Be Still and Know...Then and Now

I am sitting outside listening to the birds, drinking my coffee and wondering about the small quiet moments in life. The big worries in my life such as the state of our retirement and the security and safety of my children seem tempered with a hefty dose of God’s comfort and reassurance. I was reading the creation story this morning. The details, God's ability to speak all that surrounds me into creation and I take great comfort in that. Listening to the birds, the cool of the morning breeze, watching the sun play off the dew on the grass, tiny specks of brightness vibrate across the tops of the blades of grass. For right now everything is just fine.

When events happen in the world that confound me. When I read something on facebook or see something on the news that makes me shake my head and wonder what is happening in the world. I ponder on how broken the world is. Then I am reminded of who has control over the world, the evil one. Scripture tells us that satan took Jesus to high place and offered him the whole world if only He would bow down and worship him. (Mat 4:8) Jesus was tired and hungry yet he stood on God's word and did what was right. We live in a broken world, there are so many people who live lives of dysfunction. Spread dysfunction from one generation to the next. Sacrificial gifts of life are squandered and I wonder why.     As I was going about my morning this heavy cloud of sadness was hovering over me, questions that will never be answered linger in my thoughts. Why do people do the horrible things that they do? Then I remember that I am a sinner as well. I struggle every day with overcoming the bad...

After my prayer time this morning I went in search of some comfort and Godly wisdom. I was burdened by some of my life's unpleasant issues. Ya know the unexpected things that happen and you wonder why can’t things just go the way I want them to go and be done with it. Why does the world have to be so assertive? Why do I yield to my weakness and then kick myself for not saying or doing what I really wanted to say or do? Suffice it to say I will continue to place the situation before the Lord for He knows better than me how to handle it. What I also realized is that in the grand scheme of things my tiny little problem is truly minor by comparison to those that are dealing with real life and death issues. When I read Psalm 103 this morning I received comfort when the truth of His word washed over me. God is compassionate and gracious. God know my flaws and my weakness. God does not treat me as my sins deserve. His love for me is great. I read a few blogs this morning that also...

Yesterday during worship our pastor shared these words: “to say that God loves us without condition is not to say that God approves of every behavior” God loves us all unconditionally, that is the meaning of agape. When agape love is practiced it overlooks the faults and it expect nothing in return. God is the perfecter of agape love, He is our example of how we are to love others. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all practice agape love all the time, but as humans we tend to fall into the practice of expecting something in return. As I listened to my pastor speak a word to us I thought a lot about how God loves me, unconditionally. However, it was the last part of the statement that gave me cause for concern. God may love me unconditionally but He does not always approve of my behavior. When I look at the course of my day I have to confess that there are many thing that occupy my time that do not glorify God.  Television… That’s a huge one for me. I find that I do so...