Tag Archives: bible

For the Joy

joy

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and the people of Israel, Rahab, Gideon,  Samson, David, Samuel and the prophets…

“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 11:39 – 12:1-2, NIV

This list of notable Bible characters comes at the end of a chapter in Hebrews describing how these people lived and died for their faith.  The writer then says we are surrounded by this “cloud of witnesses” and because of that we should also follow God faithfully. Continue reading

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Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

provision

You’ve been walking for two weeks.  The horizon in front of you looks just as desolate as the one behind.  Your family is road weary.  Your small daughter is crying because she’s hungry.  “When can we go home?” asks your son.  You haven’t fully explained to your children that they’re never going back home.  The thought of having to watch your children die is just a little more than you can bear.  It seemed like God himself was asking you to leave the only home you and your family have known.  What’s worse is you didn’t even hear God’s voice for yourself, you took a man’s word for it—a self-proclaimed prophet.  He said lives were at stake and we needed to follow all of his instructions carefully.  Now in the face of starvation, the doubts and anger come rushing to the surface.

“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!  There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:3, NIV

Why didn’t those silly Hebrews see God’s provision ahead of time?  Of course God wouldn’t suddenly abandon them.  Of course Moses was God’s chosen man—it’s Moses for goodness sakes.  In our shortsightedness we might not stop to think that any of us would be in a state of panic in that circumstance. Continue reading

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