When was the last time you asked why? There are some serious mysteries in the universe that we take for granted. For example:

Why does ibuprofen work? Have you ever looked at two of those brown little pills and wondered, "How do you guys work? How do you know where my pain is?" Ibuprofen is a deep mystery.

Why is Kenny G so popular? This is a profound mystery that I don't believe will ever be explained. Perhaps a Kenny G fan would care to comment.

Why are baby clothes so expensive? This one baffles me. I was recently at the shoe store and saw a pair of baby shoes that were approximately two inches long. Yet somehow they managed to cost as much as the shoes I was buying.

Why are the Rolling Stones still doing concerts? The combined age of Mick Jaegger and Keith Richards is 432. You do the math. Why are they still on tour?

These are stupid questions. There is one question however, that is a true and profound mystery. Why did Christ show mercy to me? Why am I the recipient of God's mercy? Why would God choose to show mercy to me, and not my next door neighbor? Why would Christ come looking for me, and not one of my close friends? This is a mystery of divine proportions.

Titus 3:3-5 says, "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit..."

We were foolish, disobedient, slaves to sin. We hated God, and we despised one another. We weren't looking for God, we were running from Him. We didn't deserve mercy, we deserved wrath.

But then the goodness and kindness of God appeared. Do you remember the sweet day when God showed his mercy to you? Do you remember when Christ came looking for you? Do you remember when God began drawing you to Himself, winning your heart with His mercy? Why would God do this? Why would He show you mercy? This is a glorious, beautiful, wonderful mystery.

We are surrounded by those who have not yet received mercy. Many of our close friends have not experienced the mercy of God. Why have we received it? Today, let your heart be filled with gratitude for the mercy of God. Let your heart overflow with deep affection for God, the One who poured out His mercy upon you. Today, take some time to ask, "Why?"

Okay ladies, we're right in the middle of football season, so here are some tips on things not to do when you're watching sports with your husband, boyfriend, or any person of the male gender for that matter.

- Do not say that you are rooting for a certain team because you like the color of their uniforms.

- Do not say the phrase, "Get the ball!" at any point...ever.

- It's not a good idea to attempt any conversation that goes deeper than, "Do you want more nachos?"

- When your husband's favorite team loses, it's not very helpful to say, "Well at least they tried hard."

- When you see a fan holding up a "D" and a picket fence, don't ask, "What's D-gate mean?"

- When one player tackles another player particularly hard, don't say, "That was mean!"

- When the opposing team loses, avoid expressing the fact that you "feel bad for them".

- When watching football, don't ask if anyone hit a home run.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you will serve the men in your life. Thank you.

Blackness has been your constant companion. For years you have sat by the road, wallowing in your poverty, wallowing in your blackness. You haven't seen the sun, or a cloud, or a tree, or another human face in years. The blindness has robbed you of your dignity, forcing you into a life of roadside begging and humiliating poverty. Everyday you stumble down to the road and ask for the charity of others, begging for coins from those passing by. A few stop and press a coin into your hand, others curse you as they pass by, nobody likes you. And why should they? You have nothing to offer them. You can't offer friendship, or money, or even a pleasant smile. You're a filthy, dirty, helpless, hopeless beggar. All your days blend together into one, endless, miserable night.

That is until the day The Light comes looking for you. You're sitting by the roadside, pleading for alms, when you hear many voices. A crowd is passing by. Who is it? A king, a dignitary? You call out, "What's happening? Please someone tell me what's happening!"

"It's Jesus of Nazareth," says a voice. "He's coming this way." Jesus of Nazareth! You've heard of this man. He casts out demons, and raises dead people, and even heals the blind. But will he stop for one so lowly as you? Will he take notice of a dirty, blind beggar who has nothing to offer? You can't offer him money, nor can you offer him service. You must throw yourself on his mercy.

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me," you scream at the top of your lungs. Over and over you cry out, pleading for the mercy of Jesus. Those in the crowd tell you to shut your mouth, that Jesus isn't interested in beggars, that Jesus has more important things on his mind. Maybe they're right, but your desperation forces you to continue your earsplitting plea for mercy.

Then the crowd is silenced, and you sense a change in the light, as if someone is standing in front of you. Sweet mercy, Jesus has stopped! You hear him say, "What do you want me to do for you?"

With a passion born from years of darkness, you cry out, "Lord, let me recover my sight." Jesus speaks, light floods into your eyes, and you find yourself gazing into the face of mercy itself. Oh what joy fills your heart! After years of darkness, you can see! The King stopped for you, and poured out his mercy on you. Gratefulness, love, and thanksgiving overflow out of your heart. You must follow Jesus, no matter where he goes. He stopped for you, and so you will follow Him. [Taken from Luke 18:35-43]

***

Do you remember when the Savior stopped for you? Do you remember when Jesus first opened your blind eyes to the glories of the gospel? O what sweet mercy we have received from Jesus. Let us be like this blind beggar, and joyfully follow the one who gave us our sight. Let us rejoice today that The Light came looking for us.

Here are some things I've learned about babies since becoming a dad two months ago. I'm writing these as I look at my baby girl.

• Babies can and will eject large volumes of material from either end of their bodies at will. And there's always more where that came from.

• Babies pass gas loudly and passionately at inopportune times, such as the middle of one of grandpa's sermons.

• The more you want to relax the harder your baby will cry. That's just the way it works. Deal with it.

• Babies make grown men do irrational things, such as talk in falsetto voices and say things like, "Awww, is my wittle girl sweepy?"

• There is a one in three chance that your baby will urinate as you are trying to give it a bath, forcing you to restart the bathing process from the beginning.

• Nothing is cuter than a baby sneezing.

• Except a baby smiling.

• Everybody wants to hold a baby. If a man were to charge one dollar for every time someone wanted to hold his baby, he would be a millionaire in a little less than three hours.

• Being a dad is the greatest thing in the world.

You can break chains but you're not free. You're a slave. A miserable, demon infested, self-mutilating slave of Satan. How long has it been since you tasted joy? How long has it been since you laughed? You spend your days wandering among the dead, screaming out in agony, and slashing your body with stones. Occasionally a glimmer of sanity returns and you realize what a monster you've become, but the sanity is soon swallowed up by the demons. It's in these brief moments of sanity that you realize how desperate you are. Oh what you would give to be free! To see your family again, to laugh with friends again, to live a normal life. But you're a hopeless slave, unable to conquer the vast legion of blackness within you.

But on one particular day something extraordinary happens: someone comes looking for you. No one has ever come looking for you. You are a terror to those around you, a horror to be avoided at all costs. People don't look for you, they run from you. But this man is different. He has come across the sea, looking for you.

As he steps from the boat, your insides begin to rip apart. The legion of demons within you is making every effort to flee, yet you feel yourself irresistibly drawn to the stranger from across the sea. A power greater than Satan himself is drawing you down to the shoreline.

You stumble down to the shoreline and fall at the feet of the stranger. The stranger speaks to you, or rather to the demons within you, saying, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" The words carry absolute, world-making, spirit-commanding authority. The demons within you are in an absolute panic. They have no choice but to obey this man.

