The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 92:12-13, NIV. When I was a little girl growing up in Canada, I was part of an environmental club at my elementary school. For those who know me, this will come as no surprise. One year, our school launched an initiative to plant more trees. Each student was given a small evergreen and invited to replant it wherever they chose. Excited, I brought my little tree home and carefully…
“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4, NKJV). Every generation has the potential to be the last generation of truth if we do not intentionally pass on our knowledge of God. If we truly believe this, then we will do everything within our power to impart biblical truth to those who follow. One of the saddest commentaries of one generation failing another is found in Judges 2:10. “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel” (NKJV) Those who came out of the wilderness into the Promised Land somehow lacked the vision or the passion to pass on their knowledge of God. Verse 12 states that their children forsook the Lord and followed after the false gods of the surrounding people. Why did they allow this to happen. What could be more valuable than for their children to serve the One True God? Did they just assume that the younger generation would absorb truth by observation alone? Were they too caught up in work and day-to-day activities to provide consistent religious…
“Give us day by day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3) A little water and a morsel of bread. That is all the prophet Elijah asked from the widow woman. A simple request, but it was not an easy one to fulfill. Times were worse than difficult; they were desperate. Because of drought and famine, food was scarce. All the widow had left was a scant handful of flour and a little oil. It was only enough to bake a small cake for her son and herself. Their resources were gone, and soon they would die from starvation. Elijah did not stop at this home by accident. God had provided very specific instructions on where to go and what to say. Although the circumstances looked bleak, God was up to something good. Elijah reassured the woman. “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.” (I Kings 17:13, NKJV) FAITH FOR EACH DAY Elijah’s request required faith from the widow. If she fed the man of God first, would there be anything for her and her son to eat? Could she trust his words? Could she trust God to…
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, NKJV) ACHAN’S STORY Joshua 7 tells us the story of Achan, a man who thought his secret sin would stay a secret. When the children of Israel went up against the city of Jericho, they were instructed to take none of the spoils from the city. Only the silver, gold, brass, and iron could be kept, and that was to be consecrated to the Lord. Keeping anything else was forbidden. But Achan took a garment, 200 shekels silver, and a wedge of gold.…
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it . . . So I do not run aimlessly.” (I Corinthians 9:24 and 26, ESV) I am not a morning person, but occasionally I find myself out in the pre-dawn hours as I drive a friend to the airport for an early flight. It amazes me when I see a lone figure up ahead determinedly jogging. I wonder at the passion that compels someone to be out at such an early hour just to run. Running is more than just putting one foot in front of the other and starting out. As one runner’s blog stated, “My friend implicitly understood that there was a difference between wanting to start running and wanting to become a runner.” PREPARATION COMES FIRST Running requires preparation. It is not a spur-of-the-moment, haphazard type thing. It requires the right shoes for support and dressing appropriately for conditions. The runner also needs a good diet and good hydration. But none of this is sufficient without dedication and determination. Many runners set a goal of completing a marathon. This 26.2 mile (42.195…
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV) Do you ever have trouble deciding what to wear some mornings? I have a few favorite outfits that I tend to choose frequently. More and more my style has evolved into something called comfortable, not elegant or trendy. I have no need to “dress to impress.” An old proverb says that “clothes make the man.” But is that really true? It’s easy to measure others by the way they are dressed and by the cost of what they are wearing. However, when we do this, we judge the worth of a person by the wrong standards. Character is more important than the clothing label. esther’s story Esther was in her teens when she and other young ladies were taken into the palace of King Ahasuerus. The king needed to select a new queen after banishing Vashti from that position. The young women, who…