All in Salvation

My Cup Overflows

Doom and gloom; doom and gloom! I don’t know about you but that’s how I look at the writings of the minor prophets, in the main. We study the likes of Micah who spat out the truth of God in no uncertain terms, and so he should. The people needed to understand they couldn’t continue to disobey the Law as God set it out in the Mosaic covenant. There were consequences. Hear says Micah in classical Hebrew poetry style (1:2); Listen (3:1, 6:1): the LORD does not like your sin.

Growing Up

He insisted on creating a garden beside his new country home, but the iron ore boulders stood in the way! Daddy persevered. He’d already sold off the largest ones for the iron, but he had to heave the mid-sized ones over the fence one-by-one. Even though only smaller ones eventually remained, they continued to ‘show up!’ Seems novice gardeners soon discover that stones continue to work their way to the surface of the soil! Clearing the land would never totally end on that rocky hilltop. That’s how it is with our own maturing in Christ, our sanctification. It’s never finished, a principle believers learn just like my gardener daddy learned about rock clearing. We’ll continue to grow up in Christ until the time we actually see Him face-to-face.

Just as if it Never Happened

Have you ever been wronged or betrayed? Of course you have. It’s a devastating part of being human. One particular betrayal comes to my mind from the workplace, and I remember wondering if I would ever get beyond the hurt. When the betrayal comes from someone you loved and trusted, the wound seems beyond healing. With God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers can begin the journey of forgiveness. The memory might fade with time, but it never truly disappears. Not so with God! When Christ died in payment for our sins, an amazing thing happened—something our human mind can’t fully understand.

It Was a Buy Back!

We collapsed, sweaty and aching. We’d just relocated the entire office and classrooms of a non-profit organization to its new location—a vacant building on the campus of a downtown church. The organization loved their new space but not all the details of the move. Seems the six foot round glass table wouldn’t fit in the new setting. We’d offered it to the church but hadn’t heard back. After a cool lemonade, four of us rolled it across the street and donated it to a non-profit resale store. They immediately displayed it in the front window with a conservative price of $75.00. We smiled at the thought of a long day’s work well done.

Working It Out

I love a good love story. Most women do! I do not, though, like to work-things-out when there’s been a conflict. That’s a relationship skill I’ve continue to work on. Years have passed, but I’ll never forget the six weeks of long silence from my fiancé. I wondered if I had made a mistake saying ‘yes’ to the proposal in the mountain chapel only two months earlier. Why hadn’t I heard from him? He traveled with a Christian band and consistently called and wrote—the days before cell phones, face-time and texting! As the days mounted, my angst and anger also grew. If we were to have a future marriage, reconciliation would definitely need to take place.

Broken Relationships

Broken relationships rank close to the top of painful life experiences. Friendships, marriages and the workplace offer opportunities for relationships to rip apart. I even watch with a sensitive heart as my granddaughter’s first friend/boy, as she calls him, begins to develop and remember the angst of my own teenage relationships. Broken adolescent friendships fade in comparison to the pain of loss God felt when Adam and Eve introduced sin into Paradise. The morning walks with God in the cool of the day morphed into hiding and shame. Mankind’s broken connection with our Creator set in motion what would eventually fracture the entire Universe.

In But Not Of

I have friends who like to scuba dive. They put on their equipment and plunge into a different world under the sea. The sea isn’t an environment suited to man naturally. However, with the right equipment, it is possible to breathe and explore fascinating things God has created. As these friends scuba dive, they are “in” the sea, but they are certainly not “of” the sea.

Problem Solving

Deborah, labeled as a judge in Old Testament times, helped solve problems. The Bible says people brought their disputes to her and she gave them the answers they needed. She did not do it on her own, she consulted her God in whom she had great faith.

He Got Us Out

A friend and her four-year-old daughter passed by a cemetery where a grave had been freshly dug with a mound of dirt to the side. The daughter said, “Oh look, Mom, someone got out!” At first I laughed, but later I realized the spiritual truth of this story. The obedience of Jesus Christ “got us out.”

When the LORD Passes By

Yes, Elijah’s greatest fear may have been of being the only one of God’s prophets left, alone and without help. However, God had a much more penetrating question of His prophet. Not once but twice He asked: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (19:9,13). Incredible, isn’t it, that the LORD‘s charge to Elijah should occur on that very same mountain where He had spoken to Moses in the burning bush and given him the Law (Exodus 3:1-3;19:9,16)?

Gifts from God

We recently celebrated Christmas, remembering that Jesus came to earth from heaven to be born as a baby. Jesus grew to become a man. Around age 30 he began his ministry in Israel. Three short years later, Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

Open the Door of Your Heart

At the age of 18, I awakened in the middle of the night to God beckoning my soul. Lord, I’m not ready. He didn’t use any words, yet I knew He wanted me to say yes to Him. I didn’t know what saying “yes” meant, but the invitation was clear. I wasn’t ready to give up things I wanted to hold onto.

Set Free

My friend told me the story about her early Christmas present. Her mother bought a new car for her and her husband. At first I was struck by the generosity of this mother, but the rest of the story intrigued me more.

Never Alone

A few years ago, we had a most unusual Christmas day lunch. It was the “in-law Christmas,” and so, our girls and their families were coming the day after Christmas. I had been busy preparing food for the week and just didn’t have the energy to prepare another meal for Christmas day. Therefore, we went to eat at one of the few restaurants open.

Light into Darkness

It was an ordinary night. The shepherds were attending their sheep and watching for intruders by the light of the moon. They had grown accustomed to the darkness, accustomed to watching for shadows that might present danger.

Christmas and Changes

Changes. The Christmas story revolves around changes.

Mary’s life was forever changed with the heavenly news she would bear the Son of God. Her response to this change was humble submission and praise to God. Joseph’s plans for an extended betrothal and later marriage were changed by the news his virgin fiancé was pregnant. He initially rejected the change, but later moved forward in belief. Lord, when unexpected change comes, help me be quick to praise You. Help me not reject the change but trust Your eternal faithfulness and move forward acknowledging Your goodness.

Joy to the World…the Son provided purification

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” Having created the universe in the beginning (1:2), and having sustained all things in the meantime (1:3), Jesus did precisely what He had come to do. He came “to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” The curse of original sin had most certainly left the proving ground of mankind’s soul a thorny mess that only a Savior could uproot. So the Son came to earth and provided purification for sins. He paid our penalty in full. Now that’s a reason to joyfully sing!

The Mystery

Anxious and excited both described my feelings on our grandson’s first day of kindergarten. My daughter relayed he had gotten up early and they had made it to the front of the drop off line. He delighted me by face-timing me while they waited in the car.