Encouraging.com

Jesus, Creation, Rest

Ah yes, “the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love!” Joy to the world! That God would speak to us and share His glory with us through the Son—a cause for celebration indeed. But hold on; that’s not all. I am mesmerized by the detail in these first verses of Hebrews as the author paints the Christ in technicolor for his readers.

Dec 8

Dec 8 Joy to the World…the Son reveals the Father

God's Character, Jesus

Meditating on this first chapter of Hebrews, I sense the author’s intensity as he draws out a picture of God’s Son for the readers of his day as well as for us. Sixty years after His birth—how quickly the Judean Christians had forgotten who Jesus was. 2021—how the world has overshadowed the Son.

Dec 7

Dec 7 Joy to the World…God speaks

God's Word, Jesus, Joy

The joy of Jesus’ birth seems to reverberate through Hebrews 1. To my mind it underlines “Joy to the world! The Lord is come”. God spoke in the past, speaks now, and will continue to speak—God, the great “I Am” of forever.

Dec 6

Dec 6 Joy to the World…the LORD is come!

Joy, Jesus, Praise, Worship

It’s the beginning of December ladies, and the carols are ringing out loud and clear. “Joy to the World” keeps running through my head:

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!”

Dec 3

Dec 3 When God Returns in a Cloud

Encouragement

Just as the disciples watched Jesus leave this earth, we now await His return. The angel on the Mount of Olives who spoke to the disciples didn’t specify that Jesus would return in a cloud, but John did. In his Revelation, John used a variety of Old Testament scriptures to describe what the world will one day see: Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him… (Rev. 1:7). Toward the end of his revelation, John wrote, “Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and One like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a gold crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand (Rev. 14:14).

Dec 2

Dec 2 A Talking Cloud?

Daily Walk, Relationship with God

New Testament references to clouds typically appear in settings involving Jesus. In fact, He even said to the crowd “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does…. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? (Lk. 12:54, 56).

Dec 1

Dec 1 God of Righteousness

God's Character

As I investigated Old Testament references to clouds, I noticed that when speaking to Job, God described clouds as the sea’s garment and thick darkness its blanket. (Job 38:9)

Nov 30

Nov 30 God in a Cloud

Relationship with God

Our car’s glove compartment bulged with roadmaps. Mother would mark our vacation route in pencil and navigate Dad from pit stop to pit stop. And, I can still envision her attempting to refold those maps once we safely arrived.

Nov 29

Nov 29 Clouds & God

Creation, God's Character

I remember my father saying, “I love a “buttermilk sky” while admiring a scenic view of puffy little clouds. By fourth grade, I’d discovered there was no official “buttermilk sky" cloud formation, only cumulus, stratus, cirrus and multiple variations based on combinations and altitudes.

Nov 27

Nov 27 Worship and Blessing

Joy

A glorious day for all involved – the ark of God had come to Jerusalem. King David and the Israelites’ joy at that event inspired a worship experience like no other. Burnt and fellowship offerings, singing, instruments, and words of praise highlighted their day.

Nov 26

Nov 26 Lacking Nothing

Faith/Trust

“The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.” The end. Enough said. I could stop right there -- or could I?

“I lack nothing.” Really? Do I believe that in my heart? Does my life reflect that belief?

Nov 24

Nov 24 Controlling Personalities

Adversity

Controlling personality type people surely can prove difficult to deal with. Goliath, stood way taller than most men. As a bully, he refused to back down and exuded a misplaced confidence in himself.

Nov 23

Nov 23 The Majesty

Joy, Praise

“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!

Nov 22

Nov 22 The Mystery