“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalm 28:7, KJV). You have heard the saying, “Buck up, be strong” when hard things happen. The idea is that we are to grit our teeth and push through whatever we are facing. We are tough. We can stand. We are not quitters. Right. Sometimes life knocks us right on our backsides. Sometimes we have no strength to

For years, I agonized about God’s will. I prayed about it. Wondered about it. Searched for it. Fretted that I would somehow miss it altogether. I now know that I am not the only one that has suffered from this malady. Many Christians live in confusion about the will of God. And yet, God plainly states that He is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33, KJV). The more I read the Bible, the more I find that God plainly states what His revealed will is. Here are s

Today when you face the struggles of the day and your faith which seemed so strong just slowly fades away. Remember I am near, through Me you’ll persevere. In My presence you will find My strength. Today when the fight takes more than you can give, and you want to quit and run before the day’s begun. Remember that I fought the battle just for you. In My presence you will find My peace. Today when life’s grief weighs heavy on your soul, and the burdens that you bear are be

We talk about a lot of things we want. We want to lose weight. We want to be healthy and strong. We want to be wise. We want to know more about the Bible. We want to be close to God. But do we really? How much energy and effort are we willing to put toward the things we want? How much are we willing to sacrifice? Or do we find it easier to talk about what we want without actually applying ourselves toward a goal? The great King Solomon spoke of the desire for wisdom and

“I’m so used to being tense that when I’m calm, I get nervous.” – anonymous There was a time in my life that statement defined me. While I talked about peace and longed for peace, peace eluded me. Yet, peace is the inheritance of every child of God. Jesus Himself willed it to us before He went to the cross. It’s right there in the fourteenth chapter of John. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart b

God’s ways are not our ways. He doesn’t think like us, or maybe a better way to put that is we don’t think like Him. And He doesn’t act in ways that we expect Him to act. His ways are so much higher than our ways. If we could ever grasp this truth, we could walk with greater confidence each day, knowing that God is working even when we cannot trace His hand. Exodus 14 What do you do when you are caught between two impossible situations and there is no place to turn? Th

I looked out the kitchen window this morning expecting to see the hummingbird sitting on his perch. Instead, a small oak snake was curled around the wire of the pole that we had fashioned for the hummingbirds. His camouflage made him almost invisible. He was set to catch a meal. Oak Snake on Hummingbird Feeder This wasn’t the first appearance of this snake. We had already removed him from another hummingbird feeder twice during the previous week. Each time, my husband caugh

Go-getter. People person. Irritable. Upbeat. Tenderhearted. Opinionated. Timid. Perfectionist. Harsh. I’m not willing to write some of the words with which people characterize others, but we know what they are. Based on characteristics, personality traits, actions, or just our own perceptions and moods these words form images in minds that can be positive or negative, and they definitely affect how others react to us. In the fourth chapter of Philippians, Paul issues seve

Paul spent two years on house arrest in Rome while he awaited trial. During this time, he was chained to a Roman guard twenty-four hours a day. While he had some liberty to receive guests and write to the churches, his movement was restricted, forcing him to rely on others for support. His Roman citizenship gave him a daily food allowance, but he was dependent on others for all his other needs and to supplement the meager food supplies. The Philippian Church Paul never comp

One of the most oft quoted scriptures in the New Testament is found in the book of Philippians. You see it on motivational plaques and hear it repeated when people are facing challenges that seem too hard to complete. Students claim it when they face a hard exam, and others stand on it when going on a difficult interview. Many people choose it as a life verse and make it a part of their signature. It is a powerful verse, but I am not sure that we always see it in its context.

Some hills are high and hard to climb. Some tasks are difficult and take a long time to complete. Some ministries we are called to require everything we have and then some. We get tired. Some battles we fight send us to our knees repeatedly as we long for a breakthrough, any indication that tells us we are on the winning side. Some days I want to hand in my keys and go home. I can get weary in doing what is right and good. That is why the verses in the sixth chapt

Patience. In our fast food, microwave, instant world, patience is a virtue that seems to have lost its value. People don’t want it now; they want it yesterday – whatever IT is. We speed just to be speeding. We rush, because rushing has become our habit. Waiting is out of style, and most people don’t mind letting you know. That’s why the first line of Psalm 40 caused me to catch my breath, to pause. “I waited patiently for the Lord;” Whoa. That is not a 21st century se

We topped the sand dune and surveyed the glistening white sand of the Florida beach. The sky shone with the heat of June, and the aquamarine waves were already tumbling onto the shore. Our grandchildren ran with boogie boards and laughter to the edge of the water while we cautioned about riptides and sea life. We set up the beach tent and began a beautiful morning at the beach. The children and parents played in the pristine waters, jumping and catching waves with their boa

Today, I see eternity in the eyes of a newborn child or the rugged mountains that lift their spires to the translucent heavens. I sense eternity – when I rest beside grand oceans and watch undulating waves roll into infinity, or hold the tiny hand of child, or walk with an aged saint. Eternity doesn’t wait for me – Eternity is now, in the yellow of the first daffodil of spring, Daffodil in the pastel rays of dawn that wake the birds’ song, in the freshness of air that fills

Sometimes God's word provides us with a list of things to bring focus and joy to our day.

As I read in the sixth chapter of Hebrews this morning, I read about hope. Hope is in scarce supply in our world today. Not only is it in scarce supply, but we have trouble accurately defining it. When most people talk about hope, the concept seems elusive and hard to grasp, something that exists beyond them – a “pie in the sky” sort of dream. We “hope” we win the lottery. We “hope” we get to Heaven. The whole idea is vague and, honestly, a little frustrating. The hope th

As I think about the gift of citizenship in these United States of America on this 250th birthday of our great nation, I am in awe of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father. Across this world, even as others curse the policies and politicians, people long for the freedoms we take for granted each day. America still stands as a beacon of liberty, resting on a legacy of sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of brave souls who gave everything for the i

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV). I was only gone for one week. I left happy flowers in clean pots, well-watered and weeded. I came back to blooming flowers in containers filled with weeds. Weeds of every dimension and type. Where did they come from? Flower overrun with weeds I never have to search for weeds. I pull them up, and the next day two more appear. It seem

Living by Faith – a common Christian saying. We hear it often. We say it often – “I’m living by faith.” What do we mean when we say those words? I would venture to say that those words are powerful and difficult. I spent some time in Hebrews, chapter eleven as I thought about living by faith. Hebrews 11:1 reads “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, faith is not some wishy-washy feeling. It is substantial. It is

In this world we live in, we are bombarded by darkness. We can easily be caught in the whirlwind of negative thinking. God offers a different perspective. He tells us to think on the good things. In Philippians 4:8, read the instructions Paul gave to the church at Philippi. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever, things are of good report; if