"7" Minutes Alone with God

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and  transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love  (Colossians 1:13) A few years ago our family doctor mentioned that 41% of his patients suffer from some form of depression.  Surprised at so large a percentage, I canvassed several of the doctors I worked with at the time.  Without exception, they confirmed that figure or rated it even higher. There are many types of depression ranging from mild to severe, with a variety of causes, characteristics, and prescribed treatments.  But while continuing medical breakthroughs offer hope to sufferers, many cases go undetected and untreated, primarily due to the stigma attached to the condition. For while stress has become a household word, many remain ignorant of the facts about depression. Depressed individuals often go to great lengths to hide their dark side from even close friends and family.  Nowhere is this truer than in the Christian setting...

The old gospel song was playing on the radio.  I’d heard it many times over the years and on occasion had sung it myself.  Referring to believers’ upcoming reunion in Heaven, one line states “you’ll know me by the smile on my face.”  Will they? came the question to my mind.  Will people recognize me when I am smiling, or are they more accustomed to seeing something far different?  Do I go around frowning, fretting and fussing, or does Christ’s love, buried deep in my being, make its way to my facial features? It isn’t easy to smile when we encounter disappointment, confusion or pain.  There may even be times when it seems we will never smile again.  But God’s Word tells us that we can have joy that outshines even the circumstances that temporarily wipe the smile from our face: Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning  (Psalm 30:5) As children of God, we have every reason to smile.  At the moment we ask forgivene...

This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) The right side mirror of a car I once owned had a message printed on it: CAUTION.  OBJECTS MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.  It might be helpful if a similar warning were stamped on our minds to make us aware that some distortion may exist as we remember the past. Are you living life in a rear-view mirror?  Many people are.  They are so busy looking back, remembering how good things were in the past that they miss the joys of the present. Most of us enjoy looking back, reliving past experiences, but in doing so it is important to remember that memories, like the calibration of a bathroom scale, may be out of kilter. When Bob and I married in 1959, ground beef sold for 19 cents a pound.  That sounds like quite a bargain until we recall that his salary was $50 a week and I received 50 cents an hour – not uncommon wages at the time.  So while it is true that the ...

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you  (James 4:8) Have you ever lost your car keys or eyeglasses or the remote control to the tv?  If so, you know what it means to search for something with all your heart.  It would be interesting to know just how much time and energy is expended during a lifetime searching for lost items.  Why are we willing to pour so much of ourselves into such efforts?  It’s because we recognize an immediate need for that which is lost, or because it is of significant value to us.  All other activity halts as we concentrate all our physical, mental and visual facilities on the search. God was referring to that kind of search when He inspired the prophet to penned You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart  (Jeremiah 29:12) God invites us into a loving relationship with Him that is real and personal.  Through His Son Jesus Christ, He has promised to save us, guide us, and pr...

The light shines on in the darkness…the Lamb is its light  (John 1:5 Amp. Bible; Revelation 21:23) The morning began gray and overcast, with no sign of improving. We felt dull and sluggish as we made our way across town to the airport.  My husband was going on a business trip and I was accompanying him.  Fog settled in even thicker as we boarded the plane and taxied onto the runway. In the cabin, it was obvious we were not the only ones affected by the weather.  Conversations were few, and what comments we heard were muted.  In the air, we climbed higher and higher through thick layers of gray clouds that offered no hope of improvement. Then, quite unexpectedly, we broke out on top.  Here the sun shone brilliantly, transforming the scene outside the windows. What had only moments before been a sea of dreariness, now glistened with the pristine beauty of new-fallen snow.  The contrast was amazing. Just as surprising was the transformation th...

I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help?   My help comes from the Lord, Who made Heaven and Earth   (Psalm 121:1-2) I love the mountains and have fond memories of the times Bob, our daughters and I camped in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Reserve with my brother’s family.  There’s just something special about being in the mountains where God’s creativity is so abundantly present.  The thin air blowing down from snow-packed peaks is pristine; and the water that tumbles down rocky creek beds is crystal clear and icy cold.  Wild game, pine forest and mountain flowers surround you, and the sky overhead looks like a giant blue bowl turned upside down. This may be some of the memories that came to the poet’s mind as he penned this passage.  Perhaps the mountains also represented these things to him: *  Fellowship with God - The temple at Jerusalem sat on one of the seven hills on which the city is built.  Hills, t...

I am persauded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities  nor powers,  nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing,  shall be able to separate us  from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord    (Romans 8:38-39) God loves us. Period. No ifs, buts, or whens about it.  No matter how unlovable or undeserving we feel, His love for us is stable, enduring, and unconditional. When we are productive, He loves us .  When we accomplish nothing, He loves us. When we are cheerful, He loves us .  When we are depressed, He loves us . When we are gracious, He loves us .  When we are sharp-tongued and critical, He loves us . When we are busy serving Him, He loves us .  When we are apathetic, He loves us . His love is neither earned nor deserved.  He just loves us because He loves us . Nothing and no one (not even we) can destroy His love for us.  Noth...

No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ  (1 Corinthians 3:11) “PEACEFUL GRAND CANYON,” the blurb on the back of the postcard read. “Even though the twisted limbs of a Juniper Pine, like the Canyon itself, offer testimony to the harshness of time and the elements, visitors feel the majestic peace of the Grand Canyon,” it promised. This site of wonder and beauty is visited each year by thousands of tourists from around the world.  Each person who views the scene sees it from his or her own perspective, based on their viewpoint. For instance, a geologist, in awesome wonder, might see the colorful layers of exposed rocks as an opportunity to study the composition of Earth beneath its surface.  If asked to place a dollar value on the site, he would undoubtedly find it impossible to do so.  Any price, in his opinion, would be ridiculously insufficient. On the other hand, a farmer looking on the same scene from the same s...

