Grains of Sand

Pixabay Frequently I hear other followers of Jesus comment on the desperate state of the world, and express their certainty that the Lord must be going to return soon to put right all the things that have gone so horribly wrong.  We long for that day. Two thousand years ago (and counting) other believers also longed for that day and were certain that it had to be close at hand. After all, how could things get any worse for them? As Peter writes to the persecuted and scattered pilgrims of his day he says: " The end of all things is near. " (1 Peter 4:7a) But Peter does not suggest that they climb up the nearest hill and wait for Jesus' arrival, ignoring the journey they have not yet completed. There is work to be done. " Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you ha...

Pixabay " Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For 'all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you. " When I posted my thoughts on 1 Peter 1:17-19, someone commented that love without justice and righteousness was just an empty word. That observation fits so well into these verses from 1 Peter 1:22-25. The pilgrimage that produces springs in the desert, that gives life where there is no evidence of it, as is suggested in Psalm 84, cannot be simply a "warm fuzzy". Here, in Peter's words as recorded in 1 Peter 1:22-25, we read his challenge to these pilgrims,...

Pixabay It is both amazing and appalling what is done “in God’s Name.” Jacob continues to practice deception. Not only has he manipulated things so that he comes away from his father-in-law with enough wealth to make Laban’s heirs jealous, but he lies to Leah and Rachel by saying that God blessed him with all this wealth because Laban had cheated him of the wages he deserved over the course of the twenty years that Jacob remained in exile from his own family. One sin does not require another to correct it. But Jacob had yet to learn that lesson. Genesis 31 continues the sad story of "deceive and be deceived." Whatever goodwill Laban had extended to Jacob is well tarnished now. Genesis 31:2 says, “ And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. ” I guess Laban noticed that Jacob was getting richer while he was getting poorer. So Jacob deceives his father-in-law again and runs off into the night with his family and his belongings. Rachel even s...

Pixabay The first few verses of Paul's famous love chapter, I Corinthians 13, is often quoted at weddings. The bride and groom are starry-eyed, certain that every quality mentioned will be their daily experience for the next fifty or sixty years. Then the toothpaste tube ends up with the cap off and love is suddenly " easily angered " (vs. 4). The kids come and sleepless nights become a dreary, weary habit rather than a rarity and being " patient " is tough (vs. 4). You get the picture. And outside of marriage there is even less excuse to not envy, to not boast, to not be proud, to not be self-seeking, to keep no record of wrongs. It's hard to protect when you feel unprotected, difficult to trust when trust has been betrayed. Hope is easily lost, and sometimes we just feel far too tired to persevere. Love does seem to fail, even though Paul insists it shouldn't. But though verse 12 has always been a part of 1 Corinthians 13, I never connect...

Pixabay So many of the psalms are cries for help.  That, in itself, should tell us something. God doesn't mind cries for help. And David was usually not shy about admitting his needs. God knows we can't.... Feel free to fill in the blanks with whatever it is that you can't do, or be, or feel. I'm not sure if David composed Psalm 143 as a bedtime prayer. I imagine it that way because of verse 8: " Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love. " As he pours out his grief to God, not knowing what the next day may entail, he admits his need for mercy, for relief, for forgiveness, for protection, for encouragement, for a touch from the Lord Himself (vss. 1-6). His desperation requires an immediate answer: " Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit faints with longing. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. " This i...