The king honored Haman more than all his other counselors. He even passed a law requiring everyone to bow before Haman—and everyone did. Except Mordecai, servant of the One true God; he would not bow to a man. It made Haman crazy. “The entire royal staff bowed down and paid homage, but Mordecai would notContinue reading “HAMAN HAD 99%, BUT HE WAS NOT SATISFIED. Esther 3:2-5; James 4:10.”
Category Archives: Content in all things
Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin.
Preparing for my father’s “Celebration of Life” service gave me a lot of time to reflect on his long and active life. But one truth came to me after the work was done and the service concluded: Grandpa was successful because he DID NOT SPREAD HIMSELF TOO THIN. He flew radio-controlled planes rather than earnContinue reading “Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin.”
Israel Rejected its True King.
When Israel kept begging for a king (“so we can be like the other nations”), God finally gave them Saul. And they were pleased: Saul was exactly what people would want in a king—he was handsome and stood a head taller than everyone else, an impressive physical specimen. He probably had a deep voice andContinue reading “Israel Rejected its True King.”
Cookie Cutter.
I used to watch my mom use a rolling pin to make a sheet of thin, flat cookie dough on wax paper. Then she stamped it with tin cookie cutters to cut out shapes: doughy little Christmas trees or stars or bells or stockings. She would bake them, spread icing on them, and—voila! Christmas cookies. Continue reading “Cookie Cutter.”
Disappointment.
“But the Levites among you do not get a portion of land, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the Lord” Joshua 18:7. Life is unfair. You work hard but it goes unnoticed. You earn a promotion that never comes. You are faithful to the Lord, yet He blesses your friends with things He won’tContinue reading “Disappointment.”
Supply Chain Management.
Last night the grocery store’s bare shelves held one bag of Pedigree dog food. It was puppy food and the whole bag would not feed our dogs for one day. Where were the fifty-pound bags of adult dog food? Where were they when I shopped on Friday? And again on Sunday? This is a supplyContinue reading “Supply Chain Management.”
Doubters.
Would you doubt Moses? He’s been a hero for thousands of years. But what if he were your little brother? What if he had been floating in a basket and you were the one God used to secure for him a home with the Egyptian princess? God spent 80 years preparing Moses for a uniqueContinue reading “Doubters.”
Be Careful What You Wish For.
The Israelites were tired of being vegetarians. Or manna-tarians. It was all-manna, all the time. Manna tasted like a pastry made with the finest oil—it was delicious. At least the first time. But anything could get tiresome. Yet the people did not simply wish for variety. They let their hearts become rebellious. They cried out:Continue reading “Be Careful What You Wish For.”
God Will Rescue You–But Not Always in the Way You Might Have Hoped.
A friend turned his back on God thirty years ago. Today he is suffering a terminal illness. Another friend is convinced God may be using the illness to reach Doug, to bless him, in fact. What do you think of that? Can God “Bless you” with a disease that kills you? Can a terminal illnessContinue reading “God Will Rescue You–But Not Always in the Way You Might Have Hoped.”
“It Was Not You, But God…”
By God’s grace, terrible things can have positive outcomes. Romans 8:28 says “God causes all things to work together for good….” God is sovereign—He is the Ruler and King of the universe. He fashions the worst things into good. More than twenty years after they sold him into slavery, Joseph revealed his identity to hisContinue reading ““It Was Not You, But God…””
Household Words: 