Keeping Our Eyes Upon Jesus!

In my last blog, I wrote of the unsafe world in which we find ourselves living, not only from "natural disasters" but from the rampant evil that we see perpetuated today. The city of Athens said "good-bye" to a police officer today who was shot in the head by a man who had carjacked a vehicle and was on cocaine as law enforcement officers negotiated his surrender. A friend of his (the alleged assailant) said that he was a good man. My definition of a good man differs. I believe the good man was the one who told his pastor that he knew being a policeman was dangerous but thought it was God's will for his life. Now, his wife is left to explain to a 2-yr.son and 5-yr. old daughter why their Daddy won't come home. They won't understand- I don't understand but I do know that those guilty of crimes like this are not good men.  I pray and hope you do too for our men and women in uniform who are called to defend our communities and cities from criminals. My husband usually buys their meals if they happen to be in the same restaurants that we are. The least we can do is to tell them we appreciate their sacrifice on our behalf.

Are We Safe?

Much of the media's coverage in America has been focused around this question since last week when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a devastating tsunami hit Japan. Now the nuclear threat is at the forefront and let me say quickly that my heart breaks and my prayers go up daily for the people who have been affected in that country.  With that said, let me answer the question that Americans are asking...

Are You Listening?

Lately, I have been trying to draw parallels between our natural children and God's children by grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Children, I have noted previously, are hungry, humble, and trusting, all qualities that we need to be growing toward as we walk with our Lord. This morning, in my reading of Ps. 81, I saw a similarity of a negative component of children as God says "If my people would just listen to Me!"

"He Giveth More Grace!"

I heard this old hymn this morning and rejoiced in the truth that God's Word promises us. "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness," Paul tells us in 2 Cor., chapter 12. James writes in chapter 4 as he addressed conflicts in the assemblies which really are started because of conflicts in hearts, that the Holy Spirit is powerful to master and to the humble, God gives more and more grace.

"He Giveth More Grace" By Larry Ford

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, Casting Crowns

Hungry, Humble, and Trusting!

If the saints of God would show up at their corporate places of worship tomorrow with these positive attributes that children have, such a blessed day it would be, wouldn't it? Or better yet, that we would aspire for them to be in our lives every day as we walk in the Spirit.  Yesterday, we saw from 1 Peter 2 that we are to desire the Word of God as babies do their life-sustaining milk. Of course, as we grow in the Lord, we are to progress toward the meat as Heb. 5 and 6 instructs us to do. Having tasted the grace and goodness of our Lord, we thirst and hunger for more of Him all our lives. Jesus told us in the Beatitudes in Matt. 5- "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Speak O Lord - Kristyn Getty

"Dad, Mom, I'm Hungry!"

We who have raised children or are now in the process of doing so have heard this "mantra" as they grew. From the time in the nursery at 2:00 a.m. until the teen-aged boy who we thought must have a bottomless pit, these words burst forth from their mouths. Children are hungry!  Reading in the Gospel of Luke recently, I noted our Lord referring to little children, once in a positive example- Luke 9:46-48- and on another occasion- Luke 7:31-32, a negative aspect of children- I began to have the idea of writing maybe a couple of times about some of my favorite people on the planet- children. I love children and today, I want to start with their appetites and draw a parallel for us, God's children through faith in Christ Jesus.