There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18 On the evening before Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus demonstrated perfect love. Over the past week I have read and reread chapter 17 in the gospel of John. After the last supper…
In a Bible study, we have been discussing the gospel of Matthew. Jesus frequently mentions the kingdom of God throughout his teaching. Every person that repents of sin and becomes a follower of Jesus enters the kingdom of God. During Jesus’ time on earth there were divisive groups, social and…
On Wednesday mornings I meet with three or four women to study and discuss verses in the book of James. Like so often in the past, we are studying the right book. The message of James is relevant to our current time. Count it all joy when you meet trials…
Today I woke up to snow decorating the trees and covering the ground. I was drawn to spending time outside. The hyacinths in front of our house were still peeking up, despite the snow. The sound of many birds twittering and whistling filled the morning air. As I took a…
We are in challenging times . . . like people who came before us. I think of the civil war, the Spanish flu, World War II. The Bible records times when fear hung over the people of Israel. Currently I am studying the book of Ezra. After 70 years of…
Currently I am studying the book of Deuteronomy. The nation of Israel was about to enter the promised land and Moses was giving instructions to the people. In the book, the word— fear— appears 29 times. Israel is instructed to fear (revere) God and NOT to fear man. It is…
It feels good when we think we are in control. As a mother I pursued the health of my children vigorously. I had been trained as a nurse at the University of Michigan. I believed in the medical profession and my ability to protect the health of my children. The…
If you look up fear in a Bible concordance you will find hundreds of entries. Mentions of fear can be divided into two categories: things we should not fear and the instruction to fear God. Recently the zika virus has been in the news. Photos of babies born…