One of the most tender names God used for Himself was El Shaddai. Although El Shaddai is often translated “God Almighty,” that is an inadequate translation and misses much of its beauty. The almightiness of God is expressed in El, a short form of Elohim, which means “the Mighty One.” But what does Shaddai mean?

One week in our women’s neighborhood Bible studies, Chalise especially noticed Jesus’ words about little children: “As ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” She decided to change her attitude and treat the rowdy neighbor kids, whom she had previously resented having in, with kindness for Jesus.

One day when our daughter Arla was about nine years old, I told her to dust the furniture. Every little bit she was crying or complaining. She bumped her head and her arm, got a splinter in her hand, and then couldn’t remember which shelves she had dusted. Frustrated with her, I threatened to punish.

Missionary John Knight reports that while in Taiwan they moved across the lane from a man they later learned was the high priest of the Taoist temple on their island.

To come to Jesus is to come to a joyful celebration! Jesus said the invitation to come into His kingdom is like being invited to a wedding banquet. He’s calling us into fellowship with a God who is exceedingly joyful.

In his book Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard states that the current Gospel has become a “gospel of sin management…Transformation of life and character is no part of the redemptive message.” Many Christians hunger to live victoriously, but they are unaware of the possibility of a transformed character.

“I wanted to spend time with the Lord, so I began taking my Bible to work, and I spent my lunch hour with Him. I had the distinct impression that He was pleased with my taking that time just to be with Him,” a friend said.

When Tina Nguyen was seven, her family moved to the US where she attended Syracuse University and later worked.

Tina heard about Jesus through a friend. She personally encountered God in 2009 alone in her bedroom as she read a biography of a missionary in India. God revealed Himself to her and convicted her of her sins, and she repented and accepted Jesus into her life as Lord and Savior. She later was baptized and committed her life to serving God.