Whispers of Truth

Many of us probably know the verse in Philippians that reads " Be anxious for nothing , but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (4:6, NASB). We know it's hard not to worry, and we often fail miserably at not doing so! We also know Jesus tells us in Luke not to worry about our lives and what we wear or eat because "life is more than food, and the body more than clothes" (Ch. 12, NIV). So is it ever ok to worry? I came across a verse again today that made me think about this.  Jude offers many warnings about false prophets and apostates in his short letter, and then he begins encouraging his readers on what they should do while they are awaiting his glorious return. One of those encouragements is to "keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously  [emphasis mine] for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life" (v. 21, NASB). OK.  Finally something I can be anxious about witho...

I wish I had stopped to take a picture, but I was driving and hesitated to stop. If I had known my thoughts then, I would have made the time. Now, words will just have to do. Yesterday, while on the way to work I was struck by the beauty of the dark orange sun rising over the small town of Tallassee in the distance. As I live on the western side of town on a small ridge, the time change has made my drive the last few mornings rather beatific. To get to Tallassee from my house, one must go through a small valley between the ridge on which I live and the elevation of the town. The sun sat nestled between thin clouds above the little valley that in comparison seemed smothered by darkness. The radiance of the sun in all its glory juxtaposed against the dark heaviness of the morning clouds below made me think of the spiritual aspects of this life we lead. This short glimpse of beauty I tried to plant firmly in my mind, knowing that very soon the press of another day and all its demands woul...

Yesterday, I was writing about the irony of God's judgment on the angels who rebelled against Him, but I wanted to share one other passage from Rev. 21:23-27 that I find relevant and super encouraging:         And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp  is  the Lamb.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.  In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;  and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and  nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (NASB) I don't know about you, but I can't wait! There is nothing we need apart from Him. 😄

Our Tuesday night ladies' Bible study group has been studying about false prophets in 2 Peter and now in Jude. In doing so, we have read of the judgment to come for those who choose rebellion and apostasy.  One of the things I have noticed is the appropriately ironic judgment of the fallen angels. Peter writes that God "committed them to pits of darkness reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4); likewise, Jude wrote that the "angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day" (1:6).  The irony lies that in trying to take God's throne, these stars of the heavens cast down after their rebellion are locked under darkness in pits void of light. Can you imagine their livid despair? They were created to shine brightly and bring God glory, yet they chose to seek their own glory, and in doing so cast away their ability to reflect God's glory at all--much less t...

I am finding life to be rather difficult . . . but I am also finding it difficult to articulate what I have even been struggling with, but I learned this week that much of my struggle is a lack of focus--I am not spending enough time in dedicated, intentional prayer. Maybe you've been there--snippets here, a short prayer there, until really you are reading, studying, and it is absolutely uninhabited by the power of the Spirit living inside you because you've quit communicating. I was very intentional last week with my prayer life, and I found (no big surprise) that God is still there. The realization that the communication wasn't two-way was humbling, as it always is when I realize I am at an impasse. I keep thinking that I will quit having the same problem over and over again, but alas, the flesh I am in keeps struggling against the Spirit within me.  So . . . life is sometimes frustrating, debilitating, full of sorrow, tiring, disappointing, anxiety-laden, full of unex...

Peter, after talking about hoping for that which we do not see and doing so with perseverance, changes gears somewhat in Romans 8:26. He speaks about not knowing how to pray:          In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for  we do not know how to pray as we             should, but  the Spirit Himself intercedes for  us  with groanings too deep for words;   and  He              who searches the hearts knows what  the mind of the Spirit is, because He  intercedes for the            saints according to  the will of  God (NASB).  I've found myself in this place often--unsure of what to pray, even how to pray, and aware of my struggles with the flesh--not just staying focused, but also battling my own desires that fight against the work of the Spirit. I want to be faithful and fail, yet God IS fai...

Is your faith naked? While it might sound like a good thing--faith alone--in this context, it is really not. I came across the phrase "a naked faith" today in John Calvin's commentary on 2 Peter 1:5-7, and it really made me think about the passage from another angle. The idea is that it is difficult to put off the lusts of the flesh, especially when faith is new; however, faith that simply divests itself of lust and earthly longings without putting on moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in in increasing measures is "naked" or bare. Peter urges diligence in growing in knowledge and being fruitful and useful in sharing it. A naked Christian in this context is either a baby like Hebrews 5:12 speaks of: " For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food"...

An Offering of Emptiness Tonight an offering of emptiness Is all I have to bring, When what I really want Is to offer you everything. I realize how little I could ever offer you; My heart drops in sorrow. What could I bring to you From a heart so hollow? Tonight an offering of emptiness Is all I have to bring, When what I really want Is to offer you everything. Then a thought takes root-- My brokenness calls out in need-- And the emptiness inside me answers Your call to be my everything. Your word promises strength in weakness-- to fill the empty void. Tonight an offering of emptiness Is all I have to bring, When what I really want Is to offer you everything. In what I thought I lacked You have given back-- My offering of emptiness You fill to overflowing and leave me Full. Tonight an offering of emptiness Is all I have to bring, With the realization that offering you all of me-- even empty-- Is...

“There is a way to be good again.”   This thought-provoking statement screams to the reader in the short opening chapter of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. In fact, I believe that statement is the essence of the appeal of this difficult-to-read, yet beautifully written novel about guilt and redemption. The very idea that a bad act (or non-action) committed in the past could be undone or corrected appeals to all; which of us hasn’t struggled with at least one life-altering decision—an “if only” of life? Unfortunately, we cannot undo the consequences of our bad actions (our sins). Somewhere deep down most know this, but many of us struggle to redeem ourselves, which is totally impossible, but . . . there is One who can free us from the guilt and stain of our sins.   For this I am thankful; if you really knew me, you would know that I am a sinner who has made a lot of bad decisions and committed a lot of sin in my lifetime. (It isn’t all big stuff, but sin does hav...

I am a firm believer in practice. In fact, I guess you could say I have pretty much banked most of my life on it. As long as I can remember, I have been practicing something--dance (very early in life before my awkward stage), softball (to get out of much-hated summer garden work from 3rd-12th grade), band (years and years of playing the flute), piano (my dad wouldn't let me choose between piano and flute when I wanted to quit, so I kept both), teaching (seemed like a good idea at the time), marriage (24-plus years now, but I am not sure how much better I am than when I started at being a wife),  mothering (currently to 18-, 20-, and 21-year-olds), friend (ugh this one is tough and I stink at it), and the list could just keep going . . .but I won't bore you! The point is, practice is something we all engage in, whether eagerly for something we love or out of obligation or a hundred other sometimes nebulous reasons. However, Galatians 5 tells me that if I practice the wrong th...