Faith

I have always enjoyed the story of Moses sending the 12 spies from the 12 tribes of Israel when they were on the verge of entering the Land of Canaan. I was taught the song in Sunday school as a little boy, “Twelve men went to spy in Canaan; ten were bad and two were good!” I am sure many of you remember that song as well! I would like to draw your attention to 4 things the spies saw.

Peter knelt in the water, intent on washing his nets. Unaware of the crowd of people thronging Jesus, he, along with James and John, continued the task of rinsing grime from the Galilean Sea off their empty nets. The night had been long and fruitless. They had not a single fish to show for their efforts.

To the actors in the original Christmas drama, Christmas was something far larger than a story. When Gabriel first saluted Mary with the glad tidings that she was selected to give birth to the Messiah, it was not only a dream come true; it was a complete life change.

Thomas Edison observed, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” It seems to me that something similar can be said of faith.

Adversity comes in all shapes and sizes. Adversity is simply defined as hardship and suffering or an extremely unfavorable experience or event. The word adverse means creating momentum in a direction opposite from that desired.

I can’t tell you how many times I have emphasized the importance of God’s timing to someone. It has struck me over and over that God has good things for us at the right time. This is very evident in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

If you look around you will find plenty of reasons to worry. The trouble with worry is that it doesn’t seem all that harmful. The sun blasts cancer-causing rays. Air vents blow lung-clotting molds. Potato chips have too many carbs. Vegetables have too many toxins.

It was Memorial Day and my schedule had taken me to the beautiful Colorado Rockies for a week of camp with teenagers. I had arrived on Friday and spoken several times over the weekend to the staff and counselors and was ready for a great week.

Have you ever thought of your trial as a stewardship from God? It is. And when stewarded properly, God will use your trial to give you some of His greatest gifts. God has given us an incredible, amazing resource with which to steward our trials. It’s called grace.

As a little girl I remember fearing that something or someone was under my bed. I found myself running and jumping into bed every night and then willing myself to hang over the bed and look under it so that I could go to sleep without fearing that something or someone was going to get me.

When the twelve spies returned from their foray into the Promised Land, all of them gave testimony to seeing the same things. They all saw a fertile land that flowed with milk and honey and they saw the fruit that the land produced such as the grapes of Eshcol.

The men whom Jesus chose to be His apostles found that if they would follow the teaching of their Master, they must recognize that His central teaching had to do with Who He is.

In whom do you trust? An unquestioning attitude of full reliance comes naturally at birth but is somehow lost along the winding pathway of life. Somewhere along the way, doubts and fears replace this innocent trust with hesitancy and self-reliance.

Down through the years, one of my favorite songs by Ron Hamilton has been “Rejoice in the Lord.” Ron wrote this song back when he first was diagnosed with cancer in his left eye.

My husband and I have a new grandson! Landon Taylor DeQuina was born October 20, 2010 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Expecting great things from God will inspire you to attempt great things for God. When was the last time God revealed Himself to you in proportion to your specific prayer?

Many of the issues Christians face in their lives and in their churches boil down to a choice between faith and doubt, between believing God and deciding not to believe what He has said.

Did you know there is a book in the Bible that does not mention the Lord’s name even once? Although God is never referred to in the book of Esther, it is a story that has God’s divine handprints all through it.

I have always loved the story of Moses and his family. I love how God used this family to protect their son and save a nation!

David was in the wilderness of Ziph, a rugged terrain near Carmel that was removed from any true settlement. He had no bed to sleep in, no table or chairs, no recliner, no comforts of home