You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Holy Bible’ tag.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Isaiah 43:18
For many of us, the gifts under the tree are opened, the celebrations are over (although some may still happen this week) and we are left with left-overs in the fridge, some after party cleaning and one more thing that can’t be taken away, the memories of time spend together.
Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed sap. When our kids left yesterday there was a smile and a knot in the stomach. A smile because our ‘family’ was complete once again, if only for a few hours. A knot because things aren’t the way they used to be.
Oh, the love is still there and stronger. We are so proud of the adults we once carried in our arms. But time was never meant to stand still. Time moves on. A rushing stream has has life, a stagnant pool is lifeless.
Not all memories are good of course. Not all memories are even healthy! Isaiah writes to a people who were in horrible times, yet, he writes with a promise of brighter days ahead. It’s good to visit the past, but don’t live there.
It’s good to laugh at each other and tell those family stories, but don’t forget to form new memories, new stories that your grandchildren can pass on.
It’s even good to remember your mistakes, those things that took you down a road you never thought you’d be on; those roads where you ended up getting stuck in a rut that kept you trapped for days, or months or years. But don’t live there.
Our sovereign God of love allows us to take those side trips as opportunities to be reminded of his love and grace and mercy and forgiveness. Cherish the memories of this holiday season. Look deeper at the hidden blessings you may have received. Then move on. Move on with the promise that times will change, kids will grow, we’ll get old, but our God stays the same. His love never changes. His mercy is new every morning.
2023 may have been a challenge or a blessing. But 2024 is already planned for you by a God who loves you!
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
What’s robbing you of your joy? I love the story of Christmas and all it’s plots that we may miss. Take Mary for instance. She was a young teenager in an obscure town. Her only hope for claim to fame would be marrying the man of her dreams.
Then the angel showed up and everything changed. She found out she was pregnant, but not by Joseph, by the Holy Spirit. From that point forward her life would never be the same. Yet what amazes me is her attitude. She doesn’t scoff in unbelief. She doesn’t argue with God about His decision. She sings a new song of praise and joy!
Too often we allow things in our lives to rob us of joy. Unmet expectations, criticism, negative self-talk, failure and more can take away the joy God wants us to have.
In Paul’s letter to the Roman believers he prays that they (and us) would experience joy and peace. Simply stated, peace is that attitude we have about what’s going on around us. We can be full of fear or faith, we can act in courage or hide in despair, we can move forward or slip back to where we were.
Joy on the other hand is an attitude of the heart. Peace relates to the external, joy empowers the internal. So, where to we get joy? When life goes south, when those you trusted abandon you, when life deals you a critical blow it’s hard to have joy in your own strength.
You can’t just decide to be joyful. But that’s where God comes in through the power of Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is control of our minds our focus changes from despair to joy.
Our enemy Satan works overtime to find ways to kill our joy. He knows we are forgiven. He knows we will be in heaven someday if we have accepted Jesus. He can’t change our destiny, but he can change our outlook if we let him.
Don’t allow life circumstances to kill your joy. God’s Holy Spirit is ready to fill you with joy, but not just any joy, joy overflowing. Imagine that. By relying on the Holy Spirit you overflow with joy and when you do some of that joy will touch those around you.
You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. Psalms 119:114
Do you have trouble throwing away those ‘love letters’ from long ago? Perhaps a card, or a note scribbled on paper from someone you love. Perhaps you even take them out from time to time when you are feeling hopeless because they remind you that even though life around you seems to be falling apart, you have this one gentle reminder that life will be okay, that the things that are troubling you are a blip on the screen of life.
Some look at the Bible as a confusing book that’s hard to understand. I look at it as a love letter. A friend of mine told me of a time her husband was deployed overseas. She was home with the kids. This was before internet and instantaneous, global communication.
When a letter arrived from her husband, the world stopped. She would sit and read it carefully. It was almost as if he were there. It was a reminder of hope. It was a reminder that this struggle was temporary. It was a reminder that she was making it and soon he would rejoin them.
The Psalmist paints that kind of picture of God’s word. Oh, the Bible is full of deep theological truths to be sure, but the overriding theme is a love story of a God who earnestly wants you to enjoy his company. Immanuel, God with us.
Some day, he’ll return in physical presence. Until then we have a love letter of hope. May His Word fill you with hope this Advent season and beyond.
People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray. Proverbs 10:17
No one likes discipline. Let’s face it. Discipline is hard, painful and sometimes embarrassing.
Unfortunately, discipline is often confused with punishment and for good reason. Both are painful. Both are often the result of our own decisions, regardless of the intent of those choices.
Psychologists define the difference as: “Discipline means “to teach,” while punishment means “to correct or cause pain.”
Punishment’s goal is to ‘make you pay’ for your crime. Discipline guides you to restoration.
Disciple is done in love; punishment is done in anger.
Discipline requires relationship; punishment does not.
Discipline results in life-long lessons, punishment causes short term results and life-long scars.
Does God punish or discipline?
All have sinned against God. All deserve his punishment, but Jesus took that punishment on the cross.
God will discipline us because he wants us to be the best we can be. It may be painful, but his discipline is always done in love and for our good.
Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Psalms 131:1
We’ve all met that person. You know the kind. The person that always interrupts you to tell you that they ‘know what you mean’.
Another variation is the person who always knows exactly what you should do in ever situation because they have been there and ‘this is what they’ve done.’ If you don’t know anyone like that it may be because you ARE that person.
King David, mighty and powerful as he was, didn’t hesitate to admit that he didn’t know everything. Humble people aren’t people who degrade themselves, they are people who realize their own limitations and would rather listen than talk because they know that they will gain more knowledge by listening than they will by talking.
In a culture where many get their information from social media, truth becomes more clouded. Yet David implies in this verse that he won’t get involved in arguments he knows nothing about, but will put his faith in the knowledge he gets from God.
In spite of the many Biblical resources we have available to us, we are more and more Biblically illiterate! The source of all knowledge needs to come from God’s word and not social media.
Be careful who you listen to. The only real source of truth is madly in love with you and has promised that the closer you draw to him, the more you will be able to discern truth.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 