Grains of Sand

Reading: Zephaniah Today marks the 20 th anniversary of my father’s passing into the presence of the Lord. Though there are applications of the following verses to our “hear-and-now,” I think of the eternal implications today, for my father and for all those who have died clinging to the cross and who will die with the assurance that their Saviour has opened the door to eternity with God for them. Sing, both of you; shout aloud, O redeemed! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O children of God! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will either of you fear any harm. Today they are saying in heaven, Do not be afraid, Lynda; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you as He was with your father, he is mighty to save. He is taking great delight in your father, he is quieting him with his love, he is rejoicing over him, and you, with singing. (Lynda’s version on this da...

Reading: Micah This little book is rich in snippets of teaching and encouragement wrapped in warnings directed at both Samaria and Jerusalem. I picked two verses of glorious truth that I am not even going to comment on. Just read them and turn your eyes toward heaven and be thankful. From death to life! “ Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea ” –Micah 7:18, 19, NIV. ‘Nuff said!

Reading: Jeremiah 17-20 " The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve " —Jeremiah 17, 9, 19, NIV. Many people live with the expectation that in the final judgment the good things they have done will outweigh the bad, and they will be allowed into heaven. Just in case they haven't managed to do quite good enough while here on earth and have to go "on hold" in some nether world, they trust that those who remain will say enough prayers and light enough candles to make up their lack. Though we do not believe that heaven is gained through good deeds, we do believe that God will reward us for the good actions we carry out. However, it is very possible that we may not get as big a reward for those good things done in our lifetime as we think we should. From what we see here in Jeremiah, it appears th...

“ So the last will be first, and the first will be last ” —Matthew 20:16, NIV. It’s amazing how much of our thinking revolves around getting the advantage over someone else. We strive for achievement, promotion, recognition and appreciation—all those things that give us “a leg up” as the saying goes. So it’s not surprising that many people reading this verse immediately apply it in the same way. We use it to warn those who are getting cocky, or who think they are one step ahead of everyone else, that things may not turn out as well as they think. Of course, we don’t apply that same rule to ourselves when we’re the ones who seem to have an advantage over others! We use the verse to console others, and ourselves, when we seem to be at a disadvantage. Someday, we say, we’ll be “top dogs” — the Bible says so! It turns out that we are all wrong about what Jesus was saying in this phrase. The saying comes at the conclusion of a parable that Jesus was sharing with His followers and is...