“Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law . . . I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word.” (Psalm 119: 136, 158, NKJV). It is difficult to watch intense grief. We have all seen, or personally felt, the aching hurt that comes with loss and brokenness. Raw emotions rise within the person suffering. As we see their anguish, we struggle to find just the right words that we hope will bring comfort. There is another kind of grief that every child of God should feel, and that is…
“Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” (Genesis 13:12-13, ESV) When someone moves to a new location, there are so many things to consider. How much will suitable housing cost? Is the neighborhood safe? What is the quality of the school district? Is the area convenient for shopping and for commuting to work? Do neighbors maintain their properties? Is there a church nearby that upholds biblical truth? Any move requires serious thought. Your family’s wellbeing is at stake. THE DECISION TO SEPARATE Genesis 13 tells the story of Abraham and Lot. Both men owned sizeable flocks and herds, and the land could no longer support both. With constant bickering between their herdsmen because of the situation, it was time for the two men and their households to separate. Although Abraham was the elder of the family, he graciously allowed Lot, his nephew, to choose the land he desired. Abraham would then move in the opposite direction. Lot quickly noticed the well-watered plains to the east and chose to move toward Sodom.…
“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” (Philippians 1:29, NLT) Contrary to what we would like to believe, bad things really do happen to good people sometimes. This becomes evident as we read the Book of Acts and realize the persecution that the early church experienced. Despite the things they faced, even death, they did not waver in their faith or turn back from the Lord. When Paul wrote about the privilege of suffering to the church at Philippi, he did not choose those words lightly. In the years following his conversion, Paul had endured severe opposition and many hardships. Even as he wrote this epistle, he was likely sitting in a Roman prison chained to a guard. He spoke from experience. a different perspective Paul chose to look at suffering from a different perspective than most. Rather than focusing on the things he had to endure, he chose to focus on how God was using his suffering to advance the gospel. Paul did not resent the things he had experienced for the sake of the gospel; he considered it a privilege. He viewed it as…
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13, NLT) Hagar really didn’t have much going for her in life. An Egyptian slave in the household of Abraham and Sarah, she was far from her homeland. But her life became even more confusing and difficult when her master’s wife suggested she become a surrogate mother to provide them with an heir. God had promised them a child, but Sarah remained barren. This…
“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, CSB) When we pray for a need in our life, do we pray once? Twice? Three times? When do we give up? Do we have the persistence to hold on until the answer comes? Is our trust in God strong enough to leave the answer and the timing up to Him? When we’ve cried out to God for the same situation for weeks, months, or what sometimes feels like forever, it’s easy to become discouraged. Yet, a parable of Jesus in Luke 18 teaches us to hold on, to be tenacious, and not to grow weary in our prayers. “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.” (Luke 18:1, CSB) In this parable a widow came before a judge to get justice in her situation. The judge was cold-hearted and did not fear God or man. Yet, because of the widow’s persistence, he eventually handled her situation so that she would stop coming. In verse 7 Jesus asks: “Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay…
“And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it . . . After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:43 and 46, ESV) The Bible tells us very little about the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels skip from the events surrounding His birth to the beginning of His ministry. Nothing is recorded about His childhood. But one passage at the end of Luke 2 relates an incident that happened when Jesus was twelve years old. It was the family’s practice to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem each year. This year was no different. Today the journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem by car would take us perhaps two hours. Walking, as Mary and Joseph would have traveled, would be a journey of four days. For safety and companionship, the family traveled in a group with others going to the feast. This year’s visit to Jerusalem was much the same as other years. When the celebration ended, the caravan of travelers began their journey back to Nazareth. It wasn’t until they stopped for the night…