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Gleanings From The Word

Category: Scripture Index

  • Unexpected – Thoughts on worry

    Unexpected – Thoughts on worry

    Mother Sandhill with chick
    Mother Sandhill Crane with juvenile

    Some personal reflection this morning. Today’s image has  nothing to do with the content. I simply like this image of a sandhill crane.

    Just over five years ago, I had surgery to remove a cancerous mass from my left kidney. It was discovered quite by accident (read God’s providence) when I rolled my truck, and the hospital ER was checking out the extent of my injuries.

    Each year, near the anniversary of the surgery, I undergo a series of routine blood tests and have a CT scan to confirm all is clear.

    Last year was my five-year check-up.

    I was feeling great as I awaited my by-phone doctor’s appointment. I would be officially five years cancer-free, and the risk of recurrence was considered extremely low after that point.

    The doctor informed me that all the results from the blood tests were normal. My kidney function was so high that there was no evidence of it ever having had an issue.

    I was feeling great, five years cancer-free. Then, you guessed it, there was a “but”. I have a lesion on the left kidney and spots on the right, which will need further testing.

    I was crushed and depressed for the balance of the day. I had known that such a result was possible and that if something showed up, it would be in the very early stages, so easily treated. I also knew that God is entirely in control, no matter what happened, so that I could face whatever news without fear.

    I promptly forgot all that for the next twenty hours and felt sorry for myself. Then I remembered what I knew about God and His plans and moved forward.

    The next step is an MRI, which, depending on the backlog in our medical system, could take many months to get an appointment. From there, only the Lord knows the next step at this point.

    Is it cancer? Maybe. Am I worried? Not really, for the same reasons I forgot.

    My faith in the goodness of God and HIs love for His children is stronger than my fears. More than 350 times in the Bible, we are told to “Fear not”.

    I know he has my back.


    Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:26-34 ESV

    With Jesus, we can face anything, even if the outcome isn’t to our liking.

    Trust Jesus no matter what and praise His name.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Where do you find faith in chaos

    Some thoughts on tribulation and perseverance

    When the end comes, can you claim you didn’t know?

  • How Big? The Wrong Question

    How Big? The Wrong Question

    As I was pondering what to write, I rolled a piece of blue  kneadable eraser into a small ball. I often fidget with whatever is close at hand or doodle when I’m thinking. It used to get me in trouble in school, but now kids have fidget toys, and it’s pretty acceptable behavior.

    I looked down and realized that in my hands was a little blue ball, which reminded me of the planet Earth. My hand dwarfed it. Then I thought about how small the earth is in God’s hand. We say that the Lord holds the entire universe in his hand. He didn’t even have to roll some material up; He just spoke it all into existence.

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3 ESV

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 ESV

    I thought about the immense size of the created world, all the galaxies known and yet to be discovered. The size of it all dwarfs my ability to comprehend. It’s safe to say the universe is greater than I can imagine.

    Then I wondered, “How big is God?” In some ways, He must be even bigger than all of that, so God is bigger than I can imagine as well.

    Yet, that also isn’t true. God is spirit, and as a non-material being, he has no size and takes up no space.

    How big is God? The question is nonsensical because God isn’t big. No material metric can measure him. God isn’t tall or short, heavy or light, large or small.

    God is undeniably great. He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (all-present). He is infinitely just, righteous, holy, loving, and merciful. He is perfect in his wrath.

    He is the eternally preexistent creator and sustainer of all things. He is without beginning or end.

    The Lord transcends space, time, and matter and can step into or out of them at will.

    Many terms can be used to describe the majesty of God, but big is not one of them.

    The question of “How big is God?” is unanswerable. The closest we can come is that He is big enough to have oversight over everything and small enough to know every detail.

    Even though we cannot answer the question, pondering it should give us plenty of reason to praise His holy name.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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