In 1948 A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) wrote in his classic, The Pursuit of God: “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.” Imagine how Tozer would feel if he were alive today. Nothing is simple--our schedules are loaded, our deadlines frantic, and the world distracts, not to mention the complexities of the “religious”.
I have a treasure, and so does every other person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Paul addresses this treasure in 2 Corinthians. He calls it God’s light! He further explains that it’s the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
How does God comfort His children? How does God comfort you? I imagine the answers to those questions are as varied as the life situations that bring the need for comforting! I experienced a very serious illness this past year and discovered that I consistently needed God’s comfort during the quiet of the night. I experienced few distractions to my physical and emotional suffering during those hours. It was just God and me—alone with my need for comfort. So, how did God ease my distress as I actively sought Him?
Marana tha. I love this word and want to add it to my everyday vocabulary. It’s only used once in Scripture, even though early believers used it often in their everyday speech. It’s a two word Aramaic phrase with multiple possible meanings, but the most common translation is “our Lord, come.” Paul used it as he closed his letter to the believers in Corinth.
It’s painful to hear, especially when your heart is numb from loss and your eyes red with tears—Death, where is your sting? You want to shout, “It’s right here in the pit of my stomach and the ache in my heart!”
I think I finally got it! How could it have taken so long? While reading through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers, I came to the familiar chapter on love, so familiar that I decided to skip straight to the next chapter. The Holy Spirit must have prompted me to stop and read through the famous ‘love chapter’ for the umpteenth time. That’s when I finally got it—love never ends!
Sometimes we have really hard days. Recently, both of my children had the stomach bug and I had to wash my couch multiple times. As I was sitting in my kitchen, wallowing in self-pity and folding laundry, I look up to see the verse I have on the felt board in my kitchen, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1. It was as if the Lord was in my kitchen and said, “Hey Emily, look at this”.
We live in a society today that is full of opinions. People jump at the chance to give advice and affirm choices whether they may be right or wrong.
The story of the Samaritan woman has popped up many times in my life lately. Whether in a sermon, study, or on the radio—The Woman at the Well has continued to knock on the door to my heart.
Our God is a keeper of promises. In the Old Testament when it says that “He remembers”, it means that He acts according to His promises.
Waiting is hard. We live in an instant gratification world where groceries can be delivered to our doors and solutions to medical questions are literally at our finger tips.
Do you know what an Everything Bagel is? It’s a bagel topped with a variety of seeds, garlic, onions, and a salt mixture. It’s unlike other bagels that typically are plain, or have one topping. I enjoy Everything Bagels, yet sometimes I relish a one-topping bagel with satisfaction.
Often we are amazed by a believer’s perseverance in adversity and their confidence in God’s promises. Such people demonstrate a spiritual fullness that many of us long to have. A closer look reveals that they have followed Jesus’ example and surrendered all to God.
What are you waiting for right now? Your coffee to kick in? Your kids to finish their breakfast? The traffic light to turn green? We are always waiting for something. Life just kinda moves like that, doesn't it? It's such a "hurry up and wait" world.
We live in busy times. For many Christians attending church is an item on their checklist. They feel that by attending church weekly, they have fulfilled their “spiritual duty.” We live in a world where believers are not excited about the Lord’s work and have lost their compassion for the unsaved. This has caused many believers to live in a worldly and sinful way.
It's that time of year. We are trying to get healthy, get organized, exercise more, eat less . . . the list is endless, right? I agree that a new start is always a good idea. We should be trying to better ourselves in lots of ways.
While driving home from out of town, I received a text from my husband that said, “There’s a squirrel in a shoebox on the counter. If it’s dead when you get home, throw it into the woods.”
I read the familiar story of Stephen in Acts 6, as I have before. This time, however, I noticed some men who caught my attention. Do you remember Prochorus? Have you heard a sermon on Parmenas or Nicanor? Probably not.
My home church has undertaken reading the Bible through in a year. After reading now for eleven months, I’ve noticed a theme running through the Bible. God’s passionate desire is for everyone to know Him.
A new year has begun! Excitement is in the air! New Year’s Eve parties are celebrated. Fireworks are ignited. New Year’s resolutions are made. Diet and exercise regimens are started. Strategies to read the Bible through in a year are planned. Something about a new year inspires us to attempt new adventures.