Like whimpering children, the demons plead with this man, this Jesus, not to torment them, but to send them into a herd of pigs. Jesus agrees, and in a mighty rush you feel the blackness leave your body. Your mind clears, your eyes focus, and you find yourself kneeling at the feet of Jesus, the mighty demon conqueror. Your tormentors have been vanquished and you have been set free. You're no longer a slave to the powers of darkness. When you were helpless, Jesus came looking for you. The mercy of Jesus overwhelms you.

You're willing to do anything for this man who delivered you from darkness, and you beg Jesus to let you follow him. But Jesus has other plans for you. He says, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And so for the rest of your days you passionately tell the story of Jesus the savior, your savior. You tell them of the mercy that Jesus showed to you, a demon infested tomb wanderer. [Taken from Mark 5:1-20]

***

Do you remember when Jesus came looking for you? Do you remember the mercy that He showed you when you were a helpless slave of Satan? Let us thank our Savior today for the mercy that we've received.

You feel shame. Burning, hot shame. The shame of cheating on your husband, and the shame of being caught. The shame of being dragged by the Pharisees into the temple and having your wickedness exposed for all to see. The Pharisees encircle you, like ravenous wolves surrounding a wounded animal. They stab their fingers at you and level accusation after shameful accusation. They don't want your repentance, they want your blood. They have brought you before a teacher named Jesus, and they are requesting your execution.

You will die, you feel quite certain of that. You have broken the sacred laws of God, and the penalty for such a transgression is death by stoning. Your death will not be a noble one. It will be a shameful, brutal, excruciating death, as the life is slowly beaten out of your body one stone at a time. Your case is hopeless. You're an adulterer, and adulterers die by the rock. You're getting what you deserve.

But then the unexpected happens. Instead of demanding your immediate death, as he should have, Jesus bends down and begins to write in the dirt. You're perplexed, the Pharisees are perplexed, no one knows what is happening.

The Pharisees raise their voices once again, asking Jesus to order your execution. Jesus stands up, and the Pharisees get a glimpse of the writing on the ground. Their eyes widen, their jaws drop. Then Jesus speaks: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus resumes writing on the ground. The Pharisees begin to look at the ground and shuffle their feet nervously. All accusations have stopped and silence reigns supreme.

Then, to your astonishment, the crowd begins to disperse. The older Pharisees leave first, each with a look of guilt on his face. The rest of the Pharisees follow suit, and soon you are left alone with the man called Jesus. Yet you are still afraid. This man is not like the rest. He is without sin, he has the right to pick up the first stone. But then he looks at you, and in his glance you see not fierce anger, but tender mercy.

He asks you a question: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one Lord," you reply.

"Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." Your heart bursts with joy! You are not condemned. You have been given mercy, you have been spared from the terrible punishment that you deserve. How merciful is this man Jesus! At that moment you resolve to follow this man for the rest of your days. You've received much mercy from God, and so you will love God deeply. And you'll always give thanks to God for the day you met Jesus, the King of Mercy. [Taken from John 8:1-8]

***

You and I are no different from the adulterous woman. We deserve to be condemned for our sins, yet we've received the extravagant mercy of Jesus. We must lift our voices in praise to this merciful savior! Today let your heart be filled with gratefulness to God for the mercy you've received.

Imagine yourself in a world where contact with other humans is forbidden. In this world you are not allowed to embrace your father in a hug or gently kiss your mother on the cheek. You can't hold the hand of your wife or kiss the forehead of your daughter. There are no hearty back slaps, no firm hand shakes, not even the slightest touch from person. In fact, you are completely and totally isolated. You haven't seen your family in years, haven't been able to tell your wife how much you love her, haven't been able to laugh with your children. You are alone and you are so lonely that it hurts. You are a leper.

The leprosy is slowly destroying your body. It's a death by inches, as your flesh slowly, and painfully rots away. You have no hope of recovery. Death is certain. No one will come near you, both out of fear and revulsion. You understand the feeling, because when you see your own reflection you feel the same revulsion.

But then you hear of man who does the incredible: he heals lepers. You feel that you must meet this man, the one they call Jesus, and for the first time in years you feel the slightest glimmer of hope. And so with all the desperation of a dying man, you set out to find this Jesus, the leper healer.

Finding Jesus isn't difficult, you simply follow the massive crowd. Yet you are afraid to approach him. How will he respond when he sees a filthy, wretched leper in front of him? Will he cast you away, as all others have done? You have no choice but to approach him.

You run towards Jesus and fall at his feet, crying out, "If you will, you can make me clean!" You hear cries of alarm from those surrounding Jesus and you see the crowd begin to move away from you in fear. But Jesus doesn't move away from you, he moves closer. You look into his eyes, and you don't see fear, or revulsion, or hatred, but deep compassion. And then Jesus does something that utterly shocks you. He stretches out his hand and places it on your leprosy infested shoulder. In that touch there is overwhelming love and supernatural power. Your rotting flesh begins to heal, open sores close over, and your once diseased skin begins to take on the pink hue of health. With tears in your eyes, you look up at Jesus and manage to utter, "Thank you."

For the remainder of your life, you make every effort to tell people of the mercy you received. You tell them of the man Jesus, and how he showed mercy to you, a dying leper. [Taken from Mark 1:40-45]

We were spiritual lepers, without hope and without God in this world. But Christ, the Holy One, reached out and touched us, healing our souls and reconciling us to God. What sweet mercy. Let's rejoice in the mercy of Christ today.

For those of you interested in the more personal aspects of the "young" Altrogge family, you can visit the brand new Altrogge Family Blog at http://altroggefam.blogspot.com

You won't be able to resist "oooing" and "aaahhhing" over the pictures of my little girl.

Years ago my wife and kids and I were all in the van of my friend Joe (the name has been changed to protect the guilty, but you know who you are) along with his family. During the course of the evening Joe described the wonders of an ice cream stand called Jimmy Cone. “It has the best ice cream in the world. It’s so soft and smooth and creamy, and you can add all kinds of sprinkles and syrups and other toppings.” He described Jimmy Cone as the Mecca of all ice cream stands. “You really haven’t had ice cream until you’ve had a Jimmy Cone.“ And then he promised to take us there. All evening he kept singing, “Jimmy Cone, Jimmy Cone, gotta have a Jimmy Cone.” He worked us into a lather for Jimmy Cone. We fantasized about Jimmy Cone and encouraged one another not to lose hope in Jimmy Cone. We sang along with Joe, “Jimmy Cone, Jimmy Cone, gotta have a Jimmy Cone.”

Joe kept driving around but never going to Jimmy Cone. “When are we going to Jimmy Cone?” we wailed. “Oh we’ll get there soon," he said, "Don’t worry. Hey let's sing - Jimmy Cone, Jimmy Cone, gotta have a Jimmy Cone.” We didn’t understand, but we kept holding on to our hope of Jimmy Cone, singing along with Joe. But we never went to Jimmy Cone. I think Joe was playing a strange joke on us that we didn't get. Maybe we entered the Twilight Zone. Is there really a Jimmy Cone? Will I wake up someday to find out I just had a bad dream and we're at Jimmy Cone, waiting in line for the sprinkles?

I’m glad God doesn’t play games with us. Hebrews 6:12 tells us "through faith and patience" we "inherit the promises". Our faith in Christ and our patient endurance won't disappoint us - we'll gain God's promised blessings.

