God’s work of judgment is “strange” to Him. It’s a task alien to His nature. Scripture is clear that God’s act of judgment is always righteous and just, but as Lamentations states, God’s act of afflicting His people is not an act from His heart.
All in God's Promises
Laughter
Sarah laughed but it was laughter of doubt, as if to say… “Ha, that is not happening!”
Has God ever told you something that seemed laughable?
My Soul
I have learned why my soul blesses the Lord.
David understood this too and says…
Seeking God
The last time I recall seeking help with everything-within-me was in a dream -- actually a nightmare. A vicious snake coiled up at my feet and held me frozen with his gaze. I called for help, but no one heard me. With all my physical strength, I filled my lungs with air, then screamed H-E-L-P! with everything within me. I awoke to a pounding heart and a sweaty night shirt. I still vividly recall the emotion of that dream—that moment of desperation.
Minding our Tenses Well: Day 5
In theory, the future begins with the next mili-second and stretches out to the limits of our imagination, and every moment in between. That is a good definition if you are a clock or a calendar; however the God who set His created order within the flow of past, present and future, intended time to be the backdrop not the centerpiece.
Minding our Tenses Well: Day 1
Where I live, it is an almost season. The days are almost summery, the flowers in the garden are almost blooming, it is almost time for neighborly visits on the porch and almost time to take a walk without grabbing a jacket on the way out.
Which Way Do We Go?
Moses grew up in the lap of luxury, raised by the daughter of Pharaoh. Think of the irony, Pharaoh, who tried to kill all the boy Israelite babies ended up with one growing up in his own household.
On That Day
The book of Haggai winds down dramatically with promise after promise from God, first of supernatural intervention: “I will shake…I will overturn…(I will) shatter…I will overthrow” (2:21-22). But when, wonders Zerubbabel—when?
Be Strong. Press On.
So the people climbed the hill and got the wood (1:8), and the work on the house of the LORD began in earnest. A month into the rebuild, Haggai spoke again: “‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem like nothing?’” (2:3).
Promises-Promises
God’s heart is for His people. We saw that yesterday when He told us the kind of fast in which He approves. One that involves setting people free from heavy burdens, and sharing with the hungry and homeless. Today, let’s look at His beautiful promises when we love others in these ways.
One Foot in the Promised Land
The book of Judges has been a hot topic in Bible study this year. Why Judges? Some of the stories are downright gruesome. Take Jael in Deborah’s time—the woman who tent-pegged Sisera while he slept (Judges 4:21). And there’s always Samson and Delilah (Judges 13-16); everybody knows those names. Well ladies, it sure seems the lessons in God’s history book are applicable today. Focus in with me on the key verse of Judges: People did whatever they felt like doing (Judges 17:6; 21:25, MSG). Hmm!
Broken Chains and Claimed Promises
Chains. What comes to mind when you read that word? I think heavy, binding, prisoner, captive, sin. Sin has the potential to hold us prisoner, deeper and stronger than we ever thought possible. Is there any hope of being free from the bondage of sin?
Chapstick or Riches
When my daughter was four, she asked my husband, “Daddy, what is an inheritance?” He explained that everything that was Mommy’s and Daddy’s would be hers one day. She sat quietly for a minute and then responded, “Does that mean that one day I will get your chapstick?” Her daddy’s chapstick was the thing she cherished most. Now that she is older and wiser, I wonder if she would be satisfied with only his chapstick?
How Then Can We Live…persevere in the will of God
The writer of Hebrews offers a not-so-gentle prod to these Judean Christians—you who believe and are saved are not to shrink back (10:39). Rather, remember those earlier days after you had received the light (10:32). Then, they had full assurance of faith (10:22), knowing they were able to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way (10:19-20) rather than by the Law. Then, they had hope (10:23) of their eternal reward. Then, they stood (their) ground in a great contest in the face of suffering (10:32). Now, their confidence is fading.
The Lessons of Job: The Devil Can’t Make Me Do It
By reputation, Job’s character was exemplary: Job was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion (1:1, MSG). There was “no one on earth like him” (1:8). Now that’s saying something.
Looking Backward to Move Forward
It was a stormy night. I was driving slowly in a blinding rainstorm with a car following closely behind. I was having difficulty seeing the road ahead, but I noticed when I glanced in my rear view mirror that the lights of the car behind me illuminated the road markings. By frequently glancing, I was able to navigate somewhat better in my lane.
When God Runs
Have you ever had to run to keep up with God? Recently, I was part of a group that was given an assignment of great magnitude. Each of us felt the weight of this responsibility, and we fervently sought God, asking Him to make His will known. Following God one step at a time became our group’s heartfelt desire. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).
There's No App for That
What are you waiting for right now? Your coffee to kick in? Your kids to finish their breakfast? The traffic light to turn green? We are always waiting for something. Life just kinda moves like that, doesn't it? It's such a "hurry up and wait" world.
The Wanderer
Luna was “ours” for about a month.
We found her meowing just outside our door.
This wasn’t the first time we’d seen Luna. Sometimes she would lay around our porch. She had a collar, and we knew she had a family — just down the street.
Life in the Gardens of God: Eden reclaimed
In the beginning, in Eden, the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden (was) the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). At the end of time the fruit of the same tree of life will be ripe for the picking by God’s redeemed (Revelation 22:14), Edenic life theirs—the curse of sin over and done with, for all nations.