“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” Psalm 19:1 David wrote this verse many years ago, but for a lot of people here in our country, it was fulfilled recently (April 8) as they were able to view a total eclipse of the sun. Even though I had the special glasses, I did not go outside but did view it on TV, following the news across the country. It is amazing how God has given scientists and astronomers the ability to predict when and where these Eclipses will take place. Their predictions were perfect…
“The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.” (Numbers 2:2, ESV) To say that God gave Moses a challenging undertaking in leading the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land would be an understatement. The company of people was large, the living conditions difficult, and their devotion to the task at hand questionable. At the best of times, the Israelites vowed to follow God and live by His commandments. At the worst of times, they became rebellious, complaining, contemptuous of leadership, and quick to follow false gods. As we observe and learn from their experiences, their story can help us examine our own walk with God. the center of it all The Tabernacle was the center of the entire camp. This strange-looking structure made of skins and without any outward beauty, contained wonderfully fashioned items of pure gold on the inside. Outside the air smelled of death from the sacrifices, but inside the air was fragrant with incense. As the Israelites walked out their tent door each morning, the tabernacle stood before them, for their tents bordered…
“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1, ESV). Parking garages confuse me. Row upon row of cars and every row looks the same. It’s so easy for me to forget where I parked, especially if I’m gone for a few hours. I need something to jog my memory. For garages with each spot numbered, I snap a quick photo of that number with my cell phone. Otherwise, I try to find some feature to remember, such as “on Level 4 and two rows from the outside wall.” Memorials, however, are a different type of reminder. They may take the form of street names, historical markers, parks, buildings, libraries, gravestones, or even plaques on park benches. War memorials remind us that the price of freedom is the blood of our fallen brothers. A walk through a Holocaust Museum is a sober reminder of what happens to civilization when evil triumphs. All these things are erected to keep us from forgetting valuable lessons of the past. They serve as reminders not only for the present but also for future generations. But far worse than forgetting our nation’s past is…
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you . . . If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you . . . But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21, NKJV) Have you ever been disliked because of a friend you associate with? Not…
“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV) When my now college-age grand was still pre-school age, she was a very determined child. She wasn’t pushy or mean, just very firm in her likes and dislikes. When she liked something, she really, really liked it—to the point of holding onto her favorites forever. I discovered this when I bought her a red hoodie. She loved it and wore it every day for days and days. She even resisted taking it off for bedtime. And then there were her favorite shoes. They were a lovely bright white with lights in the heels. Grand Girl wore those shoes until they were completely worn out. By that point, they were scuffed and frayed with no white remaining. The lights had burned out, and the toes had ripped open. Although her parents bought new shoes, she fought giving up the battered, but comfortable, old shoes. Even now as an adult, she prefers…
“Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NKJV) Esther, the young Jewish exile who married Persian King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), was in the right place at the right time to bring deliverance to her people. However, in the time leading up to this often-quoted verse above, Esther probably felt just the opposite. Being taken into the haram of a pagan king certainly felt like the wrong place to be. Hers was no storybook romance. Even after being chosen as queen, she still could not reveal her Jewish heritage or openly observe its laws. If we look at just the bare facts of Esther’s situation, we might not recognize that the hand of God was already at work. In fact, God was working long before Esther was taken into the palace. Esther, probably just a teenager at the time, did not realize that she was part of God’s plan to save her people from the hand of wicked Haman. At just the right moment, God revealed His divine purpose for her and gave her the favor she needed to approach the king. Esther’s story isn’t the only time that God worked…