By his blood, Christ purchased hundreds of benefits that are promised to the redeemed. Many of these promises are for this life, but God's best promises are for the next life. Here are a few: Believers will see Jesus’ glory and be with him forever. He’ll wipe away every tear from our eyes, and fill us with fullness of joy in his presence. He'll reward us for the good works he gave us to walk in, and crown us with crowns of righteousness. We’ll know as we are known and feast at his table in the wedding feast of the Lamb. He’ll give us new and glorious immortal bodies. God will free us from sin and temptation, and from age to age will lavish upon us the riches of his grace in Christ. These are just a few of heaven‘s promised blessings.

We inherit these promises through faith and patience. By holding fast to Christ, patiently trusting him through the years. We must “hold fast our confession” (Heb 4:14), and “hold fast to the hope set before us” (6:18), “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (10:23).

The movie “Master and Commander” is about the captain and crew of a British warship in the 1800s. In one scene, the ship is about to enter into a bloody battle with another ship. A young midshipman, a boy in his teens, standing on the bulwark, looks down into the leathered face of one of the crew, a salty old sea dog who’d been through many battles. Staring fiercely at the boy, the sailor places his two fists side by side. Tattooed onto each finger is a letter, so together his fists spell out “H-O-L-D F-A-S-T”.

Hold fast when the winds howl, and the waves wash over you. Hold fast when the cannon balls crash all around you. Hold fast when the sun beats down upon you and when the night closes in around you. Hold fast to Jesus and his word. Through faith and patience we inherit the promises. And these promises won’t disappoint us. Take a few minutes and praise God that he is true and faithful and ask him to help you hold fast to his promises.

I recently purchased The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Extreme Edition. This handy little reference book tells you how to escape a charging rhino or giant octopus. It has chapters on how to survive if you're stranded on an iceberg and how to land a helicopter if the engine fails. You can bet I’ll be carrying this book around with me from now on - just in case. One of my favorite chapters is how to survive an elephant stampede. It recommends, “Do not try to outrun them. Elephants can run at a speed in excess of 25 mph.” Also, “Climb a tree” - “If you cannot climb the tree, stand behind it. Elephants will avoid large obstacles when running.” I’d rather hide behind the nearest mall, but I’d take a tree in a pinch. The book then says, “If you cannot find cover, lie down. Elephants typically avoid stepping on a prone human being, even while charging.” My question is: has anyone actually ever tried this? Has anyone ever proven this to be true?

The Bible says God‘s word proves true. It's been tested and tried and proven true by thousands.

This God--his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:31-32).

David sang these words to the Lord “on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul” (2 Samuel 22:1). After fleeing for his life for months, living in the wilderness, hiding in caves, often narrowly escaping the sword, the word of the Lord proved true and God delivered David from his pursuers.

The Bible is full of examples of God’s word proving true after a long time. God spoke to Joseph when he was 17, but he was enslaved and imprisoned in Egypt until God’s word finally came to pass when he was 30. Abraham was 75 when God promised to make him a great nation but he didn’t see the beginnings of this nation until Isaac was born when Abraham was 100. Isaiah’s prophecies of a coming Messiah were finally fulfilled after 700 years. David was anointed to be king when he was a boy but he didn't begin to reign until he was 30. The Spirit revealed to Simeon he wouldn’t die before seeing Christ, and though he waited for many years, a day finally came when he saw Joseph and Mary bring the baby Jesus into the temple. The word of the Lord proved true.

The word of the Lord proved true for Israel: “Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43-45)

Sometimes God’s word proves true immediately. Sometimes we must trust God for years. Which promises of God are you believing and waiting for? Keep trusting him, keep asking him to fulfill his word, keep thanking him. In time God will prove his word true. Not a single one of his promises will fail.

Years ago, as a young Christian, I heard someone say, “If God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”

Actually, God’s Word is true whether we believe it or not. But this saying underscores an important truth. In order to enjoy all God’s promises that Christ has purchased for his children, we must believe them. And we must believe them even if everything around us screams the opposite.

Hebrews 4:2 says of the Israelites, “…the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened."

God gave the Israelites many promises, but instead of trusting God’s word, they looked at their circumstances and doubted, so they failed to receive the blessings. For example, God had told the Israelites to take the promised land. But when some of Moses’ spies reported the giant size of the locals, the Israelites despaired in unbelief. It is not enough to have God’s promises. We must unite them with faith.

Someone recently gave my friend Tom a shiny blue like-new SUV. Imagine if Tom and his generous friend had this conversation:

Friend: Tom, I’d like to give you my SUV, absolutely free, as a gift. It’s in great shape, gets great mileage. It’s in my garage at home, right now. All you have to do is come over and get it.

Tom: That sure would be nice if it were true. But I’m not sure if I can believe you.

Friend: What do you mean, “IF” you can believe me? Have I ever lied to you?

Tom: No, but you see, the car might not really be in your garage.

Friend: But I’m telling you it is. Trust me. Just come over and get it.

Tom: Well, I can’t see it, so I don’t know if it really exists.

Friend: Good grief. I’ll give it to someone else.

We must mix God’s promises with faith, or they won’t benefit us. An unopened Bible on a coffee table doesn’t do anybody any good. An unopened medicine bottle won‘t help you when you‘re sick. You have to open it up and take it. The latest model vacuum sweeper won’t pick up a particle until you plug it into the wall.

“If God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” If God says there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, then I believe it, whether I feel condemned or not. I’m not going to keep doubting. If God says he is a very present help in trouble, then I believe he’s here. If God says he’ll meet my all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ then I believe it. If God promises that all my children will be taught by the Lord, then I believe it, even if they’re not yet following him.

Let us dig into God‘s word for his blood-bought promises. Le‘ts believe them because God‘s word is good. Let‘s pray, humbly asking God to do what he‘s promised. Not because we deserve them, but because he has graciously provided them in his Son. And let’s thank him in advance for doing what he’s said he’ll do.

My son David is launching a video production company. My father graciously offered to loan him some money to buy a professional camera. The other day Dad called and said, “I’m having the money transferred from an investment into my bank account. The money will be in the bank in two days. Tell David he can order his camera.”

In two days, David will make his order. Why? Because the money’s in the bank. How does he know? He may not feel like it's there. He can’t see it. He won’t drive to the bank and demand to check the vault. How can David really be sure the money’s there? Because my father gave him his word. David will order his camera based on the trustworthy word of my dad.

That’s how faith works. God gives his children many “precious and very great promises” in Christ (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus purchased all the promises of the covenant for us on the cross. Because God is trustworthy and doesn’t lie, we know these promises will come to pass. God is good for his word. We may not feel it or see it, but the money’s in the bank. God said it would be.

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

What a great verse. God is not a human who might lie. He is Truth itself. He cannot lie, has never lied. He’s not fickle like men can be. He never changes his mind, never makes rash vows he might not keep. He never makes a pledge then takes it back.

Before becoming a Christian I called in a pledge to a Jerry Lewis telethon, then never sent in a single dollar. But even as a Christian I’ve made promises at times and not fulfilled them. A couple weeks ago, I made an appointment for breakfast with a friend, then forgot to go.

