River Depths 9

This was me on our wedding day, severely asthmatic but hopelessly addicted to cigarettes.  My dad had quit years before me, and if you asked him if he wanted a cigarette, he'd passionately say, "YES! But I'm not going to do it." The thought of spending the next 50 or more years of my life longing for a cigarette was just more than I could bear. A few years later, I became a Christian. There was this scripture that proclaimed my body was the temple of the Holy Spirit. I knew smoking was killing me, but I had no clue how to stop. Then I ran across Phillipians 2:13. The version I had at the time translated it this way: For my God is working within you to create both the desire and the ability to do His will.  I went to God and confessed my fears and my absolute lack of desire to quit. I held this scripture up to Him and asked Him to change me. Some people, when they ask God to help them quit, are delivered right away, but me, well, I'm pretty stubborn by nature. I te...

  I'm a cloud watcher. I love to find dogs, people, and other pictures in the clouds. Often, when a storm is coming up, I will see pictures of demons in the clouds. I see an angry face and an outstretched fist in this one. Do you see it?  Luke 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a ship with his disciples, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed, He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. 24 They came to Him, and woke him, saying, “Master, master, we perish.” Then he rose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”   Looks to me like Jesus expected the disciples to take authority over the weather. Lately, in response to this, whenever I see demons in the clouds, I remind the clouds that they are God's...

My house threw up. My boys are finishing my bathroom and installing a sink in my laundry room this weekend. Everything is an absolute mess. I’ve been living in this unfinished house for five years, and I’ve accumulated a few things. Life as usual can’t go on right now. I can’t find my kitchen table, and much of the seating in my house is unavailable. Cooking is hard. Meals are makeshift. Our normal family meals are wherever we can find a place to sit. I’m missing our mealtime discussions, and my “no eating outside of the kitchen” rule has been suspended, resulting in having to chase down dishes from all over. It’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s only temporary. In the end, it will be worth it. The Bible compares your life to a house. It will be unfinished until the day God calls you home. Is your life a mess? Do you feel like you can’t get anything done? Is communication with those you love breaking down? Are you working your tail off cleaning up other people’s messes? Consider that p...

  [Job 1:6-12 KJV] 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the ...

  I love Biblical rabbit trails, don’t you? The other day, I was translating names in Luke 3 and came across the name Tiberius. Since I don’t know much about the individual Roman Caesars, I decided to look him up. This led to an in-depth investigation of the origins of the name, and ultimately to the land of Israel and the region of Galilee, where we surprisingly find a version of this name. The Sea of Tiberias is also called the Sea of Galilee, and the Sea of Gennesaret (GK) or Chinnereth (Hebrew).  Both Galilee and the Chinnereth are ancient names used in the Old Testament from the time of Joshua on, as well as in the New Testament.  John identifies the Sea of Tiberias in John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is [the sea] of Tiberias. Tiberias means “from the river god”. The River Tiber is the river that flows through Rome. It is named after Tiberinus, the god of Rome. The name Tiber means “water”. Galilee means circuit district or a...

  In John's gospel, a woman who had been caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. He challenged those who had brought her to throw the first stone if they were without sin. All backed away. Then John 8 says this: 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. You see that? Jesus didn’t condemn the woman to death, but He did recognize the sin. We are to imitate Jesus. Jesus did not tell the woman that it was ok to keep on committing adultery because everyone sins. To do so would encourage her to continue in behavior that would destroy both her and her family. That is not love. [Mat 7:1 KJV] 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. This verse is often used to bully people into declaring acts of sin, especially sexual sin, as not sin. But that’s not what the Bible says. God does want ...