“His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Psalm 112:2 When God called Abraham to leave his homeland and travel to an unknown destination, He promised that his seed would multiply and through him all nations would be blessed. God renewed this promise again to Isaac and Jacob. As we read the stories in the Old Testament, we find that when the Jewish people trusted the Lord and obeyed His commandments they were blessed. In Psalm 112 this promise is extended to those who fear God and delight in His commandments. We can claim…
I have a “landmark” birthday this year. I’m not quite sure how to feel about it. I am thankful to God for the years He’s already given me. But what should I be doing with the ones still to come? I always tell my husband I’m going to live to be one hundred. So, what will I do with those years? I have some ideas. Travel—I love to travel! I would do it all the time if I could. New challenges and experiences—I’m excited to have the time to try new things and explore new passions. Ministry—This has been a constant in my life in one way or another. It remains central to everything. Family—My love language is quality time, and my greatest joy is being surrounded by those I love and who love me. Recently, I’ve come across numerous articles about purpose and meaning. The things that hold the most meaning in my life are the constants: my relationship with God, my husband and family, dear friends, and the stories and memories we share. These are the treasures we can revisit together—to laugh, to cry, to remember. Every experience I’ve had, and every year I’ve lived, has brought me…
“Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.” Psalm 112:1 We all want to be blessed by the Lord. When we rise in the morning, we thank Him for the day and ask Him to bless each step we take. We pray over our meals, asking Him to bless the food and give us the strength we need. We ask Him to bless our families and watch over them. In this verse, the Lord presents two conditions we must meet for Him to bless us. Number One: “Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD.” Many people are afraid of God. They view Him as someone in the heavens with a big stick in His hand, watching every move they make, ready to punish any time they step out of line. But that is not the kind of fear the Psalmist is describing. Fearing the Lord is recognizing Who He is and respecting His power. It is a feeling of awe and wonder when we realize how much He loves us and only wants what is best for our lives. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of…
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18-19. Sometimes, when I invite someone to church, they will say, Oh, if I come to your church, lighting will strike me. The view of their lifestyle, paralleling the love of God, is skewed. What they would discover in the presence of God are His tender…
“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8. I love the story of God’s relationship with Adam and Eve. Even after they sinned, God pursued them with His love and mercy. From the very beginning, the God of creation is a relational God, who desires to have close communion with humanity. He communicated with His creation in divergent and various ways and walked with Adam in the cool of the day. He manifested Himself in a burning bush, revealing His power and sovereignty. God protected and led His chosen people through the wilderness by a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And then, He robed Himself in flesh and walked among His creation (John 1:1-14). God’s purpose throughout the entire Canon was to draw closer to humanity and the church is part of God’s plan. You Don’t Have To Hide The church is God’s idea. You are God’s most valuable vessel. The Bible does not hide the flaws of its…
One of my favorite words is restore, and a few of my favorite scriptures are Galatians 6:1-2. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness: considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Verse 1 encourages us to restore people who have fallen down spiritually. It also reminds us that we could also fall into the same sin. Verse 2 commands to bear ye one another’s burdens. Restoring A Soul The next time you find something negative about someone’s life, don’t pick up the phone and spread it around—that will not help anyone. Instead, I encourage you to pray for wisdom and ask God to give you the words to speak life into their dying faith. Pray that God would trust you enough to restore a soul. You have an amazing opportunity to minister to the brokenhearted. Ministering to someone’s spiritual needs is easier than you may think. An encouraging word goes a long way. Say something like, “I just wanted to let…