The week had been unusually busy. As each day passed, I was painfully aware I hadn't started work on the Bible study I teach on Sunday. However, when I got up Thursday morning, I thought, At last I'll have time to work on my lesson plan. Then the phone rang.
Micah, the prophet, poses the question, “Who is a God like you...?” This question is asked at the end of his short book to emphasize the truth he has clearly portrayed: There is no God like the Lord God.
In Micah 6:8, God says we are to “love mercy.” Showing mercy when I’ve been slightly wronged isn’t very difficult. But extending forgiveness to someone who has deeply and grievously wronged me is profoundly challenging. Can you relate?
And so, Lord, if there are aspects of your character that can only be revealed in the valleys, then lead me to the valleys. Use those valleys to refine me and make me more like you. Use those valleys to strengthen my knowledge of you, my faith in you, and my dependence upon you.
One of my earliest memories is of a teacher at my church named Gus. I was four years old, but I still remember this big man with a big smile and a big hug. When I walked into his class, he engulfed me with his arms—a hug that went straight to my heart.
The phrase “the hand (or the gracious hand) of God was upon him” is repeated numerous times in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. God’s “hand” refers to God’s blessing and His active, sovereign engagement in the lives of people. Recently, our family has experienced the gracious hand of God upon us.
Did you know that I am privileged? I really am. And, lest I sound arrogant or prideful, did you know you are privileged too if you believe and trust in God?
What brings you delight? Can you even say the word “delight” without a getting a smile on your face or in your heart? I feel delight when I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Certain people bring me delight. Yes, even a delicious meal can delight me. Of course, spending time with God also proves delightful.
Have you ever hidden something and forgotten where you put it? Not only did you conceal it from others, but also yourself. How frustrating! Not so with God’s Word. When memorizing and cherishing his word in our hearts, accessing it brings quite the opposite. It brings victory and peace.
Fallible human, infallible God -- while we may not achieve perfection, Psalm 119:1-7 assures us we can live blameless lives by “walking according to the law of the Lord, seeking him with all of our heart, praising him, and learning from his righteousness.”
A friend of mine told a story about someone who read one verse of Psalm 119 every day. By the end of six months, he read the whole book. Then he started over.
When my parents decided to end their 35-year marriage in 2020, my life was shattered in an instant. I couldn’t understand how a God that loved me so much could allow my family to be ripped apart, never to be put back together again.
Women love to talk!
We love to get with our friends and just share our lives up and downs, heartaches and challenges, love and romances, compliments and complaints. We just love to talk.
What kind of words come from your mouth? Are they sometimes critical words to someone or about someone? We must be careful that we don't fall into a pattern of criticism
Have you ever watched a potter work, as Jeremiah did in today's passage? It is amazing to see something lovely begin to take shape from a lump of clay. In this passage God was showing the prophet that the nation of Israel-as well as every person from the beginning of time-was to be shaped by His hand. We are all lumps of human clay waiting for the touch of the master Potter.
Until several years ago, I had a complete set of china dinnerware. In spite of moving households every few years, each fragile piece remained perfectly intact. Then as I packed the dishes one last time, a tea cup slipped from my fingers and broke in two pieces. My spirit was crushed in disappointment.
