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More Meaningful Mishaps–on the Keyboard

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, Faith, Generosity, God's Presence, Praise, Uncategorized, Worship, tagged Acts 16, Blessings, Chris Tomlin, Encouragement, Faith, God's Presence, Paul, Praise, Silas, Worship on May 13, 2013| 8 Comments »

Back in January I wrote a post about meaningful mishaps on the keyboard—typos with significance. Now, four months later, I’ve collected a few more.

Mishap #1:

I meant to type caring, but the screen showed daring. Actually, the two words can be used together in a meaningful way: Sometimes we must be daring in our caring.

My husband, Steve, is a generous tipper. He frequently dares to care with his wallet. Not that we have a lot of money to spare, but we’ve experienced time and again you can’t outgive God. His economy isn’t logical; it’s theological.

(Photo credit: TBoard)

A few years ago Steve was traveling out-of-state every few months to visit his elderly parents. Each time he would stay at a bed and breakfast near the assisted living home. Steve became well-acquainted with the B & B manager and always left her a gracious tip.

In December of 2011, Steve’s dad graduated to heaven. He had served God well and been a mentor to many. At age ninety-three, he was looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.

Since we’d be needing several days’ accommodation, Steve called T. to see if she might have a room available for us at the B & B—even though it was very short notice.

“I can accommodate you the first three nights, but that last night, we’re full,” she responded. “However! There is no reason you and Nancy can’t stay with me. My apartment is good-sized, and you’ll have your own suite. In fact, I insist!”

Would T. have made such a generous offer, if Steve had not been so gracious to her? Probably. T is a very giving woman herself. I do know Steve did not give those generous tips in order to receive.

But when we dare to care, God often augments the results.

Mishap #2:

Imagine my surprise to look at the screen and see, not long-standing faith as I’d intended, but song-standing faith.

Turns out, that is quite meaningful. Frequently a song will lift my spirit and affirm my faith. Take Chris Tomlin’s song, Our God. Imagine an energized congregation singing the chorus with passion and volume:

Chris Tomlin performing a concert in Johnson City, Tennessee, November 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And if our God is with us,
Then what can stand against us?
And if our God is for us,
Then who could ever stop us?

Such an experience has a powerful effect. I find myself standing up straighter. The concerns on my mind fade in importance, and my heart fills with confidence. Yes, song-standing faith works wonders! I need to avail myself of the opportunity more often.

Mishap #3:

The word was supposed to be dailyness, referring to the humdrum routine that occupies more of our time than we’d like. Instead, here’s what I typed: dailymess.

(Photo credit: WarzauWynn)

M-m-m. Another matter that occupies more of our time than we’d like: the messes we have to clean up, the interruptions, the unexpected turns of events. Such moments generate frustration and raise blood pressure. Not good!

So what do we do when the daily-ness of our lives, which is challenging enough, becomes daily-mess?

To begin, song-affirming faith (Mishaps #2) will certainly help. Remember Paul and Silas, missionaries who traveled far and wide to tell others about Jesus? While visiting Philippi, they stumbled into an awful mess, and ended up in prison. For all they knew, they could be killed the next day. And yet at midnight, these two were praying and singing hymns to God (Acts 16:25).

They were accessing song-affirming faith to combat the mess—the unexpected turn of events in their lives.

And why were Paul and Silas in prison in the first place? They had been daring and caring (Mishap #1, above). They had helped a slave girl, enraged the owners, and were arrested. BUT! God intervened in a miraculous way. An earthquake opened the prison doors. Paul, Silas and the other prisoners could have escaped, but didn’t. As a result, the jailer wanted to know about this Jesus they’d been praying to and singing about. He wanted to know how he and his family could have eternal life. The daring and caring of Paul and Silas paid great dividends—more souls for the kingdom of heaven! (See Acts 16 for the whole incredible story.)

Daring and caring. Song-affirming faith. Both combat the daily-mess of life.

* * * * * * * * *

Thank you, Father, for the affirmations you reveal through my keyboard mishaps: 1) You augment daring and caring to produce amazing results, and 2) Song-affirming faith ushers us into your presence where we experience your power and presence, and 3) You provide strength and perseverance to deal with the daily-mess of life.

Hallelujah! I give thanks to you with everything I’ve got! Your works are so great, worth a lifetime of study–endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark your craft; your generosity never gives out, your miracles are your memorial. You are the God of Grace and the God of Love! (Taken from Psalm 111:1-4, The Message.)