The problem with my promises is that I’m a man. Though I try to be a man of my word, not only am I forgetful, but I’m not perfectly wise. And I don’t know the future - I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do what I say. God, however, is infinitely wise and powerful. He never makes a pledge he can’t fulfill. When God says he’ll do something he's good for his word - utterly, infinitely, perfectly good for his word. The money’s in the bank.

For over 30 years, I have found the Lord to be trustworthy. I’ve seen him fulfill hundreds of his promises in my life. I’m still praying, waiting and trusting for many others. But this I know - if God said it, the money’s in the bank. Why not give thanks to your heavenly Father right now for his gracious promises and his faithfulness in your life. And give glory to Jesus, who purchased all God's promises for us by shedding his holy blood on the cross.

As a kid I watched Spartacus, Ben Hur and other movies about heroic warriors. Every recess in 6th grade, my friends and I imagined ourselves to be mighty heroes facing our foes in bloody battle. They sat leering and jeering atop the monkey bars, taunting us who were about to mount our attack. With a shout like the Confederate army, we’d rush the monkey bars and try to get from one end to the other, swinging and grasping for handholds while those atop the monkey bars ripped and tore at our fingers trying to make us fall.

Sometimes we’d swing like Tarzan from the center rungs or hang like an orangutan with one hand gripping the side. We’d grab frantically for the next handhold, with our enemies prying us loose from our current one. We’d battle our way across, desperately fighting to hold on with calloused, blistered hands. Most of the time we’d get only partway before the defenders ripped our fingers off the bars and we’d plummet into the abyss. But when we did manage to succeed in getting across, what triumph, what victory, what glory!

Christians daily fight a life and death battle called “the good fight of faith.” We battle to reach the goal of knowing and becoming like Christ, but we have evil foes feverishly and furiously trying to prevent us. We too must grasp and fight to hold onto the handholds God has given us - his wonderful promises.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature…” 2 Peter 1:3-4

God has granted his children hundreds of wonderful promises which Jesus purchased for us by his shed blood - "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him" (2 Co 1:20). God's word is a treasure trove of promises in Christ to comfort, strengthen, guide, and protect us. Promises to draw near to us, forgive us, cleanse us, fill us with joy, keep us, transform and produce fruit in us.

But we must dig these nuggets out of Scripture, and ask God to fulfill them. Then we must fight to trust God and believe them despite our circumstances. We must cling by faith to the handholds of God’s promises, despite the enemy’s efforts to pry our fingers loose by his lies. When Satan says God has abandoned us, counter with “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5). When the devil says we’ve sinned too greatly to be forgiven say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). When all looks hopeless declare “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright” (Ps 112:4).

God‘s Word is chock full of promises to bless you. Ferret them out and hold them fast. Memorize them. Ask God to fulfill them. Quote them. Thank God for them.

For you Chronicles of Narnia fans, here's a preview of the upcoming Prince Caspian movie. Click here to watch the preview.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

"I have often said that, before I knew the gospel, I had gathered up a heterogeneous mass of all kinds of knowledge from here, there, and everywhere - a bit of chemistry, a bit of botany, a bit of astronomy, and a bit of this, that, and the other. I put them all together in one great confused chaos, but when I learned the gospel, I got a shelf in my head to put everything upon just where it should be. It seemed to me as if, when I had discovered Christ and Him crucified, I had found the centre of the system, so that I could see every other science revolving in due order...

Begin with any other science you like, and the truth will seem to be all awry. Begin with the science of Christ crucified, and you will begin with the sun, you will see every other science moving round it in complete harmony." - Charles Spurgeon, Autobiography

Isn't it true that the gospel changes our perception of everything? Apart from God, the world is a senseless, confused place, and before conversion, our world revolves around us. But the gospel is the linchpin that holds all other knowledge together. The gospel transforms our minds so that we see God as the center of all things, and all other knowledge in relation to God. How grateful I am for the gospel!

Several years ago I attended a Coldplay concert in Pittsburgh (note: I don't endorse all of Coldplay's lyrics). It was an incredible concert. It was so loud I got my heartbeat and the drums confused, the lights dazzled me, and everywhere I looked people were singing their hearts out. People were excited to be there, and when the band came to their signature song, "Clocks", the audience erupted into a deafening cheer. To say it was emotional would be an understatement. It was one giant, joyful celebration...of Coldplay.

At the Coldplay concert I got the slightest taste of what worship in heaven is going to be like. Listen to the words of Revelation 5:9-13

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

The worship of heaven is breathtaking. Millions upon millions of angels and saints lifting their voices in one passionate, pulsing, song of worship to Jesus. The worship of heaven is going to be glorious and deafening at the same time. Our voice will join with that great throng that surrounds the throne and we will sing, "Worthy is the lamb who was slain!" When we see the One who died in our place, the One who became our shame, the One who paid for every sin, we will not be able to keep silent. Our hearts will burst with songs of praise and songs will leap from our lips. We will be filled with joy that cannot be contained, but must overflow into joyful song. And we will be celebrating one person: Jesus Christ.

But we don't have to wait until heaven to get a taste of that glorious worship. We can turn our hearts to God today in gratefulness for the cross. Today we can rejoice in and celebrate all that Christ has done to redeem wicked sinners like us. As you drive to work, lift your voice in joyful praise to Jesus your redeemer. As you take your 10:00 am coffee break, turn your thoughts to the Savior who bore your every transgression. Before your head hits the pillow, thank the One who became your shame upon the cross. Let us lift our hearts in worship today to Jesus, our sacrifice.

I've made an astonishing and disturbing discovery about myself: I can predict the future. I don't know how I acquired this super power - perhaps though overexposure to coffee - but the fact is, I can accurately predict the future. Here are some predictions:

Throughout the remainder of the year, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will continue to throw touchdown passes at a rate of one every 3.42 minutes.

Next summer 18 sequel movies will be released, including Indiana Jones IV, "Indy and the Secret of Beating Arthritis", and Star Wars Episode VII, "The Untimely Death of Jar Jar Binks".

Within two years a cup of coffee at Starbuck's will cost $17.50...and your first born child.

Google will become an actual country, located somewhere in the western United States.

For the rest of my life I will continue to sin regularly

Although most of this list is silly, the last item is sadly true. Even though I have been born again by the Spirit of God, I will continue to sin for the rest of my life. Yes, I will grow to be more like Christ, but sin will remain with me until the day I die.

Assume for a moment that I'll live to be 75 years old. That means for the next 5o years I'll break God's perfect and holy law on a daily basis. What a sobering thought! Because of remaining indwelling sin, I'll think impure thoughts, say unkind words, and commit selfish acts for the next 50 years. Fifty years of wickedness lies ahead of me. Why doesn't God simply cast me away right now? If you knew that a friend was going to do something every day to hurt you for the next fifty years would you continue to be their friend? I don't think so. Knowing that a future of sin lies ahead of me, why doesn't God simply condemn to hell this instant? Because of the glorious, magnificent, infinitely powerful sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

O how great is the sacrifice of Christ! When He hung upon the cross, He took all my sins upon Himself. The death of Christ is so great, so powerful, so effective, that every one of my sins has been paid for. Every sin in the past - gone. Every sin in the future - paid for. The death of Christ stretches over all of my life, canceling the record of all my transgressions, past, present, and future. It is like a great, cleansing wave, sweeping over my entire life, carrying with it my many sins.

