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He Is The Light!
Are you facing darkness right now? Are you struggling to see the light you long for? Even the short winter days can become discouraging, not to mention the year 2020 filled with so much turmoil! Interestingly, the shortest (darkest) day of the year is just a few days before we celebrate Jesus birth! I started O Come O Come Emmanuel, an advent study, right after Thanksgiving. This week the focus was the light Jesus brought to the world. Can you even imagine how dark the world was as God stayed silent for 400 years! Complete darkness! Because of sin. Since the garden, people sinned and couldn’t figure out a way…
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Why Not Today?
Ever heard God say that to you? Why does this question matter? It mattered to Paul as he wrote from prison in 2 Timothy 4:21, “Make every effort to come before winter…” He said it as well this in v. 9, “Make every effort to come to me soon...” During winter, travel in the Mediterranean usually ceased due to harsh weather. He desperately wanted to see Timothy before it would have been impossible for him to travel. And the end of Paul’s life was was coming fast. TODAY mattered to Paul. It mattered to the man Jesus healed in John 5:1-8 after 38 years of being disabled. Jesus asked Him…
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The Enemy is Alive and Well…But Defeated!
Even though I am continually aware of the influence of the enemy, along with his temptations, in our world today and I even understand that this is expected, more so as Christ’s return draws nearer…but once in a while, I’ve just had enough! After one evening’s disturbing end that included a crisis, my wakeful night included anger at the enemy…again…and continual prayers for his demise! He’s just so mean and my loathing for him just gets stronger each time I see him at work! The next morning, the Lord, reminded me…again…the devil’s work is temporary and his eternal demise will come one day. It hasn’t been long since I finished…
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The Hope of Revelation
My D-Group had finally made it to the book of Revelation! To get here, we are using Foundations F260 for the Old Testament, then we stopped and began Foundations NT260 for the New Testament. We began in January 2019 and have arrived at our last few weeks together as a group. One of the hardest books to understand is Revelation, so I am SO grateful this plan ends with the Gospel of Matthew! Very refreshing after trying to understand a very difficult book in the Bible. In preparation for our weekly meeting, and for my own deeper understanding, I’ve read numerous commentaries with my daily reading. But one book that…
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Infant…Still?
Who doesn’t love a cute little baby? Ok, maybe somebody, but most of us love seeing a sweet, innocent little creation of God wiggling its toes. But, I bet 5 years after that baby’s birth, most of us wouldn’t want that baby to still be in the infancy stage. Surely, by now, this child is potty trained and about to be in kindergarten. Surely, this 5 year old can eat with a utensil rather than just sucking on a bottle filled with formula. Not so cute, now! This is what the author seems to saying in Hebrews 5:11-14 about Christians who stay in infancy: “We have a great deal to…
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Praying through the Coronavirus
I had another post ready to release today, but felt the urge to just share some prayer prompts regarding the place we find ourselves with this pandemic. I know without a doubt God is in control. I know without a doubt He has a plan. I know without a doubt we can all grow spiritually through this experience. I KNOW HE IS GOD! That is why there can be peace. Concern is not wrong, worry-obsession is! I have personally experienced Philippians 4:6 more than once, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses…
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Why Church?
I love my church and look forward to attending weekly. When we miss for some reason, we REALLY miss it. In fact, we normally join the live stream or watch later if we are out. But especially if we have been out for more than a week, I cannot wait to get back. Recently I read a blog post by Carey Nieuwhof, whom I read regularly, whose title, 10 Reasons Even Committed Church Attenders Are Attending Church Less Often. I understand the responsibility on both the church and the attender to this dilemma. But it also made me think, “why do I love attending so much?” So, I made a…
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Once We Are Born
I was born in Canada and to this day could file for dual citizenship is I chose to do so. My parents were from the United States but were living there, due to my dad’s job, when I came along. We moved back to Texas when I was about two. But being born there gives me an identity not only with my parents country of birth, but also with the actual country where I was born. I read Acts 22 this week in my NT260 Bible reading. In this chapter, we see Paul inform his captors about his Roman citizenship and the privileges that afforded him. In fact, when the…
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Prayer, Not Outrage
I’m somewhat on a roll on this issue of praying for revival and restoration rather than responding with frustration or even anger at the lost world around us. Feel free to read the two previous posts here and here. As I’ve committed to pray an hour each week for revival (2 Chronicles 7:13-15) for myself, believers and the lost, I’ve wondered about how to focus my time. In my chronological Bible reading plan, I’d already read through Daniel and Ezra, then today read Nehemiah. So, I chose three prayers from the Old Testament, each focused on restoration for the people of God…the place to begin as we admit our own…
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Humility and God’s Hand
Having recently read the book of Ezra again, I was struck especially by two things. How God’s hand was on Ezra as He taught truth and Ezra’s humble prayer for the Israelites and himself. Since I am a teacher at heart, Ezra 7:10 has always been special to me: “Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.“ Ezra was returning with the second wave of Israelites, who had been given permission by Persian King Cyrus, to go back to their city, Jerusalem. The temple had been rebuilt but the worship was still not right.…
