Tough Spots

Elijah was in a tough spot. A life-threatening spot. The brook had dried up. Had God forgotten His faithful servant? Has God forgotten you? Has He left you all alone? The God who gives water can also withhold water.

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Your Epitaph

What do you think those who survive you will write as your epitaph? How will your obituary read? What words will be used in the eulogy to sum up your life? Saul’s epitaph was a sad one.

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Three Secrets Revealed

When we read this part of [Moses’] epitaph and think of all the mighty power and all the miracles that Moses did, many of us tend to think, Moses is in another league. I can’t touch him.

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Those Final Moments

Despite his age and infirmity, Jacob’s memory was nothing short of remarkable. He could name each one of his boys, and he could describe their individual natures and recall with pertinent detail the lives they had lived.

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A Hope Transfusion

Easter and hope are synonymous. That special day never arrives without its refreshing reminder that there is life beyond this one. True life. Eternal life. Glorious life.

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Humility

“I forget what is behind” is a statement that assures us Paul was not the type to live in the past. He says, in effect, “I disregard my own accomplishments as well as others’ offenses against me.

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The Reality of Hell

A particular story Jesus once told comes to my mind every time I think of life after death. Because it is descriptive and brief, we are able to get a fairly uncomplicated picture in our minds of this subject of hell.

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Sorrow and Hope

If tears were indelible ink instead of clear fluid, all of us would be stained for life. The heartbreaking circumstances, the painful encounters with calamities, the brutal verbal blows we receive from the surgeon or an angry mate, the sudden loss of someone we simply adored, riding out the consequences of a stupid decision—ah! Such is the groan and grind of life.

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Writing with Thorns

In pain, grief, affliction, and loss, it often helps to write our feelings . . . not just feel them. Putting words on paper seems to free our feelings from the lonely prison of our souls. It was C. S. Lewis who wrote: Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything . . . . No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid.

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How Do We Handle Troubles?

The third question about troubles flows from James’s answer to the first two. We can’t avoid the various troubles in life, but we can accept that God has purposed them for our good. We’re to view them as opportunities for rejoicing in the work He’s doing in our lives—challenging us so He can change us. But how do we keep the trials designed for our good from crushing us?

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