One Needful Thing

"And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind [Jesus], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched." (Luke 8:43-44) When I read this passage, I see the impossible situation this woman was in. For twelve years she suffered with an affliction that wasted her money and wore on her heart. I don't know how old this woman was, but twelve years is a long time to go through any type of suffering. No one could heal her. No one could help her. She had no answers to the affliction she faced every. single. day. A time of suffering can be one of the loneliest places any individual can be. Have you gone through a period of suffering or waiting on God for answers and all it seemed you received from Him was silence? A time where there was no apparent answer to your cry? This woman was alone. She had no hope of ever being healed, but she did hav...

Predictable. Predictable is "safe" in our minds. We think it's good and therefore desire it in our lives. But let's face it, predictability is not the norm. It has not purchased tickets to the ride of our life. We may think predictability is safe, but we sometimes fail to realize that it's not a natural part of life. If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm talking about a predictable life where everything goes according to our plans and fits on our calendar. It's the bills being paid on time, the job that continues to give you a raise, the healthy family of yours, the cars and appliances all in working order, and the spouse that will always love you no matter what. Predictability is a family portrait Christmas card life. Something that looks great on the outside and on the inside. Most often though, the outside is merely a pretty picture with something less beautiful on the inside. If life really went the predictable route we want it to go, we wo...

God is good. All the time. Just recently I found myself posting the above sentences on social media after I had gone through a rough situation. Why is it that when hard times come we refer to God's goodness? Is it because our feelings tell us He is good? Is it just a show of spirituality that makes us say "God is good all the time," but really we are just trying to keep our life together and put on a plastic everything-is-okay smile? Is God really good all the time? And if so, why don't I always feel like He is being good to me? I am a person who likes to see things in black and white. This is right, that is wrong. This is good, that is bad. If I try to apply this same principle to God's goodness, I find some errors in my thinking. Let's try to apply my logic to God's goodness and see how things turn out: Earthquakes are bad, sunny weather is good. Cancer is bad, a healthy body is good. The car breaking down is bad, low gas prices are good. ...

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." (Philippians 2:5-9) This passage is a picture of what true humility looks like, and Jesus' life exemplified it. His first step in humility was becoming a man, but He didn't stop there! He took on the attitude of being servant-like. We are to put on the mind of Christ by patterning our lives after Him. With Him as our model, there is no room for even a sliver of that monster pride in our hearts! By daily walking with God and surrendering our wills, we can respond correctly when something tempts our pride to flare up. ...

Just recently I was talking to a friend and I revealed an awful truth - I am broken. The idea that I was broken had been manifesting itself in my life in the form of a sin struggle I thought I could not overcome. Have you been here too? Is there something in your life that seems too big or too oppressive to overcome? I thought I would never be whole in this area again. That this sin would get the best of me each time it mockingly knocked on the door of my heart. You see, you and I are broken. We don't work the way we were intended to work, and we often fail miserably over and over again. The inherited battle against the flesh is a lifelong struggle that every Christian faces. The Apostle Paul says it this way: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7:18-19) Our ...

"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes." (John 21:3-6) There are so many lessons to learn from just this short passage! I love that at different times of life I can come to the same passages of Scripture and come away with a new application or see it in a different light. The first thing I notice here is that these experienced fishermen were laboring all night long and didn't catch one stinkin' fish! Their livelihood before meeting Jesus was fishing. They knew how to do i...