Genesis 1:1 begins the creation story. The Bible tells us that everything God made was good. But now a tempter enters the Garden of Eden…and he was cunning. He doesn’t come right out and challenge God’s word, but he casts doubt: “Did God really say…?” And then he misrepresents God’s…
I warned my class I might get weepy as we got to this section. These word pictures pierce my heart in all the best ways. Read these words out loud: My God is with me. My God saves me. My God rejoices over me with gladness. My God delights in…
Zephaniah was still looking ahead to a glorious day when God would bless His followers. All fear is gone! The instructed, “do not let your hands grow weak,” paints a unique picture. Have you ever thrown your hands in the air and declared, “I give up!” After those words, our…
HYMN DAY! Caroline W. Sandell Berg is known as the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” She wrote hymns partly to cope with seeing her beloved father, who was a Lutheran pastor, die in a drowning accident. The hymn, “Children of the Heavenly Father,” speaks of her trust in the Father she…
Even though the events mentioned in verse 15 hadn’t yet happened, they’re presented in the past tense. When it comes to God’s promises, they are so certain, it’s as if they’ve already occurred. We can trust Him to come through. The judgment sentence the Lord passed on the nation is…
When was the last time you read Zephaniah? My Sunday school class spent some time in this Old Testament book a few weeks ago, and parts of it still murmur in the back of my mind. Zephaniah is considered one of the minor prophets—“minor” because the book presents a brief…
I have a tendency to be hyper-critical of myself, focusing mostly on my flaws and shortcomings. I suspect I’m not the only one who does this. But this verse makes me stop and look at myself through God’s eyes. He created, as it says in the King James, “my innermost…
David couldn’t comprehend God’s great love for him; I will never be able to grasp the scope of it, either. It’s beyond human understanding. At the same time, I know in my heart of hearts that it’s always there. What we have here are two rhetorical questions. Rhetorical, meaning the…
HYMN DAY! “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus” by Charles F. Weigle is a “newer” hymn in that it was published in the 1930’s. I remember my mom humming it as she went about her Saturday chores. Such a nice reminder…there really is no other Friend like Jesus.…
God is omniscient; He is also omnipresent. There is no place I can go that escapes His attention. He encircles me. He hems me in, not to confine me or limit me, but to protect me, to be my secure shelter. His hand is on me. Has anyone ever guided…
