God’s Darkness

 

By: Susan M. Watkins, cbn. com

Have you ever pondered God’s originality? There’s no need for Him to duplicate. People, snowflakes, fingerprints, all share His uniqueness. This genius carries over into His interactions with us. I’ve discovered something wonderful about Him. He loves to work in the dark.

“Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” Psalm 139:12 (NASB)

I’ve spelunked America’s caves, and without artificial light, you can experience thick darkness. The kind that existed before God commanded light to shine. Because these elements are part of His toolbox, He maneuvers through darkness without difficulty. Just like light. While we fumble and stub toes, He’s busy answering our prayers and comforting us; performing the miraculous in our darkest moments.

As often happens under the right circumstances, people are known for igniting conflict. When the Hebrews were forming their new government following their freedom and “dry” water baptism through the Red Sea; problems arose with whose tribe would serve God directly in His tabernacle. The Lord’s solution was darkness. Each tribe submitted their rod to Moses, who placed all 12 in the tabernacle. God informed He would select the rod of His choice and everyone went off to sleep. In the quiet darkness with a dozen sticks, God famously went to work.

“Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8 (NASB)

In complete darkness, God did the miraculous for His children. Like us, they sought direction and He made it unmistakable. A severed branch came alive and bore buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds. An impossibility became reality in three separate lifecycles. God condensed the growing season when displaying His desires in darkness.

We can likely relate to seasons of uncertainty, experiencing fruitlessness, or feeling severed ourselves. The Almighty gently teaches that being cut off, out of season, or left alone is not the end. While we are limited by the natural, He’s limitless as our Creator. We often question while struggling in the dark, while He moves about unencumbered.

God has no hindrances. Nothing prevents Him from helping or finding us. It’s easy to keep our eyes on the waves instead of Him, and sinking rather than walking results. Fortunately, our Savior is right there to rescue us with a mighty arm.

I’ve found misunderstanding Him will assuredly happen along with forgetting He can operate outside of our boundaries. How reassuring to identify His movements in the darkness; even performing miracles for us there.

Imagine Moses’ joy when entering the tabernacle on the morrow. Stepping inside to find 11 smooth sticks next to one teeming with life though wholly disconnected from it. That single rod pointed the way for generations yet to come; including ours.

Now when faced with decisions that require the Lord’s pristine oversight for my life, I readily take a page from Scripture to point me in the correct direction. God can answer me from anywhere He finds me, and in that cocooned darkness, He quietly prepares my answer.

Perhaps we need to take our concerns to this undisturbed haven more often. A safe place where we can lay our greatest needs before Him in the darkness of His tabernacle before going to sleep. Then share the delight of Moses in finding Heaven’s directives in three different categories.

For in God’s economy, He commands the lifeless to come forth from darkness—and it is so.

Our Spiritual Passport to Heaven

 

 

By: Dr. Robert Jeffress, cbn.com

Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1

What is the spiritual passport we need to get into heaven? It’s not a heart stamped “Catholic.” If your heart is stamped “Catholic,” you are not going to make it into heaven. It’s not a heart stamped “Baptist.” If your heart is stamped “Baptist,” you are not getting into heaven. Nor are you going to be welcomed into heaven if your heart is stamped “Church of Christ,” or any other denomination. Only a heart stamped “Forgiven” will be welcomed into heaven. That’s all that matters: being forgiven of our sins. No other stamp makes a difference in the presence of God. The Bible has a word for being forgiven. It’s the New Testament word justified, which means “to be declared righteous.” Justified is a legal term that refers to what God does for us when we trust in Christ as Savior. When we put our faith in Christ alone for our salvation, God justifies us—He declares us “not guilty” based on what Christ did for us on the cross. Romans 5:1 says, “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The only way we are allowed into heaven is by being forgiven of our sins.

There are not many ways to heaven; there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Christ. I realize that is an unpopular statement today. Many people think there are other routes to heaven. Billionaire Warren Buffett donated 85 percent of his net worth to charity, saying, “There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way.”  I commend Buffett for his generosity, but he will be surprised when he discovers that he cannot donate his way to heaven. There is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

What “stamp” is on your spiritual passport? Have you been forgiven of your sins through your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

God, thank You for making it clear in Your Word that the only way to be welcomed into heaven is through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give me the courage to speak Your truth and opportunities to share the gospel today.

Rejoicing in All Seasons

 

by Debbie Holloway, crosswalk.com

“The hope of the righteous brings joy” (Proverbs 10:28).

