Faith

28 posts

The Living God Knows About Tomorrow

The Living God knows about tomorrow and exactly what tomorrow will bring. His understanding is not limited by boundaries of human thought. In practice, this means that a virus or an earthquake is not a random event. His acts are not random. He is not playing catch-up. Something like the Corona Virus Pandemic did not catch God by surprise. He was not on coffee break. If he is a God who keeps his word, then he knows all about tomorrow. As the psalmist says: All my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began. (Psalm 139:16b) The Bible teaches about a loving, faithful, committed, honest God who controls tomorrow. Whether you are facing […]

When Life Turns Upside Down: Now Available

Our new book, When Life Turns Upside Down: Finding Stability Through God’s Comforting Peace by John A. Younts, is now available with special introductory pricing and generous bulk discount options. Ebooks are available now, and paperbacks will be shipping soon. When Life Turns Upside Down is a small book for ordinary people, and those who help them, facing new and challenging circumstances such as the coronavirus. Mankind is not in control of the world. Throughout history there have been moments when God has made this powerfully clear in the space of a heartbeat. These are the times when life seems to turn upside down. This small book applies the truth of the Holy Spirit through his word so that each […]

Psalm 121: From Where Does My Help Come?

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The lord is your keeper; the lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. God keeps us in all places, all conditions, and all seasons. As Peter […]

You Have More Gifts To Give

The presents have all been opened. Christmas is done. For your children, next Christmas seems more than a lifetime away. I remember feeling sad that there were no more gifts to open, even as I was surrounded by presents and empty boxes! As I look back, I am amazed at how quickly gratitude was replaced with a self-centered longing for more stuff. Not pleasant thoughts! Now as an adult, I find I still quickly forget God’s kindness to me. His goodness to me is quickly forgotten and replaced with, “I need more.” Losing sight of God’s goodness skews my understanding of reality. The truth is that God’s faithfulness to me never stops! God is relentless in his pursuit to bring […]

Time and the Glory of God

Time as we know it is not eternal, it is created. Before there was time there was God. After time ends there will be God. This is one reason God refers to himself as I Am. God is infinite, he cannot be measured by time. He simply and profoundly is. Time is temporal, having to do with what is temporary.  As Paul says, don’t focus on what is temporary, but focus on eternity.  Faith has to do with eternity. This means that faith is rooted not in time but in the person and character of God! For example, when we say, “I have faith everything will work out,” our understanding of faith is misplaced. Faith is not primarily about everything […]

Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Faith

Mary was a teenager. There was nothing remarkable about her. The first time we see her is in Luke’s Gospel when she is greeted by the angel Gabriel. To say that she was startled and taken aback would be an understatement! But Gabriel comforted her and then with a few words turned her life upside down. She was going to become a mother. She was told her child would grow up to take the throne of King David and that his kingdom would have no end. So far, so good until she learns who the baby’s father would be. This was no ordinary conversation. Gabriel was no ordinary visitor. Her baby would not be an ordinary son. Mary, an ordinary […]

God is Never on Coffee Break

There is only one thing about tomorrow that you can know with certainty. God will be faithful to you. You can plan for tomorrow, and that is a good thing. But tomorrow may not go according to your plan. World events may radically change your life. Your car may not start. Your kids could get sick. Your financial situation could change. Your pet could go missing. The uncertainty of tomorrow is the constant reality of your life. The way you anticipate tomorrow will impact the way you do life today. Worry about tomorrow comes from the lie that humans are in control of your life. This gives us reasons to do something other than to seek treasures of God’s kingdom […]

God Alone

The Holy Spirit makes a statement about the uniqueness of God in Psalm 62. It is a simple, straightforward declaration: He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. When David says God alone is his rock and his place of safety, he means just that. God is the only safe place. He is not one option among many possibilities. He is the only option, period. There is no person, place, or thing that can take God’s place. The greatest miscalculation that any person can make is to believe that there are other places of security besides God.  This does not mean that we can’t find peace and safety in people, places, or […]

Love Is Not Disappointed 

If you love biblically, then your love for others will not be diminished by their failures. When love is all about you, bad things happen. Love must be defined by God, specifically by the work of his son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit tells us that we know what love is by how Jesus loved (1 John 3:16). By looking at Christ we see that love is other-centered and God-centered, not me-centered.  This means radical rethinking regarding the nature of love. Love is not about what makes you feel good or happy. Love is dying to your wants, your desires, your dreams. Only by loving Jesus first can anyone experience this sort of love. Thus, genuine love is not consistent with […]

When Life is Hard

Life is hard. Life brings pain. Moments of happiness and joy fade quickly when darkness comes. When life is hard God calls out to his people, his voice remains strong and sure. It is in this setting that David writes Psalm 27. David has known joy and victory. But he has also known the despair of failure and agony. Some of this has come from the betrayal and manipulation of those closest to him. Some have been self-inflicted. David hears the call to doubt God. He hears the taunts of his oppressors. He hears that he is mocked and his God is mocked. He is tempted to believe that God is unfair. There is a taunt — “God, are you […]