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But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah. Jonah 1:3

It would seem that Jonah did not yet have the chance to read David’s psalm about God’s omniscience (see Psalm 1039:8). I say that in jest, but God’s presence is everywhere and we are unable to flee from him no matter where we go. So if you are running from him…STOP! What are the benefits of running…  ( Click for more )

This is a weird topic for me because I do not claim to love perfectly. I am as flawed as the next man but reading Song of Solomon recently I was reminded of couple things. The first is that love is a powerful thing. This is an emotion that crosses boundaries that seem impossible to be crossed. It becomes even more powerful when enacted. It becomes worth dying for in some cases. This book of the Bible tells of the expression of love between to individuals. There is an extremely strong bond expressed in the story even if it only lasts eight chapters. The power of the bond…  ( Click for more )

Ok. Here we go with another divergence from the norm. Not the usual format but I pray you are blessed nonetheless.

Looking back over my life, one of the surest ways that I knew God was working in me and through me was the ability I had to share my ugly past with others. I think this is a good sign to a believer that has claimed victory over a past struggle or bondage to be able to share the “what got me over” with someone else. For most of my teenage years and through my twenties I struggled with sexual lust. And for many of you reading this, you’ll say,…  ( Click for more )

David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied. The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet.""Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is…  ( Click for more )

Recently our family received a tremendous breakthrough. After a season of severe testing (much of what I’ve written about), God gave us a time of refreshing and relief. As we begin to tell others of our testimony that included a season of perseverance, it becomes necessary to reflect on the things God demonstrated to us about his sovereignty and faithfulness. As recently as this week, our time of testing was put into perspective by a friend of mine. He simply said that he was happy for me and my family because he watched us week after week come to church and fellowship…  ( Click for more )

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” 1 Samuel 16:11

In most sports organizations there are scouts that mainly serve as the surveyors for the organization. They are responsible for finding out the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses so that this information can be used by the team. More importantly they serve as the seekers of new talent…  ( Click for more )

(Read the entire book of Ruth)

Tucked away in the Bible is a great story of friendship and companionship. In the book of Ruth, Ruth models what most people covet in a personal relationship. Her loyalty, diligence and selfless attitude are to be admired. She reinforces the old adage that has been said again and again“hard work pays off”. What decisions did she make that led to her success? What qualities did she possess that were so remarkable in her day and even now? Understanding that pearls first start as little irritations in oysters allows me to appreciate…  ( Click for more )

A couple of weeks ago I finished up talking about experiencing the “dry place”. This is something that eventually happens to all Christians when walking with the Lord. The beautiful thing about these times is the wisdom gleaned in this period. Nonetheless, these can be very trying and difficult times. But to know that even this period of my life has been filtered through my Father’s loving hands is reassuring. As I was sitting the other day, I began to contemplate some of the sayings that I have used in these special seasons of life. These may be things uttered…  ( Click for more )

Last week’s study showed us how disobedience and doubt seriously hinder us from following God and his plan for our lives. But one may ask what happened? Or why did Israel fail like this? Who was to blame? All good questions. Therefore it is necessary to understand that the generation after Joshua was a generation that was TOLD the way but not SHOWN the way. Huh? Yes. They were told the stories of the Red Sea miracle, the manna in the desert, and the water from the rock, but unfortunately they were too young to have experienced any of that first hand. So we have a…  ( Click for more )

The other day I was listening to a respected theologian talk about the Israelite’s failure to receive the full blessing of the Promised Land. As I pondered his points it made me think of why that happened and how it could happen. How could a people that had experienced the many miracles of God right before their eyes not receive what he promised to their forefathers? Abraham had received a covenant promise from the Lord that his seed would be great and that whey would inherit the Promised Land. What happened? DISOBEDIENCE. Why after crossing the Red Sea, receiving manna…  ( Click for more )

No better known example of testing in the Bible is there than the story of Job. A righteous and upright man [see Job 1:1] he endured a severe period of trial and testing. His story has had to inspire millions to a renewed perspective to whatever circumstance they are facing. Many lessons can be learned from Job’s story, and all would agree that he experienced a “dry” place. In his time of testing he found God’s voice non-existent at times. However, when it was all said and done, his experience brought him closer in relationship with the Almighty. This…  ( Click for more )

God is Sovereign—what does that mean? When someone says that “God is sovereign”, what do you think of? Do you think of someone who is able to do what he wills and wishes without the interference of anyone? I think that is a good definition of the word. In my dry place, this was a good definition for me to have. There were many times when I realized I was powerless to do anything about my situation—I really mean ANYTHING. Before I came to an end of my resources by trying and trying and doing and doing, I had to rely on whom else--God. It is weird how…  ( Click for more )

