As my husband and I walked out of a grocery store, we were greeted by a brilliant sunset. Pastel pink and purple hues merged with the darkening sky. A few nights later, the sky was decorated with a full moon gleaming over the suburban landscape. Each day, God paints the world. His canvas is the earth and sky. We often pass by one of the most accessible sources of inspiration—the beauty of God’s creation. Because we are occupied with responsibilities, it does not occur to us to pause and take in the beauty around us. Our minds are so clouded…
Years ago, my husband and I were traveling and stopped for a meal at a restaurant. As we were leaving, I noticed a box beside the register with entry forms for a free meal. I filled one out and dropped it into the box. A few weeks later, I received a call from the restaurant. My entry had been selected, and I had won a free meal. We didn’t pass that way again for a long time, and we couldn’t redeem the offer. Even so, it was fun to receive that phone call. Before stopping at that restaurant, I didn’t even know the offer existed. But because I showed up, I was given the opportunity to receive a free meal. Blessings Are Waiting for You Could it be that we sometimes deprive ourselves of blessings because we don’t show up where blessings are being poured out? Consider this thought-provoking verse: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is” (Hebrews 10:25, KJV). During Jesus’ days on earth, people traveled from many places to be where He was. They showed up. Once they arrived, they were blessed by His teaching, His miracles, and His presence. Some of…
Laundry in Cyprus When my husband and I ministered in Cyprus for three months, our apartment had a brand-new, front-loading European washing machine. After some challenging laundry experiences in other parts of the Middle East, I was grateful to have such a nice appliance. There was just one problem: all settings were in Greek! I consulted the manual and matched the machine’s symbols to those in the book, with English explanations, and before long—voila! —I was confidently washing our clothes. Rejected Instruction Manuals Have you ever tossed aside an instruction manual when you got a new appliance? Maybe you thought, this will be easy. I don’t need to read that boring pamphlet. It would take too much time. I can figure it out myself. Then something didn’t work quite right. You grew frustrated and assumed the appliance was defective—when, in reality, all you needed was a little guidance. Reading the instruction manual could have saved you a lot of unnecessary aggravation. God’s Instruction Manual Trying to live the Christian life without reading the Bible is like trying to operate a new appliance without reading the manual—only far more frustrating. Second Timothy 3:16 (KJV) says, “All scripture is given by inspiration…
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 10-12 The Christmas season is ending, and another year is just about over. The nativity scenes and all the decorations will be packed away and forgotten for a few months. Many folks will put their church clothes away until Easter. People will go about their…
“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Luke 2:36-37 I remember what it was like when our children were little and how excited they would be about Christmas. We would tell them that there so many more sleeps before the day would come. Of course, every day they would ask us how much longer they had to wait. The people who were waiting and watching for Messiah to come did not have a specific day to look forward to. The promise had been given, but the exact time was uncertain. Yesterday we heard about Simeon. Luke tells us that as Simeon finished his prophecy about the Baby Jesus, Anna appeared. Luke 2:38 “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Think of Anna as she ministered in the Temple. For…
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 2:25-26. Simeon loved God and believed all the Messianic promises in the writings of the prophets. The Bible does not tell us how old Simeon was, nor how many years he had been studying the scriptures. But we do know that at some point God had shown him that he would not die before he saw the promises fulfilled. Anticipation and hope kept him coming to the Temple day after day. On the day that Mary and Joseph brought the Baby Jesus to fulfil the requirements of the law, the Holy Spirit led Simeon once again to the Temple. He had seen babies there before, but this time something was different. He knew this baby was special–the promised One. Luke 2:28-32 “Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy…