“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8 begins and ends with this celebration of God’s majesty. Nestled in between we find a verse about the praise of children. Have you ever listened to a child or children sing about Jesus? What an uplifting sound!
Anxious and excited both described my feelings on our grandson’s first day of kindergarten. My daughter relayed he had gotten up early and they had made it to the front of the drop off line. He delighted me by face-timing me while they waited in the car.
There is so much talk today … in media, politics, social media, speakers, writers, in the world.
Everyone wants to be followed … listened to … admired … even … worshipped.
I have listened to people who have pulled me the wrong way, away from God … and I have listened to people who have pulled me back the right way to God.
Do you feel invisible sometimes? As though, no one sees you.
Or really knows the real you.
God sees you…
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NLT).
I was lost.
It was getting very dark.
We were on a boat in an unfamiliar lake, unsure of the way home … and it was cloudy, no light.
What do you build on?
For many years … I found hope and joy from my next vacation or the next new, fun thing for my house or fancy meals eating out.
I built my hope on the things money can buy.
Words can hurt … deep within the soul.
In that moment of pain … I have a choice … revenge or forgiveness?
My response matters.
Joshua and the Israelites were marching into the Promised Land and were, therefore, engaged in battle against the Canaanites. Repeatedly, they witnessed God’s power working on their behalf as they defeated their enemies in the south. Their enemies in the north were yet to be defeated. But instead of marching northward, Joshua led the Israelites back to Gilgal.
What if I had…? Have you ever said those words? Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made a different choice or if your circumstances had been different?
At a young age I was drawn to read the Bible. It wasn’t something I felt I had to do. Reading the Bible was my delight! I owned a translation I could easily understand, and at night I would read and highlight verses. Those verses lingered in my mind, and God gave me opportunities to share them with others. Looking back, I realize the Holy Spirit was drawing me to His Word.
When my daughter was four, she asked my husband, “Daddy, what is an inheritance?” He explained that everything that was Mommy’s and Daddy’s would be hers one day. She sat quietly for a minute and then responded, “Does that mean that one day I will get your chapstick?” Her daddy’s chapstick was the thing she cherished most. Now that she is older and wiser, I wonder if she would be satisfied with only his chapstick?
When I was young, my family rarely went to a restaurant to eat. But on one special occasion, my parents took us to a restaurant that was filled with various buffets. Salad and fruit buffets were in one area. Vegetable and meat buffets were nearby. And my favorite, of course, were the dessert buffets that I remember as taking up an entire room. Lavish quantities of food were everywhere! I wanted to try it all (well, most of it), but the abundance was too great. I couldn’t even sample it all.
Have you ever let dirty dishes sit for a day or so? Really, it doesn’t have to be that long. Maybe just a few hours.
Some of the worst culprits include oatmeal, tomato sauce, cheese, and even coffee.
Eme had outgrown her dance shoes. But it was just two weeks before her recital and the end of the season.
As my friend got ready for her garage sale, she found one lonely ski glove.
Who needs one ski glove? She thought and almost threw it away. After all, it’s highly unlikely that someone with one arm would ski.
Kimberly and I met when we were both about 23 years old. We both worked in corporate communication for a large bank.
God is love (1 John 4:8). God and love are synonymous, like God and good. God always loves because He is love. We can’t know true love apart from God since love comes from God (1 John 4:7). Whatever love we experience from others is a reflection of God’s love. We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).
The writer of Hebrews admonishes Christians to continue to meet together because it is good. God has designed his followers to need each other.
But honestly, who among us hasn’t hesitated to drag ourselves out of bed some Sunday mornings?
What pictures come to mind when you think about Jesus? Maybe a newborn baby lying in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. Maybe a child in the temple confounding learned men with his knowledge. Maybe a man in his early thirties teaching and preaching. Maybe bruised and beaten, hanging on a cross.
