The L ord ’ s  lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,  For His compassions never fail.  They  are new every morning;  Great is Your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3: 22-23 The book of Lamentations is not the most uplifting of writings, but then again, Jeremiah's writings tend to be a bit darker than that of other prophets. He suffered much as a prophet, and it is reflected in his tone. Don't believe me? Take note of just a few of his comments in chapter 3:  He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away (v3), He has walled me in so that I cannot go out (v7), He is to me like a bear lying in wait (v10), He has filled me with bitterness (v15), I have forgotten happiness (v17). Not very encouraging is it? Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, and it shows. However, this same prophet turns around and gives us this great statement about God's lovingkindness. It almost seems out of character. How is this possible? Well, Jeremiah understood something that ...

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction... - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9    Affliction (pain and suffering) is an inevitable, unavoidable, and repeatable part of life. None of us are exempt. While  we would all like to avoid affliction, the truth is that pain and affliction  serve a greater purpose , whether it comes from our own choices, the ordinary course of life, an attack of spiritual forces, or from God Himself.  Richard Cecil is noted as saying, "God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Even  though we cannot avoid affliction, we can use it for the glory of God. That’s right. Your pain can be used to glorify God. How do we do this?    First, we need to learn to receive God's comfort. Much like in life, some folks are better at letting ot...

   "So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God that the LORD might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat." - (2 Chronicles 10:15, NASB)    "Thus says the LORD, 'You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.' So they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam." - (2 Chronicles 11:4, NASB)     Two verses of Scripture today that point to the same general idea. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, according to Scripture. However, in his humanity, he acted foolishly by erecting and worshiping idols and "other gods", As a result his kingdom was going to suffer. After he died, his son Rehoboam became king. And, due to foolishness of his own, the kingdom of Israel split into two groups of people: the kingdom of Judah, with Rehoboam as ruler, and the ki...

 "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it," (Lk. 19:41, NASB)  "Jesus wept." (Jn. 11:35, NASB)    Here we have two verses of Scripture, with a grand total of only fourteen words, but so much is contained within them. It is interesting to me that on two separate occasions that Jesus, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and  transcendent over creation as sovereign LORD, would shed tears.     In John's account, Jesus is seen deeply moved by the scene. Lazarus has been dead for four days, and Mary and Martha, although respectful, cannot understand why Jesus did not show up earlier. He cries at the tomb, but not because Lazarus is dead. John records  "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled..." (11:33, NASB) He was moved at the pain and suffering of His friends. He alone knew that the plan was not to heal Lazarus, but ...

" Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction..." ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3, NASB)      There has been a lot of talk through the years about the "apostasy" that Paul spoke of. Apostasy, in Biblical use, refers to an "act of rebellion against, forsaking, abandoning, or falling away from what one has believed."** Some of the arguments revolve around if the apostates referred to are genuinely believers or merely followers "in name only". Call me simple, but I believe that when the Bible tells us that some believers will fall away, then it means that some believers will fall away. (see 1 Tim. 4:1-2)    What precisely is Paul referring to when he speaks of the apostasy? We do not know when it will take place, or what it will look like. I think most of us will agree to this point. But, Paul informs us that the return of Jesus, in what w...

"Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." - (Job 1:22, NASB)       Job's story is difficult to read for many. We all know that evil exists in this world, but why God would allow it is puzzling. As a matter of fact, there is a whole realm of study, called theodicy, that is devoted to answering the question, "Why does God allow evil?" I'm sorry, but this post is not going to answer that question for you. I want to focus on our response to difficult circumstances. Job lost nearly everything. The Bible records that he had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 female donkeys, and also many servants. In addition, he had seven sons and three daughters. Minus the four servants who escaped disaster to tell Job what had happened, Job lost all of it. Let that sink in for a moment. We often read the Bible so quickly that we miss the impact. Job lost everything of value to him, besides his wife.  His possessions were gone, but even worse, his c...