Grains of Sand

Google Images There is probably no place in the Scriptures that we can identify more with than with Paul’s comments in Romans 7:14-24. “ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do…I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing…When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ” If I were to open a forum and ask for personal illustrations of this truth, I doubt I would have any trouble finding them. We know, with absolute certainty how easy it is to want to do what ...

He told them to wait and they did. Jesus had returned to His father in heaven (Acts 1:9) and there they were in the upstairs room, waiting. The eleven disciples were there, (1:13) but others were also part of “the wait.” “ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers ” (1:14). While they waited and prayed, they also conducted the business of choosing a successor for Judas. There were two candidates. To know which one was God’s choice, they prayed together, and then voted (1:24-26). Matthias was the choice—his one and only time mentioned in Scripture. The criteria behind the choice of candidates was simple: It had to be someone who had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry (1:21, 22). We never heard about Matthias in any of the stories left for us in the Gospels. We never hear about Matthias again after he was chosen to replace Judas. We didn’t see him, but God did. He was what 2 Timothy 2:2 calls ...

There is an interesting connection between Luke 11 and Luke 12 that I noticed this morning. Jesus was a forward thinker. With the kingdom always in mind, he often warned His followers to look beyond the present to the future. After His teaching on prayer at the beginning of Luke 11, Jesus shifts to reminding His followers that God is good and always gives good gifts to His children. His illustration has to do with bread and fish and eggs so the reader might think that the Lord is talking about material blessings (11:5-12). But then Jesus throws a curve ball by ending this particular teaching this way: “ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! ” (11:13). Hmmmmmm, doesn’t sound like lunch to me! The message? The greatest gift God can give us is Himself. By the time we get through Luke 12, we are reminded again that God promises to provide for His children material...

Rain on me, Rain on me, Rain on me, Reign in me.