“…so that you may believe.”

Over the past year, it seems that many people have died; many good people. The questions always lurk at the back of my mind: Why does God allow this? Why is it that so many people have to die? Many of them were faithful believers and kind-hearted people. Why them? I know the typical answer:…

I AM

Life has been rough, not going to lie. With homework and tests and deadlines to complete every week, it's sometimes tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But in this storm of discouragement and doubt, I've had a small glimmer of hope. This morning I happened to read from Mark 6:45-52…

Clothed with Joy

I'd say it's been a rough past couple weeks. Who knew that learning about oneself could involve so much pain and tears. But God has a way of turning that pain around. He has a way of bringing peace in the midst of the storm of my heart. Psalm 30:1-3; NLT1 - I will exalt…

Zero Benefits to Worrying

This morning I was skimming through some old entries in my journal and my eyes caught a couple verses from Exodus 14:13, 14; NLT. The scene is just before the Red Sea is parted to allow the Israelites through, and the Egyptians are hot on their tail. The verses say: 13 - But Moses told…

Genealogies: Stop and Help

Exodus 23:4, 5; NLT4 - "If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 - If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help. It didn't matter who the…

Genealogies: Be Considerate

As I've been reading through Exodus 22, there are a few of these regulations that really stick out to me. Let's have a look: Exodus 22:21-27; NET21 - "You must not wrong a foreigner nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.22 - "You must not afflict any widow or orphan.…

Words of Peace

The psalm that I'm going to share is commonly known and therefore easy to speed right through without giving much thought to the very words being read. I am so often guilty of this. So this morning I wanted to take a slower read through this, and I encourage the same for you. After another…

Genealogies: How to Thrive

Exodus 20:16; NLT16 - "You must not testify falsely against your neighbor." The way this is worded gives the impression of instruction against giving a false testimony in a court of law, but, like each of the previous commandments, it goes deeper than just the court of law. Lying against my neighbor would be similar…

Genealogies: The Value of Trust

Exodus 20:15; NLT15 - "You must not steal." We've determined that these last commandments talk about our relationships with other people. Because we are creatures of community, how we deal with our neighbor, so to speak, is important. A while back in an older post I shared the time when I was just a little…

Genealogies: Deeper than the Surface

Exodus 20:14; NLT14 - "You must not commit adultery." Loyalty is something that is very important to God. Just as He didn't (and still doesn't) want that bond of loyalty broken between His people and Himself, so He doesn't want it to happen in our human relationships. Loyalty between God and man should not be…