God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)   (Ephesians 2:4-5) There was once a man who had a fascination with flashlights.  He loved to collect them, and had a wide array of shapes and sizes arranged on a shelf in his workshop. Included was everything from a tiny pen light on a chain to a hefty 6-volt one.  From time to time, the man would take one down and use it, then return it to its place on the shelf. The 6-volt flashlight sat at the head of the line because he was the biggest of them all.  He was quite proud of his position, and felt certain he was capable of producing enough light for any job. Outwardly, he appeared to be in working order.   He had all the necessary parts:  a sturdy case with a clear globe, and a handle; a good bulb; a battery, and a switch for turning him on.  But things were no...

Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope  (Psalm 16:8-9) “I’m at the end of my rope.”  “I’ve exhausted all my resources.” “I don’t know which way to turn.” “My hands are tied.” “There’s nothing else I can do.” “The decision is out of my hands.” “I feel helpless.” “I don’t see any way out.” “I can’t imagine how this can possibly turn out okay.” Sound familiar?  At one time or another, we have probably all said something of this nature.  In life, there will always be things to deal with -- circumstances beyond our control. Feelings of helplessness often lead to hopelessness which interferes with our ability to think healthy thoughts and experience peaceful emotions. When that happens, all areas of life are tainted, turning even sunny days dismal and gray. In our own strength it is virtually impossible to break out of the gloom that envelopes us....

The September sun felt warm on her back as she raked the last of the leaves into a colorful pile at her feet.  With a sense of satisfaction, her eyes swept across the expanse of the freshly-raked lawn.  Tired muscles protested as she stooped to scoop the last of the leaves into a trash bag.  The job had taken the whole afternoon, and she would be feeling its effect tomorrow but it felt good to have done it. A car pulled into the driveway next door and her neighbor, a retired minister, got out and came toward her.  It was apparent that he was going to say something, and she assumed it would be in line with her own thoughts.  She was surprised, therefore, when instead of the expected “your lawn sure looks nice,” she heard “I guess you know that won’t do a bit of good.  Tomorrow there’ll be just as many again.”  Taken aback, she recovered enough to acknowledge that he was right. Suddenly she felt tired all over.  Instead of the satisfaction she h...

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ  (2 Peter 3:18) How graceful are you?  That question may make you smile if, like me, you consider yourself anything but graceful.  We generally think of gracefulness as being smoothly coordinated.  However, if we define the word graceful as being full of grace we may arrive at definitions such as: 1) the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor of God; 2) something for nothing at God’s expense; 3) God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Jesus portrayed such evidence of God’s grace while He lived on Earth.  Throughout the 33 years of His earthly ministry, He dispensed unearned, undeserved favor as He fed multitudes of people and healed many who came to Him.  He said that as His disciples we are to do the same. Various passages give reference to different types of God’s grace to mankind: 1) Saving grace requires God’s willingness to forgive us even before we ask:  God demons...

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God,  to those who are called according to His purposes  (Romans 8:28) How vividly accurate this truth can be seen after a crisis has passed and, looking back we see how God indeed made something good of it.  But how often do we turn to these words for assurance while we are still in the middle of the situation? Nothing smooths the ragged edges of human morale like the assurance that no matter how negative the circumstances, something good will eventually come of it.  As God’s children we are told that our assurance should precede, not follow our troubles: Jesus said to Thomas, “because you have seen Me, you have believed.   Blessed (fortunate, happy) are those who have not seen and yet have believed  (John 20:29) How is it possible to see something before it happens? It is possible only by exercising faith in the provision and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father: ...

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying,  “He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf  to hear and the mute to speak (Mark 7:37) Jesus’ reputation as a healer preceded Him wherever He went.  Always there came to Him those with physical, mental and emotional afflictions.  Often they were brought by friends or relatives who asked for help on their behalf.  Such was the case referred to in the above scripture passage. Jesus frequently asked for a declaration of faith before granting a request.  Although it is not recorded that He did so in this instance, the fact that they brought to Him one who was deaf and had a speech impediment and begged Him to put His hands on him (Mark 7:32) is indicative of their belief in Jesus’ ability to heal their friend. How ironic, then that they were astonished when He did so. Yet, to my shame I sometimes find myself reacting in much the same way.  Having asked God to work out a partic...

My daughters and a couple of friends came home one day laughing about a sign they had seen.  It read simply “Life…Be In It!"  Although as young adults they understood the meaning behind the slogan, it none-the-less struck them as humorously redundant, and touched off a barrage of puns that lasted for weeks. Later, as I was talking with a friend about the importance of living in the present rather than looking back at the past with regret, or the future with apprehension, I coined still another version of the slogan: "Now…Be In It!" Often we make the mistake of wasting the only time that is ever at our disposal – the present – by looking back at the past or straining to see into the future .  Our conversations are laced with references to the good old days, or the what ifs.  Jesus addressed this human tendency by stressing the importance of regarding life as now . To those distracted by the past He said: No one, having put his hand to the plow,  and...

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper and be in health, just as your soul prospers   (3 John 2) We live in an abusive and violent society, and the trend is getting worse.  Domestic violence, police brutality, gang slayings, murder of family members and coworkers, sexual molestation and rape, robbery, burglary and vandalism, and all sorts of harassment are reported in the news every day.  These we are aware of but some abuses are so subtle that we do not recognize the effect they have on us.  Some are intentional, but many come from otherwise well-intended family or friends, co-workers or even fellow church members.  No matter the source, they take a toll on our sense of well-being and self-worth.  In some cases, they even lead the victim to themselves become an abuser. As a result of these blows, anger and resentment can hover just below the surface, causing us to flair at the slightest provocation.  We are sometimes shocked to see how little ...