There is no sin that can separate me from the love of Christ Jesus. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain - over my past and my future - but He washed it white as snow. So I will rejoice in God! I will praise God for the glorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is so powerful that it cleanses me not only from the past, but from the future as well.

Rejoice with me today. Lift your heart in praise to Christ, who died to cleanse your past and to secure your future.

I'm eleven years old and I'm wearing underwear that's covered with little pictures of a man on a motorcycle. Being homeschooled, I'm always a bit behind on the fashion curve and I don't fully realize that it's not cool anymore to wear underwear with artwork on it. So I wear motorcycle underwear...to a Little League game. But this doesn't bother me because after all, who's going to see my underwear? Or so I think. What I don't realize is that my baseball pants are made of a partially see-through material that allows a careful observer to pick up on any underwear artwork. With normal drawers this wouldn't be a problem, but with motorcycle underwear, well that's another matter.

I don't realize my fatal mistake until one of my older, cooler teammates says, "What's on your underwear?" I play dumb, acting as if I don't know what he's talking about. Then he nails me. "There's motorcycles on your underwear! Hey guys check this out, Stephen's wearing motorcycle underwear." I try to play it off as funny but it doesn't work. I'm embarrassed and my face burns with shame. Needless to say, I never wear the motorcycle underwear again.

I wish I could say that the motorcycle underwear incident caused me the most shame of my life. But it didn't. There are sins in my past that I am truly and deeply ashamed of. Just the thought of these sins make me feel ashamed of myself. These are the sins I don't like talking about, sins I don't want my friends to find out about. It's these sins that prove that I'm not just a sinner, I'm a wicked sinner.

All of us have sins of this nature hiding in our pasts, like skeletons in a closet. All of us have committed wicked, ungodly, perverse sins that shame us before God and men. All of us are shameful sinners.

It's my shameful sin that makes the sacrifice of Christ so glorious. Jesus Christ, the perfect, holy One, took my shameful acts upon Himself. Christ never had so much as a sinful thought, yet He willingly bore all of my wicked, disgusting, shameful sin. God punished Christ as if He had done my shameful deeds. God looked upon Christ as if He was the shameful sinner. 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way: " For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Let your heart overflow with thankfulness to Jesus today. He bore your shame so that you can stand before God unashamed. How sweet is the sacrifice of Christ.

I'm not a handyman. When things break in my house I resort to one of two options: a) call somebody that knows how to fix it, or b) get out the duct tape. I recently repaired a kitchen drawer using approximately 812 feet of duct tape, but apparently I didn't use enough because the drawer broke again within a few days. So I did what any smart husband would do: I got more duct tape. But this time I also included a piece of cardboard to help support the drawer. The drawer is still in place, and I've instructed Jen to open it as if it contained a live hand grenade. The point is I don't do well with any sort of repair/construction work. But I do carry nails with me all the time. I carry them in my pocket. I carry the nails that pierced the hands of Christ.

I say the phrase "Jesus died for my sins," all the time. This is true, Christ died for all my sins. But I often forget that Christ died for very specific sins. Christ died for the arrogance and disrespect I showed my parents while growing up. He died for the fear of man that kept me from sharing the gospel with a friend. He died for the pride that kept me from listening to the wisdom of the other men on staff at the church. Jesus was crushed for the ungodly things I watched on television during my teenage years. Each of these sins was a nail in the hand of Christ, pinning Him to the cross. I carry the very nails of Christ in my pocket.

Isaiah 53:5 puts it this way, "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Aren't you grateful that Christ was wounded for your transgressions? Aren't you thankful that each one of your many sins has been forgiven? Ponder your past for a moment and remember some of the specific sins that you committed. Christ died for each one of those sins. Can you hear the nails rattling around in your pockets?

Today, take time to reflect on your sinful past, but don't stay there. As you remember your many sins, remember the Savior who died for each one of those sins, and let your heart be filled with gratefulness for His glorious sacrifice.

I'm twenty five years old. If I've only sinned once a day since I was three years old that means I've sinned 8,030 times. If I've sinned twice a day, I've sinned 16,060 times. That's a frightening thought. Assume for just a moment that these numbers are accurate. Over the last twenty two years, I've broken God's law over 16,000 times. I've rejected God's ways, spit in God's face, and rebelled against the King of the Universe more than 16,000 times. I've told God to go His own way, to stay out of my life more than 16,000 times. I, a puny, insignificant creature have shaken my fist at my Maker over 16,000 times. And here's the scary part: I sin far more than twice a day.

How many times a day do I sin? I sin in my thoughts, my words, and my deeds. I sin with a lustful look, a hurtful word, an angry response. I sin when I worry over finances, or become angry with a friend, or am impatient with my spouse. I sin when I doubt the goodness of God, and when I crave the approval of others. My sin isn't infinite, but it sure seems that way. It's a vast, black, vile mountain. Piled upon this mountain is year after year of wicked sin. Sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of license and sins of legalism. Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." I think Paul had it wrong. I'm the foremost of sinners.

But O how sweet are the words of Isaiah 1:18, which says, "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." My sins are uncountable, more numerous than the stars of heaven, and every one accuses me, rightly condemning me to hell. But the sacrifice of Christ is greater still. When God Himself died upon the cross, every single one of my 16,000+ sins was paid for in full. The cross is the mighty hammer that destroys my mountain of sin. The blood of Jesus is a mighty river that carries away every single one of my sins, removing them as far as the east is from the west. I am a great sinner, but I have a greater Savior.

So today I will rejoice in the glorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I will rejoice that though my sins are many, He has washed me white as snow. Will you rejoice with me?

Charles Spurgeon's wife was an invalid for many years and usually unable to accompany her husband on his travels. She writes: "One ever-recurring question when he had to leave me was, 'What can I bring you, wifey?' I seldom answered him by a request, for I had all things richly to enjoy, except health. But, one day, when he put the usual query, I said, playfully, 'I should like an opal ring, and a piping bullfinch!' He looked surprised, and rather amused; but simply replied, 'Ah, you know I cannot get those for you!'

Mrs. Spurgeon recalls how they "made merry" over her request for two or three days. Then one Thursday evening Charles returned from the church "with such a beaming face, and such love-lighted eyes, that I knew something had delighted him very much." He held in his hand a tiny box, from which he took a ring and placed it on her finger. "There is your opal ring, my darling," he said, and told her how he'd received it. An old lady whom Spurgeon had visited once when she was ill had sent a note to the church requesting that someone come and pick up a small gift for Mrs. Spurgeon. His secretary picked up the parcel and brought it to Charles, who unwrapped it to find the ring.

Mrs. Spurgeon writes, "How we talked of the Lord's tender love for His stricken child, and of His condescension in thus stooping to supply an unnecessary gratification to His dear servant's sick one...I can remember feeling that the Lord was very near to us."

