There is a modern civil war in America between those who carry the banner of “diversity” and those who seek unity for the nation. What does God think about all of this? The Bible gives a clear answer.
In Part 1, we saw that God’s rest and peace comes through believing what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The work of God is to believe on the one He sent. That is how we cease from our own works to receive salvation and the righteousness of God. But how do we live restfully and peacefully? That takes a different kind of effort.
One day Sherry and I hosted a barbecue for our Bible fellowship on the crystal white sands of Guam’s Uruno Beach. Later, a few of us ventured out for a swim, and I made it to the top of the reef.
But I had not accounted for the swiftness of the tide. Suddenly, I found myself trapped on razor-sharp coral with the choice of being thrown out to sea or back onto the jagged shelf. I tried for what seemed like an hour to get enough leverage to go over the reef top, but each attempt ended with cut hands, legs, and feet.
Finally, nearing exhaustion, I ceased from my labors. At that point, thanks in large part to the prayers of those on shore, the sea picked me up and deposited me safely within the reef.
Some of the sweetest moments in life for me have been just “hanging out” with those I love. I remember gathering fossils along a creek bed with our son Elijah when he was into learning about them. I can recall hours of faithfully running with my friend Rich below star-filled, early morning skies. And I still enjoy daily walks with my lovely Sherry around our neighborhood. These are times of “full sharing” where we open our hearts to one another.
I was feeling pretty good at about the 20-mile mark of the Columbus Marathon. It was invigorating to have just run through a part of the “shoe,” The Ohio State football stadium which is shaped like a horseshoe. As I continued on the course, I saw a man sitting beside the road who seemed to be “out of it.” When I stopped to help him, I noticed a scripture reference on his headband: Hebrews 12:1,2.
Jesus Christ was maligned and criticized more than any man—but he always remembered who God made him to be. At times, when the Devil tries to accuse and condemn us, it’s good to remember who God made us to be and what He thinks of us.
In Part 1, Our Father’s Loving Design, we saw three vital truths to understanding the world around us: God is good always, all that is in the heavens and the earth reflect His design, and all good things today are through Jesus Christ.
I remember spending hour upon hour of my youth looking at spiders and their webs, following columns of ants, catching snakes (sometimes poisonous!), watching birds flit from tree to tree, seeing giant clouds race across the vast Missouri sky, grabbing crawdads from behind in Buck Creek, finding baby bunnies in the blackberry patch, seeing our kitty give birth and nurse her kittens, catching frogs at the pond and making torches from the cattails there, lying at the foot of my bed to watch lightning and then listening for the thunder, sitting transfixed beneath a winter sky full of brilliant stars beyond counting, and catching bumblebees in pink, pollen-filled clover.
As a boy, I loved to listen to my parent’s old radio/phonograph player. It was set in a beautiful wooden cabinet, and I was often fascinated by the glowing tubes that warmed up to receive radio signals or the stack of records that dropped one at a time so the arm could gently place the needle on that record.
One of my favorite songs of the day was called “I’m My Own Grandpa.” It was a humorous ballad about a man who, through a variety of marriages and family relations, became his own grandfather.
