letters

I read of a man who was involved in a tragic accident. He lost both legs and his left arm and only a finger and thumb remained on the right hand. There was only enough left of the man that had been, to suffer and remember.

But he still possessed a brilliant mind, enriched with a good education and broadened with world travel. At first he thought there was nothing he could do but remain a helpless sufferer.

A thought came to him. It was always nice to receive letters, but why not write them - he could still use his right hand with some difficulty. But whom could he write to?

Was there anyone shut in and incapacitated like he was who could be encouraged by his letters. He thought of men in prison - they did have some hope of release whereas he had none - but it was worth a try.

He wrote to a Christian organization concerned with prison ministry. He was told that his letters could not be answered - it was against prison rules, but he commenced this one sided correspondence.

He wrote twice a week and it taxed his strength to the limit. But into those letters he put his whole soul, all his experience, all his faith, all his wit, and all his Christian optimism. It must have been hard writing those letters, often in pain, and particularly when there was no reply.

Frequently he felt discouraged and was tempted to give it up. But it was his one remaining activity and he resolved to continue as long as he could.

At last he got a letter. It was very short, written on prison stationery by the officer whose duty it was to censor the mail. All it said was:

"Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell till they literally fall to pieces."

No matter what our personal situation is, we still have God-given gifts and talents, experience, and encouragement that we can share with others.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

 

"And the King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you did for Me.'" Matthew 25:40

...gold

At one time Andrew Carnegie was the wealthiest man in America. He came to America from his native Scotland when he was a small boy, did a variety of odd jobs, and eventually ended up as the largest steel manufacturer in the United States. At one time he had forty-three millionaires working for him. In those days a millionaire was a rare person; conservatively speaking, a million dollars in his day would be equivalent to at least twenty million dollars today.

A reporter asked Carnegie how he had hired forty-three millionaires. Carnegie responded that those men had not been millionaires when they started working for him but had become millionaires as a result.

The reporter's next question was, "How did you develop these men to become so valuable to you that you have paid to hem this much money?" Carnegie replied that men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold; but one doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt - one goes in looking for the gold.

That's exactly the way we as Christians need to view others.  Don't look for the flaws, the warts, and the blemishes. Look for the gold, not for the dirt; Look for the good, not the bad. Look for the positive aspects of their lives. Like everything else, the more good qualities we look for in others, the more good qualities we are going to find.

-evelyn kemunto

...edge

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

Back in 1911, a stuntman named Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a specially designed steel drum -- and lived to tell about it.

Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers involved in the feat, and he had done everything he could to protect himself from harm. Several years later, while walking down a street in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel, fell, and badly fractured his leg. He was taken to a hospital where he died of complications from that fall. He received a greater injury walking down the street than he sustained in going over Niagara Falls. He was not prepared for danger in what he assumed to be a safe situation.

I've visited Niagara Falls several times and have never ceased to marvel at the breath-taking beauty and the incredible power of the millions of gallons of water rushing over the falls every second. I've been extremely careful to view the falls from a very secure position. If you stood in an unsafe place, one slip and you'd be gone.

When it comes to life's temptations, we're very much aware of and are careful to avoid the ones that "roar around us like the rushing waters of Niagara." But like Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel, it is extremely easy for us to ignore the seemingly "little" temptations that slip up on us silently but don't appear to carry any threat. However, a little drink here, a tiny taste of a drug there, a small gamble now and then, a tiny indulgence in lust, a quick look at a pornographic website … can lure us and ever so slowly, little by little, draw us closer to the edge … and we wake up and discover to our dismay that we have slipped over the line into an addiction that has us hopelessly trapped.

No wonder the Scriptures warn us to be on our guard … and "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 10:12)

-mike benson

...back

If you have children, or are around young children, then you'll recognize this:

Two toddlers are sitting in the floor playing. Suzie is playing with her blocks, and Davey is trying to decide what to play with. Suzie tells Davey, "Davey, you can play with ANY of my toys. I'm playing with the blocks, but you can use ANYTHING that you want"

So Davey takes her up on it. He picks up her toy telephone, and begins calling his little sister. He's having a great time... such a great time that Suzie suddenly wants to play with the telephone, so she reaches out and grabs the phone. Davey, of course, is upset, and tells her that HE was playing with the phone because she told him that he could use anything that he wanted to. Her response is, "I know that I gave it to you, but I want it back to play with it myself".

