God’s Glorious Holiness
Read: Psalm 99 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! (v. 5) We often think of holiness as “the absence of sin,” but when we speak of God’s holiness, we see it as so much more. Theologian Wayne Grudem writes that God’s holiness includes “both separation from evil and devotion […]
God Is Eternal
Read: Psalm 90 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (v. 2) The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us all of the precarious nature of human existence. We discovered how quickly everything can change in our daily lives. We realized […]
God is Incomparable
Read: Isaiah 40:18-31
To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. (v. 25)
“That’s apples to oranges!” we say when two things that are essentially different are being compared. It’s an interesting idiom; actually, apples and oranges have lots of things in common. They are both fruit, they both grow on trees, and they are both delicious and nutritious. It’s not like comparing apples to Rottweilers—or Sherman tanks!
God is Unique
Read: Isaiah 40:6-17
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? (v. 13)
It is human nature to try and “humanize” God; we seek to understand him by bringing him down to our level. Sometimes we refer to God as “the man upstairs,” or make jokes at his expense. Sometimes we accuse him of being unfair or unkind and demand an explanation for his actions. Our minds may picture him as a kindly old grandfather or an uncaring bureaucrat. In other words, we seek to make God in our own image.
When the Cares of Your Heart Are Many
Read: 1 Peter 5:6-13 He cares for you. (v. 7) One feature of my Apple Watch is a sensor that can somehow tell when my heart is beating in ways that reveal stress. It taps my wrist and displays this line: “A minute of deep breathing can relieve stress.” It offers to guide me through […]
Good News. All Ways.
Words of Hope is committed to making the hope of the gospel accessible to people in all ways possible. Our supporters understand that around the world people interact with media differently, and so together we rely on our field workers in each location to craft holistic outreach plans that are likely to succeed in a […]
The Best Pastor
Read: 1 Peter 5:1-5 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. (v. 2) When preaching professor Fred Craddock was asked to name the best preacher in North America, he answered, “The local pastor.” Why? Because as a shepherd, the local pastor “knows the sheep and tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.” No […]
Joyful Suffering
Read: 1 Peter 4:12-19 Do not be surprised at the fiery trial. (v. 12) I have yet to suffer for following Jesus, but I have met people who have. One man told me how his fingernails were pulled out because he confessed to becoming a Christian. I can hardly begin to imagine the pain. And […]
An Epidemic of Loneliness
Read: 1 Peter 4:7-11 Show hospitality to one another. (v. 9) “You are the first person I have spoken with in two weeks,” a homebound woman said to our youth director when she dropped off cookies as part of a youth mission. It quickened our hearts to arrange regular visits to this sweet saint. That […]