"All of life is business with God…" John Calvin
In his second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln expressed his belief that the Civil War was the direct result of God’s providential justice, brought to bear against our nation in God’s appointed timing because of the offense of slavery. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs … Continue reading Woe To the Oppressors
Last week, Habakkuk faithfully wrestled with the Lord’s perplexing ways. He grounded himself in what he knew to be true—that God is all powerful, he is holy, he is faithful, he is just, and he is a steady refuge in time of storm. None of that squared with what God revealed he was planning. The … Continue reading The Righteous Shall Live By Faith
“Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9–10) Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will would be done here on earth. If we believe that God is sovereign, then we believe that everything that happens on earth is according to his divine will. … Continue reading Not a Blind Faith, but a Puzzled Faith
Last week we lamented with Habakkuk over the violence and destruction that was rampant in Judah, among the very people of God (Hab. 1:2–4). Why didn’t God do something to bring order and peace? How long would Habakkuk continue to cry out to the LORD and have his petition fall on seemingly deaf ears? This … Continue reading Wonder and be Astounded
Last week we began a study of the book of Habakkuk with the women of our church with an introduction by my co-teacher on the historical context in which Habakkuk lived and wrote. This week we covered the first four verses of Habakkuk. I’d like to share here the substance of our lesson for those … Continue reading O Lord, How Long?
A few days ago, I recycled an old post about memorizing Scripture, with reasons for and blessings of hiding God's Word in our hearts. Today I'm sharing the method I use to memorize Scripture (also recycled- originally posted in July 2017 at enCourage.) One of the means I list below to aid memorization is focusing … Continue reading Memorizing Scripture, part 2: the How
Several years ago, some friends and I memorized the book of Ephesians. We were digging into Ephesians in our women's Bible study at church, so it seemed appropriate to memorize it as well. I had memorized Philippians the year before, and the year after Ephesians we studied and memorized 1 Peter. Since then, I've fallen … Continue reading The Beauty and Blessing of Memorizing Scripture
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:5b–7 This passage of Scripture is one of the reasons Philippians is … Continue reading When Saints Disagree
“I’m sorry, sweet girl, I’m so, so sorry.” As I gently removed the last dead puppy from her bed, her whimpers began. Only the day before her belly had been full of life, but her babies came too soon. One at a time, her puppies were born sleeping. Yorkshire Terriers are normally born looking like … Continue reading All Creation Groans