Not long after that God surprised Mrs. Spurgeon again. She writes, "One evening, when my dear husband came from London, he brought a large package with him, and, uncovering it, disclosed a cage containing a lovely piping bullfinch!...He had been to see a dear friend of ours, whose husband was sick unto death; and, after commending the sufferer to God in prayer, Mrs. T-- said to him, 'I want you to take my pet bird to Mrs. Spurgeon, I would give him to none but her; his songs are too much for my poor husband in his weak state, and I know that 'Bully' will interest and amuse Mrs. Spurgeon in her loneliness while you are so much away from her.'

She writes, "When 'Bully' piped his pretty song, and took a hemp seed as a reward from the lips of his new mistress, there were eyes with joyful tears in them, and hearts overflowing with praise to God, in the little room by the sea that night; and the dear Pastor's comment was, 'I think you are one of your Heavenly Father's spoiled children, and He just gives you whatever you ask for."

Mrs. Spurgeon reminds us, "He who cares for all the works of His hand, cares with infinite tenderness for the children of His love, and thinks nothing which concerns them too small or too trivial to notice." She concluded this story saying, "'Bully's' sweet little life and ministry ended at Brighton; but the memory of the Lord's tenderness in giving him to me is a life-long treasure; and the opal ring glistens on my finger as I write this paragraph." (from The Full Harvest, The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon)

Let us thank our Heavenly Father for his intimate care. Jesus reminds us, "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Mt. 7:11) What a loving Father we have! Bring all your needs and requests to him. Nothing's too small or too great to ask - he even gives his children opal rings and piping bullfinches.

It was 1 a.m. when the neck spasm began.

Intense pain, slowly pulling my neck forward. I hauled myself out of bed, took some ibuprofen, and lay on the couch in the living room. The pain kept intensifying, my head drawing further toward my chest. By 2 a.m. I couldn't endure the pain any longer, so I grabbed the car keys and eased out my driveway toward the hospital.

If you've been to the emergency room lately you know it usually involves lots of waiting. It's my least favorite place to wait. You wait while they take your symptoms and insurance information. Then you wait in the examination room. Wait while they ask more questions about pain levels and insurance and medical history, your grades in elementary school, political affiliation, favorite bowler and patron saint.

By 4 a.m. I still hadn't received so much as an aspirin. My chin is practically touching my chest. I know that no human being has ever tasted such excruciating pain. What is taking so long? They must be flying the medicine here from New Zealand. Have they no mercy on the suffering? Am I in some kind of Edgar Allen Poe story? I'll tell you anything you want. Just let me have some medicine.

And then, outside my room, I hear someone say, "Hey guys, I'm gonna make a run for some burgers. Anybody want anything?" I'm incensed. You're going out for burgers while I'm writhing in agony in here? And then I hear laughter. They're laughing out there. Laughing. While I'm in here with an ice pick in my neck.

Finally, my painkiller came, about 30 minutes after the burgers.

Waiting in pain is no fun. Bob waited in pain for 16 years.

16 years ago, I got a call that Bob, a friend from church, had been life-flighted to Pittsburgh. He'd flipped a tractor, and fallen beneath it, sustaining many injuries, particularly to his back and head. God spared his life and eventually he came home to his family. But Bob never quite got back to normal. For 16 years Bob suffered constant excruciating headaches, neck and back pain.

Last May he'd sunk to the lowest point in his life. He was on the verge of despair when his wife Denise heard about a new treatment - injections into the back muscles that cause them to tighten, aligning the spine and relieving headaches. Bob was skeptical but began the treatment to please Denise. But now, after a few months of injections, Bob has been experiencing lasting relief from headaches for the first time since his accident. How thankful Bob and Denise are to God. What joy they are experiencing.

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Why was it good for Bob and Denise to wait? As they've waited, they've developed a deep trust and reliance on God. They've experienced the Lord's help and strength. For all these years, in addition to other ways he serves, whenever church families have moved, Bob's been on the point, leading the crews loading the moving vans. You never would have known his head was throbbing. I've never heard the slightest complaint escape his lips. Bob's one of the funniest guys in our church, with a great sense of humor and cheerful demeanor.

Bob and Denise have experienced Christ's grace in weakness, and found God to be a refuge and strength. God has built patience and perseverance into them. And now, because they have patiently waited, they've seen God's providence in providing healing through an unexpected avenue. Also, their patient waiting has made the answer to their prayers all the more sweet.

Is it good to wait quietly for the Lord? Ask Bob and Denise.

Last night I called an old friend. When he asked me how I was doing, I jokingly said Eyore-like, "I have it worse than anybody." This triggered about 15 minutes of sparring as to whose life is more miserable. He recently bought a house and lamented having so much "stuff" he just doesn't know where to put it. He can't figure out where to store his boat and his Corvette. His family and friends compounded his misery by giving him a ton of housewarming gifts.

"That's nothing," I said, "I have to live with myself in all my complexity and complicatedness." He had to concede - I have it worse than anybody.

The truth is, I have it better than most people. But in my sinfulness, I still often battle discontentment. God has many weapons in his arsenal to search and destroy this sin, but one of his best is making us wait.

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Why is it good to wait for the Lord? Because waiting is the soil where patience and contentment grow. And they are sweet when they bloom in our soul. How can we be content while waiting? By making Jesus Christ our portion, the one who satisfies us with his love as we wait for him and seek him. He gives us himself, the best thing he could possibly give us.

My mom first taught me a wonderful way to cultivate contentment while waiting. I was 23, jobless, broke and had just moved back home from an aborted attempt at making it as an artist in Philadelphia. She told me the Bible says to give thanks for everything. "For everything?" I blurted, "Even a flat tire? I'm supposed to thank God for a flat tire?" Mom said, "Yes, because up the road there's an accident that God spared you from by flattening your tire." So I tried it. I was building a patio for my parents. As I lugged flagstones in the summer heat, I said, "Lord, thank you for these stones. Thank you for this miserable heat. Thank you that I don't have any money. Thank you that I don't have a job. Thank you that I am stuck living here at home with my parents." Do you know what happened? I gradually began to experience joy and contentment in Christ. Though Jesus didn't immediately change my circumstances he began to change my heart.

Why not take a minute right now to give Jesus thanks for your life exactly as it is? Thank him for the stones and the heat and for having to wait for him. And ask him to be your portion.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:24-26

The secret to waiting is to delight in the Lord Jesus Christ as our portion, our joy, our satisfaction.

John Owen says, "Consider the endless, bottomless, boundless grace and compassion that is in Christ, the God of Zion...we are too needy to be satisfied by a mere creature...in Christ there is a fulness like that of light in the sun, or of water in the sea...when the well of his humanity is inseparably united to the infinite, inexhaustible reservoir of his diety, who can possibly drain him dry?" (Communion with God, p.61)

The sun drenches the earth every day with heat and light, and is never exhausted. Jesus Christ is to believers a sun and a shield. We receive grace upon grace from him, and his reservoir remains filled to the brim. His mercies are infinite and overflowing. Though we have committed millions of sins against him, he washes all them away, and the ocean of his mercy is not drained in the least. He has inexhaustible supplies of love and grace and strength and joy for his beloved.

Jesus loves for those he has redeemed to come to him for grace. He delights in us, for he's become our husband and we are his bride. He never tires of hearing us, loving us, blessing us, filling us. He says, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps 81:10). He loves to hear us say Jesus, you are my portion. You're my joy, my satisfaction. All my delight is in you.

