The Transforming Word of God

One of the things my brother wrote on facebook during his recent despondency was that he felt forsaken by God because things were going so badly for him. My ensuing conversations with him have been the inspiration for my most recent posts. One of the things I appreciate about the Old Testament is the many accounts of very real people—people who sin against God and are restored to fellowship with Him, people who endure hardship and remain faithful to God, people who are swayed by their emotions but resolve to worship God.  Joseph is an example of one of those who endured great hardships, yet remained faithful to God. I cannot help but wonder, however, if there were times when Joseph felt forsaken by God, although never recorded in Scripture. But look at his life! Surely he had every right to question, to complain. Here he was, the favored son of his father, given that famous multi-colored coat that denoted him as the privileged son, the one who did not have to work in ...

How would you define "good"? We usually associate that word with enjoyment, comfort, pleasure, purpose. Good things bring joy and happiness. Good tends to center on self—what you call good might not be good in my eyes. Or I might enjoy things and activities that you do not enjoy. When we see others suffering with ill health, loneliness, insufficient finances, etc., we Christians tend to use Romans 8:28 as a one-size-fits-all verse of encouragement: For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. But the truth is that the discouraged may become more discouraged when things don't seem to be working out for their good, when problems seem to be multiplying rather than decreasing, when everything looks bleak. They begin to wonder, "Don't I love God enough? Does He have no purpose for me? Has God forsaken me?" The problem lies in our definition of "good". We can never take Scripture ou...

My brother is experiencing very rough times right now. His health issues put him on disability, which led to financial straits. I sometimes wish I were a multi-millionaire so I could support him completely. However, that wouldn't even be good for him because it would take away his self-respect, something he is struggling with anyway. I try to help him with words of encouragement and occasional gifts to help him through. But he struggles with pity parties—and I totally understand. In our conversation this morning, I reminded him that we are to live by biblical principles, not our emotions. Let's face it, our emotions often skew our perceptions and keep us from honoring God. That said, the Bible is full of godly people who get sidetracked by their emotions.  Elijah is perhaps one of the best examples. He had just demonstrated the power of God in the "competition" with the priests of Baal but fled when Jezebel threatened his life. Fear and loneliness and, yes, self p...

I know that title sounds rather absurd. Of course, everyone wants to go to Heaven. After all, it's supposed to be a wonderful place, although the idea is rather nebulous to most. Certainly it is beautiful; of course it's perfect; and surely it's a utopia such as we have never experienced here on earth. But what else is it? Many images have angels playing harps and floating around on clouds. Or some seem to think we become angels after death—remember The Littlest Angel ? Heaven is definitely better than Hell and it is certainly something to be attained, to "strive for." And many actually believe they can reach Heaven on their own, or that because God is a loving God all good people will be there. But all those concepts are figments of the imagination. They are what the average person wants to believe. And they sound totally boring to me. There's an old chorus that goes like this: Heaven is a wonderful place, Filled with glory and grace, I want to s...