“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 I read these words by Charles Spurgeon this morning: “What a mass of hideous sickness must have thrust itself under the eye of Jesus! Yet we read […]
“When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb…And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, ‘Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’ She conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Because the LORD has […]
“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’…Jesus bent down and wrote […]
“And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and His disciples.” Matthew 9:10 What beautiful acceptance is displayed here. These people were cast out of “good” society, some despised for alliance with Roman oppressors, others condemned for unrighteous acts. But Jesus did […]
“All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that He had made holy in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His […]
“If I summoned [God] and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.” Job 9:16-18 This cry resonates with sad familiarity in my […]
“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down […]
“And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds […]
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17 As I was reading through an account of the life of Christ, it occurred to me what great patience Jesus showed as He walked this earth. Surrounded daily […]
“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 Words can cause so much damage…deep wounds that affect a person’s entire outlook on life or view of themselves. Hurt that runs so deep, they don’t know how to get past it. They may not […]
In Pleasant Places 