Do we ever do the same thing with God? He tells us, in one of my favorite verses (1 Peter 5:7) to "cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares for you." But how often do we really cast them to Him, and allow Him to keep them? Don't we take them back to "play with them ourselves for a while?"

I don't know about you, but I'm really good at giving God the burdens of my heart, but taking them back from Him and worrying with them for a bit, and then giving them back to Him. I'm good at SAYING that I'm giving God my cares and worries, but I don't seem to truly let them go.  Sound familiar?

Worried about your family? Concerned with your finances? Got a health problem keeping you up late? Problems with your relationship with your spouse? Your Boss getting on your nerves?

Philippians 4:6-9 says "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you."

There it is, my friends - in simple English - by prayer, and in faith, give your concerns to God. Then, again by prayer and in faith, allow Him to KEEP them, and watch as His will is done with your requests. Remember that sometimes He says "Wait", and sometimes He also says "No".  The peace that is promised will come as you allow Him to move in your life, and as you align your life with His will.

Want God to carry your load? Then give Him your concerns, and...

        DON'T TAKE THEM BACK! 

treasure

Beirut, Lebanon, was once considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  It was known as the Paris of the Middle East.  All that changed during the Lebanese civil war of the 1970s.  Beirut was devastated. Citizens fled the city as fast as they could.

Author Ravi Zacharias tells the story of Sami, a Lebanese Christian who, with his family, chose to stay behind.

One day when Sami and his wife were driving along a major highway, they spotted a suitcase lying  on  the shoulder.  Sami got out to investigate. “Don’t go near it!” his wife pleaded, traumatized by the number of roadside bombs that had been planted in the area.

Sami carefully ran his hands  all around the suitcase.  Then he lifted it.“I think there’s something in it!” he said.   If that was intended to reassure his wife, it didn’t work.  To her utter horror, Sami put the suitcase into their car and drove it home.

After failing to find any identifying marks, he finally decided to open it. It was filled to the rim with money.

There was also a business card inside.  Sami dialed the number.  A male voice answered.  Sami said, “Sir, have you lost something?”   There was a long pause before the man responded.  “Have you found it?”

Sami described the suitcase and its contents.  The man was overjoyed.  His family had liquidated all their assets.  They had been rushing to the airport when, in the chaos, the suitcase had somehow become lost.   Now the man insisted that Sami come to his house so his family could meet, as he put it, the last honest man in Beirut.

Sami made the trip and returned the money.  The head of the household was almost speechless.  “This is our treasure,” he said.  This was his family’s ultimate security.“If I may,” said Sami, “let me show you my treasure.  In fact, I want you to have this.”  He placed into their hands a copy of the Bible – the very first Bible they had ever owned – setting them on a path to discover a whole new security.

Your security is whatever you think, you hope, and you assume will take care of you, no matter what.   Does that happen to be your job?  Your education? Your 401(k)?  Your network of friends?

The sobering reality is that all of those securities will one day let you down.  Not one of them can carry you beyond death.  One way or another, they will all slip through your fingers.   But if we entrust ourselves to the God who holds us securely, we can never slip through his fingers.

Not in this world nor the next.

-glenn mcdonald

Necessary

First, a few testimonies: I have it third hand, that Dr. Howard Hendricks (of Dallas Seminary) once made the statement (and I paraphrase) that if it  were his decision, every student graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect  before they graduated.

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to  spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” (“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001,p. 7).

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture... No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified” (Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 61).

One of the reasons Martin Luther came to his great discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone was that in his early years in the  Augustinian monastery he was influenced to love Scripture by Johann Staupitz. Luther devoured the Bible in a day when people earned doctorates in theology without even reading the Bible. Luther said that his fellow professor, Andreas Karlstadt, did not even own a Bible when he earned his doctor of theology degree, nor did he until many years later 

Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, “Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory,” in order to confirm what he had found.

  So here are a few reasons why so many have viewed Scripture memorization 

  as so essential to the Christian life.

