Reflections

Enduring Love 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 [Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.(1 Cor 13:7) Like many people, I enjoy the Google homepage artwork that appears on special days and holidays. One Valentine’s Day, the artistic logo showed an older couple—a man with a cane and a white-haired woman—walking hand in hand as the woman held two heart-shaped balloons. It was a beautiful reminder that while our culture glorifies youthful romance, true love has many stages during our journey through life. Paul’s great essay in 1 Corinthians 13 celebrates the depth and tenacity of the love that carries us beyond self-interest and mere affection. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...

Knock, Knock 2 Timothy 1:8-12 Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.(2 Tim 1:8) A knock came at the door of the home of a man who had a young family. When the father answered the door, he was greeted by someone he had never met—a friendly man from a nearby church who had stopped by to say hello. His pleasant demeanor and kind words impressed the dad, and the two agreed to meet again. When they did, the visitor introduced the man to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both he and his wife trusted Jesus as Savior. That changed everything. The couple began attending church, and all six of their children became believers in Christ. Eventually the dad became a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. One of this couple’s daughters grew up to attend the same Christian college I attended. That student’s name was Sue, and from the first time I saw this girl from Grand Rapids, I was smitten. The man who had answered the door eventually became my father-in-law. That door-to-door ambassado...

Path To Humility Jeremiah 9:23-26 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10) My friend declared, as he tried to keep a straight face, “I’m so proud of my humility!” That reminds me of the joke about a leader who was given an award for his humility. Because he accepted the award, it was taken back the following week! David seemed to be making the same error when he said, “My heart is not haughty” (Ps. 131:1). When we understand the text, however, we know that he wasn’t boasting about his humility. Rather, in response to the accusation of treason made by Saul’s men, David stated he didn’t consider himself so important nor think of himself so highly as to have “lofty” eyes. Instead, David learned to be like a “weaned child” in the Lord’s arms (v.2). Like a baby who is completely dependent on his parents, he waited on God for His protection while he was a fugitive under King Saul’s pursuit. In his darkest hour, David realized his need and then...

Rich Toward God Luke  12:13-21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:34) I watch the fluctuations of the stock market and reflect on the effects of fear and greed. A character in a 1980's movie had this philosophy: “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right! Greed works! . . . Greed [will] save!" What foolish thinking! I think of that occasion when a man asked Jesus to serve as an arbiter and make his brother share their inheritance. Jesus refused the request but went on to do the man a greater kindness. He pointed out the motive behind the man’s request and its consequences: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Then Jesus told a parable about a man who harvested a bumper crop and began to make plans to increase and enjoy his riches. He concluded: “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will tho...

Five C's Or Two G's Proverbs 30:7-9 The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.(Psalms 84:11) Young people in Singapore at one time aspired to have the five C's.  Cash  in the bank.  Caree r for the future.  Car  to drive.  Condominium  to live in.  Credit  card to travel with. A recent newspaper report indicated that there is now an updated version of the five C's:  Connectivity  to be tuned in.  Choices,  and the more the merrier!  Cheek —doing things our own way.  Causes,  because it is hip to help.  Consumers  who spend first and pay later. Instead of the five C's, Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, asked for two G's from God: His  grace  and  goodness.  He sought the grace of God to “re...

Breathless Psalms 8:1-9 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth. (Psalms 57:5) When was the last time something took your breath away because of its majesty? I’m not talking about an electronic gadget or some special effects in a movie. I’m talking about a nighttime sky show such as an eclipse of the moon. Or walking outside on a starry night to see Orion or Pleiades—constellations mentioned thousands of years ago in Scripture (Amos 5:8) that are still glowing today for our enjoyment. I’m speaking of a bursting dawn that radiates with glorious colors to signal another sunrise. Or the sound and light show that accompanies God’s way of watering the earth with food-producing rain (Job 36:27-33). Have you stood by a fence and marveled at the power of a horse as it gallops gallantly through the field, mane flowing and hoofs pounding? (39:19-25). Or watched a soaring, swooping eagle drop from the sky because his God-designed vision has sighted su...

Turkish Delight John  21:15-19 Your law is my delight.(Ps 119:174) In C. S. Lewis’  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , the White Witch needed to know only one thing about Edmund to get him to betray his siblings. By asking a few simple questions, the witch learned that Edmund’s weakness was his love for a candy called Turkish Delight. The piece she gave to Edmund was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted. Soon Edmund could think only about “trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate the more he wanted.” Each of us has a vulnerability like Edmund’s that Satan is eager to exploit. It may be something addictive like drugs or alcohol, or it may be something seemingly harmless and perhaps even good like food, friendship, or work. After His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter this personal and probing question: “Do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15). Many have speculated as to what Jesus meant by the word “these,” but it’...