I’m currently in the process of moving – but only a few miles away. During the intense first weekend of driving back and forth constantly from the old house to the new apartment, I was always amused when I passed by one curious little house. We began moving in on Valentine’s Day weekend, and this little brick house by the roadside was decked in red and white lights and glowing hearts dotting their lawn. During the daylight it was easy to miss the house, but come nightfall it stood out like a beacon of Valentine’s Day glory.

A few days after Valentine’s Day passed, however, the hue emanating from the house transformed from red to chipper Irish green as the occupants geared up for St. Patrick’s day – complete with shamrocks instead of hearts. My initial reaction to this was something like, Wow. These folks really love their holidays.

As I would drive past the house over the following days and weeks, it got me thinking something else, though. Very few of us embrace change so exuberantly as these (I imagine) quaint little homeowners. Very few of us throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the season of right now. It’s tempting for many of us to leave the Christmas lights up past New Years, simply because it’s hard to let go of the nostalgia of that warm, fuzzy time. Many of us are picky about what we celebrate. Not these folks, though! They seem delighted just to be able to revel in the fact that we have holidays.

That’s an attitude I could probably learn from. I think of Jesus turning water to wine, of all the celebrations, holidays and jubilees that God instituted for the Jews, and I think – God loves an excuse to have joy and celebration! If I can smile, rejoice, and bring attention to a thing of beauty and excitement, I think I should. Just like the people who use every holiday as an excuse to dress up their little house and share a little light with the neighbors.

I Want to Stay with You

By: Katy Kauffman, cbn.com

Reverend Phil seemed seven feet tall to me when I was a child. He could have been a captain at sea or a firefighter or a police chief, but he was a pastor. One Sunday night, his deep voice caught my attention as he unfolded the story of a wild and violent man whose encounter with Jesus changed everything.

A demon-possessed man roamed the tomb-filled hills of the Gadarenes. Everyone feared him, and no one could tame him. They managed to shackle him, but he broke the chains. Then Jesus came to the area—the one Man who could unshackle his heart.

When the man saw Jesus, he said,

“What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me” (Mark 5:7 NKJV).

Jesus didn’t hurt him; He helped him. The man had many demons, and Jesus sent them all out of the man into a nearby herd of pigs. The pigs “ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned” (Mark 5:13 NKJV).

When the people of the area came out to see what had happened, the man who had been demon-possessed was sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. That made the people afraid. They learned what happened to the pigs and wanted Jesus to leave.

Reverend Phil’s characterization of their attitude toward Jesus, was memorable. It was as if they said to Him, “We don’t care where You go or what You do, as long as You leave here.” The healed man’s reaction was just the opposite: “I don’t care where You go or what You do, as long as I can go with You.”

Does your heart want to stay with Jesus, no matter what? Have you come to love and trust Him so that you could say with the healed man, I don’t care where You go or what You do, as long as I can go with You?

In the book of Ruth, we find someone who inspires us to have a wholehearted devotion to God. Ruth wanted to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, even when Ruth’s husband had died. This is what Ruth said when Naomi made plans to leave Moab and go back to Judah.

“Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17 NKJV)

Have you ever loved someone so much that you felt this way about him or her? Have you ever loved God so much, that you said something like this to Him? Wherever You go, I will go. Wherever You stay, I will stay. I am Yours, and You are mine. I will not let go.

Are we willing to give up anything and everything for God? Are we willing to leave behind all of the things that distract us from following Him closely? The more we know Him, the more certain we become that we can trust His heart and rest in His goodness and wisdom. We find that God satisfies our souls and gives us good things. He is a Father who loves us and a Best Friend who shares all of life’s adventures with us. Our hearts will say to Him, “I will stay with You.”

Shower Curtain Security

By: Kathryn Graves, cbn.com

My neighbor, Edna, found a stray kitten on her porch a few months ago. She already had three grown cats, all of which hated the kitten, so she called me and asked me to take him. I love cats, but hadn’t had one in several years and didn’t think I wanted another one. However, when I heard his baby meow over the phone line, my heart melted.

I don’t know where he had been before Edna’s, but he came to me full of insecurity. He keeps looking for places to hunker down where he can feel secure. One of his favorites is under the shower curtain. I have a curved shower rod and when not in use, the curtain hangs outside the tub, bowing out in the center with the hem dangling a few inches above the floor.

