Delightsome Land

Read Exodus 4:10-13 God called Moses to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt. But Moses felt his lack of speaking skills disqualified him from pursuing God’s plan. God saw it another way. Called to Rescue There is only one Rescuer with the power to free us from the darkest prison. That Rescuer is the God who loves us so much He left everything to come for us, to free us. He is the one who made us, each of us, for a unique purpose and a magnificent destiny. His plans are for good, not for evil. His ways are straight and merciful. He came to give me a hope and a future —and to give you one too. His promises are true. His love is full of forgiveness and peace, joy and kindness, grace. He is the true Rescuer. He saves us from any prison, whether physical or emotional or spiritual, the ones we’re forced into and the ones we fall into on our own. He chooses us. He loves us without condition, unrelentingly, forever. He loves us broken, and He loves making us whole again. And He asks thos...

We all want to care and help those in need. But how do you know when you are being loving with someone, or are actually enabling them? When you are faced with a request for your time, energy or money, how do you know if the right response is to say “yes” and provide it, or “no” and decline? The Bible teaches, over and over again, that we are to help others: And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.  — Hebrews 13:16 We are designed to love others in word and deed. Also, for most of us, it’s much easier to say “yes” than “no”, for a number of reasons: • We feel compassion for the person’s struggle • We remember our own difficult situations • We don’t want them to feel disappointed and discouraged • We wonder if God has placed us in their life for this situation • We think we may be the only solution for them At the same time, however, our provision for someone can actually make the situation worse for them, because we may be prev...

Simple Truths  Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.  — Matthew 12:33 We human beings tend to overlook the simple truths of life and forget that the profound is usually revealed in the simple. For example, we can act out what we are not (at least for a little while), but this will not produce long-term fruit in our lives. In other words, an apple can only reproduce apples, because that’s what it is at its core (pun intended). Similarly, if we have an issue with anger, then no matter how kind and demure we try to act, eventually a challenging situation will arise and we’ll blow! As long as that anger goes unchecked and unhealed in our souls, we will continue to produce the fruit of anger. The same holds true for fear, jealousy, depression, low self- esteem, and so much more.  Many of us miss out on the abundant life that Jesus has for us because we haven’t taken an honest ...

That your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  — Philippians 1:9-11 NKJV So often we live in the moment and forget how far we’ve come. We do this by expecting our kids to be more mature than they are and by forgetting that our spouses are not perfect. Today’s story depicts one woman’s remembrance and recognition of what is still true, even though she long ago forgot. Crystal sat and looked at the questions for the assignment and drew a blank. Thirteen years had gone by, and she literally couldn’t remember why she had married her husband. Three children graced their lives, and she and David were busy parenting, busy with work, and generally exhausted. Pen in hand, she pondered the question, “What five attributes or strengths...

A couple asked to speak to me after a “Sacred Marriage” seminar. The husband had done some truly heinous things, and their marriage seemed on the verge of breaking up. The wife rightfully desired to call him to account. We talked for over an hour, and both of them left in tears — good tears that were bringing healing and restoration. I gave the sermon at their church the next morning, and the husband sheepishly approached me after the services. “I bet I’m the worst man you’ve ever preached to,” he said. “You’ve certainly done some awful things,” I admitted, “and you and your wife invited me into some of your worst moments — but I know that’s not the whole story. If someone created a video of  my  worst moments, and that’s all you were to see about me, you’d be tempted to kick me out of this church before you’d shake my hand.” Because we married a sinner, we’re going to see some ugly, ugly things. That’s why our attitude toward another’s sin will determine, in large part, the ...

There is one question that all children of God have wondered about at one time or another. It’s an important and personal question. For some of us, it’s the biggest question we have about life after this one. The question is simply this: Who is going to be in heaven? This is a big question. After all, our lives are filled with people whom we love and cherish. We want to know if we will be able to spend eternity with our families and friends. We want to know who will be beside us in the glory and light of God. The Lord God and All His Angels The answer to who is going to be in Heaven is in the Bible. First of all, it tells us that God is in Heaven. Scripture mentions several times that God is in His throne or on His throne, and the Bible says that the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him.  — Revelation 22:3 So, you and I know that God the Father is going to be there, God the Son is going to be there, and God the Holy Spirit is going to ...