Thunder

A couple of days ago, we had a lot of thunder and lightning through the night and until midday. Every few minutes the sky would light up and then we would hear the roar of thunder. These events are always spectacular and aweinspiring in many ways. If you have ever been to Niagara Falls, you will remember the sound as much as the beauty. The roaring waters make a powerful sound that seems to reach into the soul. These sights and sounds are impressive, but they do not compare to the mighty strength of God.

Psalm 93:4 says, “Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!” God has more than sufficient strength to do all that we need Him to do. Beyond that, it is His desire to provide all that we need so that we can be fruitful and glorify His name. Nothing can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes in heaven, on earth, and among His people.

Library of Thoughts

Some books are written to take us on an adventure. Some books ask us to solve a mystery. Others take us on a journey of romance. Some authors write to entertain us. Other books are written for our instruction. Some authors have a higher purpose in mind while they write.

John 20:30-31 says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Consider the truth that the Gospel of John, and the entirety of God’s Word, was written so that we may believe in Jesus Christ and by believing that we may inherit eternal life.

Popular Thought

Popular thought tells us to only believe what we can see, touch, or hear with our own senses. We are told to trust the science, even though science has proven to be wrong or misguided many times. Thomas, an observer of Jesus’ life and ministry as a disciple, fell into this trap. He said that he would not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ until he could see and touch Jesus himself.

John 20:28-29 says, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”‘ We may not always see the signs that God is working for us, but faith in our loving and powerful God will bring assurance of the Lord’s goodness.

Speaker Boxes

Often, I have trouble communicating when I pull my car up to a speaker box at a fast food restaurant. It seems that the employees do not heard the words that I speak. Of course, this causes more problems as the food that I am given is not the food that I ordered. I am not sure if the problem is the device, the speaker (me), or the listener (employee). It always feels good when the communication is clearly understood and we receive exactly what we ordered.

In Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” We do not pray in order to inform God of our needs, but rather to align our hearts with His. Prayer is a two way conversation with us acknowledging our needs, and with us listening to God speak truth to us regarding these needs.

As We Have Forgiven

I see a rush to judgement that seemingly pervades all of life in our society. We rush to judge what people say as it offends our sensitivities. We rush to judge actions as they do not match our self-determined morality. We rush to judge intentions, although we cannot fairly or accurately know or evaluate the motivations of other people. Social media advocates cutting others out of our lives after they offend us in some way. Where is the room for us to give second chances to people, like we desire that people give to us? In

Matthew 6:12 Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” We are never more like Jesus than when we give someone another chance. Consider that Jesus died a cruel death on the cross to provide forgiveness for our sins.