RPM Ministries

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3 ESV). Even a casual look at the…

For me, the ministry is more than a profession. Perhaps it’s that understanding that keeps me in the game. I admit: there have been times in my ministry when I’ve been enticed to believe that a position in a corporate setting would be more attractive. And, when times are unusually testing (like when the sheep…

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2). Do you remember a time when your thirst was so intense, it was the only thing on your mind? Every time I read the Psalmist’s words, they transport me…

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” (Psalm 130:1-2 ESV). Read those words slowly. What do you notice? Perhaps my struggle caused me to stop and re-read these words. Or possibly it’s my desperation…

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8 ESV). “It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17 (ESV). It was apparent my friend was searching for the…

“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…