Author: Bob

I’m ashamed to admit that my date-life with Connie in college was very pathetic! I was wrestling with God, which meant I was on again, off again, in romancing her. She certainly deserved far more consistency, but I was so preoccupied with my skirmish with God’s call on my life that I was unable to even see what I was doing to her. Unfortunately, the skirmish with God lasted for years. However, God was merciful and enabled me to stabilize enough to show her love and marry her. Little did I know then how much I would need her strength in the years ahead.

I realize my contest with God was unique, but I have watched so many through the years who are on again, off again in their relationship with God. The things of this world pull their attention away from God’s plan. Some struggle with being content with their jobs, finances, relationships, or ambitions. While they verbally committed themselves to loving God, they repeatedly committed spiritual adultery with attractions of life around them. The early Hebrews treated God the same way for millennia.

Jesus said explicitly, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:4-7 (ESV) The operative word in this context is “abide.” The word means to remain continuously in an unbroken, personal relationship. He desires to abide in us, yet His abiding is contingent upon our continuing to cultivate intimacy with His presence. The cost of not doing so is unbearable.

God allows us—each of us and all of us—to have our own way. God’s way is far better. But on earth, His authority is available, not forced. Each of us has his or her own kingdom where he or she is king or queen of his or her own kingdom—life. In order for “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” to be a reality in our lives, we must literally surrender our little kingdoms to God’s rule so He can rule. But surrender requires more than lip service. It requires a conscious, heartfelt transfer of power and authority from us to God. For example, in practice, this means our sovereignty to choose how we think about and treat others matters to God. Jesus taught having any form of contempt (saying “Raca” to others – Matthew 5:22) is not in alignment with His kingdom life.

To receive Jesus’ promises, we must realize that prioritizing our will over God’s will limits His power to work in and through us.

In the simplest of terms, the more effort we make to seek intimacy with God, the more abundant life and joy we will experience on this earth. We cannot have it both ways. Our obsession with independence is our subtle enemy to the best life possible. You and I determine our destiny.

Through prayer, I’ve committed to serving God as a volunteer pastor-at-large at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines. A pastor-at-large refers to offering pastoral encouragement, mentoring/counseling to all the seminar students, faculty and the president there. Surprised? If so, I am as well. I never dreamed I would serve on the mission field. And considering my age and being a widower, I enter this role, expecting it to be a high risk in multiple areas. I wonder if Caleb, at 85 years of age, had similar feelings when he requested of Joshua to give him for his inheritance, Mount Hebron, where there a strategic city was located. When Caleb made that request, Hebron had been a stronghold of the Palestinians for decades. No doubt it was a much higher risk for him, but not really because God was with him.

This last trimester, APTS had students from at least 38 different Asia Pacific nations. Many were pastors and national church leaders seeking to get their post-graduate degrees. I have prayed to God for decades that He give me the nations for my inheritance. (Psalm 2:8) It has occurred to me that this may be His answer to my prayers.

However, while this is a mission for certain, this is not what is most important to me. More important than ANYTHING else is that I take on far more of the character, purpose, thinking, and unwavering love that Jesus had for His Father. To me, this God-ordained assignment is simply an expression of my relentless commitment to Him. My favorite verse, is already on our tombstone, is “…my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (NLT2)

All other spiritual pursuits are secondary to becoming Jesus’ apprentice. A genuine apprenticeship or discipleship isn’t simply a few classes, thrilling experiences, a social cause, or theological knowledge. It has a sharply defined purpose.  That purpose being the full ‘experiential knowledge’ (such as when Adam knew Eve, and she conceived) of Jesus Christ.  (Eph 4:13) Reaching the fullness of Christ is a lifelong process, not achievable in one lifetime. God does not expect a person to attain such an impossible feat. But He does desire a heart that continues to pant for the spiritual water brooks. My aim is not to set out on a mission for the kingdom of God. Instead, it focuses on progressively adopting God’s perspective, imitating the love Jesus showed the Father, His personality, and His ways.

My intention for this mission is not to seek validation. My goal, however, is to motivate others to seek God, adapting their approach to their unique circumstances, calling, and age. The process of becoming Christlike is a journey that lasts a lifetime. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24 (NLT2)

Do you believe God smiles at your of your zealous efforts to emulate Jesus? If not, what comes to mind that would bring His joy and empowerment.

Have I become a more honorable or dishonorable servant of God? We can serve God as His handyman or a tool to get a job done because ‘someone has to do it’, or serve Him out of love for Him alone. Just because we are reasonably skilled at a task doesn’t mean we find His joy in doing it. We can find pride and joy doing the task while doing it, while our task is really only a good excuse for doing what we enjoy doing.

