READ: 1 Samuel 7-9, Psalm 83, John 15, Ephesians 4 EBENEZER “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) The entire history of God’s people reveals unfaithfulness. Even mighty Samuel could not keep his flock (or his sons) from sin. Often we glamorize the Ebenezer stone as a commemoration of our man’s faithfulness. […]
Region: Arab World
Abiding in Jesus: March 23
READ: 1 Samuel 4-6, Psalm 82, John 14, Ephesians 3 INGLORIOUS In 1 Samuel 4 the ark of God is captured. Israel had gone to war against the Philistines, and knowing they needed help, knowing God dwelt above the cherubim, they brought God along (v. 4). “God has come into the camp!” they shouted, and […]
Living Dead for Jesus
Live Dead for Jesus We often come to Christ in prayer with an agenda. He has his own list of items and we have to decide, do we yield to His or demand our own? To die to our plans and trust God is best. Bringing glory to God requires living-dead. John 12:24-25 “Truly, truly, […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 22
READ: 1 Samuel 1-3, Psalm 81, John 13, Ephesians 2 MORE Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli (1 Sam. 2:11), ministered before the Lord as a child (v. 18), grew in stature and favor before God and man (v. 26), and ministered to the Lord before Eli (3:1), all before God called him. Samuel’s […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 21
READ: Ruth 1-4, Psalm 80, John 12, Ephesians 1 IN CHRIST William Borden is buried in Cairo. On his tombstone is written: “A man in Christ.” Borden was only 25 when he died. He was studying Arabic to be better prepared to reach Muslims in China. He also happened to be the heir to the […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 20
READ: Judges 19-21, Psalm 79, John 11, Galatians 6 BLOOD AND TREASURE One of the most troubling narratives in Scripture is that of the Levite and his concubine in Judges 19-21. Why does a Levite have a concubine anyway? In a bizarre series of events, a gang of homosexual Benjaminites want to have sex with […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 19
READ: Judges 17-18, Psalm 78, John 10, Galatians 5 DOUBLY HELD Driving all these years in Africa and the Arab world has shown me that sheep are much dumber than goats. Sheep will wander right in front of oncoming traffic. Goats have the good sense to avoid cars. When you are speeding down the road […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 18
READ: Judges 13-16, Psalm 77, John 9, Galatians 4 SPIRIT HUNGER Often our theoretical knowledge of God laps our experience. This seems to be particularly true with God the Spirit. Often our heads become stumbling blocks to our hearts. We cognitively admit that the Holy Spirit is a person in the triune godhead, but we […]
Abiding in Jesus: March 17
READ: Judges 10-12, Psalm 76, John 8, Galatians 3 THE MISERY OF GOD Just because God is eternal, it does not mean He is invulnerable. The fact that God is outside of time makes His misery all the more horrific. The agony of the cross (“the lamb slain from before the foundation of the world,” Rev. […]
In those Moments of Inadequacy
Lisa* and her husband live in Israel, where they bridge the gap between Arabs and Israelis to share the hope of Jesus Christ. My husband jokes that I would do most of my communication without words if I could. I must confess that growing up with four sisters, I learned to supplement my verbal […]
