Skip to main content

GENUINE

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also,” 2 Timothy 1:5 (NKJV). “Genuine faith”, what a compliment! Tropical islands, with their sandy beaches, beautiful views and laid-back feel combine to warm the heart and free the mind. Yet often, right outside of a tourist resort, there is devastating poverty. During World War II, the Pacific Islands were as beautiful as ever, but it was a false paradise, carnage and destruction were everywhere. My point? Things are not always as they seem. I’ve seen thousands of people passing by with seemingly good lives, but just like those islands, carnage and destruction is often hidden behind those faces. Even in church, spiritual brokenness is often masked behind smiles. Yet for the surrendered heart God offers genuine faith through life’s most difficult battles. LORD of Glory and Might, in Your presence there is true paradise divine. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SACRED FOOTPRINTS

“This is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24 ESV. The table is set for a brand-new day. Only God knows exactly what is already prepared for my arrival in it. I must now leave behind days gone by and ready myself for new insight, a higher life, and greater things. Am I up for what today will bring? Only the day will tell, but the One who provides it will also carry me through it. One thing is sure; I will walk upon on sacred footprints since the Alpha and Omega has already trod this moment in advance, sprinkling blessings and divine opportunities throughout. I must pay attention so I don’t miss a thing He has placed along the path. Lord God, Lover of My Soul, today is the day You have made; I am so good with that and already rejoicing in what is to unfold. Lift me in Your arms and carry me through with faith, joy, and purpose. 

HE LIFTED ME

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand," Psalm 40:2 NIV. Our family was blessed to have quite a few pets over the years; a Pekinese named Reina was with us the longest. She was, without a doubt, the sweetest and dumbest pet we ever had. Whenever we asked her if she wanted to go out, she ran to the wrong door...EVERY TIME for 17 years! One day, she tried to stand up, but her back legs wouldn't work. Reina just sat there staring at me, shaking and bewildered. I've seen that “help me, I don’t know what’s going on here” look before. I've HAD that look before. God  sees  that  look  every day on His children’s faces around the world. LORD, You lift me and comfort me in my bewildering trials.  You grant me assurance when I am weak. You place my feet on higher ground. We are “more than conquerors” in Your mighty grasp.    

IN THE STORM

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side,’” Mark 4:35 ESV. Jesus left the multitudes on the peaceful shore and took His disciples into the storm. The apostle Paul was taken prisoner and into the storm. In each case, a miracle followed, not AFTER the storm but IN the storm. Some storms are spiritual, some emotional, some physical, and many are the storms of others into which we are drawn. There are private storms, cultural storms, political storms, doctrinal storms, church storms, family storms, and on and on it goes. But one thing they all have in common, there is no storm in which I cannot take the Savior’s hand and walk with Him on top of the tempest! LORD, my prayer is that of the psalmist: “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”