Meat for the Hungry

     www.dreamstime.com free stock photo    Do you ever think life is hard? Goodness, I do. There are days, even weeks, where everything goes well. I feel God’s presence, hear His voice, learn from His Word, and life flows along like a deep, smooth river. And then there are times I slip on a rug and crash to the floor blindsided by a situation so confusing I just throw up my hands and shout, “What in the world is going on?”   In those moments, I tend to focus on the situation. What did I do to cause this, and how can I fix it? But after a while, I get irritated. If I hurt someone’s feelings by giving my opinion, why am I not entitled to my opinion? And why am I always the one punished? Why can’t that person just shrug it off and forgive?   The Lord allowed me to wallow for a few minutes, and then He said, “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.” [1]     “Yes, Lord, I’m listening.” ...

  “I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”   Maybe you’re thinking, “I only want good news. I’m tired of the bad.” I fully understand. So, here's my good news:  God gave us the bad news first. What?   Yes, Almighty God established a LAW —man broke it— SIN entered the world and brought a penalty— DEATH —both physical and spiritual. Physical bodies age and eventually return to dust. For Adam, that took 930 years. However, his spiritual death—separation from this Holy God—began immediately. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God ; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”   That’s a lot of bad news. And  I know you’ve heard it all before. But please stick with me. I do have a point. You see, if there were no good news to follow the bad, we would be doomed and rightly proclaim, “…Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” [1]   Thankfully, God followed H...

       Gordon kept the throne room doors open on the off chance I might need him. Our voices had echoed down the long hall and into the palace great room. More angels heard the commotion, and word spread throughout Heaven. Now, angels of every rank crowded the doorway and began spilling into the throne room. Even Randall, my armor room supervisor, had made his way to the front and stood alongside Gordon. Eyes gleamed, and smiles exploded when the angels grasped the reason for the gathering. The Sovereign LORD was about to reveal his mysterious plan hidden since before the foundation of the world. For this moment all Heaven had waited. The angels couldn’t contain themselves, and they rushed in. But the frontrunners braked, and the others plowed into them when they learned God, the Son, would be leaving. The throne room became like a theater audience before a show. Chatter and indistinguishable words filled the air as they, too, tried to dissuade him. “Enough,” b...

The silver mist dissipated as I soared through the barrier between the second and third heavens. “Ahh, there it is,” I whispered. “Home.” Ivory Palace gleamed with the presence of the Almighty who lights all Heaven. The translucent gold of Glory Street reflected on the Trees of Life, and together with the rippling flow of the river, they soothed my weariness. In the distance, I spied my armor room, and my heart sank. I’d been on Earth with the angel troops and guarding Israel for what seemed eons. But being back made me long for the days before Lucifer’s or rather Satan’s rebellion. “Water under the bridge, Michael,” I said, swooping onto the threshold of the Ivory Palace. My wings folded neatly in place as the mammoth doors swooshed open. “Angels,” I said, greeting those in attendance.   “Chief Prince Michael, Sir,” said senior angel Gordon. “To what do we owe this honor? We weren’t expecting you this soon.” “The LORD summoned me.” “Of course, Sir.” “Gordon, walk with ...

  Driving home the other night, a brilliant coral-pink sunset lined the western horizon. As my eyes drifted upward, the coral melded into a radiant teal-blue. To the south, grayish clouds swiped the sky as though a painter’s brush stroked a canvas. To the north, a straight line of speckled clouds marched across the heavens, and in my imagination, they were birds flying south for the winter. Closer to earth, trees appeared as silhouettes against the vibrant coral being swallowed up by deepening blue. Soon the “birds” dissipated, and one lone star emerged, glimmering like a tiny diamond.   A flash of awe struck me—my God is the Painter, and this is His handiwork. I let go of the day’s turmoil and just gloried in His greatness. How amazing such a small, ordinary thing can, in a moment, transport me into God’s presence and cause spontaneous worship.   I wish this would happen to all humans, yet sadly, not everyone who sees this beauty understands the majesty of its ...