God carefully instructed the Hebrews how they were to perform worship to him. When they did so, He was pleased. However, as years past, He told them through Isaiah to stop doing those tasks because they had become as a stench in His eyes. Their heart was no longer in that worship, or they did it with wrong motives.

God doesn’t need us to fulfill a task for Him. He could have angels, the heathen or a donkey to do what He wants done. God has used people who didn’t even call Him their god. He called Nebuchadnezzar “My servant” (Je 25:9), only because he was a “rod of anger” whom God used to punish His idolatry-filled people. Nebuchadnezzar’s servantship to God was a dubious distinction; simply a handy tool whom He used, not a dedicated servant eager to serve Him.

The same could be said of Cyrus. He called him His “shepherd” (Is. 44:28), His “appointed king” Is. 45:1), even the “anointed one” (Is. 45:1). He was used as a tool to deliver the Jews from Babylon. Just because God uses a person does NOT mean He approves of them.

The “handy tool” concept of service is the lowest on the scale. God takes no joy in the person who is merely available or skilled at doing it. He uses him for a special purpose despite the person’s callous heart or the unrighteousness of his life. We wonder how God could use such a person. Yet, He does. He is not doing so because of the person’s heart. He does so because He is sovereign. He even used Balaam’s donkey to serve His purpose.

What was the basis of Him using Noah? Noah found grace in His eyes. Abraham also found grace in His eyes. Because of His blind obedience to Him, God called him His friend. The humanity of Jesus was such a delightful Servant that God introduced Him to the world as “My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Mt 3:17).

If I want to be an honorable servant to God, I must seek to be close to Him, so both of us will find joy in Him working through me. Jesus displayed such love and devotion to His Father that He totally limited His human desires. Out of profound love for His Father, He said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.” John 5:19-20b (NLT)

It is not in our best interest to be doing ‘His work’ if are not joyfully doing it unto Him. Can we help each other reassess the real why we serve so each of us can become more honorable servants than dishonorable ones?

Although not restricted to children, we all have had someone else only hear what they want to hear of what we told them. But that is true for all of us. We’ve all heard only what our mind wanted to hear while being ‘deaf’ to what our brain doesn’t want to hear. We can even do that when reading an article or book like the Bible. When we take the time to read it carefully again, often we are then able to absorb what it really said. When Jesus explained why He spoke in parables, He said, “13 That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. … 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ (Matthew 13:13,15 NLT)

They couldn’t hear because the ideas in their mind had predetermined or otherwise polluted their will to hear what they needed to hear. It is noteworthy that Jesus’ comments came after he had told a parable about the farmer planting seeds in 4 different soils. Each type responded differently to the same seed sowed. Then, after He explained why they couldn’t hear, he explained the parable to His disciples, which implied they weren’t hearing well either. The difference was, they sensed there was more to learn, so they asked in contrast to the crowd who just went on their way.

The point is, we too virtually have selective hearing when we read or hear the Bible read, or any spiritually laced book. That is why we must read the Bible and intentionally be listening to the Spirit who will reveal all truth to us, especially that related to what God’s word is saying. The same is true when we hear a sermon. While, as born-again believers, we have the Spirit living within us. However, unfortunately, we are not always listening to His interpretation of what we hear in a sermon. We understand with our heads, then perhaps use what self-discipline we have to practice what we hear. However, we miss the empowering work the Spirit to practice it and own, or incorporate, it into our daily lives. Subsequently, we are vulnerable to what another skilled speaker might say to us.

Jesus is explaining that the minds of the unbelievers in that situation had already decided what was true for them. This prevented them from choosing to hear the truth, believe it, and be healed. God’s spirit doesn’t keep us from hearing or seeing, it is the ideas that are in the person’s mind.

The challenge is, what may you have predetermined in your mind about God, what the Bible says, or prejudged what an author or teacher/preacher may say, so that you cannot hear a truth God may have spoken to you? The only way you can help yourself is by seeking to remain humble and not prejudge anyone. Then evaluate in your spirit what was meant for you to apply to your life. The Spirit empowered Balaam’s donkey to speak the truth, and He certainly wasn’t a spiritual being. Remember, God can even use unbelievers to speak the truth, so don’t allow prejudice to close your ears or eyes.

