Grains of Sand

Pixabay Somehow it seemed appropriate to end 2018 with this verse: “ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away .” (Revelation 21:4) As we enter a new year we are reminded that we are just a little closer to the time when Revelation 21:4 will be the reality for those of us who know the Lord. Perhaps that reminder is a little more forceful for me today. Early in December, we got news of a cousin on my mother's side who had passed away. Just before Christmas, a FACEBOOK post announced the passing of a missionary colleague and friend. Last night came the news of the death of a cousin on my father's side. For friends and family far and wide 2018 has had its sorrows. But the promises of Scripture inevitably bring us the reassurance that, for the believer, the "end" is no end at all—it simply signals the beginning of the new order. No death. No mourning....

In recent days a friend on FACEBOOK started a discussion on whether or not physical punishment, i.e. the “strap” applied to children produced violent adults. I responded by saying that I still had the strap that my parents (usually) my Dad used occasionally on my brother and myself. You can see the photo. It is part of a belt off a piece of farm machinery and is about 12 inches long. Believe me, it stings! I have kept it all these years as a reminder that my parents cared enough about us to use it when all else failed to drive home a point they felt we needed to understand. Because I happen to be reading in Hebrews these days where the Lord’s discipline is discussed, my friend’s post and the instruction from the Word of God made an interesting study. “ And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishe...

Pixabay I have my pastor to thank for this one. He is working through the Book of Acts on Sunday mornings. Today's message was from Acts 3, the story of the lame man who had an encounter with Peter and John at the entrance to the Temple. His life was dismally the same every day—sitting at the entrance begging people to drop a few coins into his hand. It was all he had, all he expected, all he thought he would ever know in life. Until... " When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, 'Look at us!' " As my pastor remarked, with that statement the man anticipated a big payday! " So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have...' " Disappointment. And his attention, so focused on these two men and what he might gain from their generosity, probably began to shift away to the next peo...

Pixabay I linger in the blackness, seemingly invisible to passersby. My night is cold and lonely, devoid of the warmth of human touch. There is only God, and though He speaks, I do not hear from Him what I desperately want to hear. He begs me to trust His will, but that will lies heavily upon me, like a shroud. His will is solitary. His will is hard. He bids me be patient, but the fruitless, empty, years pass me by, heaping their rewards on others. Shared laughter mocks me, as groups of two, three, and four, walk by. Their eyes seem to meet mine but then slide past unseeing. I follow them, heading toward the open doors ahead that they are passing through. I long to cry out after them: “Look at me. See me. Hear me.” I don’t. They are busy with better, more productive, things. I bless the Lord for all their successes even as I envy them those blessings. Like a swift running current, they flow past my stagnant pool. It seems pointless to call out to them. Even if they saw and heard, ...

Pixabay I ran across this brief devotional while sifting through some articles I had written on the FAITHWRITERS website. I wrote it in 2005 but its truth still remains current for today. “ Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water .” ( Matthew 14:28 NIV ) You have to admire the audacity of Peter. As for me, I don’t like small boats. I prefer my water in a glass or at least in a form that comes with a tap. If I had been Peter, I probably wouldn’t have even been in the boat, much less trying to walk on water. But sometimes the events of life don’t give us a choice. Unlike Peter, we don’t even get the opportunity to ask permission to take a walk on the wet side—we get tossed out of the boat and seemingly left to sink or swim. A serious illness, a financial setback, a ministry turned misery, a relationship that fails, a past that haunts us, a present that overwhelms us and a future that defies us—who would ask to walk on these turbulent waters? For P...

Pixabay “ Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) Reading these verses reminded me of a life experience that a missionary colleague shared with me some years ago. She and her husband were serving overseas. They were expecting their first child—actually children plural. She was carrying triplets. The babies, all boys, were perfect when they were born. But none of them survived. She was RH negative, and the medical personnel were unaware, or unprepared, for the implications of that reality during her pregnancy or when the babies were born. I asked her what that terrible tragedy meant to her as she looked back on it years later. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1...

