Here I Am

I just read the book of Jonah, it’s not long, only a few pages. While reading it I couldn’t help but think about how many life lessons there are in this short book. I read about Jonah’s rejection of God, his running away and his days in the big fish.  Sometimes, like Jonah, we not only try to run away from our problems but God as well. We start by not being in relation with him, not talking to him on a daily basis or saying that you’ll never talk to God again. Basically just being mad at God. Having the attitude that if God loved me why would he let this happen? I’m sure we have all felt that way at one time or another.  Hebrews 13:5b says, “I will never leave you or forsake you”. Contrary to some beliefs, as hard as you try to run from God he will never abandon you. Rather than waiting around for you to come to your senses and cry out to God, he boldly pursues you and wraps you in his never ending love.  In the story of Jonah, while he was running from God he got onto a ...

My husband just called, my father-in-law just died. What do I say, what do I do? I have never been good with death. All I know is that my father-in-law is with God. I know that to be true. Death is just a transition, going from one form of existence to the other.  Jesus died on the cross so that we may be together with him in heaven. There is a beautiful description of physical death in the book of Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things will pass away”. In the book of John when Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies, Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live”. (John 11:25) Jesus tells her about the resurrection of the dead and that she will see Lazarus again. Thus it will be with us, our earthly bodies will die but our spiritual bodies will be born. 1 Corinthians 15:22, 26, “for all die in Adam, so all will be ma...

In the book of Joshua, God commissions him to lead the Israelites into the promised land after Moses’ death. In chapter one, and throughout the book of Joshua, God repeatedly tells him to be “strong and courageous”. In fact, “be strong and courageous” is repeated many times in the Bible, not only to Joshua but to others.  When God commissions Joshua to lead the Israelites he repeats “be strong and courageous” three times in chapter one. Why does God repeat these words so many times? Does he feel Joshua may not be up to what God is asking? Does he think Joshua will back out on him? Does he feel Joshua is weak in spirit?  Joshua had big shoes to fill, that was certain. What if he could not live up to being the kind of leader that Moses was? Can you imagine working with someone your whole life and then being asked to be in charge after he left his position? The amount of pressure would be intense; it could bring fear and uncertainty.    In Joshua’s calling, does God cal...

Have you ever participated in a trust fall? We did this one Sunday at church and it was interesting to see just how difficult this was for some people.  In a trust fall you stand in front of someone and cross your arms in front of you. You hold your legs straight, careful not to bend them and, when your partner is ready, you fall straight back. Your partner is in charge of catching you and not letting you fall. You must have a very strong level of trust in your partner to achieve this. Some found this terribly difficult, some would not do it at all and some fell back with little hesitation. How does this compare to our level of trust in God? If he were standing behind you would you “trust fall with God”? The Bible is full of examples of spiritual trust falls. One of my favorites is in the book of Esther. Esther is told by her Uncle Mordecai that the king has declared that all Jewish people shall be put to death. Mordecai tells Esther she must ask the king not to do this but she is ...

I have a favorite Bible story, it is found in three of the New Testament gospels, the story of the woman who bled for twelve years (Luke 8:42-48, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34).  In this story Jesus has become so popular that a crowd of people surround him, pressing in on him, begging for his healing powers. I liken this today to a popular music star who is trying to get from a building to a car. The people press in on him and the bouncers try to keep the people back. This is much like the disciples in this story, they were trying to protect Jesus by keeping the people from getting too close.  Back to the woman, she is bleeding and has been for twelve years. She does not know what she will do because no doctor can help her or heal her. She has spent much of her time and money on doctors. She is alone, being a social outcast because of her illness. I can imagine her in her home, hearing a commotion outside. She has heard of Jesus and heard about what he can do and she thinks, “...