstrate the love of the One we claim to follow. Consider Cain. When he failed to respond to God as he should have, his jealousy and anger grew into hatred and ultimately murder (Genesis 4:4–8). His story reminds us that when we refuse to submit our hearts to God, destructive attitudes can take root and produce devastating consequences. Jesus demonstrated a different way. Although He faced opposition, rejection, betrayal, and unimaginable suffering, He remained committed to His Father’s will. Even while hanging on the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). His response reveals the extraordinary power of a life surrendered to God. Christ’s love was not based on whether people treated Him fairly. His obedience flowed from His relationship with the Father and His commitment to the Father’s redemptive purpose. Likewise, when we commit ourselves to loving God, He begins transforming the way we see and treat others. Romans 12:1–2 calls us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice and be transformed through the renewing of our minds.” As we surrender our attitudes, emotions, and personal preferences to Him, the Holy Spirit develops Christlike character within us. This does not mean that we must agree with everyone, approve of wrongdoing, or abandon healthy boundaries. It means that even when we disagree, we are called to respond with truth, humility, compassion, and grace. Choosing to love someone can change us. It teaches us to depend on God’s wisdom rather than our own understanding, to extend grace rather than seek retaliation, and to pursue reconciliation when possible. Through this process, God shapes us into the character of Christ (Philippians 2:1–5). The more we learn to love as Christ loves, the more we learn about Him—and the more He removes from us that does not reflect His character. Our families need this love. Our churches need this love. Our communities and our world need this love. May we become people who allow God’s Word, rather than our differences, to determine how we treat one another. May our commitment to love God be evident in our willingness to love those who are difficult to love. And may the character of Christ be revealed through us, one surrendered decision at a time.

I don’t know anyone who loves trials—or who is happy when God allows them to come. Trials can make us weary. They can tempt even strong believers to lose heart. Elijah reached that point after experiencing tremendous spiritual victory, and yet in 1 Kings 19, we find him exhausted, discouraged, and afraid. Trials can also seem relentless. Scripture reminds us that our spiritual enemy is persistent, accusing believers “before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10–11). Sometimes the same trial continues far longer than we ever imagined. Abraham and Sarah waited approximately twenty-five years for the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son. Trials require us to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–17) and to live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Sometimes God removes a trial. Sometimes He gives us strength to endure it. Paul pleaded with God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” but God did not remove it. Instead, He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). Paul knew what it was like to pray for healing and see God answer. Epaphroditus was restored from a serious illness (Philippians 2:25–27). Yet Paul’s own affliction remained. This reminds us that God’s refusal to remove a trial does not mean He has refused to answer our prayer. Sometimes the answer is not deliverance from the trial but grace through it. Trials can become so difficult that God provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). At other times, as with Jonah and many others throughout Scripture, God permits the trial to continue because He is accomplishing something through it. “No physician ever weighed out medicine to his patient with half so much care and exactness as God weighs out to us every trial. Not one grain too much does He ever permit to be put in the scale.”— Gospel Message Trials have a teaching ministry. James tells us that “the testing of your faith produces endurance” and that endurance, when allowed to complete its work, makes us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:3–4). Trials can teach us what comfort and prosperity sometimes cannot. They expose the condition of our faith and challenge us to obey God’s Word regardless of our circumstances. God told Israel to remember their forty years in the wilderness because He had been testing them “to know what was in [their] heart, whether [they] would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2). Trials can reveal our weaknesses, but they can also reveal the strength God has already developed in us. Paul said: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”  (Philippians 4:11) Paul had learned how to live with little and with much, with abundance and with need. His circumstances did not determine his contentment. His strength came from Christ: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). That is one of the great lessons of trials: we may discover that God’s strength is greater than our circumstances. Trials can also be God’s means of discipline. Hebrews 12:6–11 reminds us that “those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.” Discipline is not rejection. It is evidence of God’s fatherly love and His desire to make us holy. There is a beautiful story about a teacher who read to her class, “My yoke is easy.” She asked the children what a yoke was. One boy answered that it was something placed around the necks of animals. Then she asked, “What is the yoke God puts on us?” A little girl answered, “It is God putting His arms around our necks.” What a beautiful picture. Sometimes God’s yoke feels heavy because the trial is heavy. But we never carry it alone. The God who allows the trial is also the God who promises His presence, His grace, His strength, and His sustaining love. We may not understand every trial. We may pray for God to remove it and find that He does not. We may grow weary and wonder how much longer we can endure. But we can trust Him. The trial may change us, but it does not have to destroy us. In the hands of God, even our hardest trials can become instruments of spiritual growth.

