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Church Family?
This summer I had the privilege of helping two of my adult children and their families who were blessed with newborns. Each home made me feel loved and appreciated. I served them in any way that I thought would be helpful. I left feeling valued and fulfilled. Upon returning to my home, I noticed a different attitude that I had about my church family compared to my own family. I struggled before the Lord with why my attitude was different and was it sinful. I went to the Scriptures for insight. Here are some of my findings: The church of the living God is a pillar and buttress of the…
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Some Lessons from a Forty-Year-Old Marriage
This spring my husband and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We are grateful to God for bringing us together and for His grace in our marriage. To celebrate, we wanted to find some trails in Colorado to hike. However, after looking for several weeks, we were unable to find any trails that would work. Unbeknownst to us, God had something else planned. A missionary agency contacted my husband to inform him Albania had requested some medical training in his specialty. The planning trip would need to take place during the time we had set aside to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We felt God would have us postpone (or…
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Counterfeit Hopes
People place their hope in various things depending on their beliefs and backgrounds. The secular world finds hope in money, success, respect, security, health, relationships, work, pleasure, science, and reason. It is easy to see these things are wrong to place our hope in. Christians find their hope in God and in particular the gospel (Jesus taking the punishment for their sins providing a way to have a relationship with God and transformed lives). However, Christians unknowingly rely on other things for their hope. These counterfeit hopes replace the true hope of the life changing-power of the gospel. I recently read a book, How People Change by Timothy S. Lane…
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Rejoicing in the Results of the Fear of the Lord
Scriptures contain over 390 verses that have to do with some sort of fear of the Lord. Obviously, it is an important subject to God. When we fear (have an awe, respect, or reverence of) the Lord, we can expect certain results that cause us to rejoice! Our attitude toward evil is affected when we fear the Lord. We will develop a hatred of evil (morally objectionable behavior) (Prov 8:13) not only in others but in ourselves. It is easy to hate evil in others, but it takes humility to see our own evilness as just as bad. We will hate evil so we will turn away (leave a set…
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Basking in the Benefits of the Fear of the Lord
The benefits of fearing the Lord are worth basking in. In my survey of the Scriptures, I identified three categories concerning the benefits of the fear of the Lord—with God, with others, and with ourselves. Some of the categories overlap, but I have assigned most to just one category for simplicity. The first beneficial category of the fear of the Lord involves our relationship with the Lord. At the top of the list, we are acceptable to God (Acts 10:35). Not only are we acceptable to God, but we have a friendship with Him (Psa 25:14). Furthermore, His eye is on those who fear Him (Psa 33:18). With His eye…
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Trembling with Delight
Over the years, I have wondered what it really means to have “fear of the Lord.” In the past several months, I took some time and examined the Scriptures to find out what it does mean. My findings have left me trembling with delight! A definition is always a good place to start. Michael Reeves explains the fear of the Lord as, “It is an ecstasy of love and joy that senses how overwhelmingly kind and magnificent, good and true God is, and that therefore leans on Him in staggered praise and faith.”[1] Reeves goes on to write, “It is not the dread of sinners before a holy Judge. It…
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How Do You Respond to Other’s Blessings and Advantages?
A few months ago, I had some extended time with the Lord that integrated my mind and heart concerning a habitual sin that I have dealt with on and off for years. It is a sin that doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it is always devastating. It is listed in the seven deadly sins and rightly so. Maybe you struggle with the same sin—envy. It is not a sin that I am preoccupied with and it only happens with a few people, but one person is one too many when it comes to being holy before the Lord. “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter…
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Illumination on Groundhog Day
Did the groundhog see his shadow today? So, should I go ahead and plant my spring garden? Or should I get some more wood for the fireplace? The midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox is February 2. Tradition says that if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, that winter could be long and cold. If he does not see his shadow, then it could be a mild rest of the winter. However, the groundhog weather prediction is only about 40% right. I wondered, and perhaps you have as well, what are some of the roots of Groundhog Day? After looking in to the matter, I…
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Hiking Illuminates Mentoring Elements
During the year 2022, you may have a desire to be a mentor or mentee. Much can be learned in mentoring relationships as sharpening for the Lord occurs (Prov 27:17). Jesus mentored the twelve disciples. Paul had several young men he mentored as indicated in the books of Timothy and Titus. Mentoring takes on a variety of forms, but some common elements exist. As I hiked the Hundred-Mile Wilderness on the Appalachian Trail recently, I observed several parallels to elements regarding mentoring. God’s creation has a unique way of presenting truths in a way that facilitates understanding. Hopefully, your understanding of mentoring will be enhanced as you hike this blog. …
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Confidence Rightly Placed
Recently, I came to the end of my backpacking skills. As I faced terrain that was new and difficult, I found myself desperately depending on the Lord for everything. My fear of slipping, tripping, falling, and even collapsing hurled me at the feet of Jesus. Praying to, singing about, and reflecting on Him enabled me to endure the physical, emotional, and mental challenges. “And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (Hab 3:19) pounded through my mind and heart multiple times. I wasn’t hiking Mount Everest, but this trail was my high place! Fear is common to humans. Fear can come…
