“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to [Jesus] and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me.”  Luke 10:40

Ever feel like a Martha? Someone who is focused, driven, hardworking “someone who wants to just get things done? Have you ever read Jesus’ interaction with Mary and her sister Martha, and felt sympathy for poor Martha, who is doing her best to be busy and work, only to be reproved by Jesus?

Does Jesus despise working hard? Surely not; Jesus commends hard work and perseverance (Revelation 2:2), and gives many parables to illustrate the value of hard work (such as the Two Sons, Matthew 21:32). What, then, does Jesus object to? Martha was not just working, but was : distracted,”  “worried,” and “upset.” Just as “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17), the inverse is also true: Actions done with a gladful heart are what God desires.

What is the “better” thing that Mary has chosen? “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29). If Martha were doing her work with the proper focus (on God) and a loving attitude, she would not have complained that her sister was focusing on listening to Jesus, for Jesus told the crowds to “Listen and understand.”  (Matthew 15:10).

Even when we have a Martha attitude, we can take comfort in this: “Jesus loved Martha”  (John 11:5) Even when we miss the mark, have a bad attitude, or lose patience, God still loves us. Take this opportunity today to examine your servant life, and see if your heart is “distracted,” “worried,” and “upset.” If so, it would be worthwhile to take time to spend some time in peace and quiet with God. Remember, “Jesus loved Martha.”

Question: Is your heart distracted, worried, or upset today? If so, take solace in the fact that God loves you, and try to turn those feelings into something great, by listening to God through His word.

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

But How Does it End?

Imbalanced Prayer

Wandering Desires

The post Jesus Loved Martha appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 (TNIV)

Owen and Mzee are an odd pair. Owen is a baby hippopotamus, while Mzee is a 100+ year old tortoise.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Owen (the baby hippo) was found, orphaned from his mother, and transferred to Haller Park in Kenya. There he was put into an enclosure with many other animals, but no hippos. Distraught and needing guidance and companionship, the young hippo quickly formed a bond with Mzee, a 130-year-old Aldabran tortoise. Owen quickly began mimicking his unusual adopted parent’s actions, following him wherever he went. “They swim, eat and sleep together,” said ecologist Paula Kahumbu. “The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.”

What an unexpected and marvelous friendship! In our passage today, the apostle Paul explains how he became “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This does not mean that Paul was faking who he was, for elsewhere he admonishes us not to lie (Colossians 3:9). Nor does it imply that Paul himself is the one doing the saving. Our commission is not to “convert” anyone. God Himself alone saves by His grace (Ephesians 2:8); our commission is to be witnesses to the truth and show people the truth.

Paul was willing to meet people where they are. Although unwilling to compromise on the essentials of the faith (1 Corinthians 15) he welcomed everyone to learn from him, and came alongside others to patiently disciple them (Acts 28:30).

Let’s be on the lookout for others who could use a friend, even if they seem quite different from us. These often will become the most amazing of friendships, like Owen an Mzee. Through such unlikely friendships, our hope will be that some may come into a saving faith in Jesus.

Let us become weak to those who are weak, so that we may together become strong in the redeeming sacrifice and love of Christ!

By Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

How to Foster True Friendships

Building Lasting Friendships

Friendships –  more articles

The post Amazing Friendships appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’” Mark 12:41-44

Do you ever feel anxious when the collection plate comes around? Paul somewhat surprisingly tells us that “You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give.” Not only that, but giving should be joyful, not forced: “Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully”  (2 Corinthians 9:7). Jesus spoke more about money than almost any other topic. According to author Randy Alcorn, about 15% of Jesus’ sayings recorded in the Bible relate to money and possessions. Why did Jesus (and the New Testament authors like Paul) speak so often about money? Perhaps because we seem to have so much trouble using money wisely. Thankfully, the New Testament gives us plenty of guidance.

In the story of the widow’s offering, Jesus commends her gift of the equivalent of two pennies. She gave “more than all the rest.” Paul clarifies that “If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give” (2 Corinthians 8:12). So, clearly the amount given is not most important. Then what is? It is our attitude towards giving.

Often, the Pharisees (the religious zealots of Jesus’ time) tried in vain to trap Jesus with tricky questions. On one such occasion, Jesus’ reply was “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). So what portion of our money is “God’s”? In a sense, it all is, since we have been given stewardship over our money. How much should we give to the church or other important causes? Paul answers this question thusly: “Give whatever you can according to what you have” (2 Corinthians 8:11). The widow did just that; she gave what little she could afford and Jesus approved of her.

Finally, note what Jesus says about giving: “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired … Give your gifts in secret” (Matthew 6:1,4). Keeping your giving between yourself and God ensures you are giving for the right reason and won’t become prideful. As Paul says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others” (Philippians 2:3).

