Month: October 2015

Faith to See Tomorrow

Posted on by hona

Scripture:

“The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.

‘My lord,’ he said, ‘if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.’

‘All right,’ they said. ‘Do as you have said.’

So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, ‘Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.’ Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.

Lingering on the Wrong Side of the Jordan

Posted on by hona

Joshua was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, which represented a new location and season for the people. In order to enter the Promised Land, they had to cross the Jordan River during its flood stage. The people who were about to cross would have heard about the stories of crossing the Red Sea on dry ground from their parents. They experienced only what they had heard about when they set foot in the river – crossing on dry ground. The people did not linger in the river, but they understood that the river would only remain parted for a period of time. However, Joshua didn’t want the people to forget what God had done as the Israelites had forgotten God’s power 40 years earlier. Twelve large stones were collected from the bottom of the river and used to memorialize that moment. Every time the people doubted God in their new season, they could go back and look at the memorial to remember God’s power…

A Life Positioned Toward God

Posted on by hona

Fear has a way of causing us to make decisions that don’t honor God. What are you holding onto in fear that God needs you to lay down? You may be experiencing the fear of a job transition or feeling like you will forever be alone. You may have fear from a health diagnosis, a difficult financial situation, or the loss of a friendship. When we face fear, we have to make sure that we are still being obedient to the mission to which God has called us. We can’t hold onto fear and situations so tightly that God has to pry our fingers open to remove them from our lives.

The Walk of the Faithful

Posted on by hona

The writer of Hebrews draws attention to these great men of faith who believed God despite not knowing the outcome. While faith starts by believing, it results in action. Abel was commended for his offering given by faith. Noah built a huge boat to save his family, though he was ridiculed and scoffed at by his neighbors. They had never seen rain, and Noah faithfully built this boat for decades. Abraham was directed by God to move his family to a new location. He had never been there, seen the terrain, or known the people who lived there. God directed him, and Abraham responded in obedience.

Stopping for the Moments

Posted on by hona

It was a morning just like every other morning, but I was running a little late and decided to squeeze in a run. Off on my usual route in my neighborhood, I smiled at my fellow neighbors who were doing a little exercise to jump start the day. I turned back to head home, and an older lady was walking down the opposite side of the road. I was tired, but as I ran by her, I looked at her face and her name popped into my head. On this ordinary morning, my 1st grade teacher was walking in my neighborhood. I had a split second to decide, and not wanting our next conversation to be in heaven, I stopped running and went back to her…