Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking scent, Ecclesiastes 10:1. I thought about how a fly in the ointment is a metaphor for unresolved issues in the life of a believer. A tiny, annoying fly can destroy precious and valuable ointment, just as a…
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27, ESV) Are you a worrier? I suspect we all are to some degree. Life has its uncertainties and problems, and it’s easy for us to feel anxious or fearful about what…
Over the years, I have learned to put my family into God’s capable and loving hands. There have been moments when I got in the way. I thought I knew what was best, only to cause myself and others unnecessary stress and pain. I have had my share of heartache.…
“The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.” (I Kings 17:16, NKJV) Yesterday I organized the shelves of my pantry, checking expiration dates and organizing my canned goods by food types.…
Have you ever had one of those days when you’re feeling all the emotions? One evening, as I was walking my dog, I felt my emotions rising to the surface. They had been simmering within me for a while. Disappointment. Discouragement. Worry. Anger. I doubted my purpose. I wondered if…
Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” I think we sometimes really get this verse mixed up, and read it one way but apply it another. We often are anxious about everything and not…
Ephesians 3:14-16 MSG “My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit – not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength” As a woman and a mother, I’m…
“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils…
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19 When this all began and things quickly started to change,…