Follow these biblical principles when giving, and you will be giving joyfully, as the Lord wills you to do.

Lord, help me to remember that You own everything and my finances are Yours. Forgive me for the times I stress over money and hold it as an idol in my life. Help me to fully trust You with my earnings. Amen.

Question: What is your attitude towards giving? What can you do to become more like Christ in this area?

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

The Generosity Habit
Try Tithing
Joyful Generosity
You Cannot Out-give God

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • ‘X’ Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post Money Matters appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:19-20

For a people consistently warned to turn away from their idols, the Israelites sure seemed to turn back them with annoying frequency. God unambiguously told them “Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:4) Yet time after time, “They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, “You shall not do this.”” (2 Kings 17:12) This temptation remains for us today, which is why the apostle John warned us by saying “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

What makes idols so appealing? The words of God given to the prophet Habakkuk reveal one reason idols are so appealing to us: They don’t talk back.

Idols stand silent. We talk to them, and try to coax them into doing our bidding. All such idols are, of course, false: “[Idols] can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.” (1 Samuel 12:21) But we turn to them so frequently because we feel like we are in control of them. We get to do all the talking and don’t have to listen since they don’t talk back. And in our fallen state, we like to hear ourselves talk. We like to be in control, or at least pretend that we are. Idols never make requirements of us, never challenge us when we sin.

Consider money. Money never tells us what to do. We tell it what to do. This may be why Jesus spoke so often about money; not because it is intrinsically evil, but because it can become an egregious example of idolatry. We like it because we use it however we choose, and it never complains. It never talks back.

By contrast, the true God of scripture is revealed as the God who speaks. The Lord spoke the universe into creation (Genesis 1) and has continued speaking to us ever since. When the Lord of the universe speaks, what can we do except remain silent before Him: “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20) The God who speaks can be intimidating, for He who embodies truth, unlike idols, does make requirements of us, challenges us, and wants a loving relationship with his children. Perhaps that’s also part of the attraction of idols: God desires relationship with us, and relationships can at times be messy.

All idolatry is ultimately a form of self-worship: Turning away from the true God who speaks and is deserving of our worship, to mute idols who we falsely believe listen to our vain commands. Let us today recommit to choosing the living and true God who has redeemed us by his blood, and saves us from our sins by virtue of his grace. Let us reaffirm our desire to listen to the God who speaks, and cast aside all useless idols which dishonor our loving God. And let us pray to hear what God has to speak into our lives today.

Questions: Take time to identify which idol is most tempting for you: What is it? How can you seek God’s help to turn away from it?

by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Sample Prayers
Struggles, Despair
How to be Saved

The post Silent Before Him appeared first on Thoughts About God.

One of my fondest childhood memories of the Christmas season is the Advent calendars my brother and I would receive every year. If you’re unfamiliar with this tradition, the particular version my family enjoyed consisted of a nearly flat decorated cardboard box, with tiny doors on it, numbered from 1 to 24 representing the days leading up to Christmas Eve.

Every day we would open one of the cardboard doors and behind each one we’d find a tiny chocolate. Every one of the chocolates was uniquely molded in a Christmas related shape. It was a fun diversion for us as kids as we impatiently awaited the arrival of Christmas day. But it doesn’t tell us much about the actual season of Advent. What is Advent?

The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, somewhere between November 27 and December 3, depending on the year.  Advent is the period leading up to Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ. It is unknown when this tradition first began, but this period of waiting is often seen in the Christian tradition as a reminder that the world remains waiting for Jesus’ return.

The traditional color of Advent is purple, the color often associated with royalty, although today blue and red are also used. Modern day celebrations of Advent include  Advent calendars, Advent wreaths, lighting special Advent candles, and a series of themed Sunday messages leading up to Christmas day.

God’s blessing to you as we prepare to celebrate our Savior, Jesus’ birth.

By Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Christmas Articles
• Christmas Prayers
• Christmas Quotes

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post What is Advent? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

The ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on May 3 1915. He wrote it after witnessing the death of his friend on the battlefield the day before. It is a solemn reminder of the atrocities of war and an admonishment to steadfastly remain vigilant even when faced with terrifying adversity.

On this day we honor those who bravely fought for freedom and justice, and many of whom bravely gave their lives for the noble cause. It goes by different names in different places, including Remembrance Day, Veteran’s Day, Poppy Day, and Armistice Day, but the sentiment is the same: Not to glorify the tragedy of war, but to commemorate the valor of those who fought to defend their country.