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Unexpected Reward

Posted in Appreciation, Blessings, Christmas, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Patience, Uncategorized, tagged Appreciation, Blessings, Christmas, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Jeremiah 17:10, Patience on May 6, 2013| 17 Comments »

‘Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the mall,

Shoppers with gift cards were having a ball.

I was among them, reveling in one of my favorite activities: bargain hunting. There’s something exhilarating about combing through a rack of clothing, which everyone else has passed by, and finding a gem. Marked down. At least twice.

Ruth of the Old Testament gleaned Boaz’ fields (Ruth 2:2-3); I glean sales racks.

Field of Boaz (Photo credit: Seetheholyland.net)

This particular December 26 while browsing in Macy’s, a true treasure emerged from the rejects: a lined, flowing silk skirt, black, with vertical stripes of rust and taupe. Down each stripe ran a subtle pattern of flowers.

Such an elegant, versatile skirt would be a great addition to my wardrobe, I thought. Warily I searched for the tag. Although tucked among the clearance merchandise, it still might cost too much. There was no tag.

So I headed to the nearest cashier counter for a price check.

Now if you’ve ever shopped on December 26, you know the importance of taking plenty of patience with you. It’s probably the second busiest shopping day of the whole year, right behind Black Friday. Long lines at the cash register are just part of the process.

in line (Photo credit: iowa_spirit_walker)

Imagine my delight to see only two people at the counter.

Customer #1 didn’t take very long at all. Fantastic.

Customer #2 was returning merchandise that she had received as a gift. And although it was from Macy’s, her gift came from out-of-state. This particular store didn’t carry that pant-and-sweater set. Now what? The cashier didn’t know.

The manager was called. Wait. Wait. Wait.

She didn’t know what to do either.

I scanned the surrounding area, looking for another counter where I might get waited on sooner. They were backed up, too. Might as well stay put.

Phone calls ensued. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Finally, someone at the other end of the line knew what to do and explained the steps to follow. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Of course, the steps were not easy to follow. A few missteps occurred. Wait. Wait. Wait.

At long last, the customer left with a receipt. To her credit, she apologized for taking so long. I said something like, “These things happen. Can’t be helped.” I even smiled. After all, it wasn’t her fault.

To the credit of Ms. S. P. (Sales Person), she, too, apologized for the delay, and cheerfully asked how she could help me.

“I might want to buy this skirt, but there’s no tag.”

She looked it over, but Miss S.P. didn’t find a tag either.

“Tell you what,” she said. “Since you were so nice about the situation with the last customer, I’ll just ring it up with this.” She pulled over another skirt, sitting in a fluff on the end of the counter. The price? Under $7.00.

“I’ll take it!” I cried, and whispered a prayer of gratitude to God. That super-bargain skirt seemed like a gift from him, almost a reward for my patience.

God has said, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10).

Does that mean God rewards every good deed with a gracious blessing? No, I’d become a very spoiled daughter of the King if he did that. In addition, any good deeds I might undertake would be generated by wrong motives.

And please, don’t pat me on the back either. I’m not confrontational by nature anyway. It wasn’t that hard to wait, smile, express understanding, and be patient.

But. Blessings like that skirt come just often enough to remind us:

He’s watching.

He’s appreciating.

There are even moments He’s smiling, because of the choices we make.

The satisfaction in those realities is a glorious blessing in itself.

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The Purpose of Problems–Part 2

Posted in Encouragement, Excellence, Faith, God's Presence, Godly Character, Maturity, Perseverance, Suffering, Uncategorized, tagged 1 Chronicles 29:17, Acts 14:22, Encouragement, God's Presence, God's Strength, Godly Character, James 1:2, Jeremiah 31:3, Jeremiah 32:27, Maturity, Perseverance, Suffering on May 2, 2013| 7 Comments »

Hardship (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On Monday our starting point was Acts 14:22: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Not exactly an encouraging affirmation, is it!

But we discovered that problems can actually be opportunities—opportunities to improve our perspective, foster appreciation, and draw us closer to God.

Another benefit? Problems build character.

And why is that a valuable endeavor? Wise King Solomon answered that question eons ago: “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity” (1 Chronicles 29:17). That means, when I face problems with integrity, I bring pleasure to my Heavenly Father. Now that’s a goal worth pursuing.

integrity (Photo credit: glsims99)

Integrity is firm adherence to a code or standard of values. The one and only true standard is God’s standard, laid out in his Word. Integrity includes righteousness, courage, perseverance, and faith–character traits that don’t develop without pressure.