The kitten, Theodore, crouches under the center section. The funny thing is the shower curtain only covers his ears and eyes, leaving his whole body exposed and his whiskers poking out. But he feels safe under the flimsy fabric.

I am reminded of how we can be like Theodore. We look for security in flimsy things, too. My husband and I, seriously concerned about providing enough money for our retirement, invested in the stock market. Having money socked away makes us feel better about the future. But markets have a history of softening, declining and bursting like a bubble. We really don’t know how much money we will end up with.

Some people collect things, even when they can’t afford to. I am reminded of the commercial in which a man who has a huge, fake smile plastered on his face lists all the possessions he owns. At the end he says, still smiling, “Can’t somebody help me? I’m in debt up to my eyeballs.” Surrounding ourselves with a lot of things may feel good for a while, but even if we can afford them, we can’t take them with us when our life is over. We’re simply covering our eyes and ears to the truth that they can’t provide the kind of security that lasts.

A job seems like the answer for many. They spend years training and preparing for their dream job – the one that will make them rich and famous. Someone said fame is fleeting. They were right and jobs can be, too, in our world of layoffs, outsourcing and corporate corruption.

Some search for security in relationships. My mother felt secure in her marriage until it fell apart after 33 years. Marriage is great, and we should feel secure in our marriage relationships, but we are not guaranteed tomorrow. My husband and I have been married almost 29 years and if there ever was a solid marriage we have it, but our health is not promised to last forever. One of us will probably pass away before the other. If marriage were the only thing lending me a sense of security, I might one day be lost without it.

Some people live in war-torn countries and believe if they only had peace, they would feel secure. Unfortunately, military peace doesn’t always bring personal security.

In the parable of Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus said if we build our houses on the sand, then when the rain comes, everything will be washed away. But if we’ve built on the rock, our house will hold up against the worst of storms. Jesus is the rock and the house is our life. Whatever plans we make for our future need to be prayed over and Spirit led. When we hunker down on Jesus our Rock, we really are secure. Anywhere else is behind a flimsy shower curtain.

God Provides

 

By Nina Keegan, cbn.com

I was barely high enough to peer over the shiny, yellow, laminate countertops in my grandmother’s immaculate kitchen, but it was homemade-noodle making day, and I was overjoyed as I took my rightful place next to her on a worn, red, metal foot stool.

“Always make sure the eggs are at room temperature,” she reminded me as we took turns cracking them into the bright blue earthenware bowl.

The smells of the wonderfully cooked Italian food, glorious food, lovingly prepared by my tiny grandmother in her homespun kitchen are still unmatched today, and those memories remain some of my most cherished!

Being from a large Italian family, all of my favorite and important memories involve food. Banquets and feasts were the centerpiece of every holiday, birthday, and simple Sundays. My grandmother wanted to feed everyone. She loved people with food. Making others happy with food gave her joy. She would bring food to all her friends, cook for those who were sick or just in need of a little TLC. She was always prepared. To her, it was a crime to not have a freezer full of “just in case” lasagnas and cannolis for company!

I believe this is a “no getting around it” inherited trait of just being Italian, at least in my family. I too live to feed everybody and everything. The ducks on the lake outside my home know that all too well.

To me, there would be no worse feeling than to not be able to provide food for my family or being unable to feed my children.

I thought about the children of Israel. While they were endlessly wandering in the wilderness, they needed to fully rely on God to provide food (manna) for them each day. They were not allowed to take any more than a single day’s portion, and if they did, it would rot immediately. There would be no “just in case” food, no “what if God forgets to send it tomorrow” food! They had to have blind faith in what they did not see and wholeheartedly trust they would be able to go out each day and collect fresh food for their children. They had to believe a new day’s supply would be sent to nourish them by God from Heaven.

They had to trust that God would provide!

In Mark 10:36, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

God is so simple in His love for us. He just wants us to trust him. He asks us to tell him what we need. He says we have not, because we ask not.

By commanding the Israelites to not collect any more food than they needed for one day, God was asking them to totally rely on His merciful grace—the grace that can only come from Him. His grace is sufficient to take care of all we need on any given day.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV), the Lord told Paul,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul’s response was to “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Sometimes we look ahead—and the mountains we face and the trials and storms that engulf us, seem overwhelmingly impossible to manage. But then God shows up again with a daily helping of His amazing grace and a fresh batch of heavenly manna and says, “Trust me, we will get through this together today, I will be back tomorrow and we will handle tomorrow then.”

