“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (I Peter 2:9). God’s people have always been special to Him. Exodus 19:5 speaks of them as a “peculiar treasure,” chosen and set apart by God. The word peculiar has several meanings. As a teenager I never took time to check a dictionary. In my mind peculiar meant being strange, weird, or odd. I wondered why I had to be strange to be a Christian. Had I done a little research, I would have discovered that peculiar also means “to have a character exclusively its…
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14, ESV) Today is Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love in many countries around the world. In many places, it is celebrated with gifts, greeting cards decorated with hearts, red roses, heart-shaped boxes of candy, and romantic dinners. The customs vary from country to country. While for many it’s a celebration of romantic love, others use it a time to show appreciation for friends and family. The Love Message Love! Just the word may give us goosebumps. Some keep cherished love letters and cards from many years ago, reading them over and over until the pages become fragile. Yet, the greatest love letter ever sent was not a lace-and-flower-trimmed Valentine. The greatest message of all is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV) God’s love far surpasses ours. It is pure, sacrificial, and given without reservation. This is a love we do not earn it; it is given freely, bountifully. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrates His own love…
Love is a beautiful thing. When you are single, you may dream, “One day my prince will come,” like in the story Snow White. Then he comes into your life, and suddenly hearts seem to appear everywhere. You are in love — and he is too. Then something wonderful happens. He asks those four little words:“Will you marry me?” You say yes, and a new life begins. You enter marital bliss… and then come baby one, two, and three. That once romantic life becomes filled with bottles, diapers, and sleepless nights. Date night takes a back seat to raising your precious children. Candlelight dinners are replaced with frozen pizza or fast food. The romantic life you imagined looks very different from the reality of marriage and parenting. But just because children come does not mean romance must end. Sometimes it just needs a biblical tune-up — and this is where God steps in. God cares about every part of our lives, even the small, everyday moments. The Bible says: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). Marriage means you are one…
“How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psalm 78:40-41, NKJV) Psalm 78 records the faithfulness of God to His people. But this same psalm also records the actions of a nation that continually rebelled against that same loving God. Although He performed daily miracles on their behalf, they forgot His goodness. ISRAEL’S UNBELIEF After the Israelites departed Egypt, they witnessed God doing so many amazing things. Miracles surrounded them throughout their journey. God parted the sea for them to walk…
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” (I Samuel 15:22, NLT) Saul, the first king of Israel, began well. His ending, however, was sad. But let’s look at some background to better understand what happened to a promising life. It was never God’s plan for Israel to be ruled by a king, but the people insisted. They wanted — or perhaps demanded is a better word — a ruler like the surrounding nations. Samuel, the priest/prophet/judge who currently led Israel, was old and his sons were corrupt. Although it felt like rejection, God said the people were really rejecting Him, not Samuel (I Samuel 8:7). GOD’S CHOICE The man God chose to anoint as king was Saul, a tall, handsome young man from the tribe of Benjamin (I Samuel 9:2). However, when the time came for him to be anointed before the people, Saul could not be found. He was hiding among all the baggage. Gradually, we see changes in Saul’s life. Pride crept in. He showed impatience and then…
“For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.” (Psalm 75:6-7, NKJV) Two men. Two very different motivations. They lived in the same city and crossed paths often. We find their stories in the Book of Esther. The time is around 480 BC, and the place is Shushan, a royal city in Persia. Haman’s Story Haman was an Agagite who held a position of prominence under King Ahasuerus, the Persian king. Haman had wealth, status, and power. People bowed as he walked by. But none of that was enough. One man, Mordecai the Jew, refused to bow to anyone other than Almighty God. This infuriated Haman. Haman devised an evil scheme that would destroy not just Mordecai but every Jew throughout the provinces. But power and influence are of little help if God is not on your side. Haman was defeated because of his pride, hatred, and bitterness. (Read I Samuel 15 for historical background on Haman’s possible ancestor, Agag, king of the Amalekites. Agag also held a bitter hatred toward the Jews.) Mordecai’s Story Mordecai was a devout Jew, observant of the Law. He was…