All in Holy Spirit

Long Patience

Mother taught me how to sew at a young age. At first, she personally handled the do-overs because removing stitches required too much patience for a child. Eventually, though, she announced, “Anyone who sews must also be willing to rip!”

Upside-down Beauty

Hmmm. . . What should I wear today? So many choices. Those in prison don’t have clothing or pampering choices. The Israelites, held captive when exiled to Babylon, endured physical bondage as well as oppression by others’ sin and Satan’s tactics. The standard attire was sackcloth and ashes—symbolizing mourning or agony.

Called to Love

This is not the first time Jesus filled the nets of the fishermen. On the first occasion Simon Peter was so astounded he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). It had dawned on him who Jesus really was. Then he, Andrew, James, and John promptly left their nets to fish for men.

Truth in Darkness

A comment from Oswald Chambers created a fresh perspective for me on the darkness of night:

“We are only what we are in the dark, all the rest is reputation. What God looks at is what we are in the dark—the imaginations of our mind; the thoughts of our hearts; the habits of our bodies; these are the things that mark us in God’s sight.” *

The Great Shepherd

Micah carries on the shepherd theme. By implication Israel will no longer be abandoned (5:3). In the meantime, the Good Shepherd not only lay down His life for us, for the sheep (John 10:11). The God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, (wishes to) equip you with everything good for doing his will, and…work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 13:20).

Rejoice

Do you have any enemies?

No one wants to think there are enemies… but they are real, and YOU do have them.

The Bible is clear… God’s children have spiritual enemies and those enemies hate God!

Sense of Urgency

My husband travels for work. He usually leaves on Mondays and returns early Friday afternoons. He keeps me informed of his itinerary regularly.

Some weeks I do really well with time management. I complete certain tasks on certain days. Then there are those weeks I piddle around not really accomplishing anything. With his return day in mind, I feel like I have plenty of time and put things off until the last minute.

Listen for God’s Quiet Whisper

In 1990, cell phones were uncommon. I booked a flight from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado to visit my parents. I was a single mom with two small children. What was I thinking to make a trip like this without another adult? We discussed the flight information through home phones.

How Then Can We Live…fix your thoughts on Jesus

Holy brothers—oh my goodness! Yet that is what we are. We, you and I and those Judean believers, are holy—sacred, pure, blameless by Christ’s atonement (2:17). We are set apart to live as holy, separated from sin, since we confess Jesus as our apostle and high priest. And we share in the heavenly calling: to confess Jesus as apostle and high priest to all who will listen, so they too may be holy.

The Sounds of Silence…revealed by His Spirit

Ladies, put yourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ closest followers in the forty days between resurrection Sunday and His ascension. Think how absolutely amazed on one hand and bewildered on the other you would have felt. He was alive! He was the Messiah as the prophets of old said! There would indeed be a kingdom of God on earth! But He would be leaving—it would be up to you to testify to the world about this kingdom. Oh yes, and I have promised you a gift from the Father; only you must wait for that gift (Acts 1:1-10).