The key is to live within the spiritual realm with him. Then the physical realm becomes less important. It’s as if we exist in an alternative reality. No wallowing in self-pity. No rehashing the negative aspects of the situation. No time wasted considering the “what-ifs.”

Instead we “count it all joy when we meet various trials” (James 1:2). How?

1. Practice his presence by speaking to him throughout the day. Keep rehearsing God’s attributes. Remember all his benefits. Think of the blessings he has already provided.

2. Acknowledge those little demons of worry, shame, or inadequacy. Call them by name and present them before God. Notice how they cower as God proclaims his everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Watch them retreat as he affirms his infinite power (Jeremiah 32:27).

3. Anticipate what God might accomplish through these difficult circumstances. Wonderful possibilities exist as he sends us in new directions and uses us to minister to others.

No doubt there are more steps we can take. But these offer a good start. And what will be the result? Difficulties develop perseverance, and perseverance produces maturity—the one positive character trait that covers them all (James 1:2).

Heavenly Father, you know even better than I how easy it is to verbally affirm these truths; it’s another to live by them moment by moment. I still have much to learn about counting it all joy in the midst of trials. But I do aspire to be a mature person, able to say, “It is well with my soul.” No. Matter. What. Thank you for continuing to work on me, for never giving up.

IT IS WELL (Photo credit: Amydeanne)

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Out of the Fog–Revisited

Posted in Appreciation, Blessings, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Praise, Renewing the Mind, Uncategorized, tagged Appreciation, Blessings, Encouragement, God's Goodness, Gratitude on April 25, 2013| 8 Comments »

(This is the fiftieth post on From the Inside Out. In celebration, I’m diving into the archives for an early piece and reposting.)

On the way to work one foggy morning, I spotted a small patch of bright colors peeking through the haze ahead. That’s strange, I thought. What could it possibly be?

A few moments later the mystery was solved. Wafting over a garbage can was a bouquet of helium-filled mylar balloons!

Mylar balloons (Photo credit: Transguyjay)

It occurred to me (no doubt prompted by the Holy Spirit) that:

Out of the garbage that sometimes collects in and around our lives (the difficult people, the stressful circumstances) God provides mylar balloons—joyful, bright spots of blessings. I just need to keep my eyes open.

Alright, Lord,my heart responded that morning. I’ll try it. First, thank you for the way the lacy wisps of fog have produced a quiet serenity over the landscape. I’m reminded of your ethereal, surrounding Presence. Thank you for always being with me (Psalm 23:4).

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those balloons certainly put a smile on my face. If someone else had been in the car with me, no doubt we’d have laughed out loud at the extraordinary sight. Thank you for the gift of humor, for the way it lifts my spirit (Proverbs 17:22).

Thank you also for the way you engineer circumstances. Just recently I recorded in my Blessings Journal how you miraculously shortened a to-do list that was impossibly long. But you changed dates and cancelled commitments until the items which remained were very doable. You are amazing!

To-do list book. (Photo credit: koalazymonkey)

My heart overflows with joy as I consider the variety of ways you minister to my spirit. Sometimes it’s through a family member or friend, through a song, a speaker, or something I read. Just the other day you spoke to me through a story I was reading. One of the characters explained that trials make us stronger and purer, and you see more of your reflection in us. It was as if you spoke those words directly to me, and my eyes filled with tears of joy, to realize I have the privilege of reflecting your glory.

Well, Lord, just another minute and I’ll be at work. Soon I’ll see my precious colleagues who have been so encouraging and supportive. Thank you for Christian sisters who care and pray for each other.

DSC_5104.JPG (Photo credit: @superamit)

Needless to say, I practically skipped into work that day. And what fun to share with special coworkers, “You are a beautiful mylar balloon in my life!” and then explain.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

What bright spots of blessing have surprised you recently? Name them and be uplifted. “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3).