Brigadier General (retired) Robinson Risner, a veteran pilot who fought in World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, is one of those brave military soldiers who we should remember today. Despite being shot down twice over enemy territory, and being captured and tortured, each time it happened he wasted no time taking to the skies again, ready to serve his country.

by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  Remembrance Day ‘Daddy’s Poem‘
•  Soldier’s Psalm – Prayer
•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post Lest We Forget appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Please open your Bible and read Psalm 78:1-4.

Little six-year-old Timothy skipped home at a leisurely pace with his older brother. His elementary school was only a 5 minute walk from his house, but it took him a lot longer than that to arrive at home, much to his brother’s chagrin!

It was the first day of spring. The sun shone brightly. The wind whistled gently through the air, and it seemed as though the entire world was blooming … alive after its winter slumber. At seemingly every turn, the natural world around him aroused his amazement and wonder: a dancing butterfly, a fuzzy caterpillar, a colorful flower, all alive with growth and life and wonder!

Sometimes we’re almost like polar opposites of little Timothy when it comes to God. We get accustomed to God’s grace. Blind to His glory. Oblivious to His love. When there’s work, plus family, plus church, plus everything else, it’s easy if we’re not careful to become distracted.

When was the last time you were in awe of God? While must constantly strive to increase our knowledge and understanding of our Lord, we should never lose the sense of wonder at who He is and all He has done for us.

Jesus called the children around Him, “took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16) Can you approach Jesus as a child, not with a childlike intellect (1 Corinthians 13:11) but with a childlike attitude? A childlike attitude will keep us humble as we continually are reminded of God’s high exaltation, our lowly place, and (despite of our lowly place) how God has lifted us up with Him when we put our trust in Him, so that He may even call us “friend”. (John 15:15)

“Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” Psalm 113:2-3

Question: What do you admire most about the natural beauty around us, and have you stopped to really see it lately?

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• In Awe and Wonder
• Stand in Awe
• Wandering and Wondering

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • ‘X’ Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post The Wonder of a Child appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Please open your Bible and read Psalm 19.

Truly “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1) and God is revealed in our natural world: “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20)

It is, however, a mistake to base our beliefs on the natural world alone. Christian apologist Matthew Slick notes that “If we look at a beautiful sunrise, we decide God is ‘good’; if we look at a hurricane, we decide God is ‘cruel’” for our world has been corrupted by sin. Although God’s image which he imbued in us upon creation has been defaced by our sin, it can never be entirely erased. Similarly, although the world is corrupt, God’s glory continues to peek through the dark clouds, providing illumination for all who allow God’s light to shine in their hearts. (2 Corinthians 4:5-6)

After all, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) While we might know about God from nature, we can only know Him personally through His Son Jesus Christ and by reading His word to us in the Bible. Nevertheless, we can experience God’s real presence through His creation, and this is one of the amazing gifts that God has given us.

Question: How can the grandeur of God’s creation help a person begin to know the God who created it?

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

The Earth Filled with His Glory

Show Me Your Glory

The Heavens Declare God’s Glory

The post God in Nature appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything,” Peter said. “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:4,5

Peter was an excellent fisherman. He’d been at his profession for a very long time. After all, he made his living that way. One morning, after a long night of fishing and catching nothing, he was ready to hang up the nets and go home for a good sleep. But Jesus had other plans, “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch,” he told Peter.

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything,” Peter said. “But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:4,5). Peter could have argued, “I’m the fisherman around here. You do the preaching and I’ll do the fishing, okay.” But he surrendered his pride and his tiredness to Jesus.

“Because you say so, I will let down the nets,” he said. The end result? “They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in another boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6,7)

Sometimes what God wants us to do doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t seem to be the right timing or the right thing to do. Still, if God is speaking to us, we don’t need to understand, obedience is what counts.

One note of caution: Make sure it’s God’ voice you are hearing. How can you tell? God will never tell you something that goes contrary to His character or His word.

Dear God, I want to listen well and to obey promptly. Amen

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Let God Interpret the Facts
• Seeking the Source of Sound Wisdom
• Our Mistakes Do Not Define Us
  

  ---

The post Because You Said So appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Jairus is in a hurry. If you have children, or even if you don’t, you can probably sympathize with his plight. You see, his little daughter is dying. Or, as the Message paraphrase puts it, his “dear daughter is at death’s door.” Mark 5:23

So you can imagine why he’d be more than a little perturbed when, the Lord tarries on the way to Jairus’ house. “Who touched my clothes?” Jesus suddenly asks the crowd. The disciples, perhaps a bit anxious themselves given the gravity of the situation, reply “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask? Who touched me?'”  Then Jesus proceeds to leisurely engage the woman in conversation. It turns out that she’s suffered from a medical condition for the last twelve years.

“Twelve years?” thinks Jairus, “My daughter is dying! Surely this woman can wait a little longer!”

