He delights in giving good gifts to His children!
If I ask Him for bread
why would I think He might give me a stone?
If I ask for a fish
why am I afraid He might hand me a snake?
I’ve had enough of small faith!
I’ve seen enough of His goodness
to know that I can expect to see more!
I’ve been held by Him in the dark
so I will trust He will carry me into the light!
Thank you, Abba!
I have read 1 Corinthians 13
a list of accomplishments
that mean little without love
and thought the problem was simply a matter of order
Surely one still needed
to do those things
but only after mastering
the art of love
Maybe that’s true
but what I’ve learned
in a year defined by love
is that love isn’t easily mastered
The more I learn love the less I can grasp it
The more I experience it the less I understand it
The more I look for ways to love the less I feel I’m loving enough
The more I let people love me the less deserving I feel
But
The less I worry about deserving love the more I accept it
The less I worry about loving enough the more ways I find to love
The less I worry about understanding love the more I can simply experience it
The less I worry about grasping love the more it holds on to me
Because Love
is a Person
an example to emulate
not a skill to be mastered
Because when one becomes caught up in Love
all those things
the ones that really matter
come naturally
Because 1 Corinthians 13
isn’t about accomplishments
it’s about love
the only thing that lasts
I didn’t expect a book by a legal editor to be so beautiful
Lee Strobel may have spent the first part of his career chasing newsworthy stories,
but his focus now is sharing ugly-beautiful stories of redemption
From the first page, the hope the author knows
was evident and inviting
The experience only became better as I continued to read
Strobel weaves together sayings and stories
to craft a precious gift of encouragement
that will touch the heart of the reader
He takes true stories of utter darkness
and combines them with scripture
allowing the light of hope to overcome the dark
The physical elements of the book – cover, typography, etc. –
package the contents in such a way
that it truly makes a wonderful gift
A precious gift of encouragement for a believer,
grounding him in the “hope that does not disappoint,”
as well as for the unbeliever, presenting hope as a gift he may have too
I have meditated long and hard on the subject of hope
– it was my “word for the year” in 2013 –
and I must say, Strobel did the topic justice
Note:
I received this book free from the publisher through BookLook
I was not required to write a positive review
The opinions I have expressed are my own
What are stories made of?
Sugar and spice and everything nice
Is that what stories are made of?
Not stories worth the telling.
Intrigue, battles, misunderstandings, suffering, darkness, accusations…
These are the makings of a good story.
Think of the greatest stories – books we are reading decades or centuries after their creators are in the grave. What makes us read and reread them?
Conflict. Hardship.
And the ultimate triumph over them.
Think of the Greatest Story – a Book written over decades and centuries by our Creator. What makes people across cultures and generations turn to it again and again?
Conflict. Hardship.
And the Ultimate Triumph over them.
Each of us has a story.
Will yours be worth the telling?
photo credit: Moriah
Do you believe that God is good?
Do you really believe that God is really good?
Do you live like you believe that God is good?
What does it mean that God is good?
Does it mean that all that He allows is good?
Or only what He gives directly?
And how does a mere mortal distinguish between the two?
Does it mean that His children will never know sorrow or suffering?
Or that they will only know sorrow and suffering if they need it as punishment?
No?
Then what?
If God is good…then what is good?
Is not God?
Perhaps in order to know good, one must know God.
God is not found by looking at His world.
But once He is found He is clearly seen in His world.
Even then, one must be careful to always return to the Source.
All good – every good and perfect gift – comes from above.
From God Himself.
So then, what does it mean to live like you believe that God is good?
It means searching to find Him everywhere.
The incessant hunger to know Him.
The constant running after Him.
And then, to allow the finding and knowing and loving to flow out.
One who has been justified by faith
and made righteous through the one man, Messiah Yeshua,
walks and lives in righteousness.
And God does not withhold one good thing from those who walk righteously.
Can you truly believe, then, that God will not keep any good thing from you?
And if God is good, then He will not hide Himself from you?
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