Do We Praise Him Still?
We praise Him when times are good: When there is enough, When the food set before us is not only plentiful but what we specifically want, When traffic is light, The grade is achieved, The advancement given, The shower is hot, The car is new, Our health is good. We praise Him when things go the way we want them to go and we are feeling prosperous. We praise Him when the phone call comes telling us all is well… when our children rise up and thank us for all that we have done… when others like us, receive us, understand us. We praise Him when all things are good.

To Know The Cross
We think we know the Cross: A payment for our sin, a debt we could never pay; For this Jesus was whipped and spat upon and abused. We’ve heard it so many times so we say it without flinching; reciting as if from memory: first this, then that, and, oh yes, finally He died. He died. We say it and then easily move on to another subject. “Jesus died for us…oh, isn’t that a pretty dress?” “Jesus died for our sins…yes! I loved that movie!” “Jesus died. I’m tired. Are you ready to go?” Are we really so devoid of feeling, of

God’s Ways
God never takes something from us unless He intends to give us something better. He never says “No” unless the no is the exact thing we need to hear. He never makes a mistake. His intention is to fit us for heaven. To be fit for heaven we must be fit for Him. He will take everything from us that He has to in order to get us to that point. He takes material possessions from us in order that we will not trust in the fleeting joy things provide. He takes money from us so that we will never love or depend upon wealth. He takes people from us so that we have only Him to turn to. He takes reputation from us s

Beautifully Broken
God uses no one whom He hasn’t broken. There is no room for compromising. He who would not spare His only Son the horror of the Cross will not spare His earthly sons the horror of the flame of purification. Being purified is painful. It requires sacrifice, surrender, loneliness. It requires that we let go of all that is not of God. Do we even realize how much we hold onto that is not “of God”? Do we know very often we make excuses? How often we fail to distinguish the holy from the profane? We just expect that God will accept it. Somehow, He Who is holy, holy, holy is expected to accept our sinful pleasures and give our excuses a p

God Understands?
God understands our infirmities. He remembers that we are dust. Those who come to Him in repentance will not be turned away. God understands our frailties and our disappointments. He protects His own in their troubles and guides them to safe ground. He is always there. All of that is true. True beyond question or without need for defense. In modern times (as in ancient), Christians frequently comfort each other with such thoughts, encouraging one another to hang on and go forward. “God will never let His child down,” they will tell you. And, of course, since God is God and thus unchangeable, that statement, like the others, is absolutely true.