Then, while Jesus is still talking with the woman, messengers arrive with the most dreaded news imaginable: “Your daughter is dead.”

“Oh Lord, why couldn’t you just have hurried?” Jairus probably cried to himself. From a human perspective, all was lost. But from a heavenly perspective, “all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Jesus responded immediately: “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:36)

God’s timing is not ours: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) But we can be confident that whenever and however God chooses to respond to us, it will be good, just, and to His glory.

If you’ve been patiently praying with seemingly no response, don’t lose heart. Jesus implores us to not be afraid and trust in Him; consider the parable of the persistent widow Jesus told in Luke 18:1-8, which Jesus told to encourage us that we “should always pray and not give up“. Be encouraged that while God’s timing is not ours, because He is always for you, not against you, and we will someday, at just the right moment, fully understand His divine timing.

Questions: What is a prayer that you have been earnestly praying for lately? Are you ready to leave it in God’s competent hands when/how/if he answers it?

By Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Right on Time
• A Season for Everything
• How to Know God Personally

The post God’s Timing is Not Ours appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Please open your Bible and read Genesis 2:25-3:10

Take a trip with me back in time. Way back – to the dawn of creation, when Adam & Eve lived the good life in the Garden of Eden. They had a pretty sweet deal there. That is, until that infamous day, when as politicians are sometimes fond of saying, in gross understatement, “Mistakes were made“. But Adam & Eve didn’t just make a mistake; they sinned by disobeying God’s clear instructions. (Genesis 2:16-17)

We are told that just before the incident neither Adam nor Eve felt any shame (Genesis 2:25). Yet just afterwards, how quickly their behavior reflects their change in disposition: “Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees.” (Genesis 3:8) That makes sense. “God’s coming! Quick! into the trees!”

This sad event marked the beginning of humankind’s tenancy to try to hide from God. We still try to hide from God today. How futile is that? We have to remember that whatever is done in “secret” is not really secret at all. Even if we have been able to fool our family and friends, God is not fooled, and He “carefully watches the way people live; He sees everything they do.” (Job 34:21). Our attempts to hide our sin amount to nothing more than hiding among the trees.

Do we keep secret sin hidden in our hearts? Even as Christians, who personally know Jesus our God, and have been redeemed by His blood? Unfortunately, even as new creations, we are still sinners. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

But we also live with constant hope, because we know that by continually returning to God by repenting and readjusting our lives whenever we recognize our sin, God’s provision in Christ will cover us: “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” (1 John 1:9)

Question: What sort of sins do we often try to hide from God?

by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

We Plan – God Directs

Your Map is Putting You in Danger!

Is Anyone Listening?

The post Hiding among the Trees appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  Romans 15:4

I love the Bible. It’s God’s Word, our ultimate source of truth. It contains not only the grand story of the beginning of time and space and our Earth, but also the intimate story of God’s people, and the glorious coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ for our salvation.

But even so, I find that there are times in my life when my daily Bible reading becomes merely routine, if I happen to do it at all. In fact, sometimes I wonder about the Bible: Couldn’t God have given us a more efficient manual? What I mean is, it sometimes seems so complicated. Did you know that the Bible has 66 books, containing 1,189 chapters and 31,170 verses? Instead of 17 major and minor prophets, for example, maybe we could have been given a list of the top 10 marriage tips instead?

Then I think: God didn’t want to give us the kind of book that you read once and put on the shelf. He wasn’t interested in giving us a pamphlet. God wanted to give us something that would engage us and continue to challenge us for a lifetime. He, in His infinite wisdom, gave us a book that was so deep that we could read it every hour of every day of our entire lives and still not exhaust its wisdom.

If you’ve spent any serious amount of time reading the Bible you can probably attest to how you’ve read a passage a dozen or more times before, but somehow this time, it hits you in a totally new way as God illuminates your mind to deeper meaning and fuller understanding. “How did I not see it before?” you think. And it’s so amazing how deep this book is!

God Himself is like that: Our great God isn’t someone of whom you could say, “Oh, God? Yeah, I met him once, I think.” God is so amazingly great that it’s a lifelong process to know Him. He wants us not to just know ABOUT Him, but to KNOW Him intimately. And for that, a simple pamphlet won’t do.

God, we thank you for your Word, the wisdom of which can never be exhausted!

Question: How has your Bible reading been lately? Is it time to begin to re-read it with “new eyes?”

by Darren Hewer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

God Peels Back the Layers until the Real You is Revealed  by John Walker

Hearing God’s Voice – by Charles Stanley

When Answers Aren’t Enough – There is Jesus! by Helen Lesheid

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post The Bible appeared first on Thoughts About God.