Pixabay There are lots of things I don't know. Included among those is the hour of my passing into eternity. I was reminded of that this morning when an SUV making a left hand turn while I was in the crosswalk came to a screeching halt just inches from me. That wasn't my place, or time, to go. The driver didn't see me—but God had! That's a pretty major "I don't know." But there are lots of other things—major and minor—that I don't know—but God does! My verse for today reminded me that " No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. " (1 Corinthians 2:9) If the "worst" had happened this morning, it would actually turn out to be the best—I'd be face-to-face with the Lord and that's a very good thing. The semi-worst would be broken bones and ruptured stuff! And many would wonder why God would allow such a thing. It's the famous "Why me?" or ...

Pixabay I just finished throwing out two books. There was nothing wrong with the books, or the information that they contained. I also made a mental note to go through some study material that I wrote and taught several years ago to remove references to one of the books I have just consigned to the garbage. It's not the books, or the material. It's the author who wrote the books. I won't say that he has ever been an idol of mine. But I know that he has been the idol of others, world-famous in fact. He started a movement and became a guru among evangelicals, much quoted and much emulated. And perhaps everything he said and did (at least in his ministerial role) was exemplary and worthy to be followed. But it turns out he is an idol with clay feet, who has systematically abused his power over many years while in the ministry,  This abuse particularly relates to his relationship with women. As a woman, and one who knows a little about abuse of power in ministry, I don...

Pixabay As followers of Jesus we often refer to ourselves as being servants of the Lord, or as serving Him. We ask other believers about what they are doing in their local churches or in para-church organizations, considering that such activity is service for the Lord. We talk about pastors and missionaries serving the Lord. Sometimes, depending on how long and/or impressive the list, we begin to believe that we must be pretty important in the grand scheme of kingdom-building. Or, on the flip side, we are forced to deal with feelings of envy when others seem to be serving the Lord in better,  bigger, or much appreciated ways than we are. Don't get me wrong, serving the Lord is a fundamental theme in Scripture. In fact, everything in life becomes service when we are reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:31 as he writes: " So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. " Our service lends the practical evidence to our clai...

Pixabay “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid .” (John 14:27) What kind of peace does the world give? Temporary. Treaties are made. Treaties are broken. Ceasefires cease sooner or later. Someone looks and lusts; conflict breaks out in the push and pull of political intrigue. Relationships sail along comfortably until the next storm. That’s not God’s peace. That’s not what Jesus promised as He approaches the epicentre of conflict—His world’s  need to be rid of Him. The political and religious leaders clamour for His death. He knows this. He knows what is coming—the maelstrom in the making. And He speaks of peace that nothing can disturb and tells His disciples not to be troubled and not to be afraid. It is not a peace conjured up by force of character. Jesus says He is leaving HIS peace with them—the inheritance of those filled with His Spirit. It’s permanent. It’s living, b...

Pixabay A long spell of brutally hot, humid, weather was broken last night. This morning, as I went out into the backyard to fill the bird feeder and deadhead the pansies, the cool breeze and absence of humidity after last night's cold front and rain filled me with a sense of well-being. As I sat in my office later a familiar verse came to mind that seemed appropriate not only to the weather but for the world in general. It comes from Acts 3:19 and dovetailed perfectly with my verses of the day from John 3. Peter, preaching to the crowd in Jerusalem exhorts them to: " Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord ." The oppression of sin, the guarantee of the fiery depths of hell, can be dealt with as forgiveness rains down, as the breeze of the Holy Spirit scatters the dying embers of all that holds us down and keeps us behind the fence away from relationship with our Heavenly Father. Repent...

Pixabay “ I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. ” (Matthew 18:18-20) I have recently come to look at this verse in a different way. In its context it applies to the process of reconciliation when there are issues between brothers and sisters in Christ. But here’s a slightly different take, courtesy of a course I recently took. What if two or three of us were to come together and covenant to join hands and hearts and minds in a journey of spiritual growth? What if we were to meet regularly with the sole intention of providing a safe environment where we could be encouraged by others as they stir us on toward knowing Christ at a deeper level, and be encouragers of the work of the Holy Spirit in o...