I’d imagine there is no worst feeling than feeling as if you are a failure. The disappointment that accompanies a person when they have not met their own expectations or those of others can sometimes be unbearable. Even the strongest encouraging words from a trusted mentor or friend find difficulty in rescuing one from this abyss of the feelings and emotions of failure. But when even when we write ourselves off, God is faithfully there to rescue us—with his unconditional love. The lesson I have learned is that I have found myself in this spot because I have tried…  ( Click for more )

For the next few weeks I thought I’d focus on encouraging those of us (me included!) that are going through a tough trial. As we all know, life brings us trials and difficulties that ultimately build our faith as we grow closer in our walk with God. Over the past 3 years now, my family and I have experienced a season of difficult circumstances that has tested our resolve. It has brought us to our knees at times and caused a lot of pain and frustration. But as we catch glimpses of the finish line and the end of this season, we value the precious gems that we have found in…  ( Click for more )

And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:23-25

We can trust like clockwork that every year the retail industry will capitalize on the over-commercialization of Valentine’s Day. Roses, boxes of chocolates and stuffed bears are sold by the droves as individuals show an expression of…  ( Click for more )

You know when you feel that you've "mastered" an area of faith exercise and God puts you back through it as if to say "do it again, you still don't understand". Well that is how it usually is for me, but I think that this time though I really will pass (smile!). There are plenty of biblical themes that express God's devotion to the faithful--those for whom God protects, loves and provides. There is the time that young Joshua is charged with being courageous in the face of Moses’ recent death and the Israelites quest into the Promised Land (see…  ( Click for more )

Trust

They also received a lesson in “Trusting God-101” as they were told the following:

The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. Exodus 16:4b,19,20

As in any large group of people you always have those that just…  ( Click for more )

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. Exodus 16:4

A friend of mine recently shared something with me that I just cannot keep to myself. It to me was a very representative picture of what my pursuit as a disciple of Christ should be. Pursuing Christ-likeness should be the ultimate goal of the Christian—otherwise why bother? In this pursuit, we should be after the bread of life—Jesus…  ( Click for more )

(posted previously)

The Christian Life=A Hard Race

When I ran track in high school and college, I specifically remember a drill that we did that involved us running past our target. Since my individual specialty was the 200m, in practice my coach often made me run 300m so that my endurance for the 200m would be improved. This accomplished a lot of things for me. For one, I was never tired during the 200m in the meet because I’d so often run past 200m to achieve my goal in practice. And probably most importantly I was able to sustain my fastest speeds longer than my…  ( Click for more )

This week in my bible reading my wife pointed out something I hadn’t seen before. In Job 19:23, he [Job] says, “ Oh that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll…” I found that very amazing that he didn’t realize then that a part of his life would go down as the “trial” of all time. He probably never realized that he would become this “spiritual legend”. People everywhere—churched and unchurched—know the story of Job. A man that once had it all, but God in his sovereignty decided allow a period…  ( Click for more )

Happy New Year!

I’ve set as a personal goal to read the Bible in its entirety this year. (I’ve started and stopped at least twice before.) My goal is that this experience will pay rich dividends for me and the readers of this devotional in that biblical truths never return void (see Isaiah 55:11). Today I’d like to share with you three truths from a reading in Genesis this past week.

The first truth is that disobedience grieves the heart of God. In Genesis 6:5-7, God makes the decision to wipe out his creation and start from scratch. Immediately…  ( Click for more )

As the year comes to a rapid close, I’ve been challenged to stand fast to the theme of continuing to fight. The idea for this devotional was originally born from my personal journal of the events of my faith walk. Three plus years later I find it appropriate to look back and reflect on some of those entries. This time period has taught me three lessons this year that I pray will be a blessing to you.

Lesson #1 – Stand Fast to God’s Word

Earlier in the year I wrote the following:

A new month to experience the mercies of God for great is his faithfulness…  ( Click for more )

And we know from endless examples in his word that he does it in ways that do not always meet our expectations. Did Joseph ever think that his rise to authority in Egypt would take him down a road of desertion, betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment? No. But when he had his two sons (Manasseh and Ephraim) he unveils for us an “a-ha” moment in scripture (see Genesis 41:51,52). He realized that God had finally put him in a place to forget his pain and his father’s house. That is to say that Joseph released the right to hold a grudge against his brothers for what…  ( Click for more )

Time and time again I praise God for the revelations that are given to me through life experience. I am fortunate to have a great circle of individuals that are helping to shape my most precious faith. Years ago I would have tried to selectively filter these individuals into and out of my life. But recently I have learned that God is the best filter and already has the perfect mix of people for me. Just this morning, I was sharing with my wife (my most trusted companion on planet Earth!) about our journey of faith of these past three years. She often offers a perspective I can’t…  ( Click for more )