Throughout time, Christians have shown a remarkable capability. No matter what else is around them, no matter what calamity may strike, they almost seem to never be rattled. There is an inner strength to them. How are they able to do it? What allows them to keep their heads high in the direst of times? Do they know something others do not? Take Daniel for example. I imagine when he was about to be thrown in the Lion’s Den he was not screaming or pleading for his life. Instead, I imagine an unnerving calm about his presence. He was sure that his God could deliver him, but also content to do for righteousness sake (Dan. 6). Read the rest of this entry »

In times of economic instability, it is hard for people to trust in the Lord to provide. Instead they worry about whether or not they will be able to pay their bills, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their head. There are many sleepless nights wondering how things are going to be paid for. What starts out as a simple question becomes an unanswerable question. The stress is felt in our entire bodies. The physical effects are almost suffocating. We are distracted from our meditations, our prayers, and even our daily “housekeeping” tasks. Worry is a dangerous companion. Read the rest of this entry »

Here, the Hebrew author tells us that because of Abraham’s faith, God was not ashamed to be called His God. This is not so with all men. In Genesis 6, we see that God was grieved about mankind, and wanted to destroy it because of its wickedness. God was not proud of His creation then. He was embarassed by it. That He would be known as the Creator of such beings. They did not represent Him well. But Abraham was different. He followed God and trusted Him. If we follow Abraham’s example, God will also be proud of us as His servants, gladly calling us His own. Read the rest of this entry »

It is important that we trust the Lord. This is actually the very definition of faith. However, our trust is not blind. It is based on all that we see about Him. God is worthy of our trust. He is the creator of the universe, and specifically the creator of man. No one knows better what we were created to do than God. What is wonderful about this arrangement is that He has not left us blind, guessing at what we are supposed to do. Instead, He has told us exactly what He wants us to do. Read the rest of this entry »

After the Israelites had left the Egyptian bondage, their former master, Pharaoh, decided he wanted to retain their services as slaves. He sent the very formidable and famous Egyptian army after them, chariots blazing after their prey. He probably thought they would quickly surrender (the Israelites having just left servitude had no formal army ). Here we have the contrast David is talking about. The Egyptian with their  chariots, soldiers and great military might. The Israelites have only God. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul here, explaining why he is content in his sufferings, gives one of the most profound definitions of faith. He tells Timothy that he KNOWS who he believes. He knew who Jesus Christ was, and it was in this knowledge that He was able to portray such confidence. With that knowledge, He was convinced that Jesus would indeed be able to keep that which He had given to Him. Christ was the one who above all could protect Paul’s treasures until the day of judgment. Read the rest of this entry »

Psalm 94:19

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

      The Psalmist here understands both himself and others when it comes to worrying. Anxious thoughts really do multiply in people’s minds. They are worried about death, bills, their children, whether the car will start in the morning, running late and hundreds of other things. Some of them are traumatic life changing events and others are every day occurances. Some days we feel as though we have it under control, while on other days we are ambushed at every turn by anxious thoughts.

     So what is a Christian’s response to such overwhelming thoughts? Some people just say, “Don’t stress about it,” or, ” Don’t worry.” Yet when we try to stop worrying about something, it is as if someone told us not to think about yellow zebras. Now we cannot get the yellow zebras out of our mind. In fact, sometimes we stress about being stressed. How ironic! We need to have a plan of action other than just no longer being anxious.

      Luckily the Psalmist provides us with the cure in the same verse. He tells us how he handles such stress. He remembers the consolations of the Lord. He looks at everything the Lord has done for Him. In doing so, He is reminded that someone much more powerful than He is in charge. Also, He remembers that the Lord has already taken such good care of Him that He knows the Lord is looking out for Him now too. When we think about the blessings God has given us, we can fight the ambusing anxiety back until we again are at peace.

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

Jeremiah 17:8

“For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

      The image of a tree by the water  is one used often in the Bible. Psalm 1 is probably the most popular usage. However, Jeremiah’s example is a little more descriptive. It talks about how the tree will be able to stay strong, no matter what happens. When there is a drought, gardeners worry about their plants because they will not get enough water. If a tree had feelings, it too would be scared of such circumstances. It would wonder when they next rain might come.

      The preceding verse tells us who this tree represents. It is a picture that descirbes those who trust in the Lord. By trusting the Lord, they have no need to be anxious or scared whenever hard times comes. This may come in the form of tribulation from the world. It may come from difficult financial or even emotional times. Worse still, it might come as temptation brought on by Satan himself. These are all times when Christians may get worried or scared, just like a tree wondering if it can withstand the drought.

     Yet the tree is protected because of its proximity to the stream. The stream provides the water that they sky does not. The stream in this image is God. God is the provider of all things, and particularly the way of escape in difficult times (1 Corinthians 10:13). He gives us what we need to survive. We should not depend on worldly things to give us the water we need. Instead we should only drink from the word of God. If we will remember that such water is there, it will guide us through whatever difficulties may be on our path.

“For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

John 8:44

“You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature,} for he is a liar and the father of lies.

     When Jesus tells the Jews here that they are of their father the Devil, we expect Him to be talking about the vilest of people. When applying the father and son relationship in New Testament times, they often meant that someone imitated another. We acknowledge the similarity between son and father when we say that someone is a “chip off the old block”. They would use it as a metaphor. So when Jesus calls these people the sons of the Devil, He is saying that their character and actions are those that the Devil would do as well.

     That is why we would expect Jesus to be talking about a group of villianous opponents. Maybe someone like the Pharisees. It could be people who were reveling in the lusts of the flesh. What we do not expect, however, is that He is talking to people who believe on Him. Yet if we look back at John 8:31, the group that He is addressing are the Jews who believed in Him and the works that He had been performing. What caused Him to treat them this way?

     As we read through the text, we find that their faith was limited. Yes they believed in what He had done, but their faith did not go so far as to accept some of His harder teachings. It was this lack of faith that He condemned. It should serve as a reminder to everyone that not all faith is created equal. Just because we “believe” does not mean that God finds us acceptable. Our faith needs to show up in our words and in our actions. If we reject His more difficult teachings for our lives like those believing Jews did, should we expect to be treated any differently by God than they were?

“You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature,} for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Genesis 12:13

“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”

     Abraham was a very righteous man. He is considered the father of faith to both Jews and Christians. Yet despite his deep faith, Abraham was far from perfect. In fact he made the same mistake twice. Abraham lied to the rulers of countries that he was visiting about Sarah, his wife. He told her to claim that he was her sister. He feared for his life that the kings would just take Sarah as their wife by killing him.

     His fear was well founded. Granted he should trust the Lord, but it was not above kings to do this at that time (or in times since). Look at David, the man after God’s on heart, and his behavior toward Bathsheba and you could relate to the fear that Abraham felt when confronted with this ungodly kings. You can understand why he would be tempted to tell them that she was his sister, because death is never a pleasant prospect.

     You can also almost see the wheels turning in Abraham’s head. He tells Sarah to say that their relationship is brother and sister because this was partially true. It was not an outright lie, but just an omission of some very important details. Yet God was still displeased with this lie. At times, people today do the same thing. They tell a little white lie to avoid unpleasant consequences, and rationalize it to themselves on both accounts. We should all remember that God expects total honesty from His followers, and he will punish those who lie.

“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”