Pixabay “ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light .” (Matthew 11:29, 30) This, and the verse prior to it, are the gentlest of Gospel invitations in Scripture. We, as believers, are often accused of beating unbelievers over the head with hell and damnation and demonstrating a lack of compassion and understanding. That is sometimes true, even though a dose of hell and damnation is what some people need to recognize their need of Someone to rescue them from both of the above. But here in Matthew we have the message for those who have reached that point known as “the end of the rope.” They just can’t do “it” anymore, whatever “it” represents that they once thought would meet the heart cry of their souls. They have discovered that nothing, and no one, can satisfy and they are tired of the chase that leaves them aching and empty. And Jesus says: “ Come to me, all you wh...

Pixabay I once asked my pastor why it seemed as though my prayers hit the ceiling and bounced back at me without ever reaching heaven. He reminded me that unconfessed sin creates a barrier that needs to be removed so that communion is restored between the Creator and His creation. As I read the verse for today, I was reminded of his words. Isaiah writes: “Y our iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear .” (59:2) The expression of the prophet reminded me of a series of messages I prepared recently for a ladies’ retreat and of a revision of that series that I am going to start today. In the first session we talk about seeking first God’s “face” rather than always looking for His “hand.” In other words, desiring God Himself more than we desire His gifts. As I reviewed yesterday I was reminded that when the Scriptures speak of God’s “face” they are referring to His presence, to that intimacy of relationship that we ne...

Pixabay David wrote: “ …I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands. ” (Psalm 31:14, 15a) Few of us understand just how vulnerable it feels to be completely at the mercy of someone else. David understood. How often the shepherd/psalmist/king/fugitive was forced to run for his life, pursued by those who, had they been able, would have left him bleeding in the dust. I wonder if he ever wished for more control over the circumstances of his life? Today, as we celebrate the resurrection, I marvel again at the One who has control over all things, giving over control to those who arrested, condemned, and crucified Him. But in the celebration of today, we are reminded that the control His enemies thought they had as they sealed the tomb and set a guard over it, was no control at all. He had never lost it—appearances to the contrary—even on the cross. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us that, “ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under hea...

Pixabay I once corrected a now internationally famous Biblical scholar (he will remain nameless) when he misquoted this verse. It was mean of me—one of those temptations that I should have been able to resist, but chose not to! All that is neither here nor there as they say. The verse from Proverbs 16:18 is well-known: “ Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall .” This is an example of parallelism, where the second phrase is another way of saying the first phrase. In essence, though the verse was misquoted by my eminent friend, what he said was something like a contraction of the original. But aside from my secret (now not so secret) delight is getting “one up” on someone eons smarter than me, this verse reminds us of the very danger I succumbed to in taking pleasure in correcting him—pride. We often don’t recognize pride for what it is. We attach friendly meanings to it, but it is what it is. I found it interesting that my dictionary actually misquoted the ver...

Pixabay This is one of those verses that prompts the question, “how?” every time. “ A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all .” (Psalm 34:19) No, He doesn’t—at least not always in the way we want Him to. Yes, there are times when God acts as we anticipate He will, as we pray that He will. But there are times when He does not. What then? Does that make this verse, along with others like it, a lie? I remember back to the early days in Venezuela. Our church planting efforts got off to a slow start and we had very few new believers. One of those was a woman by the name of Betty. Her story was indeed one of God’s grace—from someone whose face scared the people sharing the elevator with her to someone whose face radiated forgiveness and joy and peace with God. She was a walking, talking testimony to what God could do in a life. Then she got cancer. We prayed, pleaded, for her healing. She died. At the time, we were devastated. But thinking back we a...