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The Power of God-Stories

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, Faith, God, God's Faithfulness, God's Goodness, God's Power, God's Presence, God's Promises, God's Provision, Hope, Uncategorized, tagged Charles Spurgeon, God, Hope, Miracles on April 18, 2013| 14 Comments »

Minnesota Blizzard 10 – 22609 (Photo credit: DavidErickson)

Maria felt compelled to make a big pot of lamb stew one winter morning. By afternoon she knew why. A blizzard paralyzed city traffic. Right down the street from her home a bus load of passengers became stranded. Maria perked coffee for them—pot after pot–and invited them into her home for the lamb stew. Gratefully and incredulously they came, about half a dozen or so at a time. The driver was the last to be served, with the remaining spoonfuls from the bottom of the pot. Maria never even got a taste! But it didn’t matter. Her heart was filled with gratitude that God had prompted her to make that stew. He enabled her to help twenty-plus stranded commuters and show them the love and grace of God.

Gordon burned his hand severely—so badly the doctor said he’d probably have to amputate several fingers. But Gordon’s mother and many others prayed, and day by day the hand got better—not worse. Today, you have to look close to even find the scar.

Nita often wears a favorite pair of gold earrings, given to her by her children. One day while golfing with her husband, she lost one those precious earrings. Nita was heartsick. A few days later, these avid golfers were again on the course. Nita prayed. “Father, I don’t know where that earring is, but you do. Please help me find it.” On the twelfth green, when Nita walked up to where her ball had landed, she saw something glinting in the grass. Not one foot from where her ball landed, there was her earring.

These stories are just three of many, recently shared by members of the Bible study I attend. Maria, Gordon, and Nita are in that group. No doubt you’ve heard stories like theirs, too. In fact, you’ve probably experienced a few miraculous situations yourself. It’s important we share our God-stories as encouragement for our faith. Our God-stories prove:

1) God’s Word is true. God is loving, gracious, faithful, and powerful.

2) We are never without hope.

3) God keeps his promises.

4) God continually blesses his children.

5) Christianity works.

Do all of these facts mean we can expect God to intervene in every difficult circumstance? No. We’d become very spoiled children if he did. But the number of times God does provide miracles goes beyond coincidence. They are indeed God-incidents.

Yet we cannot ignore the times God does not answer our prayers as we’d wish. Sometimes he does not step in to provide and protect. He does not always solve our problems for us. It’s in those situations that God works a different set of miracles: patience and perseverance (James 1:2), growth in godliness and spiritual strength, his compassion and mercy (James 5:11).

Such statements might sound glib to someone recently bereaved of a loved one, or an innocent person suffering unfair circumstances. But there are powerful God-stories from suffering saints as well.

G. lost her husband recently and was terribly insecure about living on her own. But God revealed his presence to her in a powerful physical sensation of warmth through her whole body. Although still grieving, G. has felt surrounded by God’s peace and empowering presence.

K. had always dreamed of getting married, creating a home, and raising several children. Then came her fortieth birthday. It appeared that dream was not going come true. Depression seeped into the corners of her life, even though she was a woman of strong faith. But day by day, the truths of God’s Word fed her spirit and hope began to grow again. Not the hope of marriage and a family, but hope in God’s plan to prosper her, to give her a future (Jeremiah 29:11)—albeit in a different direction.

In the final analysis, these miracles are the most wondrous of all. They are miracles of transformed hearts.

“Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the black chariots of bright grace” – Charles Spurgeon.

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A Person on Whom Nothing Is Lost

Posted in Faith, God, God's Goodness, God's Love, God's Power, God's Wisdom, Holiness, Uncategorized, tagged Ephesians 3:19, Faith, God, God's Goodness, God's Power, Henry James, Living Aware on April 15, 2013| 4 Comments »

Henry James, by John Singer Sargent (died 1925). See source website for additional information. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“A writer should strive to be a person on whom nothing is lost.” – Henry James.

Some of you may recognize that name from literature class. Does Portrait of a Lady or The Turn of the Screw sound familiar?

Henry James became known for well-developed characters and for stories with an undercurrent of commentary on politics, the social classes, feminism, and morality.

With many works to his credit, his advice for writers–to “live aware”–is advice worth taking.

So we writers become observers–of people, situations, and creation.

We try to see more – the swirling rainbow on a bubble; the slight arch of the eyebrow indicating doubt.

We try to hear more – the squirrel’s staccato tapping as he scampers up a tree; the brief pause of uncertainty.

We try to smell more – the promise of harvest in the freshly turned soil of spring; the aroma of love in a Thanksgiving feast.

We try to taste more – the flavor of winter in a snowflake; the delectable sweetness of moments spent with family or old friends.

We try to feel more – the downy softness of silk on a milkweed seed; the comforting warmth of traditions.