Years ago, when my wife, Eve, and I faced a frightening medical emergency with our youngest son, Pierre, he had such a severe allergic reaction that he had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. I cannot fully explain what it felt like to stand beside his bed, feeling helpless as I watched the medical team do everything possible to save his life. As his father, I wanted to protect him, but there was nothing I could do except trust the medical team and pray. We experienced that same helplessness when our oldest son, Paul, had surgery following an injury. Watching him being wheeled away for surgery was again one of the most helpless feelings we had to experience. Prayer became our immediate response, but that did not make the fear disappear. Every moment seemed like an eternity. Seeing Eve sitting pensive made me feel even more helpless because I knew there was nothing I could say or do that would make the situation better. Then came the moment when the doctor walked toward us after surgery. I stood to meet him, not knowing what he was going to say. It is interesting how, when life hits you at your core, you can know the right Scriptures, have good health insurance, and be surrounded by excellent medical professionals, yet still feel completely helpless. God has had to teach me—and continues to teach me—the true meaning of these words: “Cease striving and know that I am God… The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”Psalm 46:10–11 (NASB) God has consistently shown me the depth of the words “still” and “know.” And the more He teaches me, the more I realize that learning to “be still” and truly “know Him” is a lifelong journey. First, I had to learn to cease striving. That meant I could not depend on my past experiences from similar circumstances to guide me.  I had to seek Him through His Word and learn how Bible characters who experienced similar circumstances or verses where others trusted Him in difficult circumstances. He promises I will find Him if I seek Him – Luke 12:31-32. Second, He taught me how to pray more effectively and the power of seeking to live by faith—completely trusting that His Word is true (Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:1-4; 6:18; 11:6; 2 Pet. 1:3-4) — no matter how idiotic that may seem because of how long He may take to respond (Isaiah 40:31). Third, He taught me that obeying Him means letting go of any need I may feel to control what I am experiencing.  He continually teaches me what it truly means to die to myself (John 12:23) – to do “His Father’s business” regardless of what I may be going through or how I may feel in the midst of it, involved a cross to bear (Luke 14:25-27). “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. .…therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. …; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB) I am learning that when I feel helpless, choosing to trust God rather than surrendering to my emotions is one of the greatest ways to experience just how helpful God truly is (Psalm 34). “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us… to Him be the glory…” Ephesians 3:20–21 (NASB) My helplessness does not diminish God’s power. It reminds me of where my help has always come from.

Knowing God’s will and accepting God’s will are two different things. To know God’s will is to understand what He is saying. Accepting God’s will means adjusting one’s life to whatever God now requires and responding in obedience. Peter knew that Christ would die because Jesus clearly told His disciples.  Yet Peter did not want to accept it. The first time he heard it, he rebuked Christ, prompting Jesus to respond, “Get behind Me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23). Later, when Christ was arrested, Peter denied Him and hid in fear. Peter possessed knowledge, but he struggled to accept and embrace God’s plan.  Moses faced a similar challenge.  God instructed him to speak to the rock so that water would come forth for the people of Israel (Numbers 20:8).  However, because Moses had struck the rock the first time God provided water (Exodus 17:6), he acted out of frustration and struck the rock twice instead of obeying God’s specific command.  Moses knew that God had said, but in that moment, he failed to accept God’s way and follow it. The Bible repeatedly teaches that knowledge alone is insufficient: “….we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)  James reinforces this truth: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, … But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25; NASU) It is important to realize that a person who merely possesses knowledge often builds themselves up (1 Corinthians 8:1). However, a person who accepts God’s Word as a way of life allows the Spirit of God to transform their character, producing wisdom, maturity, and spiritual fruit (2 Peter 1:3-11). Many years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, there lived a Presbyterian pastor named James Bryan. Throughout the city he was affectionately known as “Brother Bryan.” While many preachers were stronger in pulpit oratory, few preached more powerfully through their daily lives. Like Jesus, he went about doing good. On cold days it was not unusual for him to return home without his overcoat because he had given it to someone in need.  One spring day, while traveling through the countryside in his horse and buggy, he came upon a farmer standing dejectedly in his field.  It was time for spring plowing, but the farmer’s only horse had died.  Brother Bryan immediately unhitched his own horse, gave it to the farmer, and walked home.  His life demonstrated that accepting God’s will means putting God’s love into action. It was fitting that his biography was later titled A Sermon in Shoes.  (Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations: Signs of the Times.) Jesus highlighted the same principle when He observed the widow’s offering (Mark 12:41-44).  His focus was not on the amount she gave, for she contributed only two small copper coins.  Rather, He emphasized her faith. She gave believing that God was truly her Provider, while many others gave from their abundance and still had plenty remaining.  The widow demonstrated acceptance of God’s will through trust and sacrifice. Likewise, when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He provided a living example of humble service.  He called His followers to serve others, yet they had become more concerned with position and recognition than with servanthood (Mark 10:41-45). Christ taught them that true discipleship requires more than understanding truth – it requires submitting to it. Therefore, Jesus declared: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) The difference between spiritual maturity and spiritual immaturity is often found in the difference between knowing God’s will and accepting God’s will.  Knowledge informs the mind, but acceptance transforms life.  God blesses those who not only hear His Word but also embrace it, obey it, and allow it to shape their character and conduct.

