From A Long Way Off

Something I have been thinking about a lot lately is how God in the Old Testament (OT) sometimes seems different from the God Jesus came to make known. I know that He is not different because God does not change…“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV). The Bible also reveals that Jesus is God…“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15, NIV), and that He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, NIV).

Everyone Familiar

“It was not only the people of His day, but it is so common for people of all times to just keep commandments and church laws and observe the externals of religion. In living this way, we miss the point of what worship of God really is, falling each day more deeply in love with God, expressing that love by our sensitivity to the pain and hurt around us, and reaching out to help others, even strangers. To a person who has found God, no person, ever again, is a stranger. In that is the perfection of love, the kind of love that God is, a love that knows no strangers.”

– Joseph F. Girzone, “A Portrait of Jesus”

” . . . I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me . . . ”

(Matthew 25:35a, ESV)

An Experience I Ponder

There are many near-death accounts where people speak of having visited heaven. I don’t know that I have experienced exactly that, but many years ago something happened to me that made me wonder if I had been given a glimpse of heaven.

The Gentleness Of God

Nearly every day I hear the sound of a dove cooing outside of our window, and each time I hear it, I am reminded of when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus “like a dove” (Luke 3:21-22, NLT). In the book of Matthew, Jesus referred to doves as “harmless” (Matthew 10:16, NLT).

What is Still?

What is Still?

What is still?
It’s the ceasing of wind
It’s the cat at my feet
It’s a leaf’s gentle bend

It’s the silence at night
It’s a crescent of light
Where the moon sits just right
above an earth in flight

Feasting In Good Company

Jesus stressed the importance of humility. When He and His disciples feasted with Matthew and Matthew’s friends, the Pharisees and teachers of religious law questioned the disciples, asking why they would eat with “scum.” Jesus responded, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.

When Words Became Voice

I remember that soon after I became a Christian I was impressed by the fact that the Jesus I was coming to know was consistent with the Jesus I was reading about in the Bible.

The Navigator

It is very clear to me that I need God’s help in determining how best to navigate my relationships with others. Since He knows the heart of every person, there is no better Counselor in these matters. When I have taken these types of concerns to Him, He has answered my prayers in different ways.

Hold Onto Him Tightly

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates . . . Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.”

(Deuteronomy 11:18-20, 22b, NLT)

Putting Our Thoughts In The Right Hands

Every day we battle thoughts that aren’t so kind about our neighbor, or we realize that our motives aren’t always completely honorable. As someone who loves Christ, God has ensured me that His Holy Spirit lives in me and that He has given me a new heart.

Sun In Rain

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