Another day with Jesus

                                                                        JACOB                                                         Jacob lay dying, old, feeble and ill, while outside his tent, his sons grazed their sheep on the fertile lands of Goshen. He called his twelve sons to his side, rallied his failing strength, and sat up on his bed.   “Listen to me, my sons, as I prophesy your future. Reuben, you’re my firstborn, the first sign of my strength, but you’re as turbulent as the sea. You slept in my bed with my concubine, and you’ll pay the consequences of your lust.”   “Simeon and Levi are violent men, and God will scatter you among my people.” ...

                                      Credit:  Abraham and Isaac by Harold Copping.( 1863-1932)                                     Abraham, known as the father of the faithful  “Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land which I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. Your name will be great, and you will be a blessing… all people of the earth will be blessed through you.”   Abraham was 75 and his wife, Sarah, 65 when God asked him to give up his home to travel into unchartered territory. Abram left, trusting God to guide him, signaling his tremendous faith and courage. But in God’s eyes, Abraham’s faith journey was just beginning. Although...

  NOAH: Why did you build the ark?                                                                                                                         “What are you doing, Noah?” “I’m building an ark for my family and all kinds of animals and plants. While God and I were walking, he warned me he’s going to send a flood to destroy the earth.” “Your God is cruel. Why does he want to kill us?”   “He’s righteous, and he hates the violence which is corrupting society. No one listens to him.  And haven't you seen the wild parties, extravagant weddings and feasts? They might be fun at the time, but the glamor soon wears off. Those party goers are only interested in a good ti...

              Enoch: the Man who Walked with God Have you ever traveled alone?        I’d respond to that in both the positive and negative. A passerby wouldn’t have seen anyone, but I wasn’t alone because the Lord Jesus was with me, guarding my steps and protecting me from danger. Whether I was driving along a highway or striding through a foreign airport, I’d talk to him.     I don’t remember my conversion. My parents explained the gospel to me from the moment I could understand it, but through our daily Bible readings and prayers, I gradually realized Jesus was my Savior and he has been my closest friend for over sixty years, blessing me when I walked with him, and lifting me up when I stumbled. His promises, faithfulness, and  compassion inspire faith, which is how we please our Creator. See Hebrews 11:6.   Let's look at one of the ancient patriarchs.  Enoch lived in ancient times. He was the gre...

                                                                                  Cain and Abel   Art by Lorenzo de Ferrari, 1680-1744        Eve cradled her newborn son in her arms. God had helped her through this childbirth, blessing Cain with a brother. As time passed, her husband, who was a farmer, trained his firstborn to follow in his footsteps. The second son became a shepherd.       Both Adam and Eve had always worshiped God, but before the birth of the boys, they had succumbed to temptation and God had driven them from their home in Eden. Angels who brandished flaming swords were guarding the tree of life, and they would never again enjoy paradise. In his m...

THE MEN AT THE CROSS           Naked and beaten, Jesus hung on a Roman cross, flanked by two thieves. A crowd had gathered to watch the Roman crucifixion. During the past twenty-four hours, Jesus had faced six courts of justice, extreme humiliation and derision of both his person and divinity through floggings and mocking. The guards  rammed a crown of thorns into his scalp. His friends had abandoned him.      At noon, darkness hid him from the prying eyes of his mockers. As he heaved his last, he cried out in a loud voice.                 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”       He quoted from Psalm 22:1, tortured by his internal anguish.  A soldier filled a sponge with bitter wine and raised it to Jesus’ lips, and left him to see if God would rescue him. Forsaken by his Heavenly Father, he carried the weight of God’s wrath, our sin, upon the cross, but ...

                                                When Heaven and Earth Meet              Reading for today: Psalm 27     The Lord is my light and my salvation- who will I fear? The opening line of Psalm 27 set me thinking about sudden danger, and those times when I'm afraid. If a reckless driver swerves over the double line, our hearts thump, and the hairs on the back of our neck prickle. We swerve and brace ourselves for the collision. Yet, underlying our initial fear, we know God has our back. While heaven and earth meet in one crucial moment, he can redirect an incident to a greater purpose.      David had encountered dangers in war, and God had saved his life. He knew God shone light on his journey. After committing the battle to the Lord, he’d moved forward in faith.   But how do we worshi...

  Rejected–and loved by another   The year was 1966, my first high school year. My primary school friend was enrolled at a school within walking distance of home, but since my brother went to Henley High, my parents sent me there, and like every student at a new school, I wanted to make friends, particularly with the ‘in’ group. They had the most fun and everyone liked them. They wore miniskirts, free flowing hair, raved about the Beatles, and watched television.   As I look back, I realize I was a misfit with false expectations. My family never played competitive sport, visited the cinema, or read any book on a Sunday unrelated to the Bible. We went to the Sunday Meeting (our worship service with extended family), sang hymns, relaxed on family drives, went walking in our best clothes, or took an afternoon rest. I wore over the knee length dresses, hats, my hair in pigtails, and no cosmetics.     During those early high school days, I struck up a con...