Come to the Fountain today. Come to Christ who is full of endless, bottomless, boundless grace and compassion. Come and drink and be satisfied as you wait upon him.

When my Dad was in the army in World War II, waiting in line was a way of life. Waiting in line to get your paycheck, waiting in line for dinner, waiting to see the movies, waiting to get clothing and equipment. He waited in so many lines he promised himself that after the war he'd never wait in line again. Until he found himself back home, once again waiting in line, with my mother to see a movie.

We can't escape waiting, much as we'd like to. Murphy's law says that no matter what lane of traffic we switch to, the other goes faster. And how is it that the cashier who's never touched a cash register takes over as soon as I get in line? And I don't even want to mention waiting in airports. Waiting is part of our lives.

Waiting is part of our spiritual lives. Waiting isn't Murphy's Law but God's law. I'm waiting for him to heal family members. Waiting for him to change me and help me. Waiting for God to work in my children. Waiting for guidance.

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Waiting is an act of faith. Because in waiting for the Lord, we are saying, Lord I trust in you. I hope in you. I have confidence that as I wait, you are being good to me and you are acting on my behalf. I'm trusting you for grace to come. Faith waits confidently for the Lord to fulfill his promises.

God's word is filled with promises of future blessings. Promises we must wait for. Promises for our children. Promises to give us all we need to glorify him. Promises to protect us and keep us. Promises we wait for in faith.

James exhorts us, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains (5:7). Farmers wait in patient faith. They don't go out and dig up the seeds every day to check if they're growing. They trust that the rains have activated them underground and they're growing. There will be a harvest. That's how we wait for the promise of the Lord's coming. We don't see it, but something is happening. The Lord will come.

That's how we wait in faith for God. God is at work in my children. At work in me. Like the rain at work in the seeds in the ground. And someday there will be a harvest. While we are waiting, keep watering God's promises by prayer and thanksgiving. Ask God to fulfill his promises. And thank him that he will. Thank him for the grace that is coming.

Waiting is an act of faith. While we are waiting and trusting, God is working.

I hate to wait.

I'm such an American. I want my burger now. I don't even want to get out of my car for it. I want my kids to be godly this very second. After all, I've got things to do....

And yet I'm constantly being forced to wait. My doctor has a waiting room, which is always filled when I arrive, even if I schedule the first appointment of the day. As I write this, my van is at the repair shop, where for over a week it's been awaiting a new transmission. In the last year, I think I've spent more time waiting for my van to be repaired than actually driving it. Recently I had to make a number of calls to my insurance company and every time I had to wait for minutes on end before speaking to a real human person. And the day before yesterday my laptop kept crashing and I spent all morning booting and rebooting it up........gosh! I hate waiting!

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Why is it good for believers to wait on the Lord?

One reason is because it humbles us. Waiting reminds us that the Lord is the center of the universe, not us. Waiting reminds us that we are dependent upon God and we must abide by his gracious will and timing. Waiting underscores our need for God. He controls all and we don't have control over anything.

Once when traveling to a nearby town, I hit every red light in a stretch of road. As I got impatient, God popped the thought into my head: What is it you're craving right now that is causing your grumbling? What is it you want that you aren't getting? I thought, "I want every light to turn green before I get to it. I want all creation to serve me and my plans. I want to be God." Pretty frightening, huh? I'm glad God is so patient with me. In his goodness to me, he regularly reminds me that I am but a tiny speck of dust who owes his complete existence to his Creator. Waiting can humble us, reminding us that we are creatures, dependent on God.

The servant waits for the master, not vice-versa. Servants wait for the master to tell them what to do; they don't give the orders. Waiting reminds us that we're servants.

Waiting for God is an act of humility, telling God that he's the only one who can help, provide, heal, strengthen and guide us.

If you're waiting on God for something, that 's good, because waiting can humble, and God gives grace to the humble. Why not thank him right now for your circumstances, and praise him that he is your sovereign King.

It began with a cup of coffee for the road, as I headed out a few minutes late for the Pittsburgh airport. But daydreaming, I drove the wrong direction. I was probably wondering why cows always seem to face the same direction. Ten minutes into my drive I suddenly jolted into reality and realized I was heading east away from Pittsburgh. I found a turnaround and began hurtling west, but I'd lost at least 20 minutes, and I was going to be cutting it close.

About 45 minutes into the 2 hour trip to the airport, my bladder kicked in from the coffee. Normally, I'd stop somewhere, but since I was running late, I decided I'd push on to Pittsburgh. That's when I saw the sign: "Congestion next 5 miles". Waiting in the slow moving lanes I felt a twinge of anxiety along with increasing pressure from the coffee. Emerging from the congestion, I gunned it toward the airport, praying I'd make my plane.

I finally arrive. Now I'm dying from bladder pain. At the shuttle bus shelter I frantically press the button, smiling weakly at another traveler. Where's the bus? No bus in sight. I consider running to the terminal, but it's too far away. I'll never make it. I just have to wait. Finally, an eternity later, the bus appears.

Now waiting takes on epic dimensions. I'm almost hallucinating as the bus stops at every shelter in the parking lot. People board the shuttle in slow motion. I'm biting the inside of my cheeks to distract myself. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Arghhhh. Eons later, the bus pulls into the terminal, and dreamlike, I run inside to find the men's room. Mercifully, I made it.

Waiting is part of our lives, especially as believers.

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Why does the Lord tell us it is good for us to wait for him? Sometimes waiting seems hard and painful. Why can't I have whatever I want right now?

Scripture tells us that waiting helps us realize that "The Lord is my portion", that which most satisfies, that which gives true life and joy and fulfillment. The things we so crave in this life, even good things, are not a believer's portion. Only the Lord is. Since "the Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him." Not in the things I am waiting for.

It is good to wait, for as we do, we become increasingly aware that the Lord is the portion we most deeply long for. If we could get all we want, yet without God, we'd be truly bankrupt, miserable and hopeless. If God always responded the minute we asked, we'd greedily grab his gifts, run off to enjoy them, and forget the one who gave them. Waiting focuses our hearts on the Giver of the gifts we seek.

How about you? Are you waiting for God to heal you, or give you a job or a wife or some other answer to prayer?

As you are waiting, say to your loving Father, "Lord, you are my portion. I will hope in you. Thank you for making me wait. Teach me to be satisfied in you and you alone."

By the way, I made my plane.

Here's how I've been spending my days lately. I love every minute of it!

This quote by Charles Spurgeon is excellent. May we too pray childish prayers.

"When we were small children, we had a little plot of garden-ground, and we put our seeds into it. I well recollect how, the day after I had put in my seed, I went and scraped the soil away to see if it was not growing, as I expected it would have been after a day or so at the very longest, and I thought the time amazingly long before the seed would be able to make it appearance above the ground. 'That was childish,' you say. I know it was, but I wish you were as childish with regard to your prayers, that you would, when you have put them in the ground, go and see if they have sprung up; and if not at once - be not childish in refusing to wait till the appointed time comes - always go back and see if they have begun to sprout. If you believe in prayer at all, expect God to hear you. If you do not expect, you will not have. God will not hear you unless you believe He will hear you; but if you believe He will, He will be as good as your faith. He will never allow you to think better of Him than He is; He will come up to the mark of your thoughts, and according to your faith so shall it be done unto you."