When we are weak, He is strong!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Heal My Land

 

By: Gene Markland, cbn.com

Are you, like me, weary from all the bad news from around our country and the world? Natural disasters and disease have devastated millions. Financial disasters have wiped out fortunes, retirement accounts, and businesses. Political upheavals are pitting brother against brother and value system against value system. And yes, as the Bible predicted, there are wars and rumors of wars.

What is going to happen to us! How will all this play out? Have we, as some suggest, brought about God’s judgment upon our nations because of our sin and disobedience? Questions, worry, and fear fill our hearts and minds.  What are we to do? Simply stated, the answer is prayer.

Recently at my church’s Men’s Fellowship Breakfast, jovial conversation turned from sports to our world’s economic woes. We shared our thoughts with each other about how these times are affecting our families. One Brother asked, “Why us?  Why now?”

An elderly gentleman who has served God all his life stood up, and with confidence that overshadowed his humble voice proclaimed, “The Lord has never let me down. If we pray, He will help us make it through.”

The word of the Lord says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).

How can our nations be saved and survive the many disasters in our midst? Do you share my frustration because it seems like our society will not do as God instructs and pray, repent, and humble ourselves before Him? How can we expect His favor when we live any way that we want, with little regard to the word of God? Is there hope for those who follow Christ according the word of God and not pop culture? Yes! Yes, there is hope!

Remember, scripture applies to us individually, and not just corporately as nations. As God honors His word to each obedient individual, then a portion of that nation is blessed. The more individuals who appropriate God’s word, the more that nation that will be blessed. However, it all starts with one. So I ask you to personalize the scripture as I did, and allow God to bless you and heal your land.

“If (Gene) _____, who is called by my name (Christian), shall humble himself, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from his wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive (Gene’s) _____’s sin, and heal (Gene’s) _____’s land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 Personalized).

Though the entire world around us crumbles, the Lord will honor His word to us, if we will heed it. Put your name in the blank, in the scripture. Seek out what you must do to heed His word and God will fulfill His promise for you!

If you align yourself with the freewheeling secular world, then you shall reap with them, suffer, and share in their despair. But if you align yourself with the truth of God’s word, then He will give you peace, and see you through the tough times that try men’s souls. He will make a way for you where there is no way. Your house shall be an oasis in the desert, an ark of safety in a world flooded with crisis.

“Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10 KJV)

God Prepares the Heart to Answer His Call

 

 

By: Diane Pearson, cbn.com

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I gave a speech at a church in Indianapolis where they requested one of my speeches titled, “You Want Me to Do What?!  God’s Call and Your Response.”

I had not given that speech in several years, so it brought back many memories. It’s my story of when God called me 11 years ago to leave a teaching job I loved, to go into full-time Christian writing, speaking, and teaching.

When I first felt the call, I was in a total panic. I called my pastor in tears and said, “I think God wants me to leave my job! I don’t want to do that! I love my job!”

She calmed me with these words:  “If you have no desire to leave your job right now, then I don’t think God is calling you to do that YET.”

I must be pretty slow on the uptake because that little word tacked on at the end of her sentence, YET, didn’t register. The dictionary definition of that three-letter word is:  “at a future time.”

I pretended for months that I didn’t understand what that meant. After all, I told myself, I was certain God had called me to the teaching job I loved. (I’m still certain of that.) But slowly over the next nine months, an amazing thing happened. God changed my heart. It was like the nine-month gestation period preparing a baby to be born. Eleven years ago I was literally an infant in Christ, not YET spiritually ready for such a drastic life change. But God graciously provided an incubation period to prepare me.

God showed me the perfect Bible passage to express this idea. The Apostle Paul addressed the church at Corinth with these words:

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.” 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 (NIV)

There’s that little word again:  YET.  Paul was saying the church members at Corinth were still too attached to the world and not mature enough in their faith. Therefore, they needed to be fed like infants. They were not YET ready for solid food, but with the implied promise that they would be ready at a future time.

I still cried when I wrote my resignation letter. I grieved at leaving something I loved, but at the same time, I experienced great joy. God changed my heart until I wanted what He wanted more than anything else in the world. Finally, I was ready to take solid food instead of infants’ milk.

His plan was for me to go in a new, different and exciting direction. In that process, I discovered something wonderful:  God’s call on your life can change. After all, Scripture promises:

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

Extreme Rescue

 

 

By:  Wally Odum, cbn.com

While ministry has those moments that make us smile, the truly satisfying aspect of ministry is the joy of seeing someone’s life changed through an encounter with Jesus. Mark, in his Gospel, records a classic example of that.

