Knowing God through His Word — Part 17
I once heard that humility is the perfume of a rose when it is stepped on. I like that, but I’m no rose. I’ve been known to squeal when stepped on. So, I seek humility. According to the Bible, humility is a vital for Christians. All God’s trusted friends and servants, all who do His exploits, are humble.
A Reflection on Grief
Choosing life requires facing grief and moving through it. It took time and courage to learn to ride into and beyond recurring waves of painful emotion and memory.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 16
The words obey and obedience can trigger balkiness in adults who grew up with threats like “You’d better obey me—or else.” For them, the word obedience smacks of unwilling submission to the demands of a superior power or authority—no matter what.
The Hebrew idea behind obedience has nothing to do with kowtowing . . .
Knowing God through His Word — Part 15
The acronym for the word obey, openly being eternally yoked,* looks pretty simple on the outside, but taking it apart reveals profound truths about the Christian life.
Hunger for God
Here’s an excerpt from a letter I wrote last April; the first paragraphs explain why I’m posting it now. Last Sunday I visited a grand old church.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 14
Belief is the key to Jesus heart. If you are seeking to know if Jesus is real or if you don’t believe and want to, then you can honestly inquire with words as simple as, “If you are real, Lord, show me. Help me to believe.”
If you kind-of sort-of believe, but are hindered by doubts, simply ask Him, “Lord, take my unbelief.”
Reasons to Praise
Today I longed to praise God our loud. When no words came, I began to list personal answers to prayer like, “I will praise You because of ____ and____ and ___. ” Once started, my list grew. It is still growing, but here, without order or plan, are some of my own reasons to praise a “God from Whom all blessings flow.”
Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, I will praise You because
You give words, language and books. You must like talking, reading and writing. So do I.
You give music and tell us to make music and sing.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 13
It’s late Saturday night, but I feel strongly impelled to finish this and upload it. I can’t shake the thought that someone somewhere needs to read it. I wonder who it is.
Hebrews 5:1-3
Last week a small group of friends and I spent an afternoon talking about Hebrews 5:1-3. We laughed. At our slow pace we might not live long enough to finish studying the book.
We realized there were depths to the passage we did not touch and saw anew that 1) Jesus is our high priest. 2) The sacrifice He offered to God was Himself; He was a perfect sacrifice; His death bridged the distance between us and His Holy Father. 3) He compassionately understands our ignorance, and weaknesses, our falling short of His holiness.
Hebrews 4:14
Jesus does not consummate or fulfill a believer’s natural humanity: he brings the death of it. As the first born from the dead, He initiated the eon of resurrection life. In both this life and the life after death, we must die to live.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 12
A conversation with God? It may sound simplistic, even anthropomorphic, to say that we come to know God through His Word just as we get to know people through our conversation with them, but it is true. Despite learned theological and philosophical discussions about the hiddenness of God, God talks with us. He does not hide from any who truly seek Him.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 11
This essay is about hearing from God. While writing it I felt like a grandma eager to pass on insights and experience.
Human language alone cannot communicate the glorious depths and riches of God’s Word. The Holy Bible is a wild book: its record of how the Holy Spirit has progressively revealed God and His plan is full of adventure, drama and surprise. It is as full of life today as when it was written. But only the author Himself, the indwelling Holy Spirit, can open it up to readers.
