Raised Alert Level

It was the weirdest thing, yesterday I had to kill a black widow spider in my garage. Shoot! I had never even seen a live black widow, let alone one in the corner on my garage wall right next to where my wife always walks to get into my truck! It kind of creeped me out for a minute.

It was a vivid reminder of how the sworn archenemy of our souls lurks in unsuspecting places waiting to pounce on us. 1 Peter 5:8,9 says it like this:

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

If we understand that the Author of all good things came to give us a better life than we’ve ever dreamed of, then we also need to be reminded at times to stay aware of the evil one’s attempts to steal, kill & destroy us.

Grow In The Dark

Lately I keep hearing about how people are enduring some real dark times. Financial stress, job uncertainty, health challenges, family squabbles, and heavy emotions seem to be some of the most frequent issues, all of which seem to intensify during the holidays.

Then I came across two verses in Isaiah 45:2,3 that I have read and heard so many times before but had never understood how they pertain to times of personal darkness, until now:

“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures out of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord…”

If we allow God to help us adjust our eyes to the darkness, we can look around and discover valuable lessons to enrich us for our future. The proper perspective of looking to learn during darkness will help us to (BE)TTER.

2007 Disapointments Make You Better

Reading about what people considered the most disappointing aspects of this year, I was surprised to see right near the top was the much-hyped Windows Vista computer operating system. One of the reasons for the frustration was people’s inability to adapt to all the changes. For some reason, most of us have an aversion to change and try to avoid it at all costs. One of the great features of installing the Better Life operating system, God, is that our “Operator,” never changes. He said so Himself in Malachi 3:6: “I the Lord do not change.” Then in Hebrews 13:5 & 8: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” That’s good news, especially for the change-aphobic. Even though jobs, relationships, finances and most everything else changes, God is constant. He doesn’t change but by our efforts to get closer to Him, we do…for the better.