As a result, we’re better equipped to convey meaning to our readers—with clarity and specificity, we hope.

And it occurred to me, Christians should also strive to be persons on whom nothing is lost.

We Christians need to live aware, so as not to miss what God reveals.

We must try to see more – in His Word, His people, and creation.

We must try to hear more – of his still, small voice.

We must try to smell more – in the fragrance of His presence.

We must try to taste more of God’s goodness in our everyday circumstances.

We must try to feel more of the wonder.

And what will be the result?

Out of the glorious riches of all these things, “we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). God wants to fill us with His attributes:

His love—everlasting, mindful of our needs, caring.

His wisdom—truthful, trustworthy, impartial.

His holiness—pure, separate from all else, beautiful.

His righteousness—promise-keeping, miracle-working, faithful.

His power—creative, sovereign, protective.

Think of it. The King of the universe wants us to fully enjoy all that He is, all that He has to offer.

Oh, how I want to be a person on which nothing of the King is lost.

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Wise in Their Own Eyes

Posted in Faith, God's Wisdom, Wisdom, tagged Christianity, Faith, God, God's Wisdom, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 2:6, Wisdom on April 1, 2013| 8 Comments »

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you seen this cereal commercial?

Several women decry the frustration of nutrition and diet research which contradicts itself. Examples:

Carbohydrates are good; carbohydrates are bad.
Eliminate as much fat from your diet as possible; a little bit of fat is good for you.
To lose weight, eat no more than 1500 calories a day. To lose weight, eat no more than 1200 calories a day.

And then the ladies say something like, “You know what? I’m not listening to expert advice anymore. I’m going to listen to me. I know better nutrition when I see it.”

I want to ask them: “And how do you know what’s good? How did you find out? What makes you wiser than the experts? Sure, they make mistakes. But haven’t you made a few yourselves?”

I’ve seen the same attitude in discussions of spiritual matters.

“Well, I believe…”

“In my opinion…”

“I just know that…”

Oh? Sometimes we forget that there is a standard for truth—the Bible. In the long run, it doesn’t really matter what we believe or think. What matters is what God’s Word says. If our thoughts and beliefs do not coincide with the Bible, we’re on the wrong track.

Bible Study 1 (Photo credit: DrGBB)

“The Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). In other words, God is the only source of true wisdom. We humans cannot manufacture it on our own.

God pointedly warns us about thinking of ourselves as experts of wisdom. “Do not be wise in your own eyes,” he says (3:7a). “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (12:15).

EXPERT (Photo credit: Pete Prodoehl)

I, for one, would not set myself up as an expert, like the women in the commercial. I don’t always know what’s good for me. I’m not that smart!

Instead, my measuring tool is God’s Word. That’s where I turn to verify if my line of thinking is straight. There is only one Mastermind, the One who created me. And unlike human experts, he is completely trustworthy.*

It would behoove me to know what he thinks before I spout off my own opinions.

English: Eric H. Cline excavating at Megiddo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* The Bible is also trustworthy, proven time and again to be accurate, by the ancient manuscripts, archaeology, prophecy, and other proofs. You may wish to read Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction by Eric H. Cline and The Evidence of Prophecy edited by Robert C. Newman for a deeper study of these fascinating topics.

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The Glory of the Cross

Posted in God's Faithfulness, God's Grace, God's Love, God's Power, God's Salvation, Jesus, Salvation, tagged 1 Corinthians 1:7, Calvary, Christ, Ephesians 1:18-23, Ephesians 1:7, God, Grace, Romans 3:23-26, Romans 5:8, Salvation on March 28, 2013| 7 Comments »

Crucifixion IV (Photo credit: Remara Photography)

Seems like a cruel oxymoron, doesn’t it—to put the words glory and cross together. Glory carries positive connotations of splendor, radiance, and goodness. The cross is a symbol of horrific pain and suffering.

But the cross is also “an exhibition of the nature of God” (Oswald Chambers). You see, God’s glory is the fullness of who God is, his nature, and includes all his attributes and characters traits. Many of those attributes were at work when God provided the way of salvation for us. The glory of the cross includes:

1. Love

“God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Such love is incomprehensible. How could he possibly desire to be in relationship with us? How could he delight in us, frail and self-centered as we are? It makes no sense.

Yet, he sent his Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserved and to offer us eternal life. When we invite Jesus into our lives, God takes us from the gutter of depravity and elevates us to the status of beloved children. We are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). Incredible!

