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Bibles & Bathrobes™

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 of God.

Including His love and compassion toward us.

And to demonstrate the grace and mercy He wanted to extend as a result of both.

Through the sacrifice of His only Son to cover our sins.

So we could have a relationship with Him.

Both now and forever more.

Made possible only through Jesus.

Who rose from the dead on this morning like no other.

Changing everything forever.

Luke 24:1-7 (NKJV)
John 3:16-18 (NIV)
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB)

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 times, God wants us to draw near to Him.

To be still in His presence and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us.

To remember that regardless of how things may seem, He loves us.

And He remains in control both now and forever.

Luke 23:50-56 (NKJV)
John 16:19-20,22 (NIV)
Psalm 34;18 (NASB)

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 inner peace within the chaos that surrounds us is impossible without Jesus.

Because only He can provide the consistent, powerful, and eternal peace we seek.

​John 14:27 (NIV), Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), I Peter 5:7 (NIV)

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 family were actually confined to the ark for 370 days!

So just because the rain had stopped it didn’t mean it was safe to go out.

Since the flood water had to recede from the earth first.

So, instead of acting on his cabin fever, Noah waited patiently.

Four times he sent out a bird to determine whether dry land had appeared.

And even after the presence of dry land was confirmed, Noah waited another 56 days for God to give the go ahead for everyone to disembark.

The dawn of a new year can make us eager to move forward with our plans for this or that.

This year, that may especially be true.

But like Noah, we need to patiently seek God’s guidance before taking action.

We need to let Him provide the guidance we need so He can bless our efforts in the journey ahead.

​Genesis 8:15-19 (NKJV)

Lamentations 3:25-26 (NKJV)

Genesis 7

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 them documented in Scripture.

That’s why the prophet Isaiah’s words offered such hope then—and still do today.

That a Light was coming to pierce the darkness.

A Wonderful Counselor to guide us in His ways.

A Mighty God to empower us for obedience.

An Everlasting Father to love and cherish us unconditionally.

A Prince of Peace to establish justice in the midst of chaos.

A Savior to rescue us by dying for us.

A Risen Lord Who has conquered death to offer us eternal hope.

His name is Jesus.

And on Christmas we celebrate His arrival into this world.

Resting in the fact that despite what’s going on around us, we can savor His light and be assured that “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (NKJV)

Feature photo by David Monje.

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 new need she perceived.

We can do the same thing.

In our impatience for an immediate solution to our perceived needs, we may look to that which is easy and temporary rather than looking to God.

Instead of going this route, God wants us to remember that He has abundant and lasting solutions waiting for us.

And tapping into them means turning to and relying on Him and the immense love He has for us.

Not the quick fixes that lead us away from all He wants to provide.

Genesis 2, 3:6 (NKJV)

Ephesians 3: 15-21 (NIV)

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 we don’t address that stuff, it can inhibit our intimacy with God.

Like Adam and Eve, it can make us hide from His presence.

But when we do this, we only hurt ourselves.

Because there’s nothing that God doesn’t already know.

And because He loves us unconditionally and is waiting for us with open arms.

All we need to do is fess up, ask for His forgiveness, and step into His embrace.

Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
I John 1:8-9 (NIV)

Feature photo by Chris Tang on Unspalsh.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Happy Thanksgiving!

I grew up in the Presbyterian church.

And I used to be the church pianist when I was young.

As a result, I love hymns.

One of my favorites is the Doxology, which we always sang after the offering was collected.

Wrtten by Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken and published in 1709, the lyrics go like this:

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.”

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude.

A time to express thanks for all the gifts in our lives.

To lift our voices of praise to our God.

From Whom all blessings flow.

​Scripture:

  • I Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV)
  • James 1:17 (NIV)

​*Fair warning: In this morning’s video, I sing the Doxology with you. I’m not a lead singer, but I just couldn’t help myself. 🙂

P.S. Here’s the link I mention in the video, to the choir and congregation of First Presbyterian Church, Morrilton, AR, singing the Doxology after the offertory at their 125th Anniversary Service.

Feature photo by Todd Cravens on UnSplash.

​

Aliens and Strangers

If we’re living for God, this world can sometimes feel like a foreign land.

A place that makes us uncomfortable.

As if we don’t really belong.

And that’s a good thing.

Because God doesn’t want us to get cozy here.

To adapt to and long for the things this world offers.

Instead, he wants us to fix our eyes on Jesus.

On the purposes he calls us to while we are in this world.

To share his message of mercy, love, and grace.

To the promise of the heavenly Home that awaits us.

Hebrews 11: 13-16 (NIV)
Hebrews 12: 1-3 (NIV)

If you enjoy this episode, please join me in this ministry by sharing it with others, especially those who may be feeling isolated or alone. Thank you!

Feature photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash.