Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
Sitting in Judgement
Pigpen, a character in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip by Charles Schultz, is characterized by a cloud of dust and dirt following him around. At times in the raising of our boys, I felt as if Pigpen lived in our home. But in recent years that dust cloud has come to…
Read MoreJust Testing
Proverbs 17:3 reads, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Solomon is saying in this proverb that everything of value must be tested to uphold that value. In the case of precious metals, the testing is heat, fire. But because man often…
Read MoreI Did That
Success is revered in our culture. It is even more admirable when individuals have overcome great obstacles and disadvantages to achieve it. Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, who ran in the 2016 primaries for US President, makes my short list. He faced multiple hardships associated with his parents’ divorce such…
Read MoreGrace Is Not License
Moses, the leader of God’s people, was not a stranger to opposition, having faced off with Pharoah 10 times before being given permission to take the people out of Egypt. Sadly, opposition continued in the desert with friendly fire from his own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, who felt…
Read MoreOne Way or the Other
Most people know the story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. While many choose to look at it as an imaginative object lesson to teach obedience and the futility of running from God, in actuality, God has done stranger things than to allow a person to be swallowed…
Read MoreTime Out
Parental disciplinary tactics have changed somewhat through the years. Spanking or paddling was most popular when I was a child. Speaking to that is the comedic account of corporal punishment employed by one father that elicited fear and respect from all six of his children. That is contrasted sharply by…
Read MoreRanger Up!
In the American military, the Rangers are to the Army what the Seals are to the Navy, both of them elite, specially trained fighting forces. Most serious soldiers covet wearing the Ranger patch, but the fact is that two-thirds who undertake the training do not make it to the end. …
Read MoreDangerous Alliances
We have all heard the saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” While it carries a lot of truth, those relationships rarely outlast the momentary need. In biblical times those alliances were often strengthened through arranged or negotiated marriages. Such was the case between Jehoshaphat, King of Judah,…
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