2. Grace

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

What is grace? All the facets of God’s love—his forgiveness, benevolence, presence, peace, provision, and more—made available to us, who don’t deserve it. Grace prompted God to provide a way for us to experience his love—through the sacrifice of his only Son.

Did you notice? God is the one who provided the way to him; we do not have to figure it out for ourselves, and then hope for the best. By God’s grace, he has made salvation (rescue from death) a sure thing. We can know our place in heaven is secure!

God’s grace, put on display at Calvary, sets Christianity apart from any other belief system in the world.

3. Power

“I pray that…you may know…his incomparably great power for us who believe…, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-21).

No one can raise someone from the dead except God. When Jesus was resurrected, he demonstrated his power over death, and proved the validity of eternal life, not only for himself, but for all those who believe in him.

But Jesus’ resurrection was not the end of his mission. Read the next couple of verses (22-23) to discover that, after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven, God seated His Son at his right hand (the seat of honor). Now Jesus’ power and authority is above all other rule and authority in the universe.

And someday, Jesus will share that power with us. Those of us who have accepted Jesus into our lives will reign with him in heaven (2 Timothy 2:12). My heart is filled with wonder and awe at such a privilege.

4. Faithfulness

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:7).

Faithful to forgive. Faithful to see us through the journey of this life. Faithful to win the battle over evil in the end. Faithful to keep his promise of eternal life, because of the sacrifice of his Son on the cross.

Our faithful God made salvation so simple for us, but it cost him so much.

5. Justice

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus…He did this to demonstrate his justice” (Romans 3:23-26).

We all deserve punishment, and our guilty consciences confirm that truth. But God made it possible for us to be forgiven and ushered into relationship with him. He declared us “not guilty” because Jesus paid the penalty..

I love the way Eugene Peterson explains it in his paraphrase, The Message: “Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:23-24).

A pure, precious gift; paid for at Calvary. The glory of the cross.

For you. For me.

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Wonderfully Made

Posted in God, God's Power, Praise, Worship, tagged Amazing Facts about Human Body, DNA, God, God's Creative Genius, Psalm 139 on March 21, 2013| 7 Comments »

Long ago, David wrote a prayer of praise, marveling at God’s omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience—Psalm 139. David celebrated that God is present everywhere at the same time, he is all-powerful, and he knows all. It’s one of my favorite psalms.

In the middle of this prayer, David says, “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (vs. 13-14).

Even back in 1000 B.C., David recognized that the human body is an amazing work of engineering and art. But centuries of scientific discoveries only increase our wonder as we begin to understand the intricacies of how the human body works.

One of the most amazing finds occurred in the middle of the twentieth century: the discovery of DNA, researched by Francis Crick, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins.

(Maclyn McCarty with Francis Crick and James D. Watson.

Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may recall from biology class that all living cells contain a chromosome, a single molecule of DNA bonded to various proteins. These chromosomes contain the genes that determine inherited traits. In all eukaryotic cells (those that contain complex structures enclosed within membranes), the chromosomes are thread-like strands, located in the nucleus.

These thread-like strands form a spiraled ladder, called a double helix. One side goes up, the other goes down. “Base pairs” interlock in the middle, keeping the distance constant between the two helixes.

(If you remembered all that, you either studied biology recently or have an incredible memory! And if I have misread the research and reported the facts wrong, please set me straight in the Comments section.)

Scientists now know just how many bits of information are coded onto each chromosome: twenty billion! That amount of information would take three billion letters to record.

If the average word contains six letters, the information on one human chromosome equals about 500 million words.

If there are 300 words on a printed page, the information would require two million pages to record.

If these pages were bound into 500-page books, the resulting library would contain 4,000 books.

The human chromosome carries 4,000 large books of information!

Chromosome segregation during mitosis (Photo credit: TheJCB)

Part of that information is to instruct each cell about its job. There are more than 200 different cell-types in the human body. DNA instructs each one how to function—as bone, muscle, organ, brain, hair, fingernails, blood vessels, etc. DNA programs all 100 trillion of each body’s cells. And every hour one billion of those cells are being replaced.

Suddenly, David’s words, “We are fearfully and wonderfully made” take on fresh meaning. We shake our heads in amazement. And we’ve only considered one tiny miracle out of thousands that occur every day within our own bodies, much less everything else happening on our planet, in the galaxy, and in the universe.

