encouraged
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. — John 1:1 My eight year old brought up an interesting question the other day: "How was God there when there was no where to be?" Good question. Here in this verse we find the only reference to God before and outside of creation. The Word, we discover, as we keep on reading, was the expression of the Father. How do we know about God, that One who is so much bigger and greater than our minds can imagine? We experience Him, we embrace Him, we…
Sisters, In order for summer to come, we have to live through rain, tornados, grey days, and high school graduation parties. Some of you will spend $300 on food for herds of kids you’ve never met who will troop through your back yard, inhale everything edible, and leave for the next party. Your adult friends, O Faithful Ones, will stay to help you clean up and haul the refuse to the curb. (Remember, you did the same for them when their kids graduated….it’s one of those rubber-meets-the-road-community kind of things.)Some of you will spend hours picking up branches in your…
… but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel…. Luke 24:21 For years my wife sufferered from panic attacks. Things went from bad to worse until panic was 24/7 for her. Things got better when she finally went on medication. Then on September 13, 2001, she had a half hour prayer session with Steve Freitag of CrossCounsel. In that prayer session, she was miraculously delivered from panic. The next morning, she put away her medication, and lived virtually panic free for the next 18 months. She also began a journey of meeting with God in…
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. — Psalm 34:19 When trouble comes, our misperceptions rush to the surface…. I’m trapped. God has forgotten about me. It will only get worse. God doesn’t like me any more. God is just punishing me for something I must have done wrong. God likes to see me squirm. Then God gives us an opportunity to replace doubt with faith. This is Divine work — we cannot do it on our own. We can only bring our deepest fears to Jesus and see what He wants to do with…
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. — Romans 8:18 At first glance, this is an odd arrangment of words. Let’s try it a different way: Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the comfort and luxury we will enjoy in heaven. After all, no more sickness. No more pain. No more mean people. No more reckless drivers cutting me off out on the highway. No more loud parties next door keeping me up at night. Etc., etc. But wait! That isn’t what the verse says. It says our sufferings…
And God said, "Let …" — Genesis 1:3 … Jesus replied, "Let …" — Matthew 3:15In the Bible, God’s first word is "let." Permit. Allow. Give room for. Break free. God, the One who is so often characterized as the narrow-minded maker of restrictions, opens the universe with the word "let." God permits His plans to unfold. He allows His creation to take shape. He gives room for free moral agents to come into being, some to choose Him and others to reject Him forever.In the Bible, Jesus’ first word is also "let." "Let it be so now …" Allow…
"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he [King David] said [to Solomon, his son]. "So be strong, show yourself a man … " — 1 Kings 2:2 Sooner or later we turn over the reins to someone else. A big part of our assignment here on earth is to equip someone(s) else to do what we cannot do. Even if you desire center stage, know this: you won’t hold it for long, and one of the best things you can do with your time is to make sure that the act that follows yours is…
Then the LORD answered prayer … — 2 Samuel 24:25 How does the LORD decide when to answer prayer? In this case, He waited until David acknowledged his sin, interceded for those who were suffering, and refused to sacrifice something that cost him nothing, but instead insisted on paying the full price to purchase the site and the animals for the offering. How and when will God decide to answer your prayer? I don’t know. But I do know this: Unanswered prayers are a great opportunity. Each time we bring them back to God, we discover some unexpected treasure –…
And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptians’s hand and killed him with his own spear. — 2 Samuel 23:21 Why does God give us impossible challenges? Because any other kind are – well – boring. Benaiah could have looked at the club in his own hand. But instead, he looked at the spear in the Egyptian’s hands. This reminds me of Ashley, a cat we owned years ago. She was a feisty creature who preferred biting…