“And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven..’” Mark 2:3-5 (ESV)

This miracle is significant because it not only shows the power of Jesus, and His grace to those who need Him, but it shows the way we can be part of His ministry.

There is tenderness in the way Jesus greeted the paralyzed man. The man was a sinner. That is clear because one of the things Jesus did was forgive his sin. Now his friends had lowered him into the presence of Jesus, the holiest man who ever lived. That would be intimidating. He was paralyzed, had been dropped through the roof, and now lay helpless in front of the very Son of God. Understanding the man’s dilemma, Jesus first said to him, “Take heart, my son.” Matthew 9:2 (ESV) What a comforting thing to say to a sinful man who had interrupted His teaching session. Jesus literally meant, “There’s nothing to fear here.”

How many times have we thought of God as Someone to fear? Ashamed of our sins, we too often avoid His presence, when His presence is the safest place for us to be. While Jesus would eventually forgive the man’s sin and heal his paralysis, He began by removing the man’s fear.

Anyone could see that the man was paralyzed. Jesus would deal with that. What no one else could see was the condition of the man’s heart. Jesus started there. He probed deeper than anyone else could have. He does that for us, too. He goes right to the root problem and deals with that first. Jesus begins His dealings with us by removing our fear of Him and taking our sin away.

When Jesus finally said, “Get up, take your mat and go home,” the man did something he hadn’t been able to do. The natural response to that would have been, “I can’t do that, I’m paralyzed.” The paralyzed man didn’t say that. He attempted something that had been impossible before and stood to his feet. That’s what happens to us when fear and guilt are removed. We aren’t afraid to attempt the impossible.

The unique aspect of this story is the four friends and the lengths to which they went to help their friend. He was paralyzed and couldn’t have gotten to Jesus on his own. He needed the help of friends who cared enough about him to carry his limp body to the place where Jesus was ministering.

The most amusing part of the entire story is the method the men used to get help for their friend. The building was so crowded that they couldn’t get inside. So they climbed the stairs on the outside of the house, with their friend in tow, and dug a hole in the roof large enough to accommodate a man’s bed. They tore up a roof to get their friend to Jesus. Those four desperate men did something that violated every principle of property rights. They destroyed a man’s house. Anyone who destroys someone else’s roof is a lawbreaker. We may have expected Jesus to look up and say, “Vandals!” He didn’t. Mark says that He looked up and “saw their faith.”

We live in a world where people are hurting. They are swamped by shame, guilt, and condemnation. They need someone to carry them to Jesus. When we came to Jesus, someone carried us. Some people will never get to Jesus unless they’re carried. As you walk through life this week, be alert for opportunities to be the one who carries a paralyzed person to Him.

Redemption’s Ring

 

 

By: Kathy Thomas, cbn.com

“Happy Birthday! And congratulations on your engagement!”

Our waiter’s words should have evoked squeals of elation. Instead, I stared at him in disbelief. After an awkward eternity of silence, I stammered, “Uh… well, thank you… but, he hasn’t asked me… yet.”

The waiter’s face turned every shade of shame, as he apologized profusely for letting the cat out of the bag. For a fleeting moment, I actually felt sorrier for him than for myself. My boyfriend – the coward – received no such pity, as he sheepishly grinned at me from across the table.

It wasn’t like I didn’t see it coming. It was my 18th birthday, and my father had surrendered his Cadillac, his credit card, and his personal country club membership card to ensure the night was extra special.

The whole scenario spelled P-R-O-P-O-S-A-L.

We had spent the evening giggling, whispering, and holding hands, trying to ease the awkwardness of being the only two diners in the entire restaurant. Later, we retreated to the balcony for a moonlit stroll. A surreal harvest moon engulfed our starry backdrop and stretched across the glassy lake. The warm August breeze twirled my long wavy hair, as swans danced across the water. It was the stuff that movies are made of.

But apparently, Prince Charming chickened out.

Unaware that my sweetheart had missed his cue, our unsuspecting waiter proceeded to extend his blessing on our hasn’t-happened-yet-but-should-have engagement. Had it actually been a movie, I would have screamed, “Cut!” and insisted on a retake. But it wasn’t, so we stumbled back out onto the balcony, where my boyfriend attempted to redeem himself by finally popping the question, himself, and offering his family’s prized heirloom – his Grandmother’s engagement ring.

