Lawyers are told never to ask a witness a question publically, if they do not already know the answer. Habakkuk did not follow that advice. God gives an answer that changed the prophet’s world view. What does this response teach us about our own world view?
The prophet, Habakkuk, was a good man who had some serious questions about his good God, who, at the moment, did not seem very good. Do such questions help us? Do they matter to God?
The connection between hearing and doing is often tenuous. Often we do not translate words into action unless something convincing happens. We can either go through the motions and pretend to care, or we can own our failures and, through God’s restoring power, we can become genuinely better people.
Winning matters, unless you are playing the wrong game. Finishing first is finishing last if you are running in the wrong direction. Paul argues that we should clarify what we are aiming for, before we take off after it.
While the world falls apart, it is easy to accuse and assign blame; however, then we are simply part of the problem. Truly helpful and caring people move on to the next stage and help people to discover a new, healing way of life.
Without a sense of urgency, we seldom choose to change. Unless we view ourselves drowning, we will not recognize our rescuer. Paul sounds the alarm about a world that is perishing from a lack of God’s ways, and we will serve our world best if we see it through those eyes.
Paul is convinced that God will make this world right again, and he intends to devote his whole life to that effort. What has convinced him so profoundly? Will the same truths convince us to be part of God’s restoration plans?
For Paul, “grace” and “peace” are not polite, formal greetings. They describe God’s transforming power available to anyone who wants to be part of the solution in a world torn apart by centuries of hatred.
As God reveals His divine plan to the world, He chooses one family line through whom He will work in a very public way, ensuring that their story is diligently recorded for all of us to follow. At the head of this family line, consisting of twelve sons, God places another imperfect couple. God gives their father, Jacob, a new name, “Israel,” because He struggled with God. In many ways, his struggle remains our struggle; and yet, his God also remains our God.
When God’s first couple had children, things did not work according to His original design. Now, in this new creation, the children of Isaac and Rebekah again threatened His good intentions. However, God will not allow their flaws to overthrow His sovereign decision to extend His blessing to all people and all generations.
With this couple, God begins a new creation, a new people, in a new land. Like the original parents whom God chose, this couple also had their faults. However, God selects them anyway, to share a blessing intended for all people for all times.
This biblical story of the first couple is well known in our culture. It is repeated, reinvented, reinterpreted and even ridiculed. However, we can easily miss the point of the story. Their imperfection only points more clearly to the grace of God who remains committed to His creation.
Returning from a time of rest and reflection, Pastor Dirk will share, some thoughts on what God is teaching him, as we move forward together, as God’s people for our region and our time.
About a thousand years after Samuel’s miraculous birth, another, even more remarkable birth occurs. God through His Spirit has chosen the virgin Mary to bear His Son, Jesus. Mary responds with her own song of praise, remembering a Heavenly King who has not forgotten His promises to all of His children.
After the prophet Samuel’s miraculous birth, his mother, Hannah, praises God, rejoicing in His sovereignty and faithfulness. These truths about God will encourage us as we patiently wait for His miraculous work in our lives.
The Resurrection is now an historical fact. Jesus has risen! But so what? How does this fact change the family that God is creating in the image of His son?
Nothing terrifies us like death. Our very nature fights against it, even when it seems inevitable. When the first women come to a tomb to face the reality of death, they hear a powerful message of hope. “Do not be afraid!” Let’s remember together how the resurrection of Jesus casts out our fear, even our fear of death itself.
Filled with anguish, Jesus leads His disciples into a garden to pray. However, they are not up for the challenge. When they fall asleep, Jesus reminds them of imminent danger. What danger faces us today that requires our spiritual vigilance?
As Jesus prepares His disciples for action He hosts a meal. As He distributes the bread and the cup, He draws analogies to His body and His blood. What do these comparisons symbolize? How do they prepare us to be His representatives in a spiritually hungry world?
When a council of religious leaders asked Judas to betray his Teacher, he asked them a question. He wanted to know what he would get in exchange for his service. He had no way of understanding, however, how weighty this cost would be. His actions challenge all of us to ask what we are trading in exchange for our fellowship with Jesus.