Reflection: The Holy One of Israel

"Because God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, it stands to reason that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. But he explicitly tells us who he is if we’re willing to seek and hear."

Reflection: Are You Persuaded?

"Like most of us, I haven’t physically committed the big, obvious sins like murder and adultery. I can honestly say I don’t outright lie or steal. But am I persuaded of what Jesus says about the sins of the heart?"

Reflection: Longing to Gather You

After God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he told Moses to tell the people, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (Ex. 19:4-6). Think of that! They were brought to God on eagle’s wings to be his treasured possession . . . 
Jesus told us, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” What more do we want before we will love and trust him to lead us in the right direction even when the way is through the rapids? Even if it looks like we’ll never see calm water again?

Reflection: Incline Your Heart

"It is right, with proper humility, for us to ask God to incline toward us. But it is we who need practice inclining toward God."

Reflection: Just Plant

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
One last thought, in case I’m still wondering if I couldn’t just give up and go watch ducks in the park. Paul says to the Galatian believers:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:7-9). 

Reflection: Stand in the Breach

"We know that not everyone is called to stand in the spotlight before crowds. In fact, few of us are. We are not all called to fill the same holes in the wall, but we are all called to do something. There is no checklist of day-to-day activities for a breach-stander. However, the more we read the word, pray, and listen, the more the general commands become astoundingly specific and personal.  
You are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13-14). You are called to be saints (1 Cor. 1:2), called to peace (1 Cor. 7:15), called to freedom (Gal. 5:13), called to walk in a manner worthy of your calling (Eph. 4:1), called to suffer (1 Pet. 2:21), called to be holy (1 Pet. 1:16). What do the calls to all believers mean for your specific calling? Ask God to show you."

Reflection: Our Dwelling Place

"As I think about it in terms of wishing, in the midst of all our moves, for a place to nestle, I can see how gently persistent God was in teaching me to find my true dwelling place in him. He had moved me from what had become my comfort to a new state where we were strangers. Then he took us to a different country altogether, one where we knew we were sojourners. After some time to get used to that, he left me there with my children and took my husband to war. He seemed to be saying, You’re catching on. Now it’s time for a test."

Reflection: Bad Company Corrupts Good Morals

"Don’t you love this sort of pithy proverb? You can toss the platitude to a teenager whose friends you don’t approve of with the assurance that its truth is indisputable and needs no context – exactly the way we like our favorite Bible verses.     
Because the maxim is simple to understand and examples of its truth abound, it was a perfect topic for an essay assignment for my writing class. Since I asked my class to contemplate the saying, I thought I should do the same. What, precisely, do the few words mean? Do they have anything to say to me?"

Reflection: Go and Learn What This Means

The Pharisees dogged Jesus so relentlessly they should have known his teachings as well as his disciples did. It’s tragic that they weren’t trying to learn anything from him other than how to discredit him.  
Have I learned what Jesus meant when he said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”?
It is hard to misunderstand what he means in the first chapter of Isaiah.
“‘What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices;’ says the Lord; ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats . . . Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.’” (Isa. 1:11, 16, 17 ESV).

Reflection: Servants Through Whom You Believed

"If you are a believer, someone had to plant the seed in your mind. Someone else watered it. Acknowledging these gospel gardeners gives us perspective. When it seems like life has been mostly dark, it can remind us that Jesus has been there all the time."