In His Praise

“And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” Genesis 2:9a  “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” That is the opening line of the poemTrees by Joyce Kilmer. The poem describes all the things that a tree does — gains nutrients from the earth, lifts its branches to God, provides a home for birds and withstands snow and rain. Kilmer closes with:  “Poems are made by fools like me,  But only God can make a tree.” If we consider all the changes that trees go through in a year we would have to agree with the poet. Only God could create something that changes to…

“I the Lord do not change.” Malachi 3:6a Autumn is here and  with it comes changes. Leaves are changing colors and falling from the tress, plants are  becoming dormant, some animals are preparing for winter by getting ready to hibernate and we experience a change in the weather. Many look forward to these changes and see it as a relief from a long, hot summer. They welcome the cooler temperatures and enjoy the beauty of nature. Others, that dislike cold weather, may see it as bringing us closer to the dreaded winter cold. Either way, seasons continue to change, as do our lives. As the old saying goes, “nothing is certain, except change.” But, wait, that saying is not true! There is One we can count on to never change…

“Those who know your name will trust in you,  for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalms 9:10 Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. When we repent and accept salvation through Jesus Christ our lives are changed. We receive forgiveness of our sins, we become a part of the family  of God and we can look forward to eternal life with our Lord and Savior.  We find in this verse from Psalms another beautiful blessing for God’s children — God promises to never forsake those that look for Him. God can always be found when we call on Him, He is always just a prayer or thought away. He is ever-present, all knowing and faithful in what He says. We can know with confidence…

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights …” James 1:17 Have you ever thought about how we are all uniquely different? God has made each person an individual. Even twins, when closely watched, have some differences. We all have our own way of thinking, talking, and moving. Some people have a knack for numbers and are super good in math, others may love to read and can absorb all kinds of knowledge from the written word. Still others are more hands-on and enjoy making things, building and designing. Some people are quiet and shy, others are outgoing and seem to never meet a stranger. Some can sing or play musical instruments beautifully, others are gifted speakers.  But what about other…

“Don’t be afraid… Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 2 Kings 6:16 The story is told in the Old Testament of a time when the prophet Elisha and his servant were surrounded by an enemy army intent on capturing Elisha. When the servant walked out early in the morning and saw what appeared to be a great and powerful military force, he was naturally scared. It seemed that he and Elisha were doomed and there was nothing they could do about it.  Elisha had reassuring words for the servant though. He confidently told him that those that were with them (God’s army) greatly outnumbered their enemies. Elisha went even further and asked God to open the servants eyes so he could actually see…

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39 What a wondrous love our Heavenly Father has for us! Nothing can take that love away from us. He is strong and mighty and will shield and protect us from any thing that dares to harm us.  We have nothing to fear and everything to gain.  Verse 37 of this same chapter declares that because of this wonderful God, we are more than conquerors! When satan tries to knock us down or turn our world upside down, we…

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 In medieval times soldiers wore armor when going into battle. The armor helped protect them and hopefully keep them from being mortally wounded. Sometimes we refer to other battle gear as armor. There’s is even a car protection product that uses the term armor in its name. The point is that armor is something used to protect from danger and harm. So when we are instructed by God to put on His “whole armor”, we need to listen and obey!  1 Peter 5:8 warns us to be beware of our enemy the devil, “who is prowling…

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 A basic human need is to want to feel as though we belong. People join clubs, groups and organizations in attempt to cultivate friendships and relationships. Sometimes these relationships are strong and lasting; but sometimes we find that we have been forgotten, and, we too, cannot even recall the names of those that were once so important to us. But good news is found in these two verses from John. If we are a part of Jesus’ group (Christians) we will never be forgotten! He is the Great Shepherd and we are His sheep. Jesus makes…

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Jesus spoke these words to His disciples trying to make them understand about salvation. He continues to speak these word to us today. Although the world may offer many alternatives that promise eternal happiness and fulfillment, Jesus is still the ONLY way to salvation. He is the only one that can promise forgiveness of sins, renewal and eternal life and truly deliver all that He says. When we accept and believe that His death on the cross was for our sins, we can be forgiven (Romans 10:9).  When we are forgiven, He gives us a new life and changes everything (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We then will gain…

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,  for he who promised is faithful.”  Hebrews 10:23 God’s promises are real. His children can know with confidence that His word is true and trustworthy. God is always faithful to uphold what He says. The Bible is full of promises from God. We should read them daily and claim the goodness He has for us. He will not turn us away or change His mind. As it says in Psalm 105:8, “He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded for a thousand generations.”   God only asks us to “hold” to the hope He gives us and not sway from it. God is faithful to us, we should be faithful to Him too.