I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
No One Else
Hannah desperately wanted a child, but she wasn’t able to conceive. Year after year, she was mocked, tormented, and left heartbroken because of her infertility.
Have you ever been there?
Maybe you have desperately wanted something: a godly marriage, a healthy body, a thriving family, a hard-earned title, a close community, a restored relationship. Maybe you’ve looked around at everyone else’s seemingly full lives and wondered why your arms were empty.
Eventually, after years of waiting, God answered Hannah’s prayer. And because of that, she was filled with wonder and worship, saying:
“No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2 NLT
Despite the excruciating years of longing and disappointment, Hannah knew there was no replacement for God. There’s no one else who’s able to create something from nothing. There’s no one else who holds the power of life.
There is no other Rock on which to build our faith.
There’s no one else who sees the worst of us and loves us anyway. There’s no one else who has compassion for our deepest longings. There’s no one else who can be trusted with the most tender part of our dreams. There’s no one else who’s there to guide, teach, and comfort—when it feels like everyone else has left.
There’s no one else who has the power to save.
Because God is holy, He is always good. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Rest assured, there is no one else who’s more worthy of your trust, your respect, and your heart.
He sees you. He is with you.
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...