Pixabay One of the first pieces of Scripture I memorized when I was a kid in Sunday School was Psalm 1. So well did I learn it that it remains cemented in my mind to this day. Mrs. Wood, the pastor’s wife and head of the Primary Department ,presented me with a bookmark as my prize—a bookmark I still have. I wish I could manage to memorize as well today as I did sixty years ago! Alas, it is not so easy. In Psalm 119:11, the psalmist reminds his readers of the importance of memorizing God’s words. He says: “ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you .” What is hidden in the heart is what the Spirit of God brings to mind when we are faced with choices and temptations—something that happens every day. My verse for today comes from Psalm 1:1 and is one of those that comes to mind when I am faced with who to choose as my closest companions. It remains a valuable piece of advice for anyone, young and old, when deciding who should become a close friend, a life-lo...

Pixabay Some of us are ready to swear off watching, reading, or listening to the news. Just when we think things couldn’t get worse, they do! You can’t fix stupid, and apparently stupidity is contagious. And it can be distressing, disturbing and dangerous to our mental and spiritual health to spend too much time focusing on the evil that men do. It’s enough to deal with my own evil let alone carry the burden of that which others engage in. It is helpful instead to dwell on the great truth of Scripture. Here is one for today: “ His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step. ” (Job 34:21) We often live as though God isn’t aware of what is happening. We often live as though God doesn’t care. We often live as though He is powerless to do anything about the evils happening in this world. And that makes us anxious and upset. But in addition to reading the verse from Job this morning, I also read Romans 2 and the chilling words from verses 5, 6, 8, 9: “ But because of your stu...

I heard it second-hand so I can’t attest to exactly what the conversation was, or with whom. But the speaker apparently said that no one would ever marry me because I wasn’t submissive enough! What was said may be true, but at the time I laughed—and am still laughing— A. Because I have no particular interest in marrying, nor have I ever. B. Because the speaker was annoyed at me for daring to ask too many questions about his actions. I don’t usually share something quite this personal, but it came to mind as I read the verse for today. “ Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart .” —Job 22:21, 22 It isn’t always easy to submit to God—it should be if we truly trusted Him and believed Him to be good as well as powerful. When things don’t work out as we hope, or prayers aren’t answered as we anticipate, or He is silent when we want Him to speak, we wonder if He cares, i...

Pixabay Back when the space program was something of wonder and worth one astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, made the astounding statement that he hadn’t found God while he was up there. I suppose that was imagined by some to be proof that God didn’t exist. Odd to be surrounded by the proof and not to see it. Job 22:12 says: “ Is not God in the heights of heavens? And see how lofty are the highest stars! ” Silly boy! You didn’t go far enough. In your arrogance and ignorance you assumed that you had reached those heights. You assumed that you could see the One Who fills the heavens. He was all around you and you didn’t see Him, wouldn’t have seen Him, couldn’t have seen Him, didn’t want to see Him. That poor space traveler is not the only one to ignore the obvious, something so obvious that a trip on a shuttle isn’t even necessary to observe it. Psalm 19 tells us: “ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night afte...

Pixabay Some people are under the mistaken impression (though there may not be as many of them as I think) that, just because I am older and have had some experience with life, I have wisdom to offer. There are times that I am even prone to believing that myself. The truth of the matter? Yes, I am older. Yes, I have had some experiences in life that others might not have gotten around to yet. Hopefully I have learned some lessons from those experiences. Hopefully I am the wiser for them—otherwise God’s efforts in bringing them into my life might have been wasted. But whatever wisdom that has been acquired does not ultimately reside in me—I’m still frail and sometimes foolish though, hopefully, less so than once I was. The truth is, as Job 12:13 says: “ To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his .” I am reminded that one of the characteristics of a good listening ear is humility—the recognition that I come from the same messiness that the person to whom I am l...

Pixabay I have a news app on  my iPad. This morning, like many other mornings, I took a peek at the headlines and shut-down the app. I don’t want to know. The world is too ugly a place for this bright sunny morning with its fresh fall of brilliant white snow on the ground. Evil is overwhelming. Whether it happens on the streets of Rainbow Village, in the remote regions of the Far North, in the back halls of power, in the quiet backyards of suburbia, or in some third-world rocked by perpetual conflict, it’s just too much. Enough, already. How do you stand firm when the ground underneath is shaking? I remember a few nasty tremors of the earthquake variety. Their arrival was a reminder of just how insecure our hold on anything is, no matter what the venue may be. Psalm 11 is made up of only seven verses, but they powerfully address the issue of rocking foundations. " In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicke...

