God's judgement is OK, as long as it's not on me...

While it's easy to understand, accept, and even embrace the mercy of God, we often stumble at His judgement - until we are affronted by sin that is so out alignment with our values that we cry out to God ask Him why has He not yet judged the perpetrators. Passages such as Revelation 6, remind us that God will send punishment, such as the four horsemen, but even in this, there is His mercy.

Pslam 42

 Even Jesus felt the loneliness of God's distance, as demonstrated by his words on the cross (Matt 27:46).  When we feel like God has abandoned us, Psalm 42 gives us words to express our pain. How have you felt abandoned by God, and have you been able to pray something as honest as Psalm 42 in those times? While we don't know why God is sometimes distant, we do know that we can trust He will return.

Memorial Day 2020

This year we recognize the sacrifice our front-line medical and other essential workers have made. By stepping into situations that could compromise their health, or result in death, these heroes join the ranks of police, fire-fighters, military, and all the others who willing put themselves in harm's way for us. John 15:13. How can you best honor our living heroes, before they paid the ultimate price? 

He knows you, do you know HIM?

Most people who believe in God, believe that he already knows all about us. What might be surprised that God invites us to know Him too. In Psalm 86, David declares how good God is, based on David's personal experiences with and on the written history about God. Is it possible that your history is actually God revealing himself to you? Can you compare your story with the story of God's people in the Bible?

God knows your name

We consider it a great honor when someone we think highly of knows us by name. In Exodus 3, God calls Moses with a miraculous sign (a bush on fire but not burnt) - but maybe more significant than the miracle of the burning bush, was that God knew Moses by name. The gospel is that God knows you by name, He knows everything about you and He loves you.

The horrid houseguest

While we are in the middle of any kind of suffering, time may seem to stand still and we may become unable to see an end to the pain. The writer of Psalm 30 provides hope that our suffering is temporary. Like a bad house guest, the suffering may linger and cost us much. We should try to remember that there will be a time when the suffering is gone, leaving us to rejoice.

What about after deliverance?

10 lepers were healed by Jesus, but only one returned to give glory to God for the healing (Luke 17:11-19). All of us experience pain and suffering, but when we have been delivered from those times, do we stop to be thankful for that deliverance?