“You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves.” Psalms 89:9 NLT
When I lived in the Santa Cruz, CA area, I loved to go out to West Cliff Drive toward Natural Bridges State Park.
I would stand on the cliffs and watch the waves pound so hard, the ground vibrated and the water sprayed higher than the tops of the cliffs.
Despite its plural name, Natural Bridges State Park now only has one natural bridge. One stormy night in 1980, the second, larger bridge collapsed under the constant pounding of the waves.
Every time I went there, I stood in awe when I felt the immense power of the ocean waves overwhelm my senses.
And God created that mighty ocean with a word.
With power that immense, my little problems are no problem at all to God, if I can only trust Him.
What parts of creation inspire you to worship God? How does His amazing power affect the way you see Him?
“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” Hebrews 6:1 NLT
We go to an outreach-oriented church.
The Sunday sermons are geared toward new believers and non-believers.
They are very good but tend to stick with the basic truths.
It’s important that we find a way to dig a little deeper into God’s Word.
For us, that means daily reading the Bible and studying to find the whole of God’s message for us.
For me, that also means putting what I find into words and sharing it here.
A couple of our kids have found a weekly Bible study that also digs more deeply. That works well for them.
No matter how you do it, it’s important to go beyond the simple truths of grace and salvation to be able to live the fullest life God has for you.
How do you dig deeper into God’s Word? What are some of the deeper truths that you have learned from studying the Bible?
““In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”” Jeremiah 23:7-8 NLT
Google auto-completes the phrase “as surely as…” with “the Lord lives” and “the sun rises.”
Good to know A.I. has learned from the Bible, even if people forget the events to which Jeremiah refers.
That brings to mind the question, “How would you complete that sentence.”
As surely as (or as sure as) – • The Lord lives. • The sun rises. • Jesus saved me. • Peaches are poison (actually a Google suggestion). • Death and taxes. • Jesus is Lord.
It’s good to know beyond doubt that God lives and He is good!
We all need something solid we can rely on.
There is nothing more certain in my book that the facts that Jesus lives, He loves me, and He saved me.
What are the surest facts in your life? What funny alternatives to this saying have you heard?
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”” 2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT
This is always a tough subject to figure out.
The very fact that tithing is a principle taught in the Bible brings on pressure to give.
So how do we give without pressure?
First, I should mention that the gift Paul was collecting was to support those in need in Jerusalem. The Corinthians were already supporting their local church (which is what the tithe is for).
That’s not to say that the tithe shouldn’t be given cheerfully.
For us, it is just part of the normal monthly budget, and I rejoice when I see it spent to bring people to Jesus.
From time to time, there are other causes that stir your heart.
It could be sponsoring a child in need to hear the gospel and receive an education through the many ministries that provide that.
It could be helping victims of a natural disaster.
Or maybe it’s supporting a cause that is near and dear to your heart.
I can tell you from experience that being able to give as your heart directs is a far greater joy than holding on to money out of fear or greed (though saving for the future is also important).
I’ve also been on the side that has received help from other people’s giving.
That is humbling.
Finally, I’ve known people like the Macedonians (read the rest of the chapter) who would give even when it meant doing without themselves.
And they were some of the most joy filled people I have known.
No pressure here. (I’m not a non-profit so don’t try to give to me).
But if you want to know pure joy, give!
How has giving been a joy in your life? In what situations have you seen people give who got more than their share of joy in return?
“But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.” 1 Samuel 17:34-35 NLT
Today, I’m bringing back what I am currently calling the “In the Garage Series” where I feature a classic car and relate a lesson from the Bible to that car. It’s a car guy thing so my apologies to those who are not into cars.
Today you are looking at a 1968 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon.
This wasn’t just any Satellite, it was my first car.
I learned to drive in this car.
Normally you would think an American station wagon would be an easy car to learn with.
This one… not so much.
The only thing power on it was the rear window.
That’s right, no power brakes, no power steering.
If that wasn’t enough, it was a 3 speed column shifted manual transmission.
And I learned to drive on the narrow crowded curvy streets of the San Francisco Peninsula.
It took a while but I mastered that beast and felt like I could drive almost anything afterward.
David, as a teenager, drew the short straw and was sent to mind the families sheep.
From today’s verses, that sounds like a challenging job as he had ferocious animals to deal with.
But, with the help of God, he mastered those beasts.
That gave him the confidence he needed to convince Saul he could beat Goliath.
It also gave him the confidence to stand up to Goliath.
That brought freedom to Israel.
I’m not advocating fighting lions and bears or even learning to drive on a difficult car.
I am saying that we shouldn’t always take the easy path.
We especially shouldn’t always offer the easy path to our kids.
A difficult path often offers the greatest gifts.
What have you learned from the hard paths in your life? How have you safely led your children down the more difficult paths?
“Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.” Jeremiah 19:11 NLT
This chapter was harsh.
First God tells Jeremiah to take a new pot out to the dump.
In his day, the dump was considered “unclean.” Only the unfortunate souls assigned to work there would go there.
On top of that, he has to declare that all the bodies of the unclean people will be dumped there when Jerusalem is attacked.
I bet he ruffled a few feathers.
In fact, I know he did since he landed in jail over it.
Why did God use such harsh imagery in this chapter?
To give people reason to repent.
God didn’t want the kind of outcome that was prophesied.
God wanted people to repent and escape that kind of disaster.
Sadly, his prophesy came true and many perished.
But the nation survived.
We were rescued.
I don’t know how effective such harsh prophecies would be today.
I do know that people still need to hear the Gospel and sometimes God calls us to do unusual things to bring people to Himself.
Has God ever had you preach the good news of the Gospel in an unusual way? What were the results?
“When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.” 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 NLT
Have you ever had one of those “But God” moments?
• Everything is going wrong. • The bills pile up. • The kids get sick. • The car dies. • Conflicts arise with family or friends.
But God –
• Brought an encouraging friend. • Provided some unforeseen money. • Brought your family through illness. • Provided a helpful mechanic. • Brought healing to relationships.
All of those “but God” situations have happened to me and then some.
God has brought me through the lowest valleys and celebrated with me on the mountaintops.
I would be a lost and lonely man… but God…!
Have you been through the “but God” situations I listed above? What “but God” situations can you add to the list?
“We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.” 2 Corinthians 6:5 NLT
This verse always reminds me of the bumper sticker that reads “But did you die?”
When it comes to lengths one takes for the sake of the Gospel, Paul’s answer to that question would be “yes.”
He was all-in.
He gave it all for the sake of the Gospel.
No compromise.
And it can certainly be argued that there has never been a more effective missionary.
I don’t advocate working so hard for the Gospel that you are always exhausted.
Nor should you put yourself in unnecessarily dangerous situations.
But I do recommend following God’s call on your life wholeheartedly and without compromise.
If that brings days of exhaustion and moments of risk,
I believe God will honor and reward that commitment with effective ministry outcomes.
Your life will bear fruit in direct correlation to your level of commitment.
What spiritual fruit have you seen from times of sacrificial commitment? What can we do to increase our level of commitment?
Walk in the Light 