2015 Archives
August 28, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
C-L-E-A-N. These five letters may be incomprehensible to you— You who are living a life of lies and deceptions... who are running against the law… who are stealing things, forbidden moments—even futures and lives. Or you who are being haunted by your murky past: an illegal job… a police record… an abandoned family… a bloodstained knife. Even you who everybody perceives as pristine clean—innocent—but are hoping for the demise of somebody… nurturing wild imaginings… plotting evil schemes
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“In this world you will have trouble.” Think of dwindling economy, job layoffs, bill pileups, hospital medications, relationship glitches, and deep heartaches. We see these happening all around us—even experience these ourselves. So much so that we might be thinking, ‘Are we still in the era of wars and conquests?’ Life IS a battle. Living with this fact, however, does not mean life has to be miserable. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I HAVE overcome the world.” That, from the One who commands the hosts of angels, who commands rain to pour forth and storm winds to be still—the very One who commanded this world to existence.
July 15, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
To say that she was desperate is an understatement. She had been bleeding for twelve long years. She should have been limp and powerless. She should be staying at home. But she knew that the help she had been waiting for for years had come, so she battled her way out to touch just the edge of His cloak. The result? “…and immediately her bleeding stopped.” He was her only son. So when he died, she did not just cry. She howled and bawled. Seeing her irrepressible grief, He reached out to her and said, “Don’t cry.” But He did not stop there. He touched the coffin and said, “Young man, I say to you, get up.” And the boy did!
May 4, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
A God who is perfect… spotless… holy. Such a God should NOT have anything to do with men. Vile and corrupt in every way, we are His exact opposite. He SHOULD have been revolted. But He was not. Instead, He did the most unthinkable act: He embraced us… Clothed us with His righteousness… Sent His only Son to bear our sin—even became sin for us. All these, just so we could be granted entrance into His holy courts. JEHOVAH TSIDKENU. Through Him we are forgiven. Deception, evil plotting, sexual fantasies, physical abuse, rape, murder—whatever our sins may be—if we repent and ask for mercy, we will be forgiven. Because there on the cross He bore the sin of all mankind.
March 31, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
From the most basic to the most complex, man is never without needs. Consider: that street beggar who is without proper nourishment, neat clothes, or a shield against the sun and rain… that minimum wage earner who only has enough for three meals a day and no budget for expenses like house rental, medicine bills, or school fees… or even that upperclassman who has a mansion in Forbes Park, a Lamborghini, and thriving businesses but is always restless and stressed - at work and especially at home. Because whatever the status in life, there will always be that something that is lacking. Unless we go to the One True Source of it all… the Lord Who provides… JIREH.
March 4, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
Imagine a boy, soiled and sweaty after playing in the backyard. His father sees him—dirt, mud and all. But instead of being revolted, his father gently scoops him from the mud and says, “Let’s get you cleaned up, son.” Now that same boy would not go to school, for he is being bullied by his classmates. So his father instructs him, “Muster your courage. You can’t just run from your fears,” then adds, “I’ve got your back.” And when the boy gets sick, his father watches over him all through the night and whispers, “If you need anything, I’m just here.” So when the boy grows up, he makes a name for himself and receives wide recognition. In the midst of the cheering crowd is his father, smiling contentedly and says, “That’s my son.”
January 31, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
Someone who leads, protects, nurtures, and cares for. That is what spiritual leaders are. Shepherds. From Abraham to Jacob to David to the leaders of the early Palestinian church, the Bible is loaded with depictions of shepherd-sheep relationships. If you are barely making ends meet, if you are dreading that the next knock would be your landlady, or if you have expended all your energy trying to earn an extra penny for that hospital bill—then believe that He is Raah… that He will lead you beside green pastures.
January 22, 2015 by admin | Leave a Comment
In the beginning, the earth was dark and formless and void. Nothing. Then came a voice that echoed throughout the vast nothingness, “Let there be light!” And there was. Elohim. The God who created the wondrous universe - from the majestic sunset to the roaring waterfalls... the tiny insect to the gigantic Mt. Everest... the bodies of water to the clusters of galaxies - without ever lifting a hand. Elohim. The God who transformed an old Abraham into a father of many nations... a young Joseph into a rescuer from famine... a stuttering Moses into a leader of God’s people... a fearful Peter into a bold disciple... and a persecutor Paul into a great apostle.
2014 Archives
January 9, 2014 by admin | Leave a Comment
(HIS LIFE-GIVING LOVE) “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” – John 1:4 This new year, the best place to start is not really where or when, but Who. It all starts with Jesus. The truth is simple. We were created in the image of God and enjoyed the sweetest fellowship with Him. But we fell from that image and lost that sweet relationship when mankind sinned. The most principal consequence of that sin is separation from the joy of intimacy with God.