I just went through a period of intense, agonizing crisis lasting several days. The cumulative stress was horrific. Friday night, while sleeping, I experienced the Spirit’s intervention, similar to Paul’s, after his three requests for deliverance from his thorn in the flesh. The most encouraging part was being able to see how the anguish didn’t change how I felt about God. Ironically, I discovered more about my weaknesses through my defeats. I would not want to go through it again, but I am very grateful to God for allowing it to happen.

The top two explanations I’m aware of about Paul’s thorn were first the Jewish agonistics who constantly stirred up trouble for him. The second explanation was he had poor eyesight, due to having been stoned and left for dead on one occasion. (Gal. 6:11) Both were serious frustrations for him. Pause and consider how Paul probably felt about his “thorn in the flesh” before the Spirit revealed the reason for it.

Regardless of what the thorn was, we know experientially thorns add serious stress to our lives. Paul asked God to deliver him three times, but nothing happened. (2 Corinthians 12:2-10) Before God revealed the purpose for his thorn, do you suppose he might have thought, “God, I pray for others to be delivered but I cannot receive it for myself. What is wrong with this picture?”

Here is the thought-provoking part. In the end, Paul realized the thorn’s origin was from God or with God’s consent. It was given to him to keep him humble. What does this suggest about the importance of humility to God? This also provides a clue about Paul’s persistent personal struggles. His profound revelation of heaven had involuntarily triggered his pride, which God hates. He was helping Paul overcome his pride. Could it be, the primary antagonist in our life is our “thorn in the flesh”, allowed by God to bless us, not hurt us?

Why do parents discipline their children? …to hurt them? Of course not! Yet it involves pain. I will never forget mom’s words before she spanked me; “it hurts me more than it hurts you.” Could it be God feels like that when He allows our “thorn in the flesh”?

Despite our naivety, each of us has a critical weakness. It could be insecurity, pride, materialism, bitterness, or such. Thorns could come in the form of an illness, a wayward child or wife as Hosea had, or a painful loss as Connie’s death in my case. Whatever it may be, it would be designed by a loving God to prepare us for what He knows is ahead of us.

Does our pain matter to God? Absolutely! However, His priority is molding us to reflect Him and fulfill His purpose for us, not ensuring our comfort or happiness. Can we see our struggles as a divine gift to transform us into God’s likeness? For Paul, he came to say, “I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT2)

In that context, I am now able to be very grateful to God for taking the bride of my youth to be with Him.  “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 (NLT2)

Is God always good? Absolutely! …but not always good in our eyes! His goodness is not always the same as what our obsession with comfort and nearsightedness defines as goodness. How well do we really know God?

Jesus’ words in Luke 19:20-24 paint His goodness with a broader brush. In Jesus’ allegory, we normally interpret what occurred as God’s justice, but is that how the third servant in the narrative saw the situation? The servant saw his master (representing Jesus in the episode) as ‘austere’. His lord did not challenge this but said only that if the servant was aware of the austerity of his master, he ought to have behaved accordingly and done his duty. The original Greek adjective used here was used to speak of food, which was sharp to the taste of unripe fruit, and of people who were harsh or severe. The crux is, God’s goodness surpasses our limited definitions. We normally do not think of Jesus in those terms. Consider the abuse Jesus went through before His resurrection and ascension. Regarding that time, the Psalmist wrote, “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20 (NLT2) This begs the question, how well do we really know God?

Difficulties fall into at least three categories. There are those resulting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience of which everyone feels the pain. There are those God allows us to endure that have nothing to do with our choices. Jesus referred to this type when explaining the man was born blind. (John 9:2-3). Poor choices may also lead to difficulties. What is so awe-inspiring is found in Paul’s words, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT2) However, for reasons known only to Him, God has ways to protect us from the results of some of those difficulties.

A prophet who endured hard relational pain wrote these insightful words. “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days, he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3 (ESV)

We need to be cautious not to favor verses that just comfort us and promise God’s rewards. It is great to expect His promised rewards, but we must also remember to read the whole promise as in Hebrews 11:6, where it finishes by saying “…he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

Neglecting to study His Word and hearing His Spirit personalize it to you will naturally result in unhealthy expectations. Sound interpretation of God’s Word produces unity and righteous living, not just living according to our preferences. God uses the bumps in our road to get our attention and motivate us to seek to know Him more fully. One of my favorite verses is, “When God spoke from Mount Sinai, his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens as well. This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.” Hebrews 12:26-27 (NLT2)

Years ago, a world class horse trainer invited me to ride one of his highly trained horses.  He explained the horse is so sensitive that she doesn’t need a bridle. I could guide her by shifting in the saddle or a gentle nudge with my knee. It reminded me of Paul’s words, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14 (NLT2) I long to be that sensitive to God. How about you?