I recently watched a inspiring/sad documentary called "God Grew Tired Of Us" (watch the trailer here), which follows the lives of several young men from Sudan. These men had been separated from their families by violence, and some of the boys had even seen their families executed before their very eyes. They had no hope of returning to Sudan, and very little hope of seeing their surviving family members again. But for a few, there was hope. A small handful of the boys were given the opportunity to move to the United States where they would work to establish a new life for themselves. In the United States they would get jobs, earn money, and perhaps even go to school.

At one point in the movie a young man named Jon Bul Dau finds out that some members of his family, including his mother, are still alive, living in another African country. Jon was planning on attending a local community college, but when he heard of his surviving family, he put his education to the side and threw himself into work, striving to save up enough money to bring his family to America. He worked two brutal jobs, spending a full, backbreaking day in a factory and then spending his evenings cooking hamburgers in a McDonald's. Yet what was Jon's response when asked about working double shifts every day? "It is wonderful, it is wonderful" he said. "It is generating income."

My heart was challenged by Jon's gratefulness. Colossians 2:7 commands us to be "...abounding in thanksgiving." Jon Bul Dau was clearly abounding in thanksgiving, even in the midst of miserable working conditions. He was working 16 hours a day at two mind-numbing, low-paying jobs, yet he was deeply grateful. Why? He realized what a blessing it was to make money. And the most challenging thing is, I'm not even sure if Jon Bul Dau is a Christian.

I work a mere eight hours a day and find myself complaining. I'm blessed with enough money to buy food and clothes, and to support my family, but I don't give thanks to God. I live a relatively pain-free life in the richest country on earth, yet my heart is quick to complain. Oh how I want to change in this area. I want to be abounding in thanksgiving for my job. When I go to work, I want my heart to overflow with joy, because I can provide for my family. There are billions of people around the world who would love to have my job, because it would allow them to put food in the bellies of their children. I want to thank God for providing for me.

When was the last time you thanked God for your job? When was the last time you rejoiced on your way to work? If you're a stay-at-home mom, when was the last time you rejoiced in your husband's job? We serve an incredibly generous God. Let's be abounding in thankfulness towards Him.

Did you ever realize that you're surrounded by dead people? Everywhere you turn, you see people that are literally dead. What exactly am I talking about? Hear the words of Ephesians 2:1-3

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

This past weekend was homecoming at the local university, and as I saw one stone drunk college student after another stumble past my house, I was reminded that I'm surrounded by spiritually dead people. I saw hundreds of college students passionately indulging in sin, pursuing the very things that would make them unhappy, and I was reminded that this world is a spiritual morgue. The truth is, I'm surrounded by millions of people who are dead.

Which brings me to the question of the millennium: why am I alive? I too was once dead in my sins. I too was an object of the wrath of God, doomed to hell and destined to pursue the fleeting joys of this world. But for some reason God chose to save me. God breathed life into my spiritually dead soul, and made me spiritually alive.

I go into the grocery store and I give money to a dead cashier. I go out to dinner with my wife, and exchange pleasantries with a dead waiter. I talk to my neighbors...who are dead. But praise be to God, He made me alive. I will forever sing the praises of the One who made me alive. The only response to such grace is abundant gratefulness.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a special day in my family. It began with the legendary "Cowboy Breakfast". To understand the Cowboy Breakfast you must first understand that my dad placed a strong emphasis on manners around the table. He taught me to chew with my mouth closed, to avoid biting my fork, and even to break my bread in half before buttering it, which I'm not sure is a real manner at all. To this day I'm grateful that I learned good manners. But during the Cowboy Breakfast, all manners went out the window. We ate with our fingers, belched passionately, and chewed with our jaws hanging wide open. We ate like cowboys, and we loved it.

There is one Thanksgiving that I remember particularly well, not because of the breakfast but because of what happened after breakfast. Dad brought us all together in the living room and told us that we were going to make a list of all the things we were grateful for, and for the next twenty minutes we rattled off one thing after another. Many items appeared on that two-page list, but one topped them all. At one point my brother David, who was only about 5 at the time, announced that he was grateful that dinosaurs didn't come into the house. I'm sure you can see why he was grateful. Nobody, especially me, wants a T-Rex hanging out in the house.

I want my life to be like that list. Recently I read Colossians 2:6-7 which says, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." The words "abounding in thanksgiving" arrested me. I have so much to be grateful for, and yet I'm not abounding in thanksgiving. In fact, I'm often abounding in complaining. But I want that to change. I want to be abounding, overflowing, and bursting with thanks. I want thanks to God to be the natural response to His many blessings. I want to abound in thanksgiving for the gospel, my salvation, my house, my food, my wife, my daughter, my job, this country, my health, and the thousands of other blessings that I've received. And so by God's grace, I will grow in thanksgiving, starting today.

Do you abound in thanksgiving? Does thanks to God flow from your lips on a regular basis? Take time today to give thanks to God for specific blessings. Thank Him for saving you and delivering you from your sins. Thank Him for the glorious gospel. Join with me today in being abundantly thankful!

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

My little girl makes a variety of sounds. Some of them are amusing, some are odd, and some are adorable. For example, she always emits a long series of grunts and groans just prior to unloading a massive payload into her diaper. As she's falling asleep, she'll contentedly whimper for a while before drifting into deep sleep. There's one noise however, that pulls on my heartstrings like no other: her cry. I hate to hear my baby crying. When she's in her crib and I hear her sobbing her little heart out, I want to run into her room, pick her up, and tell her that everything is going to be okay. I want to hold her, soothe her, do whatever it takes to make her happy. When she's crying I feel compassion for her, and want to make sure that she's not cold, or hungry, or in pain. My ear is attentive to her cry.

My compassion for my daughter is just the faintest glimpse of God's compassion towards us. When we cry to Him, He hears us and is filled with compassion towards us. Psalm 34:17 says, "When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."

What a sweet promise this is! When we cry for help, God doesn't turn a deaf ear. No, he hears us and he delivers us. God's ear is attentive to our cry, and when we cry out to Him, He runs to our rescue. He longs to comfort us, encourage us, and refresh us with His spirit. He longs to be gracious towards us and to show us compassion.

Isaiah 40:11 says, "He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." Just as a shepherd cares for the sheep of His flock, so God cares for us. He hears our cry for help, and He responds by pouring out grace, mercy, and strength. We serve a God of great compassion who is listening for our cry.

Do you need grace from God today to raise young children? Cry out to our God who hears. Do you need grace to love your spouse? Call out to our compassionate God. Do you need strength to endure suffering? God is waiting to hear your cry, and waiting to show you His compassion.

Here's another one to keep me humble:

We've all seen inspirational posters in the dentist's office. They're meant to inspire us to greater heights of achievement. But I don't need motivational posters, because I'm proud enough as it is. So I've come up with something called "humility posters", which will serve to humble me whenever I look at them. Perhaps you will find this helpful as well. Enjoy! For those who are wondering, I created this using a software called "Poster Forge".