Author: Kathy Tucker

“Who is this? Even the winds and waves obey him!” Mark 4:41 An event in the life of Jesus is recorded in Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and His disciples were traveling by boat across a lake. A “furious squall” (bad storm) came up and the winds were tossing the boat around and the waves of water were splashing over the sides of the boat. The disciples were scared, and thought that they might drown. Jesus, however, was resting; sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by the storm and the commotion that the disciples were bound to be making. They finally woke Jesus and asked, “don’t you care that we are about die?” Jesus calmly got up and simply rebuked the winds and told the waves to “be still”. Suddenly everything was calm again. The…

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 Not many things in this world last forever. We marvel at antiques that are hundreds of years old. We are in awe of couples that stay married for  fifty, sixty, even seventy years. We admire people that live past 100. But all of that is but a minute drop in the bucket compared to God’s love for us.He promises that His love for us will be “everlasting”. This is a love that surrounds us everyday,(Song of Songs 2:4); a love that holds us up when were weak (Isaiah 41:14);  a love that gives us guidance when we need direction (Jeremiah 29:11-12) and a love that forgives us when we do wrong (Psalm 103:11-12). This…

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9 A new year is on the way! 2025 will arrive in just a few days! Maybe you are looking for a new beginning with 2025. You may be making changes for a new lifestyle, a new home, or a new job. Some are making New Year’s resolutions about things they want to do differently.  Most of us strive to improve ourselves and become better people. There is nothing wrong with this, but as Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, we must remember to always let God lead us. After all, He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans for us. Plans  for a good future, plans to help us.  So before we go making…

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people… a Savior has been born to you; he is  Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 This wonderful message that the angels announced to the shepherds on the night that Jesus was born thrilled their hearts! They anxiously left their flocks and went to Bethlehem to see this Baby, this Messiah, their Savior —Emmanuel!! My, how their hearts must have overflowed with joy and excitement!  The “good tidings of great joy” were not only for a few shepherds, that night,  but for “all people” — generation after generation! The Savior for the world had come! His name Emmanuel meant “God with us” and He still abides with each…

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13  1 Corinthians 13 is often referred to as the “love” chapter because in it we find examples of what love is and what it is not. Chapter 13 ends with the summation that faith, hope and love are important to have, but the greatest or most important one is love. God showed us this great love when He sent Jesus into the world and Jesus showed His love for us by taking on our sins (John 3:16). As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth may we have faith and hope in our Lord, but most of all may we radiant His great love to others.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Two words in this verse from Hebrews stand out,— substance and evidence. Substance by definition is the makeup of something. In this case faith is what makes up our hope.  The other word, evidence, is the proof. Faith is also the proof of the things we cannot see, but yet we believe. Faith is the foundation of our Christian beliefs. We must trust that the promises of God are true and that the salvation Jesus offers is real. By faith we believe that Jesus came to bring humankind into a right relationship with God.  Also by faith we live each day with the assurance that He holds our future We cannot explain this…

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1 The season of Advent has begun. Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for the coming Savior. During Advent we remember all the events leading up to the birth of Jesus and on Christmas Day we celebrate that holy birth. When Jesus came to earth everything changed. He brought light in the darkness. He brought hope that people had never had before. He brought healing for those destined to a life of misery and most of all He brought salvation for all that would accept it. Jesus truly was and is the “light of the world”. As we prepare to once again celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us remember…

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men…” Psalm 107:8 As Thanksgiving Day approaches, let us all remember the One from whom all blessings flow. Let us give thanks for His goodness toward us, not just on this special day, but everyday of the year.  God’s love for us is boundless and He works in our lives in ways we do not see or cannot even imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)   Surely, He is worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving!

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of  Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:3 Every American owes a debt of gratitude to every soldier that has ever served our country. The different branches of the military ensure that the United States stays safe and that the freedoms that we all enjoy are protected. We find in Paul’s writings to Timothy that he used the words “good soldier” to describe workers for Christ. In fact, Christians are like soldiers for we are in spiritual warfare  everyday that we are on this earth. Just as soldiers are called to serve and must follow the orders of their commander, we too must be ready to listen  to our commander (Christ).  Just as soldiers must prepare and train for battle, we must be prepared…

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7 Have you ever heard the saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide”? Usually we are talking about someone that is in some kind of trouble, and is trying to escape punishment. People may even move to another town or change their name or their looks in order to avoid being caught. We want to believe, though, that wrongdoers are always found and receive the justice they deserve. The Psalmist asks the question of God, where can I go to run away from you?  The writer of this passage eloquently speaks of the many places he might go, but God is always there. The answer to his question is that there is NO PLACE…