“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” Luke 15:11-13 We are all familiar with this story Jesus told to illustrate how much God loves us. Those of us who are parents can sympathize with the father in this story. His younger son decided that…
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:5 David was just a youth when Samuel anointed him to be the King of Israel. Perhaps at the time, he did not understand fully what that meant. He went back to looking after his father’s sheep. No doubt he thought often of what the future might hold for him, but in the meantime, he continued to worship the Lord. Probably many of his psalms were written during this time of waiting. They express his great love for the Lord and desire to please Him in the way he lived. God had chosen him to be a king, but there would be a waiting time before this would happen. He would be tried and tested. He would protect his flock from the lion and the bear, showing him that the Lord was with him. This gave him courage when he faced Goliath on the battlefield. For a time, he would play his music for Saul, giving him some experience of what life was like in the palace. His friendship with Jonathan was a blessing to him.…
“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7 Joseph was just a youth when God gave him a dream. Not really knowing what it meant, he told his brothers. This made them truly angry and turned them against him. Even his father, Jacob, though he loved him greatly. thought he was being foolish. God was showing Joseph that He had a special position to fill. But it was not to happen right away. He would have years to wait before he saw the dream fulfilled. But as we read his story, we realize that it somehow gave him a determination to live a life of integrity and wait for whatever God had in store for him. He suffered at the hands of his brothers as they placed him in a pit and then sold him to the slave traders. He suffered temptation in Potiphar’s house and stood firm in his convictions, even though it caused him to be sent to prison. He waited. He won the favour of the prison warden and was an example to the other prisoners. After interpreting the dreams…
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Wait: to allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens, or until you can do something. Most of us do not like waiting. We make it on time to our Medical appointment and then sit for what seems like hours before our name is called. We pop into the…
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (I Peter 2:9). God’s people have always been special to Him. Exodus 19:5 speaks of them as a “peculiar treasure,” chosen and set apart by God. The word peculiar has several meanings. As a teenager I never took time to check a dictionary. In my mind peculiar meant being strange, weird, or odd. I wondered why I had to be strange to be a Christian. Had I done a little research, I would have discovered that peculiar also means “to have a character exclusively its own; select or special; separate; belonging particularly or exclusively to one.” Peculiar denotes ownership. GOD’S PROTECTION When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He gave numerous laws to guide their conduct and worship. The restrictions He placed on them were not designed to make their lives miserable. Instead, they were to keep His people from adopting the sinful practices of surrounding nations. God’s laws were given for protection, not punishment. They were to preserve Israel’s distinctness, to keep them from blending in with the heathen society of their neighbors. “For you are a people holy to the…
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14, ESV) Today is Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love in many countries around the world. In many places, it is celebrated with gifts, greeting cards decorated with hearts, red roses, heart-shaped boxes of candy, and romantic dinners. The customs vary from country to country. While for many it’s a celebration of romantic love, others use it a time to show appreciation for friends and family. The Love Message Love! Just the word may give us goosebumps. Some keep cherished love letters and cards from many years ago, reading them over and over until the pages become fragile. Yet, the greatest love letter ever sent was not a lace-and-flower-trimmed Valentine. The greatest message of all is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV) God’s love far surpasses ours. It is pure, sacrificial, and given without reservation. This is a love we do not earn it; it is given freely, bountifully. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrates His own love…