This doesn’t automatically happen. A horse can always put the bridle between his/her teeth and ignore the guidance. It is the same with us if God guides us to do something that we don’t want to do. It all hinges on just how intense we are about learning to please our God.

God invited you and me by saying, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle…” Psalm 32:8-9 (NKJV)

Can you remember when, as a child, you were doing something wrong and your mom gave you ‘that look’? You knew by that look what she was thinking. Or, do you remember the rush of adrenaline when that gorgeous guy/gal gave you that certain ‘look’. It told you that a person had an interest in you. The Bible character, Peter, boasted he would never desert Jesus. Jesus responded, saying, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” (Matthew 26:34) Sure enough, Peter denied Jesus and Jesus gave him ‘that look’.

It really doesn’t matter if God nudges you, whispers or gives you ‘that look’. The point is, He is communicating with you and if you don’t pay attention and follow His leading, your spiritual ‘ear’ will eventually become calloused and will miss the joy of His leading and your obedience.

My grandson so wanted God to speak to him. He had fasted and prayed, taken time alone to hear God, but He said nothing happens. Recently, he was reporting a conversation he had with his mother. He told me of how various good thoughts came to him I knew were revelatory. I stopped him and said, “Izac, those thoughts were God’s words to you. He is talking to you.” He had expected God’s voice to be sensational instead of just unexpected good thoughts that come to him. Since what had been happening was different that he expected God’s whispers to sound like, he had been missing out when God actually was nudging or whispering to him. Could it be that your misguided expectation is why you don’t think God is talking to you?

Yes, we can be overzealous and attribute to God our false ideas of how He will speaking to us . Our flawed expectations of how God will speak can help us learn to recognize His true voice. When learning to recognize ow His voice, we must expect to make honest mistakes. Solomon wrote these very insightful words.  Where there are no oxen (Holy Spirit power working), the manger is clean (no mistakes or messes), but abundant crops (spiritual fruitfulness) come by the strength of the ox (Spirit). Proverbs 14:4 (ESV) Don’t allow the fear of making a mistake rob you of learning to recognize God’s look or whispers. Just say, “I think God may be saying…..” Those words provide plenty of room for honest mistakes.

Evangelicals see Biblical faith as a divine gift. But that is where it stops. This matter calls for serious reflection. However, the time spent considering it is worthwhile.

Elements of this concept necessitate a spiritual faith humans lack the capacity to produce or transmit. Accepting God’s identity isn’t the same as having spiritual faith. It is a deep conviction implanted by God; a part of Himself is implanted in everyone. “For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

The mystery intensifies when considering how a nonbeliever might submit to God. John 3:16 specifically says, “whosoever believes.” A nonbeliever believing in God raises the question: what kind of faith is that? John wrote, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust [same basic Greek word used of the crowd] himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. John 2:23-25 (ESV) Obviously, we see two types of belief, or faith, here. The Holy Spirit inspired the humanity of Jesus to discern the difference in their type of faith.

I often pondered Paul’s words, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:7 (ESV) And, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3 (ESV)

 Could it be that this ‘’measure of faith’ came with ‘eternity’ that was planted in the hearts of mankind? (Ecclesiastes 3:11) With this in mind, could it be that everyone is given enough of His faith to respond to the Father’s drawing of a person to Jesus? (John 6:44) The question is not, does such a person have faith, as much as it is, what do they do with the measure given them?

Biblical texts place great importance on what a person desires. The distractions of the disciples’ rejection and Jesus’ apparent insult only strengthened, not weakened, the gentile woman’s faith in who Jesus was. (Matthew 15:22-28) When Jesus saw the depth of her conviction, He said she had “great faith,” a contrast to Peter’s “little faith” demonstrated during his walk on water. Though she couldn’t manufacture faith, she built upon the measure of faith given her by forcefully pushing past the distractions. This would be a complete contrast to those in who refused to glorify God. (Romans 1:18-25)

We don’t have stronger faith because we haven’t sought to know Him more earnestly. To grow in faith, I need to examine my desire for closeness to Him. Then vow to feed it by making time to mediate on His Word until He reveals more of Himself to me.  Then never stop chasing after knowing Him more deeply. I’ve discovered that journaling my reflections on what scripture says about Him and His relationship with humanity strengthens my faith. He attends to those who crave Him. Are you content with your faith, or do you long for a deeper connection? How have you been striving to develop a deeper, more personal relationship with Him? He satisfies those who hunger and thirst for Him.

