In the Book of Lamentation chapter 3, the author writes about God's great love and compassion in spite of Israel's continued disobedience to Him. This book was written in the days following Judah’s tragic defeat and exile to Babylon (586 B.C.) In painful detail, the author attributes horrific national suffering not just to the cruelty of the Babylonian military but to divine wrath that doesn’t sound compassionate or merciful. Yet the prophet’s tears mirrored the heart of God

In reading "Our Daily Bread" the other day, entitled "His Peace", I was reminded of how much of us worry about everything in our lives today. We worry about our jobs, our finances, our families, and the chaos in the world today. And sometimes we even worry about our "worrying" too much. But our true and only peace can only be found in God, and God alone. As stated in chapter 26, in the Book of Isaiah: Isaiah 26: 3-4 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are s

In today's Our Daily Bread, we are reminded that we all face challenges every day of our lives. But these challenges should "lift" us up, not bring us down. During a tour of an aircraft carrier, a jet fighter pilot explained that planes need a 56-kilometer-per-hour wind to take off on such a short runway. To reach this steady breeze, the captain turns his ship into the wind. “Shouldn’t the wind come from the plane’s back?” a young observer asked. The pilot answered, “No. The

In the Book of Matthew beginning in Chapter 5: 1-11, Jesus proclaims those words in His Sermon of the Mount. And in the Old Testament, the very first Psalm also states: "Blessed is he" who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. What I did not understand in reading those words of Jesus, is that the statement of: Blessed Are Those" is not a state of "wishful thinking" or to "invoke a blessing" from God. It is a "state of mind" in one's life. These words recognize an "exist

As little children, we are so trusting and believing in our parents to provide and protect us. But as we grow older, we begin to lose that innocence of trust. We begin to think we can do things by ourselves. We say to ourselves: "I can take care of myself now". There lies the problem as we become "children of God". God wants us to have that "child-like" trust in Him as we did as little children to our parents. Matthew 18: 3 (NIV) And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you cha

We all have heard the story of the Apostle Peter and Jesus walking on the water. In the Book of Matthew, in chapter 14 verses 15-20, Jesus had just finished feeding the five thousand. He then sent His disciples ahead of Him on the boat on the Sea of Galilee while Jesus sent the people away. Matthew: 14: 22-24 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes awa

Isaiah 55: 8 (NKJV) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. In reading the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis over the last couple of days, I was reminded of how God works in mysterious ways in our lives. God allows certain circumstances to come into our lives that we may see as bad, but God means them for our good. Joseph's story is the ultimate of "of bad circumstances" that could happen to a person. Joseph was hated by his ol

In reading "Our Daily Bread" on Sunday morning, I was reminded of the great darkness that is filling our world more and more every day. This darkness seems to become more prominent as each day goes by. Our lives can become overwhelmed by the despair and the brokenness that surrounds us. Families are being torn apart. Children are wondering the streets with nowhere to turn, and husbands and wives are giving up on the commitment of love they once shared. So where in this darkne

As we begin this new year let us remember no matter what lies before us, the Lord will always be with us. Let us keep our hearts always surrendered to Him. Isaiah 43: 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 9: 6-7 (NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end. PERSONNAL COMMENT: May our Lord Jesus bless you and keep you in His loving arms this season. May we all come to understand the importance of "true rest" in our Lord. May we continually learn th

Psalm 23 (NIV) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, 3 He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and

In today's reading of "Our Daily Bread" entitled; "Beautifully Broken", I am reminded of our God who is in the business of fixing broken vessels, us. Many times, in our lives we feel broken and believe that we are "unfixable". But that is so not true. We worship a God of mercy, grace, and most of all, "great love". His love is everlasting and never fails. But all He ask of us is to come before Him with a "broken heart" and lay down our burdens at His feet. Many times, we want

I have come to better understand why so many of us, as Christians, struggle with living and walking a good Christian life. We want to do good and please God because of what He has done for us. That is good and commendable, but God does not ask that of us. He wants us to receive His free gift of eternal life, and trust in the work of Jesus, and then leave the rest of the work to Him. If we keep trying to please God with doing these good things, there lies the problem. In the B

This is an interesting question that many Christians have asked over the years. Since God's grace came to all men because of sin, (sin came through the Law of God), that must mean that God has given us the freedom to continue to sin that His grace may continue to abound even more. Read what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans: Romans 5: 20-21 (NIV) The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just

As we go through trials, I am sure we sometimes wonder what God is doing in our lives. I am sure we may even question God for what He is doing, I know I do at times. But we have a great God who is "all-knowing" and "always present' in our lives. In the book of 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians with the following: 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

In the first Book of Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is addressing many issues with the church in Corinth. One of the issues was tolerating sin with other believers and themselves. He uses the example of "leaven and unleavened bread". 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been s

I Thessalonians 5: 16-24 (NKJV) Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you

Many people who go through trials in their life grit their teeth when they see the trials coming and pray hard that God will help make the trial go away soon. The trials themselves can be very painful and hard to endure, depending on the type of trial it is. But no matter what type of trial whether it be family, personal, financial, or relational, they can be very heart-wrenching. Early in my years as a new Christian, I was unfortunate to go through very many hard trials in m

In "Our Daily Bread", entitled, "False Confidence", the subject speaks about our false confidence that we can build up in ourselves based on different disciplines we have come to learn to practice in our life. These types of learned practices can lead us to becoming over-confident in ourselves, which in turn can lead us into judging others on how we are becoming. The writer uses an example of a person who received a stern talk from their physician regarding their health and

When we are facing difficult and unyielding circumstances...many times these circumstances can affect our belief or faith that God is still working in our lives. It becomes very difficult when we are in the middle of these trials, to see God at work in our lives. Our faith and belief in God are challenged to the core of our very being at times. It is during these tough times that we must come to trust God and believe that He is with us. We should not rely on our feelings to b