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Seeking Happiness — Finding Joy
Picture in your mind one of the most enjoyable walks you have ever taken. What made it so enjoyable? Was it the location? Was it the weather or the time of day? Or, was it the one who was walking beside you? Throughout the Bible, our lives are referred to as a “walk” although some days you may feel like yours is a sprint. Am I right? Though you may feel like you are sprinting, your whole life experience is considered a walk. And, those who place their faith in Christ are living a “faith walk.” But, here’s the catch: a lifetime faith walk must be walked daily. Choices are made…
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Peace on Earth to Those with Whom God Is Pleased
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14, NLT) These are the words the host of angels declared to a band of shepherds right after an angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem—the Savior, Christ the Lord. They began with the words, “Glory to God in the highest.” Hundreds of years before this night, God promised to send the Christ, the anointed one who would be the deliverer they needed. The people lived with a sense of hope and expectation. Now, that promise is fulfilled! All heaven is giving God the glory. And, on earth—peace.…
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Declare God’s Faithfulness
There is a line in one of my favorite praise songs that says, “Though darkness fills the night, It cannot hide the light; Whom shall I fear?” Darkness is one of those things that can cause fear. Think of a time when you were in a really dark place. With not even a glimmer of light. Was it in a cave? Or on a dark street? How do you feel in total darkness? Afraid. Lonely. You look for light from any source, don’t you? You see that light, and you follow it to get out of the darkness. That’s what God does for us—He calls us out of darkness into…
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Compassion Reflects Overflowing Joy in the Lord
One of the most amazing verses in the whole Bible is 2 Corinthians 8:2! Paul, writing to the Christians living in southern Greece, discusses the offering being collected by the Christians in northern Greece for those suffering terrible hardship in Jerusalem. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” Oh, my, that is so radical! Extreme poverty giving generously? Those early Christians are an amazing example to all believers, including you and me, of the dynamic difference that God’s grace can make in the mindset of His people when it comes to provision. Gratefully receiving and generously giving comes from…
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Having a Wise Heart
I live in an educated society. In the Bible Studies I’ve led, nearly every woman has completed high school. More than half of them have a college degree. Maybe 10% have more than 1 degree including a masters and PhD. Yet this society in which I live is filled with educated people who continue to make stupid choices that cause all kinds of heartaches. Why is that? As a student, I was an academic achiever. I had lots of head knowledge from books, but my mom said to me in high school that I just didn’t have any common sense. She added that I would let my emotions rule my…
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Life Should Not Be Lived Alone
The book of Ruth is often the topic of sermons and women’s Bible Studies. Most often, the focus is on the concept of the kinsman redeemer role of Boaz, which is a foreshadowing of what Christ did for us. Sometimes, it is showing how a pagan like Ruth chooses faith in the God of the Bible and becomes the Great-great-great Grandmother of King David and eventually Jesus. In women’s ministry, the story of Naomi and Ruth is often used to illustrate the Titus 2 instruction for the older women to mentor the younger women in a local church. I’ve used the book of Ruth to illustrate God’s goodness. We see…
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Face Trouble with Courage and Peace
Do you feel sometimes that you are just spinning like a top and nothing will stop the spinning? Life is going well. You’re doing your job faithfully, whatever it is. Then you get blindsided. The world starts spinning. It doesn’t seem like it will ever stop. Where do you go to find security when life hits like that? Where do you get the courage to keep going? The Bible teaches that we can face life’s realities with courage and peace by entrusting ourselves and our loved ones to a God who loves us dearly. I believe that you and I can learn to do just that. How do we learn…
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Angels, feathers, and the need for comfort when experiencing grief
During a recent Bible Study, I listened as a woman shared about her Christian friend whose godly mother had recently died. This sorrowing woman was grieving and needing comfort. To help with her grief, she drew from something she had heard in the culture—that her mother had now become an angel and was present with her, communicating with her. As we talked about this, looking into what was true or not and how to help someone grieving like that, our discussion encompassed three different issues. 1. Do Christians become angels when they die? 2. Can our loved ones in heaven see what is happening in our lives on earth and…
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Two Aspects of Trusting God
Has God placed something in your heart for you to do? It could be correcting sinful behavior in your own life. It could be serving someone else. It could be speaking up in a situation where a voice with biblical principles needs to be heard. Whatever it is involves two aspects of trusting God. You must trust him as you step forward and do your part. And, you must trust him to do his part in the areas over which you have no control. Those two aspects of trusting God are necessary to act on what God has placed in your heart to do. The book of Nehemiah in the…
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Political Pressure Sharpens Your Focus
The political pressures on the people described in 2 Chronicles 10-12 resonate with today’s realities. In 2 Chronicles 10:6-16, newly-crowned King Rehoboam chose the bad advice of his peers rather than the wisdom of the elders who were the advisors and leaders of people in his land. There was already bad blood between the northern 10 tribes and the southern two tribes (Judah and Benjamin). The farther away the tribes settled from the central point of worship first at Shiloh then at Gibeah and now at Jerusalem, the less the people were engaged in true YHWH worship. Eighty years earlier, the northern tribes took 7 years to embrace David as…
