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Showing posts from September, 2022

When Joy Leaves (Joel)

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The Vital Role of the Senses God created the senses that operate within each of us, making both the hearing ear and the seeing eye (Prov. 20:12) and allows us the sense of taste not only for the food we eat but also for things spiritual in nature. As such we are able to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8), and Psalm 119:103 tells us that God’s own words are “sweet to [the] taste, s weeter than honey to [the] mouth!” Paul also notes that God spreads the “sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him” to a lost and dying world through us, the “fragrance of Christ” that is “vital, living, and fresh” (2 Cor. 2:14-16). Jesus graciously speaks to Thomas, who doubts His resurrection, and He tells him, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe” (Jn. 20:27). Touch moved Thomas in a way he had refused to be moved to that point.   Even though salvation is a gift from God and it com

Spider Webs and Sin (Ezekiel)

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Trying to capture images of spider webs with clarity is baffling AND challenging to me. The beautiful nebulousness and silky nothingness of their webs call to me in their beauty--until they wrap around my head and stick in my hair (causing my husband to tell me to quit acting all scared . . . "You mean, like a GIRL?!") Y'all, sin is the same way. It is often beautiful and nebulous and inviting and doesn't seem like much until we walk right into its web and it sticks to us for dear life. It is real. It is personal. WE ARE ALL SINNERS who make the choice to struggle with (or fail to battle) sin for as long as we live. Like each spider web is intricate and different, so are our sins. One is not worse than another . . . all sin is repulsive to God, which is why we desperately need Jesus and the grace He offers freely! As I have read through Ezekiel this time around, I have paid more attention to Matthew Henry's admonitions in his commentary (usually, the personal ones