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.
He Won't Leave You
Do you ever feel like life has knocked the breath out of you? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s no secret that this world is full of both goodness and trouble.
King David, whose life was recorded in various parts of the Old Testament, was highly accustomed to trouble—constantly threatened by legitimate enemies and faced with the reality of impending death.
Yet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he wrote:
“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”
Psalm 34:19 NLT
If there’s one thing you can depend on, it’s that God is alive, active, and ever-present in your life—yes, even the hardest parts of your life.
But who is the “righteous person” David speaks of in this particular Psalm, when other parts of the Bible say things like, “no one is righteous—not even one”? (Romans 3:10, Psalm 14:3). There’s a trick to understanding this at-first-glance contradiction:
Righteousness can’t be achieved, but it can be given.
When we trust in God, as well as His Son, Jesus Christ (who sacrificed His life so that we could truly live), we’re trusting that His righteousness will extend to us as well.
To put it simply, a righteous person is one who relies on God’s righteousness.
Seems unfair and unmerited, doesn’t it? But that’s grace. It’s by grace, through faith, that we—that you—can be counted as righteous. You can’t work for it and you can’t buy it.
Because of that, when we’re facing hard stuff, we can expect God to show up in a million unique ways. Not because we’re righteous on our own, but because He is righteous on His own. And His righteousness has no limits.
So how does God show up?
He guides. He comforts. He corrects. He reroutes. He reminds us of true things. He helps us persevere. He brings wisdom and discernment to our minds. He inspires others to help us. He compels us to help others. He gives us peace in the midst of trouble. He encourages us as we stand boldly in faith. He works and works and works in mysterious ways.
And just when you might wonder if your neediness is becoming a nuisance to God, remember: God’s presence is inexhaustible and His resources are limitless. It’s good to need God every moment of every day. To breathe. To survive. To flourish.
So yes, trouble will come. But God will never leave your side.
Luke 10
“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into ...
God Is With You
The prophet Isaiah wrote the words of Isaiah 7:14 nearly 600 years before Jesus was born. At the time of this writing, the Israelites were doing all the right religious things, but weren’t practicing justice as God commands. Like many prophets during Isaiah’s time, this was a warning against that injustice. But among that warning was a glimmer of hope that God would set things right.
Here, the prophet Isaiah is giving the people of Israel a reason to hope because of God’s good promise—the promise that He will provide a sign and He will show up for us. Because that’s what Immanuel means: God with us.
But what does “God with us” mean for us today?
It means we can share in that hope by fixing our eyes on Jesus and trusting in Him. We can trust that from Christ’s birth to His current reign in Heaven—Jesus is God with us.
He’s with us in our pain when we lose a loved one.
He’s with us in our anger when we see injustice and don’t know where to turn.
He’s with us ...
