Grains of Sand

Pixabay Remember...that God "forgets." The writer to the Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 when he writes: " For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more " (Hebrews 8:12). This is followed up with, again quoting Jeremiah, " 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin " (10:17, 18). In both cases these wonderful verses are preceded by a promise from God to " ...put my laws in their hearts, and...write them in their minds " (10:16 and vice-versa in 8:10). These are changed people, renewed in heart and mind, and forgiven. God is omniscient. This fifty dollar word simply means that He knows everything. And logically, at least to my mind, omniscience means He can't forget anything. This is why I wrote "forgets" as I did. Because God really doesn't forget anything. I think this is important because one o...

Pixabay For better or for worse, most people appreciate being recognized for their contribution. While some don't like the limelight of a public acknowledgement, a pat on the back privately goes a long way to encourage them to "keep on keeping on." That's why I like what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3 when he writes: " We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in the our Lord Jesus Christ. " He thanked God for them, but he did not neglect to tell them how grateful he was for their labours and for their example. Equally as significant, if not more so, is Paul's regard, not just for what they did but for what motivated what they did. He acknowledged their faith, their love and their hope in Christ. People can DO many things, but it is why they do what they do that really re...

Pixabay Considering how much traveling the apostle Paul did, and how many people he must have met on those travels, my guess is that his prayer list was a lengthy one. I would also guess that when he said that he was praying for someone, he really was praying for that person. I wonder where he found the time? It's convenient for us to say that Paul had more time that we do—after all, he lived in the age before all our time-saving devices. Wait a minute, we should actually have MORE time at our disposal than Paul, right? But that's a discussion for another moment—when I have time! Paul was a busy man. I suspect one of the reasons the Lord arranged for Paul to spend some time in prison was so that he could get some letters written, besides giving him the opportunity to witness to jailers, soldiers, prisoners, and high-ranking authorities to whom he was exposed under those circumstances. In any case, Paul remembered others. And he remembered others specifically in his pr...

Providence, Rhode Island, (Photo: Pixabay) Canadian Thanksgiving has past, but even on this side of the border we Canadians are well aware that our cousins to the south will soon be celebrating their Thanksgiving. Today, though thankfulness is not always the emphasis during these particular celebrations, the original date marked a time to remember the providence of God, particularly among those looking for freedom to practice their beliefs without persecution. Providence. I like that word. Of all things, the City of Providence, Rhode Island, came to my mind. Wikipedia says this about that city: "The area which is now Providence was first settled in June 1636 by prominent Baptist Roger Williams and other religious exiles. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies of the United States. Williams had been exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his outspoken beliefs concerning distinction of state government and religion. Williams secured a title from the Narraganse...

Pixabay Remember...generosity. Several times a year my father would come home from work, eat his supper, don his one-and-only suit and leave the house for an hour or so. This was unusual because my father generally only wore a suit on Sundays and to weddings and funerals. When I was a kid I remember asking him once where he was going. He smiled his conspiratorial smile and said, "To see my girlfriend." It was sometime later that I discovered that his "girlfriend" was a nurse and my father a regular blood donor! He gave blood until they finally told him that they couldn't allow him to give any more. Why he needed his Sunday suit to give blood was something I never really figured out, though I suppose he thought that what he was doing was important enough to merit his best foot forward. Dad didn't have much of this world's treasure, but what he could give he gave freely, consistently and happily. You see, generosity isn't just about money. ...

Pixabay Remember...Prayer Before that recent, fateful Tuesday in the United States, there were all kinds of pleas made for people to pray. Since that day, more calls have gone out for people to pray. Whatever side of the political landscape one falls on, prayer seems to be the fall-back position for many. Certainly prayer is the right thing to do before the ballot is cast (Acts 1:23-26). And the Scriptures remind us to pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:2) after the ballots have been cast and the decision made. Paul was a man of prayer. In his letter to the believers in Rome he wrote: " First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, who, I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you " (Romans 1:8-10). T...

Pixabay Remember...the Truth. We live in a world where absolute truth that governs all men equally is considered an impossibility. What is absolute truth for me, might not be absolute truth for you. And in a world where personal freedoms and political correctness are almost a sacred right, my absolutes cannot be allowed to infringe on yours, and vice versa. We might expect that from a world that doesn't believe, but are we to expect it from the world that claims to believe? Apparently so. Paul, in his parting message to the church leaders in Ephesus, had this to say: " Guard yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made your overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock, Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three yea...