Good times can cause people to reflect on God and His goodness. But those with hearts encased in stone will not be persuaded by good times, no matter how amazing. Yet God can reach anyone. He can even reach the skeptic and the hard-hearted. How? Through suffering. There is no resistance God cannot break, ifContinue reading “DEVASTATION CAN LEAD PEOPLE TO JESUS. Psalm 83:13-18.”
Category Archives: Adversity
JOEL: HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO ADVERSITY? Joel 2:12-13.
What do you do when trouble comes? Joel writes of desperate times: grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates, and apples are dried up, “indeed, human joy has dried up” 1:12. Then a Ninja-style army invades: “They scale walls, each goes on his own path. They dodge arrows, never stopping. They storm the city, run on the wall,Continue reading “JOEL: HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO ADVERSITY? Joel 2:12-13.”
You Worship Better When Things Are Hard. Habakkuk 3:17-19.
I love it when life is good, when I can sit back with family and friends and smile at how wonderful life is. Bills are paid, I have a little money in the bank, everyone is healthy and happy, work is done and we can relax and be thankful. And that’s real thankfulness. It’s genuine.Continue reading “You Worship Better When Things Are Hard. Habakkuk 3:17-19.”
WHY DOES GOD LET US SUFFER? Isaiah 63:9.
Why DOES God let us suffer? Why doesn’t He spare us? Why must we grieve and feel lonely and hurt and disappointed? Why do we have physical pain? Why do we go through death, whether it is quick and horrifying, or a decades-long odyssey through ever-worsening illnesses? I believe God DOES spare us many pains.Continue reading “WHY DOES GOD LET US SUFFER? Isaiah 63:9.”
COPING SKILLS. Isaiah 45:6,21-23.
When you face your greatest disappointment, your deepest grief and loss, will you be prepared? THE BIBLE TEACHES COPING SKILLS: Number one—pray. Sounds obvious, but it is too critical not to mention. See, for example, Philippians 4:6-7. Number two—PRAISE GOD. This coping skill is not well known. But it makes such a difference. To praiseContinue reading “COPING SKILLS. Isaiah 45:6,21-23.”
MY PURPOSE? TO BEAR FRUIT. Isaiah 5:1-4.
We are here to bear fruit. But how? The same way trees bear fruit. They need sunlight, water, and soil. They also need a few years—peach trees and grape vines often don’t bear fruit until year three or four. First, they need good roots. God explains Himself as a farmer with crops that are unsatisfying:Continue reading “MY PURPOSE? TO BEAR FRUIT. Isaiah 5:1-4.”
Storms and Fire.
I watched a food documentary that spent an hour praising fire. Fire creates chemical changes in texture and flavor. Heat is critical in the preparation of not only meats, but many other foods—casseroles, desserts, soups, breads, even snacks. The Bible talks a lot about the refiner’s fire: silver must be heated to burn off allContinue reading “Storms and Fire.”
Who Will Help You?
How desperate have you been? Have you faced a terminal illness? Feared for your life? Did you think you would lose the house or your job or your marriage? Have you lost a dream or had to choose a new one? Been rejected by a close friend? Stood on the edge of a cliff, oneContinue reading “Who Will Help You?”
Mountains.
“I lift my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, The Maker of Heaven and Earth.” Psalm 121:1-2. These lines are well-known. You may recognize them from various songs. They convey the idea that when you are hurting and broken, you look to the horizon, toContinue reading “Mountains.”
War.
Nothing is more intense than war. A soldier’s entire life may seem dull when he reflects on three or four days spent fighting for his life and the lives of his brothers-in-arms. War is INTENSE. Men die on your left and right. Near misses make you wonder how you survived. You may not eat someContinue reading “War.”
Household Words: 