Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone
I’m sharing an audio teaching today over at First 5 in our new study of Ezekiel. I told the story of my biggest failure ever at work, when I managed to shut down the internet of an entire university. It was a rough day! But through that failure (and so many others!), God has taught me to trust the One who never fails. I’d love for you to check out the teaching here or download the First 5 app and join us as we continue through Ezekiel!
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I’m sharing today over at First 5 in our new study of Ezekiel. I’d love to have you join us in the First 5 app! Here’s a preview . . .
When I face a task that I don’t feel equipped to tackle, I get frustrated. I reach for the sugar canister and find it lacking the full cup my recipe needs. Or I’m afraid there’s not enough gas left in my tank, literally or figuratively. Maybe you’ve felt that way, wondering if you have what it takes to complete your work at the office or in your home.
In Ezekiel 3, God commissions Ezekiel to speak to his fellow exiles and then guarantees they will not listen. Ezekiel’s difficult assignment prompts him to sit for seven days, overwhelmed by deep distress. (Ezekiel 3:15) But as we continue through this book, we’ll see that Ezekiel isn’t simply an overwhelmed prophet — he’s an obedient prophet who’s been equipped by God for this task. God prepares Ezekiel through the power of His Word, the proper perspective and the presence of His Spirit.
You can read the rest of the teaching or find out more about First 5 over on their website. I hope you’ll check it out!
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I’m sharing today over at First 5. Here’s a preview . . .
Isaiah 49:15 (ESV) “‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. ‘”
Promises can be difficult to keep. When my kids were little, I’d often make an early morning promise of a board game in the afternoon. But by 5:00 p. m. , Candy Land was the furthest thing from my mind, and I failed to keep my earlier promise.
But God never fails. We see in Isaiah 49 that in Jesus Christ, God keeps every single promise He makes to His children.
The people in Isaiah’s time looked forward to the time when the promises of Isaiah 49 would be fulfilled by the Servant of God. We look backward and see how God has fulfilled each of these promises through His Son, Jesus Christ.
To read the rest of the teaching, head over to First 5. And while you’re there, be sure to download the First 5 app so you can follow along through the rest our study of Isaiah with the First 5 team!
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I’m thrilled to have an article in the November issue of Tabletalk Magazine. You can read the article online here. Here’s a preview . . .
For a few glorious months at the end of 2011, I hardly ever complained. I had endured several months of treatment for a rare cancer and had just been declared cancer free. I didn’t know how many healthy days I would have with my young family before the cancer returned, and I was determined to squeeze as much joy out of each day as I could.
To put it bluntly, my lack of complaining came from the realization that, statistically speaking, I should have been dead. I’d been given the gift of life, and gratefulness overflowed.
But it didn’t take long for me to forget what I’d been given. I fell back into old habits of grumbling, just like the Israelites in the desert who stood in awe of God’s power at the Red Sea but didn’t trust Him to provide drinking water (Ex. 14–15). Although I’d seen the Lord’s faithfulness through the deep waters of suffering, I forgot His goodness in the smallest puddles of my day, such as gloomy weather or a slow-moving line at the coffee shop.
When we encounter the minor frustrations and inconveniences of daily life, we have a choice to make: gratitude or grumbling. As we strive for gratitude, we need to recognize the sinfulness of our grumbling, examine the heart attitudes beneath it, and discover its remedy in the gospel.
To read the rest of the article, head over to Tabletalk’s website.
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