Raising children is much like pouring concrete. A strong foundation must be prepared before anything else can be built.  During the early years, parents have a unique opportunity to shape their children through presence more that presents – through consistent love, unfailing prayer, godly instruction, discipline, and godly example. Through these intentional efforts, we seek to establish a foundation that will last a lifetime and, by God’s grace, extend into eternity. What we build into our children today can influence them for a lifetime and, by the grace of God, for generation to come. “Unless the Lord builds a house, they who build it labor in vain;”  – Psalm 127:1a Principles to Live By: — Dorothy Law Nolte When God blesses us with children, they are His gift to us. How we raise them is our gift back to God. Therefore, let us intentionally build into our children a foundation of love, faith, character, truth, and godliness – one strong enough to withstand the pressures of life and point them toward Christ for generations to come.

(Prepared Within. Protected Above.) “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:12–14 (NASB)        Every generation faces pressure, but today’s children, youth, and young adults encounter an overwhelming number of competing voices. They feel the pressure to fit in by wearing the right clothes, choosing the right friends, succeeding academically, making career decisions, navigating relationships, resisting sexual temptation, and standing for Christ without being ridiculed. Many even wonder if serving God means they will somehow miss out on the excitement life has to offer.        It is easy for us to criticize their struggles, yet many of us did not always respond wisely to the pressures we faced when we were their age. Rather than criticizing them, we must help prepare them.        A submarine provides a powerful illustration of this truth. As it descends beneath the ocean’s surface, the pressure outside the vessel increases dramatically. To prevent the submarine from collapsing, the pressure inside is carefully regulated to correspond with the pressure outside. Because the pressure is balanced, the submarine remains intact, its crew is protected, and it successfully accomplishes its mission before surfacing again to serve another day.        God works in much the same way in the lives of His children. He does not promise to remove every pressure we encounter, but He promises to strengthen us from within. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He develops the inner person so that we can withstand the external pressures of life.        Paul reminds us that God is continually at work in us (Philippians 2:12–13), strengthening us through His Spirit in our inner being (Ephesians 3:16–19). As we yield to the Holy Spirit, we begin to reflect the character of Christ (2 Peter 1:3–11). We discover that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). The greater Christ’s work within us, the greater our ability to withstand the pressures around us.        This is why one of the greatest responsibilities of parents, grandparents, and the church is not merely protecting young people from pressure but preparing them to endure it through spiritual maturity.        Scripture gives us a clear pattern. We should respond quickly when children express a desire for God (Matthew 18:1–6). We must model authentic Christian living before them (1 Timothy 4:12, 15–16). We must faithfully teach them God’s Word while they are young (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 2 Timothy 1:5), helping them develop a love for the wisdom that protects them (Proverbs 4:6) and leads them into God’s blessings (Proverbs 3:13–18).        The Scriptures remind us: “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.” Proverbs 14:26 (NASB)        Children often develop an appetite for God by observing that same appetite in those who raise and mentor them. Genuine faith is contagious. Timothy became a courageous servant of Christ because his mother and grandmother faithfully taught him the Scriptures and demonstrated sincere faith (2 Timothy 3:14–17). Before Timothy ever faced the pressures of ministry, God had already strengthened him through His Word and through godly examples.        Our mission is the same today. We must cultivate in the next generation a hunger for Christ and His Word. When God’s truth fills the heart, His Spirit strengthens the soul. Then, regardless of the pressures they encounter, they will stand firm, accomplish God’s purpose, and bring Him glory. The greatest gift we can give the next generation is not a life free from pressure, but a heart strengthened by God’s Spirit to overcome it.

Hurricanes are among the most powerful forces on earth. They unleash tremendous energy, leave widespread destruction, and remind us how little control we truly have over nature. Yet as overwhelming as physical storms may be, they cannot compare to the spiritual storms God allows to enter our lives. Throughout Scripture, we find faithful men and women whose greatest spiritual growth came through seasons of hardship. Jonah, Joseph, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and many others experienced trials that were not accidents but appointments with God’s sovereign purpose. As Paul testified, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing… struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9, NASB). God does not waste our suffering. Hebrews reminds us, “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines” (Hebrews 12:6). Although discipline is never pleasant, it is always purposeful, producing “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” in those who submit to His work (Hebrews 12:11). God’s intention is never to destroy His children but to shape them into the likeness of Christ. Paul explains that we have “this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The treasure is the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose power enables us to endure what we could never face in our own strength. Through life’s storms, God teaches us to rely less on ourselves and more on Him, until we can say with Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). History provides a beautiful illustration of this truth. After a violent storm unexpectedly preserved the city of Basel during a military siege, its grateful citizens responded by establishing a school to train missionaries. That work eventually became the Basel Missionary Society, sending hundreds of missionaries around the world. What began as a season of danger became a testimony of God’s faithfulness and a blessing to countless others. The same can be true in our lives. Storms are not simply obstacles to survive; they are classrooms where God develops our faith, deepens our dependence on Him, and displays His strength through our weakness. Paul learned this lesson when he declared, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). When the storms of life come—and they will—choose to trust rather than fear. Bring every concern before the Lord in prayer, thanking Him that He is at work even when His purposes are not immediately clear (Philippians 4:6–7). Like David, let your heart declare, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him” (Psalm 28:7). Storms may shake our circumstances, but they can never overturn God’s sovereign plan. In His loving hands, every trial becomes an opportunity to strengthen our faith, deepen our walk with Christ, and reveal His power to a watching world.