1. Conformity to Christ Paul wrote that “we all... beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” If we would be changed into Christ likeness we must steadily see him.This happens in the word. “The LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:21). Bible memorization has the effect of making our gaze on Jesus to be steadier and clearer.
2. Daily Triumph over Sin “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word... I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9, 11). Paul said that we must “by the Spirit... put to death the [sinful] deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). The one piece of armor used to kill is the “sword of the Spirit,” which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). As sin lures the body into sinful action, we call to mind a Christ-revealing word of Scripture and slay the temptation with the superior worth and beauty of Christ over what sin offers.
3. Daily Triumph over Satan When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11).
4. Comfort and Counsel for People You Love. The times when people need you to give them comfort and counsel do not always coincide with the times you have your Bible handy. Not only that, the very word of God spoken spontaneously from your heart has unusual power. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” That is a beautiful way of saying, When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word, timely blessings flow from the mouth.
5. Communicating the Gospel to Unbelievers Opportunities to share the gospel come when we do not have the Bible in hand. Actual verses of the Bible have their own penetrating power. And when they come from our heart, as well as from the Book, the witness is given that they are precious enough to learn. We should all be able to sum up the gospel under four main headings (1) God’s holiness/law/glory; 2) man’s sin/rebellion/disobedience; 3) Christ’s death for sinners; 4) the free gift of life by faith. Learn a verse or two relating to each of these, and be ready in season and out of season to share them.
6. Communion with God in the Enjoyment of His Person and Ways The way we commune with (that is, fellowship with) God is by meditating on his attributes and expressing to him our thanks and admiration and love, and seeking his help in living a life that reflects the value of  these attributes. Therefore, storing texts in our minds about God helps us relate to him as he really is. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:

  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in  steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great   

  is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is

  from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a 

  father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to 

  those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

  (Psalm 103:8-14) 

  I used the word “enjoyment” intentionally when I said, “communion with God 

  in the enjoyment of his person and ways.” Most of us are emotionally 

  crippled — all of us really. We do not experience God in the fullness of 

  our emotional potential. How will that change? One way is to memorize the 

  emotional expressions of the Bible and speak them to the Lord and to each 

  other until they become part of who we are. For example, in Psalm 103:1, 

  we say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his   

  holy name!” That is not a natural expression for many people. But if we 

  memorize this and other emotional expressions from the Bible, and say them 

  often, asking the Lord to make the emotion real in our hearts, we can 

  actually grow into that emotion and expression. It will become part of who 

  we are. We will be less crippled emotionally and more able to render 

  proper praise and thanks to God.

  There are other reasons for memorizing Scripture. I hope you find them in 

  the actual practice.

  Still learning with you, Pastor John

     For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

     "In prayer; expect setbacks, but refuse retreat". R. Eastman

       Salvation: Nothing to Earn, Much to Learn. Adrian Rogers

             Seven days without prayer makes one weak.

            Do your best; bring out the best in others.

            Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,

              tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

                Put God first, be happy at last!

quiet

Some of us have tried to have a daily quiet time with God and have not been successful.  And all of us are busy.  So we let others tell us what God is saying. Isn’t that why we pay preachers?  Isn’t that why we read Christian books?  If that is your approach, your spiritual experiences are second-hand.  Do you do that with other parts of your life—vacation, romance, eating?  I don’t think so.  There are certain things no one can do for you.

When God asks for your attention, he doesn’t want you to send a substitute.  He invites you to vacation in his splendor.  He invites you to feel the touch of his hand. He invites you to feast at his table.  He wants to spend time with you.  

With a little training, your time with God can be the highlight of your day.

...enough

'I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt.' Jer 31:4

Don't allow anybody but God to tell you what you're worth! That's too much power to give anyone. If people can label you, they can limit you.  Until you know how God feels about you, you'll know neither your worth as an individual nor your life's purpose. You'll worry about how you look, what others think, and whether or not you're going to succeed in life.

But when you believe God's promise, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love... I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt' (Jer. 31:3- 4), you're free to focus on improving and reaching your God-given potential. What life has torn down, God can rebuild.

Today, if you're suffering from lack of self-worth, here's a prayer to help you: 'Father, sometimes I think I'm of no use, that I can't do anything right, that nothing I do is ever good enough. But I know that when You look at who I am, and who I can be - You see Jesus. And He is good enough!  It's good enough that He shed His precious blood to cover my unworthiness. Good enough that He paid the price for every sin I would ever commit. 

Good enough that He's working to perfect me each day. Good enough that He sees me as 'righteous' in Christ. Good enough that He's interceding for me at the throne of God right now. Good enough that He's mending the broken areas of my life and making me whole. Good enough that His love for me is everlasting and guaranteed. Thank You, Father, that everything Jesus does is good enough, and that in Him, I am good enough too!'

 

...feelings

"'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" Genesis 3:4-5

On July 31, 1964, Country music star Jim Reeves and his piano player Dean Manuel took off from Batesville, Arkansas. Reeves was piloting his Beechcraft Bonanza and his destination was Nashville, Tennessee. 

