"Strengthen the Feeble Hands, Steady the Knees That Give Way."
Faith
All Things Lightly
Aug 18th
If things are what you want, God can give you things,
but if it is God you want
you must be willing to hold “all these things” lightly
and cling tenaciously to God himself.
These things, these blessings we covet,
the gifts, and even the spiritual gifts we desire,
the characteristics and disciplines we crave,
they are residual of His presence.
It is He and He alone that is our chief pursuit.
He and He alone is our first desire.
That is why Paul could say…
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
God’s presence is worth far more than all His gifts.
God’s presence is worth far more than any blessing.
But we must know this as the blessings come.
We must keep this idea in mind when prosperity finds us.
We must be very careful that we do not unwrap our gift,
discard the wrapping,
and after a quick thank you,
become consumed by the gift while neglecting the giver.
If it is things you want…God can give you things.
If things are all you want you will be satisfied for a time.
But soon you will find things are not all you want,
and More >
More Than These
Feb 4th
(First published on www.crosswalk.com/singles)
I want to know. I have always wanted to know and I want to know everything!!! But in my singleness I wanted most of all to know why love tarried. I was under the impression that given enough information, given the right answers I would be able to cope with my loneliness and rest peacefully in God’s arms.
The truth is I would not understand were He to explain all things to me. I would not grasp the mind of God should He open to me the gates of heaven. And I realized that it was a relationship I craved and not knowledge. What I wanted was for the sadness to end, for love to present herself. Knowing would never keep me warm. Knowing would not end the loneliness.
The desire to know was my way of controlling, God. It was my way of harnessing the reckless nature of faith, of taming the mysterious God who causes the wind to blow. I won’t pretend that I don’t want to know why love shows me such disregard but the answer has ceased to be so important because I love Him and He loves me.
Our God loves us and desires to More >
Towards Whatever End
Jan 29th
Because I do not believe God, because I do not search the thicket expectantly for the ram caught by its horns (Gen 22:13), because my faith is small, I do not sacrifice as I should. There is within me, within us, a nagging suspicion which makes us hesitate, makes us wary of risking it all.
And perhaps that is why God did not ask of Abraham an animal or some grain as sacrifice. Perhaps that is why God did not stop Abraham on the way to the mountain and why He did not keep him from laying Isaac on the alter. Perhaps that is why it was the moment before the knife descended, or as it descended, that God’s word of remembrance came through. “Abraham!”
For this committed saint and devoted father, it must have been as much a shock to be interrupted in his devotion as it was to be told to sacrifice the son he so loved. But, Abraham believed God!
On that day two faiths were tested, two lives were at stake, and two generations of devotion birthed. The death of the son would have killed the father. The father trusted God while the son trusted his father.
Isaac spoke up and More >
Zechariah Doubted
Jul 28th
Zechariah had a problem. He was elderly, his wife Elizabeth was elderly, yet the angel Gabriel was telling him Elizabeth would have a baby. He was a righteous man, a Godly man but when Gabriel spoke…Zechariah doubted.
You can hardly blame him. Sure he had the example of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah as well as Elkanah and Hannah but this was a little too close to home. It seems so different when WE are faced with trials. I don’t blame Zechariah, but the angel did.
Doubt is natural, but it is not spiritually healthy. It is understandable, but it is nonetheless dangerous, “…because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” You may not be sure, that is understandable, but if the one who promised is able (and He is) and His promises are true (and they are) then put your doubt aside. As James illustrates, doubt is like the wind. If you cannot keep the wind out, at least, let it pass. Do not allow it to fill your sail and press you towards faithlessness.
Zechariah’s question was more than doubt however. He is really asking, “How will I know what you More >