I just received a box of business cards. I know, what does a retired person who has no business need with business cards? I might be a victim of good advertising—or at least persistent advertising—but I did it anyway. I didn’t order 500 as was suggested—I’m not quite that foolish—I’ll be dead and gone before I ever gave away that many! But while I was designed my card, I had the option of putting something on the back side of it. Three words came to mind and here they appear again in my verse for today. “ Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always .” (1 Chronicles 16:11) In the context in which this verse was recorded, David is celebrating the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem. The verse is part of a song of praise (16:8-36) written to remind the people of God just Who this God is, and all that He has blessed them with as a nation. It is well worth the reading, and the singing—you can make up the music as you go along—I’m sure David won’t mind if you change his melody a li...

Pixabay One of my reading plans for this year is entitled 365 Popular Bible Quotations for Memorization and Meditation . At first reading of this verse I wasn’t sure why this particular quote would fall into that category, but here it is: “ But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me .” (2 Kings 19:27) The context is yet another of those moments in Israel’s history when she is facing overwhelming odds against her. The king of Assyria and his forces are threatening Jerusalem. Hezekiah goes before the Lord to plead his cause and that of his people. Isaiah, the prophet, appears before the king with this message to deliver to Sennacherib, king of Assyria, a message that also serves to reassure Hezekiah that they have not been abandoned by the God of Israel. The message to God’s people in Jerusalem is this: “ Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before...

Pixabay It was the moment of truth. The nation had to decide who it would follow—Baal or the Lord God. Elijah climbed Mount Carmel to be confronted by a bevy of four hundred and fifty prophets who have come to prove that Baal was God, backed by another four hundred and fifty prophets of Asherah, Queen Jezebel’s preferred. He stands alone, but doesn’t hesitate to turn to the people and challenge them with this: “ How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. ” (1 Kings 18:21) Did he hope they would make the choice without the test that was to follow? The telling statement follows: “ But the people said nothing .” Silence. I suppose the good thing was that they didn’t cheer for Baal either. They were waiting for proof and when God delivered they would fall on their faces and declare, “ The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God! ” (vs. 39) One of the criticisms often leveled at believers is that they practice “blind” faith. ...

Pixabay It was inevitable I suppose. A recent article in Christianity Today ( http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/january/bolivia-makes-evangelism-crime.html ) reported that the government of Bolivia has fortified its penal code with provisions to persecute any person or group that, “ …recruits, transports, deprives of freedom, or hosts people with the aim of recruiting them to take part in armed conflicts or religious or worship organizations will be penalized 5 to 12 years of imprisonment. ” President Evo Morales, an admirer of the late Hugo Chavez, former president of Venezuela, has beaten the Venezuelan government to the punch by this latest endeavour to still any voices in opposition to the abuses and oppression of the regime. Interesting that, “ armed conflicts ” and “ religious or worship ” would be mentioned in the same statement as if they were related in some way. Just a couple of weeks ago a friend traveled to Bolivia to do some ministry in an orphanage in that c...

Pixabay A cosmetics company announced yesterday that they would no longer be photoshopping the pictures of their models. They are going to allow the flaws to be seen. The reason? Well, someone has finally figured out how damaging the unrealistic portrayal of what constitutes “beauty” really is. Good move, but perhaps a little late to help those already programmed to believe that beauty really is “skin deep.” I recently had some head shots done for the back cover of an upcoming book. Only one of the five that I ultimately chose would be photoshopped—the flaws and wrinkles swept away and other things enhanced. When I got the results back I discover that my eyes were bluer than they had ever been in my life—someone is going to be disappointed if they expect to see those brilliant orbs for real! Looks good—but doesn't exist. Samuel ran into the same problem—and the Lord reminded him of something that the “beauty experts” of our age are just figuring out now—beauty is more than...