transformation
Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. — Mark 5:5Here is a man who was in torment. He had no rest day or night. He was driven away from people and had no one to share his suffering with. He was lonely and in terrible pain.Yesterday we looked at the storm from the perspective of the disciples. God brought them through the storm so they might see a clearer picture of who Jesus is.Today I’d like to look at the storm from the perspective of this desperate, demonized…
"Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?" — Mark 4:38I’d like to focus in on the word "care." We all know the story. The storm is out of control. Jesus is asleep. The waves are swamping the boat. The disciples are terrified.Where was God’s care? In a sense, that’s an unfair question, because we have a big advantage. We are looking at this storm 2000 years later. We know that God’s care was there all along. The disciples didn’t know how to stop the storm. So they did the only thing they knew how to do, they found Jesus inside…
Today is "Tell A Friend Day"If you like these devotionals, pass this on to a friend.http://www.dwightclough.com/discoveries/web_index.htmlWhen they walk through the Valley of Weeping,it will become a place of refreshing springs,where pools of blessing collect after the rains! — Psalm 84:6 NLTWe all want to meet God on the mountain top. We want to see Jesus transfigured before us, in dazzling white. We want a glimpse of heaven. But life changing spiritual growth occurs not on the mountain top, but in the valley. It is in the valley, where we are cold, lonely and miserable that God wants to meet us. …
Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that He might hand them over to Jeohash, because they sought the gods of Edom. — 2 Chronicles 25:20God doesn’t trust just anybody to lead His people. Sooner or later he will put that leader to the test, and that test will reveal the character of the leader.King Amaziah is a case in point. About 130 years after the nation of Israel divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, Amaziah becomes king of Judah. He attempts to consolidate his power by hiring a mercenary army…
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. — Psalm 23:1We imagine ourselves to be very busy and terribly short on time. We must understand that this is a lie. God is not stingy. He has not shortchanged us on time. We have time in abundance. It is a joy and a privilege to finish a task, but God will release us from every unfinished work that didn’t fit into His perfect plan. We have time for God-ordained interruptions, time for acts of kindness, time for wonder and reflection.As it says in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a…
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. — Exodus 20:17Why would we think that a gift from the devil is better than a gift from God? The whole point of this commandment is this: God gives good gifts.There have been times in my marriage when I couldn’t figure out what drug induced me to say, "I do." This is usually the time when the devil brings out the dessert tray and whispers, "See what you’re missing!"We all know, I hope, that there’s nothing but candy-coated poison on that tray.But what is God getting at here, when he tells us to…
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…