Almighty God, our hearts fill with awe and praise as we consider your infinite genius, manifested in the wonders you have made. You are the all-wise Designer of everything, a perfect God whose work is perfect.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11).

We proclaim your glory and honor and power!

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What wonder of God’s creation fills you with awe? Share with us a fact or two that has caused you to marvel.

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What’s an Ebenezer?

Posted in Appreciation, Blessings, Encouragement, Faith, God's Goodness, God's Power, God's Protection, God's Provision, Hope, Praise, tagged 1 Samuel 7:12, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, God, God's Provision, Praise on March 11, 2013| 20 Comments »

Given: the Baby Boomer generation is quite large.

Given: As children, many of those Boomers accompanied their parents to church.

Given: Many readers of this blog belong to that fine group!

Therefore, the following lyrics may sound familiar to you.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace…

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I’m come.

While singing this energizing hymn in the church of my youth, I wondered more than once, What on earth is an Ebenezer? But by the time I arrived home, my mind was on the roast beef in the oven or the comics in the paper.

So, for any of you who live with a curious mind (albeit forgetful) as I do, here it is finally—an explanation of that puzzling term, raising an Ebenezer.

The answer is hiding in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. During this period of Israel’s history, their archenemy was the Philistines.

The prophet, Samuel, explained the way to victory. “Rid yourselves of the foreign gods, and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines,” Samuel said (7:3).

The people obeyed the word of the Lord, given through the prophet, Samuel. God did indeed come to the rescue. “The Lord thundered…against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites” (v. 10).

In celebration of the victory, Samuel took a stone and set it up as a memorial of what God had done that day. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us” (v. 12). The word, Ebenezer, means “stone of help.”

Every time an Israelite walked by that memorial, he would be reminded of God’s miraculous help against the Philistines that day. It would bring to mind the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord to his children.

Years ago I read about a family who kept a special rock collection in a glass jar, up on a bookshelf. On each flat stone, in permanent ink, was recorded a brief description of a special event that demonstrated God’s power and goodness to their family. They raised their own Ebenezers. The jar of stones represented the ways thus far the Lord had helped them (1 Samuel 7:12).

I don’t have such a jar of river stones. What a lovely tradition! But I do have a blessings journal, started in 1983. I’ve mentioned this collection before. Recorded within its pages are the wonderful, miraculous works God has accomplished for our family. The number of entries is now approaching nine hundred.

A few samples:

1985 – We were in need of some furniture; the choir director of our church “just happened” to have some in storage. Most of it was exactly what we needed.

1991 – My daughter and I were almost involved in a 4-car pile-up on an expressway entrance ramp. God protected us.

1994 – ‘Came out of the mall, after shopping for an hour, and discovered I’d left on the lights of the car. I prayed; God answered. The car started up just fine.

1998 – Our son, who never had much use for school, made the dean’s list.

2003 – That same son was working for a dying business, and his paycheck was ten days past due. A friend offered him a job in their family business at the same salary, and allowed him to start immediately.

2008 – We attended an out-of-state wedding at which a small acappella ensemble sang. I thought, Wouldn’t it be fun to sing in such a group. Less than two months later, that’s exactly what I was doing! Our church choir director invited me to join a quintet he had been inspired to form.

2011 – We needed a china cabinet and hutch. While visiting the home of a friend, I couldn’t help but notice theirs—the exact style I would have liked. But M. had found hers at a thrift store and refurbished it. What were the chances we’d find a similar one? A month later, at a warehouse of estate sale finds, our china cabinet was waiting for us—very similar to M.’s.

Come to think of it, perhaps it’s a good thing I haven’t used rocks for our nine hundred Ebenezers. They’d never fit in a jar! For us, numerous pages in a notebook prove that “thus far the Lord has helped us (1 Samuel 7:12).”

And, no doubt, the Ebenezer-collection will continue to grow. God isn’t finished with us yet.

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What Ebenezers can you raise, that prove thus far the Lord has helped you? Share an example in the Comments section, to encourage the rest of us.

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From the Inside Out

Impressions Becoming Expressions

Archive for the ‘God’ Category

More Meaningful Mishaps–on the Keyboard

Unexpected Reward

The Purpose of Problems–Part 2

Out of the Fog–Revisited

The Power of God-Stories

A Person on Whom Nothing Is Lost

Wise in Their Own Eyes

The Glory of the Cross

Wonderfully Made

What’s an Ebenezer?

Nancy Ruegg

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