Reeves was qualified only to fly during clear weather, but a storm quickly rose and dark skies and rain buffeted the small airplane. Then about 5 p.m., the plane disappeared from airport radar, just ten miles from Nashville.

Two days later, the wreckage and Reeves and Manual's remains were found in a heavily wooded area. The official report said that pilot error was the cause of the accident. Reeves had probably experienced vertigo during the storm. Vertigo is the disorienting sensation caused by an imbalance to the inner ear caused by the person leaning in one direction.

While in the dark clouds and the buffeting of the storm, Reeves could not discern what was up or what was down. His inner ear probably gave him the sensation that he was in a turn and he overcompensated by turning the aircraft in the opposite direction. 

If Reeves had been trained to fly on instruments, he would have been able to overcome this false feeling of orientation.

God has given us an instrument to live by - HIS WORD. We are not to trust in our own feelings or to make decisions "by the seat of our pants." Today in prayer, thank God for the Bible, that it can be trusted and it can preserve us from all types of danger.

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

 

wait

Psalm 27 reminds us of the confidence we can have in God.  David reminds us of the confidence we can have that God will stand with us against our enemies (v.1-3). David reminds us that we can have confidence in God during times of trouble (v. 4-6). He assures us that we can have confidence of God's acceptance when we seek Him (v. 7-12). And he reminds us that we can express our confidence that we will see the goodness of the Lord (v. 13). This Psalm is such a source of strength to anyone going through a difficult time, regardless of the circumstances.

At the end of the Psalm we have a statement that both challenges us and gives us wise counsel. It is there that we discover if we really mean what we have read, prayed, or sung. It is there (v. 14) that he says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When you need God to stand with you against your enemies,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When you are having trouble and need help,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When you wonder if God is still present and aware of your needs and condition,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When you anticipate seeing the goodness of the Lord,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When your life seems to be falling apart,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When your marriage is in trouble and you are considering some options that seem much more desirable,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When your children are growing, making decisions you disagree with, and you are about ready to "straighten them out,"

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When temptation is bearing down on you and you wonder if you'll be able to stand up under the pressure,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

When you are tired and wanting to quit,

    "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

As hard as it is to accept, there is perhaps no wiser counsel than what David gives us when he says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and  take heart and wait for the Lord."

What is it that is bearing down on you today? What is it that has you ready to run and hide? What is it that makes you want to give up your walk with the Lord? Whatever it is, before you make any move, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

-tom norvell

prodigal

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son,

threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

While he was still a long way off...

    the Father knew the son's heart!

He didn't say,

    "Here comes that scoundrel. What does he expect from me? A loan?

     Does he think he's coming back to this house after he's spent all my money?"

Perhaps, we are a long way off...

    from being what God expects of us.

We are so far down the road

    that anyone else might suspect our motives for calling on The Father.

Perhaps, we've been Christian for what we can get out of it.

    But God can see - even though the distance is great -

        the direction of our steps and the purpose of our heart

And if that purpose...

    is a longing for a renewed relationship,

        a closer tie,

            to be home with The Father

God's heart will go out to us...

    Even though we are "still a long way off"!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you sense that you are falling out of love with God, remember that He is still faithful.

He has always longed for your love and is waiting with open arms to receive you once again.

If you are a prodigal child and need to return home, He will be there to greet you.

Don't let your feelings of love lost for God hinder your return to Him today.

-stephen a. macchia

...knees

"The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer... I mean those who take time and pray." -- S.D. Gordon

It all began fifteen years ago when our son, Aaron, contracted the flu. Standing up to his strong will, we urged him to stay in bed throughout the weekend. On Sunday morning I went to church by myself while my wife stayed home with Aaron and our daughter, Shannon. It was an uneventful morning -- until I arrived home from church.

As I walked into our front door, my wife rushed to meet me with these words: "You wouldn't believe what happened this morning. Aaron's fever shot up suddenly and he began to have a seizure." While I was enjoying worship at church, our house was filled with firemen and paramedics. It was a terrifying moment for Susan and our daughter as they witnessed this six-year old boy shake with convulsions. What a relief it was to us when the seizures stopped and the medical personnel felt it was safe to leave him.

The one incident that stands out for me that morning is when Aaron first began to have the seizure. Susan immediately turned to Shannon, who was three at the time, and said, "Start praying for your brother." This miniature prayer warrior promptly leaped up, ran to our bedroom, got on her knees and began praying for her big brother. Realizing Aaron was in danger, Shannon fervently prayed for God to heal him. She took prayer very seriously.

