Truth Inspires

Jeremiah's Lament 1 How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold , how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! 3 Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. 4 The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. Lamentations 4:1-4 (ESV) To some this may seem to be an enigmatic passage. But I assure you, just as Jeremiah the “Weeping Prophet” penned it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it is as meaningful today as it was when he first delivered it. Let me interpret: The times: Siege of Jerusalem 587 B.C. The passage cited above reflects upon the aftermath of the Babylonian invasion of Judah and Jerusalem—the exile of its i...

My wife loves to make chocolate chip cookies; I love to eat them—it’s no surprise. But more often than not, I find myself sifting through the batch to find the one that is softest and has the most chocolate chips in it. Depending on how they were cut out and how much time they were cooked makes a difference in the experience of eating the little treat. The longer cooked the harder the cookie and some simply have more chips. As I was pondering this it dawned on me that like the cookie, our life can also be a treat that becomes a blessing both to God and to others. Jesus spoke of Himself as the “Vine” and His church as “Branches of the Vine”. He likened Christians to branches that either bore no fruit (no chocolate chips), some fruit (some chocolate chips), or a lot of fruit (delicious and tasty). But conditions, by proxy, determine which type of branch we are. Here is what He said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears...

Biblical hope does not mean to “hope” that God exists, but rather, because we know He exists we have hope! Brenna (my lovely wife) Daniel Knew his God ...do you? My wife and I were discussing daily devotions when out of nowhere she just blurted out the above. I was taken back because of the depth of what she was pondering. Isn’t it so!! There are so many who share their requests to the Lord beginning with “I hope.”  For instance, “I hope He hears me” or “I hope He is there” or “I hope I can be counted worthy enough for Him to see what I am going through.” Faith is the ability to believe God always hears an honest request because our “Hope” in Him is not wishful but sure. The Apostle Paul stated: 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 ...

In the Christian heart there are many things that make for war. Daily it seems we are met with many a covert affection that will relentlessly tug for our hearts loyalty. The Bible refers to this as the “Flesh lusting against the Spirit,” Rom. 13:14, Gal. 5:17. In the battlefield of the mind we say we would like to be close to God and His church but we also find that apart from Him and the fellowship of the church, there are other things we also enjoy. Some are harmless but others are not so. Some will simply pull you into their vortex to the point that you are so overcome by their captive magnetism you find yourself entrapped. The “Peace of God” no longer rules and emptiness begins to ensue.   So it is with all believers. On a regular schedule we are confronted with decision making that should really be made with the salving inner peace that Christ provides in mind. When chaos rules we live on the edge—we live with unnecessary stress that takes over our lives and directs ou...