But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1, ESV) The world’s population now exceeds 8 billion people, each of whom has a name. And of those billions of people, God knows every name, including mine and yours. Somehow the fact that the Creator of everything knows my name amazes me and thrills me at the same time. My dad liked to collect unusual surnames from articles he read. Whether it made him feel…
God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NET) I think I’ve confessed this before, but I am “one of those people.” I am not content to read a book straight through. I peek. Well, more than peek. I go to the end of the book and read the last several pages to be sure it comes out okay at the end. I am not content to let the story unfold at its own rate as the author brings the storyline to an end. I want to be sure the main character gets a happy ending and the evil adversary is defeated. Life isn’t like that. We cannot turn the pages to the last chapter to be sure everything comes together like we think it should. God knows the end of our story, but sometimes we get impatient while waiting to know what will happen. We want to know now how He plans to work everything out. Will we allow God to handle our story in His own…
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua . . . .” (Exodus 17:14, NKJV) I am currently working on a seventy-fifth anniversary history project for my church, and I’m finding it both fascinating and frustrating. It’s fascinating because of the miracles I’m discovering in our church’s history. It’s frustrating because I have questions that can’t be answered. Those with the answers are no longer among us. Someone on this committee jokingly said, “Let’s leave good notes for those who do the hundredth anniversary.” I also have many questions about my personal history, but the generation that can answer those questions has long been silent. I have no idea about the faith of my paternal grandparents. Were they religious, indifferent, or non-believers? I know part of my father’s story and some of the miracles he experienced before I was born. But I wonder who first told him about the Pentecostal experience. How old was he when he decided to live for God? When was he baptized and Spirit-filled? Questions without answers. I wish he had left a written testimony to pass down. Those were questions I never asked…
“Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes, but rather what is inside the heart — the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (I Peter 3:3-4, CSB) Are you beautiful? If you are like me, you can name every little imperfection, wrinkle, and lump of fat. I know what a bad hair day is—and it is usually Monday through Sunday. I never seem to accomplish that sleek, finished look I see on others. Truthfully, I no longer even try. It is what…
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV You’ve heard the expression that someone “talks the talk but they don’t walk the walk.” In other words, what they say does not match what they do. There is an inconsistency in their life. How they live does not match what they profess. It happens in a lot of areas of life but is especially sad when it is someone who says they are a Christian. The Bible uses the word steadfast instead of consistent, but both speak of stability, constancy, and reliability. A steadfast person demonstrates endurance amid hardship and persecution. We see numerous examples of this in Scripture. Stephen, unwavering in his faith, “gazed steadily into heaven” as he was killed. Paul remained steadfast through many trials, hardships, and imprisonments. John was persecuted and exiled to the rocky, barren isle of Patmos but endured. The early church suffered persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom but remained constant in their faith. Colossians 1:23 (NKJV) speaks of being “grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel…
And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” . . . But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:17, 26, ESV) I think one of my greatest annoyances in life is distracted drivers. They drift left, then right. Their speed is inconsistent, first fast, then slow. They are texting, watching their GPS, eating, or searching for something in their purse. They are a danger to themselves and others. It’s easy to get distracted. We’ve all been guilty of getting sidetracked at some point during our day and losing focus. But some distractions are just downright dangerous. The story of Lot, his wife, and two daughters fleeing Sodom is a familiar one, but their story leaves some unanswered questions. How did this righteous man (II Peter 2:7) find himself in such a situation anyway? Why did he choose to live in that wicked city and raise his children in such a sinful environment? We can only speculate on his reasons. With God’s judgment ready to fall on Sodom, the angels…