If the Israelites had been obedient to God’s direction. They would’ve entered the Promised Land after 11 days. Instead of after 40 years. When God directs our steps, He does so in our best interest. Because He loves us. But to benefit from His plans, we must cooperate with Him. We must trust Him. No […]
The paralyzing effect of fear
Standing at the threshold of something new can be scary. Uncertainty about the future can create a big pause. One in which we question ourselves and ability to move ahead. Prudence can be a good thing, for sure. Especially if the cautious voice we’re listening to belongs to God. But prudence can also be rooted […]
Easter: A Morning Like No Other
There will never again be a morning like Easter morning. When an empty tomb changed everything. Because regardless of the world’s attempts to the contrary, God’s not dead. He always was and always will be alive and well. Jesus’ life on the earth in human form served many purposes. To reveal to us the character […]
Numb, Fearful, Helpless
Grief can be overwhelming. Depending upon the circumstances of grief, we may be confused. Fearful. Angry. We might feel helpless. On the day after Jesus’ death, His followers were likely swamped with such emotions. And since it was the Jewish sabbath, there was no “doing” permitted that could distract them from their pain. In such […]
The Very Bad, Very Good Friday
Even in our darkest days. When we wonder if God has fallen asleep. Or is busy tending to someone else’s needs. He is here, with us. Just because we can’t see Him working in our lives. Doesn’t mean He isn’t. Matthew 27: 45-46, 50-51 (NIV); Hebrews 10:19-23 (NKJV)
The peace the world really needs
In the midst of the upheaval and uncertainty that surrounds us, many are seeking inner peace. Which is what Jesus can provide. His peace is different than what the world offers. And that’s exactly what we need. A lasting and effective alternative to the temporary, self-reliant solutions that will persistently fall short. Trying to find […]
Happy New Year! Cabin Fever
What it must have been like for Noah and his family to be in the ark for so long. With all those stinky animals. Talk about cabin fever! In The Jeremiah Study Bible’s chronology of the flood, it’s clear that although it rained for 40 days, that wasn’t the end of it. Noah and his […]
On Christmas—a great Light in the darkness
In many ways, this has been a year of difficulties and darkness. Seemingly unprecedented in terms of the amount of upheaval, suffering, and even death. Although what we’ve experienced in these past months may have seemed unthinkable when we were celebrating Christmas last year, there have certainly been periods of great darkness throughout history—many of […]
Bibles & Bathrobes™: God’s abundant solutions
Chapter two of Genesis describes how God provided absolute abundance for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. But when the serpent created a desire in Eve that was outside of God’s will, she didn’t consider all that abundance around her. Instead, she went with the immediate and temporary solution that could meet this […]
Bibles & Bathrobes™: Hiding from God
This passage in Genesis captures the first instance of shame as a result of sin. Which then leads to the first instance of mankind hiding from God. And we’ve been repeating this pattern ever since. We all mess up. We all make mistakes. We all do things we may wish we hadn’t done. And if […]