I want you to keep before you that vivid image as we think about wrestling from our knees. I want you picture our young daughter on her knees, pleading with God to take care of Aaron. Then imagine yourself kneeling by your bed, entering the throne room of the living God, and pleading on behalf of a person you love whose soul is endangered.

"On His Knees Before God" - Tucked away in the book of Colossians is the name of a man whom the apostle Paul held in high esteem. This man wasn't known necessarily for his great teaching. Paul didn't commend him for how he preached or for the many souls he won to Jesus Christ. His notoriety came not from how he stood before crowds and talked about the resurrected Lord, but how he knelt before the King of Kings and prayed for others.

His name was Epaphras. Paul mentions him three times. The apostle called him "a faithful servant of Christ" (Colossians 1:7) and "a fellow prisoner with Paul" (Philemon 1:23). The description of this godly man that stands out to me in bold print is that he was known simply as a man who was "always wrestling in prayer" for others (Colossians 4:12).

What about you? How would others describe you? How would they describe your prayer life? Are you wrestling in prayer for those you love? Why not start right now? Get a notepad and begin to keep track of those who need your prayers and begin praying for them every day.

-jim clark

...timing

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act." (Psalm 37:7)

God is in no hurry.  We tend to think that if God is really engaged, He will change things within the next hour or so.  Certainly by sundown.  Absolutely by the end of the week.  But God is not a slave to the human clock.  Compared to the works of mankind, He is extremely deliberate and painfully slow.  As religion poet George Herbert wisely penned, “God’s mill grinds slow, but sure.”

-charles swindol

still

.."Stand still and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...." (Exodus 14:13)

The Israelites had just left 400 years of slavery in Egypt. They had fled to the desert, but they had come to a dead end at the Red Sea. Word reached them that Pharaoh had changed his mind. He was sending his troops to recapture the Israelites. They cried out to their leader Moses, complaining that he had brought them that far only to die in the desert.

Learning when to move and when to stand is the greatest challenge for a workplace believer. We are trained for action. We are not trained to sit idly and wait. We are trained to solve problems, not wait for them to resolve themselves. However, God says there are times to wait. We are to wait until He says go. If we go before He says go, we likely will make our situation worse.

If the Israelites had attempted to cross the Red Sea before it parted, they would have drowned. If they had fled north to try to avoid the Egyptians, God would not have moved in a miraculous way. God cannot work on our behalf if we continually try to solve our problem when He has instructed us to stand still. Standing still is sometimes the greatest action we can do, although it is the most difficult thing to do in the Christian walk.

Stand still when He says stand and see the deliverance of the Lord.
-os hillman

miracles

I'm always struck by this passage. Joshua gives a command to the heavenly bodies, and God rearranges the laws of physics so that they obey him. It's one of the greatest miracles in all of scripture. In its scientific magnitude, it is an even greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea.

But that isn't the main reason I'm so taken by what happened here. I'm struck by the context. Joshua just blew it. The Gibeonites, posing as distant travelers, deceived Joshua and the other leaders into making a prohibited treaty with them. Joshua was clearly negligent for failing to inquire of the Lord before ratifying the treaty. Now, here in chapter 10, he's dealing with the aftermath of his mistake. The Gibeonites are in trouble; Joshua and all Israel are called upon to save them.

God could have washed His hands of the entire affair. He could have said, "You got yourself into this mess; you get yourself out of it. Don't look to Me to help you defend these wicked Gibeonites."

But He doesn't do anything of the sort. God is a God of people who make mistakes, people who blow it, people who mess up.

I don't like making mistakes, but when I do, God gently reminds me that the work of God isn't about me and how perfect I am; rather, it is about the God who shows up despite our failings.

-dwight clough

good

Everything about God is good, including everything that is related to me...

   His thoughts about me,

      His plans for me,

         His actions toward me,

            His guidance in me,

               His blessings to me,

                  His protection of me,

                     His purposes fulfilled through me and

                        His ordained circumstances that surround me at this very moment in my life.

They may not look good,

   seem good,

      sound good or

         feel good, but because they are ordained of God,

            THEY ARE GOOD.

Colossians 3:3 says that “your life is hid with Christ in God.” Every detail of your life is contained in Him, including your present circumstances, your trials, and your needs. 

Trust Him!   “Your life is hid with Him - With Christ in God”

-shad williams