The Sword of the LORD

In this life, there are many obstacles that confront us on a regular basis.   Some are simply small irritants that we all must deal with like the kids spilling chocolate milk on the new carpet, or getting a flat tire on the way to work.   Others seem larger than life like losing a loved one, or being fired from a job.   Others still test the limits of our faith like being wrongfully accused, being persecuted for our faith, or being sorely tempted to sin.   All of these things may seem like detours on the path of life, but in truth they are the very things that can help us to live a more abundant life - one that is lived through the grace of God and not by our own feeble attempts to overcome.   The Apostle Paul went so far as to say, "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV)   Delighting in our hardships may seem like a stretch for most folks, but t...

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him."   (Psalm 62:5)   We all have expectations.   We expect to be reasonably healthy in our lifetimes and to grow old before we die.   We expect to be financially stable and be able to care for ourselves and for our loved ones.   We expect to be valued and respected as individuals and to be treated justly by those who are over us.   Those are just a few of the big things that we expect, but it goes much further than that.   We expect that our favorite sports team will always win.   We expect that every light will turn green for us when we are in a rush, and that we won't get behind any slow or elderly drivers.   We expect that our private time be respected and not interrupted by unplanned phone calls, visits, or requests for assistance or time. Needless to say, our expectations are all too often dashed.   We are told to "hope for the best," but by doing this very t...

My wife and I recently attended a surprise 80th birthday party for my wife's aunt.   There were lots of cousins, great-cousins, and even 3rd generation cousins present at the party, some of whom had come a good distance to attend; so it was great to see everybody and catch up on news of their families.   My wife later commented about how one little baby who was just a few months old was able to pick out her mother's voice even above 40 or more other voices all talking at the same time.   Her little ears would prick up and her head would turn toward the direction of her momma's voice.   As my wife described what she observed that day, I had to think of our relationship with our heavenly Father and how similar it is to that little one.  There are many voices around us always, some are good, and some are not so good, but in the midst of so many voices our Father's rings out true and distinct from all others.  We know that we can trust that voice because it...