It wasn’t the knight-in-shining-armor moment I had pictured in my head, ever since I was a little girl. But, I swallowed my disappointment and allowed my knight-in-tarnished-tinsel a chance for redemption.

I said “Yes.”

I even allowed the waiter a chance for redemption, by insisting he serve our wedding cake at our reception. After all, he had officially popped the question.

Over the years, our “Happily Ever After” hasn’t always been the fairy tale we hoped for. “For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health” have been tougher promises than either of us ever expected. But through it all, we’ve found hope in offering each other one more chance for redemption.

Our heavenly Father surrendered His greatest treasure, Jesus, to offer us His proposal – our chance for redemption. If we surrender our own personal agendas and say “Yes” to Him, we find ourselves engaged in the greatest love story ever written. It isn’t always “Happily Ever After” either, but it’s worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears we invest. Heaven knows, God invested His own blood, sweat, and tears into pursuing a relationship with us.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

How can we deny each other the redemption He so freely offers us?

These past few years have been the hardest, as my husband has struggled to keep his small business afloat. About a year ago, one business debt snowballed into a potential lawsuit. We made the heartbreaking decision to sell the ring he gave me that tender August night to pay the debt. The jeweler, a Christian, happily made arrangements for us to buy it back. But last summer, as we struggled with the foreclosure of our home, we realized we could no longer make the payments and would have to let it go.

That same summer, our daughter met a godly young man named Shane. They quickly became best friends. I met him the night before they drove 1,300 miles away to attend Bible College together. A week later, he called to ask permission to court her.

While sharing their hopes and dreams over endless cups of coffee, Shane learned the story of our lost family heirloom. Shortly thereafter, he called to ask permission to redeem the ring with the intention of offering it to our daughter.

On a recent starry night… high atop a moonlit rooftop… kneeling on one knee… Shane placed our family heirloom on our daughter’s finger and asked for her hand in marriage.

She said, “Yes.”

“If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold” Leviticus 25:25 (NKJV)

The God of a Second Chance

 

By: Terry Meeuwsen, cbn.com

I began working in television in Milwaukee in 1978. While I’d never set out to do talk TV, I felt at home from the beginning, and being in the public eye gave me many opportunities to share my faith. Because it was fairly common knowledge in the community that I was a Christian, the publicity of going through a divorce was difficult. That winter, I went home at the end of each day to a cold, silent house. Emotionally depressed and grieved, I would then climb into bed with my hat, coat, and boots still on and sleep till morning.

I’m not sure when that heavy veil of grief and emptiness began to lift. But sometime that spring, I became aware of the sweet smell of the wet earth beginning to thaw, the songs of promise that were being sung with such abandon from every nest and perch. I began to move on. I had no intention of dating and no interest in pursuing a new relationship. Though I loved children, I had accepted that there would be none in my first marriage. I was in my 30s, and the prospect of marriage and a family seemed remote and unlikely. Yet God had other plans.

I met Andy Friedrich at a retirement celebration for a coworker. He had gone through a divorce a number of years before that, and after much floundering and searching, a friend had led him to Christ. But no one had discipled him, so he had little knowledge of the Scriptures and wasn’t in a church or study group of any kind. Initially we met to talk about the Lord. In time, I grudgingly conceded to a date, but not without apprehension.

Even though Andy was ready for a relationship, I was still gun-shy—so he simply waited. With tenderness and kindness and an incredible amount of patience, he broke down any barriers I’d put up. He was faithful, trustworthy, and committed to the Lord and to me. We were married a little more than a year after we’d begun dating.

The Lord used Andy in many ways to help heal old wounds in me. He offered both of us a new beginning, a clean slate, a hope, and a future. And I’m now a mom—not one, not two, but seven children, each a precious, unique gift from the Lord. God has surely given me more than I could hope for or ask.

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is one of my favorites. Sold by his brothers into slavery, taken to a foreign land, unfairly accused and imprisoned, and with little hope or expectation of ever seeing his family again, Joseph was in what seemed an impossible situation. Despite all that, the Bible says, “The Lord was with him.”

God allowed the testing to build character in Joseph. Joseph went through years of waiting and suffering before he saw God’s plan in it all. God used Joseph to save Egypt, the surrounding nations, and Joseph’s own family. God’s plans and purposes are so much bigger and greater than our own.

At the end of his story, Joseph says,

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day” Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)

That same truth is reconfirmed in the book of Romans in the New Testament.

“All things work together for good to those who love God” Romans 8:28 (NKJV).

God is indeed, the God of second chances.