DEUTERONOMY 8:7-18 I disagree with people who decry material possessions and argue that owning things is necessarily bad. And I have to admit that I am a consumer who is frequently tempted to add to my treasure trove the things I believe I require. However, I am aware that having a lot of material has the potential … [Read more…]
HEBREWS 3:1-13 Giant concrete fingers partially buried in sand reach out toward the sky on a sandy beach in Uruguay. This is known as the Monument to the Drowned. La Mano, or “The Hand,” is how the locals refer to it. It was designed by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal in February 1982 as a caution to … [Read more…]
PROVERBS 8:12-21 During a Sunday service, I was distracted and annoyed by a person sitting beside me who sang off key and was out of pace during the unison readings. However, as we bowed our heads in prayer, it occurred to me that the Lord must definitely be more pleased with that other person’s heart than … [Read more…]
PSALM 121 Life is not a straight path from one blessing to the next, with the target of achieving heaven at the end. Life is a tumultuous and twisted journey. God is not just going to simply mop up the mess after it has been made. For our benefit and the glory of Jesus Christ, He … [Read more…]
LUKE 12:13-21 Many people enjoy shopping. They simply can not stop themselves from buying, buying, buying. The quest for the best deal is a global trend. Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, the Uk, the United States, and other countries have big shopping malls. The surge in in-store and online sales demonstrates that buying is an universal phenomenon. Shopping … [Read more…]
JOB 38:1-7 The supermassive black hole at the center of the Perseus cluster of galaxies is known to produce a lot of heat and light, but NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered soundwaves from it in 2003. Scientists determined that the sound the black hole was generating was a B flat, despite the fact that it was far, … [Read more…]
JEREMIAH 31:31-34 Michigan residents sometimes joke that they have two seasons: winter and road construction. Because harsh winters wreak havoc on road surfaces, crews get to work as soon as the ice melts and the ground warms up. Despite the fact that they call their job “construction,” much of it appears to be “destruction.” Simply patching … [Read more…]
ROMANS 8:31-39 Triumph, our old dog, wandered around the yard before she died, finding a sunny spot to stretch out on the grass to keep herself warm on cold days. This reminds me that we all must keep ourselves in God’s love. That does not really mean we have to do anything extraordinary to earn His love … [Read more…]
PSALM 107:1-8 I have plenty of time to read bumper stickers on vehicles when driving on the road. Some are funny, some are clever, and still others are simply distasteful. However, a bumper sticker I recently saw gently challenged my heart about how I often engage life. “Too blessed to grumble,” the sticker plainly stated. … [Read more…]
ISAIAH 55:1-9 A church edifice was regrettably demolished as part of a beautification project. The doors of the empty church remained in place for several days after the windows were removed, even while bulldozers began knocking down walls. KEEP OUT! was written in giant, fluorescent-orange block letters on each set of doors around the church building. Unfortunately, … [Read more…]
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