I read Psalm 24 this morning in my quiet time and it is such a powerful, wonderful picture of our God. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty! Chris Tomlin's song is going through my mind, what an awesome vision of our Lord in His rightful place. I wonder how many people in the world truly embrace and celebrate that? I wonder how many people in the world have turned from Him, found somehow their circumstances in life are His fault, written Him off as a cruel God. How many of them really know Him for who He is? I want them to know, I want them all to know His truth, His promises, His love and the true reason for why He allows this world to keep on spinning, existing, spiraling out of control. If we read the Scriptures we know why. He waits so that more may come to know Him, choose His promise of salvation. He waits because truly man is corrupt, the world is an imperfect place and it will naturally continue to get worse. There cannot be peace on earth, not really because the earth is not a peaceful place. As long as man exists, there will be sin and there will be cruelty but....we have a responsiblity as Christians to be the shining light, the difference that makes people go, "Wow, there is something worth living for, something of greater worth, something beyond this life!" What kind of difference are we making in this world? Do they see it in us? Are we getting their attention, leaving a lasting impression upon their lives when our paths cross? You may have just a brief moment in time to make a difference in someone's life who truly needs it. I have already had some of those moments and instead of acting upon the Spirit's prompting, I missed it. Those moments I have chosen to be vulnerable and open to someone I barely knew or someone I knew well, God gave me something to say. Those moments, however brief or lasting, can make a lasting impression we may never know about. That isn't what matters. What matters is we chose it, and God used it. We have to trust Him to complete it, it is not our job to see it through. We are vessels for His use, He is the one who saves and changes lives. The world, however cruel and unjust, can be a better place but it will never be a perfect place until He returns. He is the King of Glory, the Lord, strong and mighty---Are we telling it to the world or keeping it to ourselves? That is a great challenge for each of us as we walk with Him each day.
Joy and Light
Early Tuesday morning January 2, 2024, I got a call that my Mom was slipping away and the family should come. We knew she was not doing well these past couple of weeks as she had developed pneumonia and covid, and she was struggling just to manage breathing. When I arrived, the nurse brought me in to Mom's bedside, and quietly stepped out to give me some time alone with her before my Dad and my brother arrived. I cried like I have never cried before in my life, and went to my knees beside her, resting my hand on her arm. I have no words to describe what it felt like in that moment, the finality and the reality of it. My brain understood she was gone, no longer there. But my heart, regardless of how far gone Mom had been for years now..... my heart was suddenly flooded with the feelings, the sounds, the memories of her across my entire life, rushing through my head in that moment all at once. It felt like time kind of stopped, so I could have a moment to take it all in, co
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