By As long as I can remember, “tests” were to expose flaws. Spelling tests were to show you the words you didn’t know. Maths tests were to show you the equations you couldn’t complete. Fitness tests were to expose the weaklings. Character tests were to determine what needs some refinement. Tests
A Pattern of Praise
Why is a Christian always full of praise? Why do Christians growing in maturity increasingly call on those around them to praise God with them? Is it because Christians never face problems, deal with disappointments, suffer loss or endure sadness? Or is it because of the pattern David spoke of
Blessed Are Those Who Have Known Distress
The second declaration of blessing from God to man in Jesus’ famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ affirm that those who have known distress are those who will be blessed with God’s comfort, restoration, and refreshing grace. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted Matthew 5:4 It is
A Psalm When Reality is Unpleasant
Psalm 10 is in many ways the perfect hospital bed Psalm for believers and even unbelievers. It is a Psalm of Reality – unpleasant reality. Read the first thirteen verses, and see if the pleas of your heart do not often express the same questions. Does God not see? Why does
Romans 12:15 Empathy Explained
The Oxford dictionary defines empathy as “the ability to understand another person’s feelings, experience, etc.”. The Bible might not use the English word empathy, but has required it of Christians all along already. Romans 12:15 must be one of the most practical explanations of empathy. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with
Easy Running and Hard Running
Not all people love running, but when forced to run, we all prefer an easy run rather than a difficult run. A nice easy jog with friends, along a level road, with nice shoes, and free water supplies every few metres, is certainly better than a difficult uphill run, through
Romans 12:12 How to Maintain Sanity in This World
What a glorious eternity awaits us, but how difficult this world is in the meantime! Jesus is wonderful in every regard, but most of the people on this world seem to lack basic neighbourly love. Heaven is perfect, but this world is most certainly not. How do you maintain some
A Plan for Suffering
A plan made in time of need is a plan made too late. Planning beforehand for the inevitable, or even for the unlikely, is something we are very familiar with. Insurance companies thrive on the plans we make for the unlikely accident, or the inevitable death. We have emergency plans
Asking “Why?!” During Trials
Bad things happen. Sometimes the bad things that happen are simply consequences of sinful deeds we’ve committed. Other times the bad things have nothing directly to do with our sin or folly, but is because of the evil of another. And then there are bad things that happen simply because
God Is Good and Does Good … To Me!
God is good.God does good.It is good for me. Those three little lines are the key to successful living. Doubt any one of those three statements, and you have either a god who is evil, or a god who is out to get you, or a god who is of