Early in our marriage, Connie and I purchased an elegant teak wood table that had an ideal history. Thirty-plus years later, when attempting to refinish it, we discovered it only had a thin teakwood veneer and couldn’t be refinished.

Could it be one’s perception of their faith is only a ‘veneer finish?’ It’s commonly thought Peter had great faith when he walked a short distance on the stormy water to Jesus. Jesus called that faith “little faith”. (Mt. 14:21) Yet, after testing a gentile woman, He said she had “great faith”. (Mt. 15:28) The difference lay in the conviction, or lack thereof, focused on who He was.

At a Passover, John 2:23 reads “many believed in his name,” when they saw the miracles He did. Yet the next verses reads, “But Jesus on his part did not entrust [same Greek word as above] himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” John 2:24-25 (ESV) Peter used the same Greek word in his impromptu sermon that produced 3,000 converts. My point is ‘all faith or belief is not equal.’ Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5a (NIV)

How might Jesus define our faith or belief? Jesus gave this clue as to what He is looking for. “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Matthew 11:12 (NIV) Could it be this gentile woman epitomized such inner forcefulness or conviction by pursuing Jesus even after He had insulted her?

The faith Jesus calls great a deep resolute conviction that refuses to be distracted. Moses endured, not because he had an ideal of right and duty, but because he had a vision of God, regardless of the circumstances. He “endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible.” Anything less than that would be using, not worshipping Him. The kingdom of God is all about humility, not presumption, or selfishness. When we are humble, we will be grateful for whatever He does because we know He works all things together for the good of those “called according to His purpose”. (Rom. 8:28) Is your faith in what He can do or who He is? If it is the latter, if He is silent, we will know His character will always be stunningly good after all the dust settles.

No, this blog isn’t a spin-off of John of the Cross’ poem or perspective of spiritual life. I had to go to the internet to find the source of that statement. Although the phrase sounds religious, it sounded too far out for me. My version of it was birthed early one morning. It left an encouraging mark on my inner being. So, relax and try to stay with me on this.

In my case, it was a reflection of Connie and my last several years of her dying process. It was the last half of a verse in one of David’s Psalm 30 that was on my mind. “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5b (ESV) Notice the contrast is between weeping and joy, not necessarily popularity, or whatever the world defines as success. Joy is not giddiness, irresponsibility or human happiness. Rather, it is an internal good sense of well-being, contentment, hope, value to God. Weeping results from mourning, depression or desperation.

Consider how many Bible characters experienced a dark time of night before experiencing God’s joy in the morning. Joseph first came to my mind. As a teenager, he enjoyed the favor of Jacob, his father. But then his jealousy brothers ushered in his dark time. He suffered not only severe rejection, but the possibility of them killing him and betraying the father he loved. That evolved into being sold into slavery, running from his boss’ sex obsessed wife and ending up in prison, all because he honored his God. Then the Spirit empowered him to interpret his cellmate’s dreams, but then again, forgotten in that depraved penitentiary. The time this took for all this to unfold would have felt like a lifetime to a young man. I suspect at times, he wondered where God was. Finally, light dawned, lifting the darkness by the brilliance of sunshine. But he came out of those dark years as a mature man. Neither he nor God wasted the pain of that darkness.

David experienced similar treatment of brothers, then that of his deranged king. Imagine being a fugitive running for your life from someone you had only tried to bless! Interestingly, David wrote some of his Psalm when running to escape King Saul’s army! That would be like Paul singing in prison. The amazing part to me was the attitude David maintained towards the king, whose insecurities were driving him to mental and emotional madness. Some of his Psalms suggest David wondered where God was. The first part of this verse suggests he thought God was angry with him. But as with Joseph, joy came in the morning and David grew in his faith in God through it all. These men didn’t waste their sorrows.

Job, Paul, even the heathen king, Nebuchadnezzar, went through their very dark times before the sun arose to shine. Nebuchadnezzar, as a heathen king, went from being king to eating grass like an animal. But he then recognized God, and the sunlight returned. Even Jesus had to pass through the darkest of nights, sweating drops of blood before His resurrecting and ascension.

In Connie’s case, she suffered confusion, disappointments, and agonizing physical pain. Those were dark days, for sure. But today, she is basking, worshipping, and rejoicing in the brightness of our trinitarian God’s Heaven. In my case, the dawn of light is slowly dispelling the darkness. I’m eager to experience the fullness of the day that I know will be coming.

So, what kind of darkness have you, or someone you love, been experiencing? Remember, this too shall pass. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” Psalm 121:1 (ESV)