We must depend upon God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We must, to the same degree, depend on Him to enable us to do what we must do for ourselves.
Category Archives: Perspective
Questions, doubts, and struggles are not the antithesis of faith. The opposite of faith is a decision to not trust God. The man who cried out to Jesus, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ did not demonstrate faith with zero doubts but a willful decision to trust in God even in the midst of questions and doubts.
Belonging to God
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The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them. Psalm 89:11
I spent most of the last two days driving. It’s not something I do easily, but God was gracious in providing the needed strength and endurance. Knowing that I would be traveling and my time would be limited, I was considering what I would write about this week. As I drove, the song “I am Yours” started playing. It echoed the quote from Charles Spurgeon that I shared earlier in the week and is shown at the top of this post. The common theme was not lost on me. Given the calamity due to hurricanes, earth quakes, threats of war, prayer requests, etc., it seemed appropriate to consider the concept that we belong to God and what that means.
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Perhaps we’re meant to learn that the richest hope permits the deepest suffering, which releases the strongest power, which then produces the greatest joy.
Let God’s promises shine on your problems.
Life Is Like a Pack of Crackers
Guest Post by Shelly Hendricks
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“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21
A frustrated woman, that’s what I was one day not long ago as I tried diligently to wrap and fold neatly, a pack of crackers. Sounds like a simple task, right? Try it sometime, and really pay attention to what happens. I found a few interesting tidbits that day that I could relate to life.
A pack of crackers, first pulled out of the box, is a beautiful thing, especially for a mind like mine that craves order. The package is crisp and smooth. The crackers are lined up neatly in a row, no breaks or crumbs in sight. The seam opens smoothly and they are crisp in your mouth. Then comes the trouble… how to return the package to a decent-looking state without losing your mind.
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We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
There is no one who is insignificant in the purpose of God.
Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. What was once foolishness to us—a crucified God—must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.
Dying With Dignity
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For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Romans 8:5-9
When I was in college, I took a chapel class that discussed controversial social issues. Two of those were suicide and euthanasia. Since my time in college and in the context of chronic illness, both of these choices have been gaining acceptance in our culture. The basic premise in their justification is that the person dying is ending their life with greater dignity and grace. To be sure, the aging process and health concerns such as dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, cancer, etc. often bring on many indignities before finally ending life. However, to take matters into our own hands rather than relying on God’s timing is willful and contrary to God’s precepts. Rather than providing dignified death, it is either giving up or a defiant act in that it denies God’s goodness, wisdom, love and purposes. A death that is truly dignified is much more graceful and determined than suicide or euthanasia.
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