Many cultures thrive on foods that ferment for months or sometimes years. For foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, even a great wine or fine cheese, time is a critical factor. The tastiest, and many times most beneficial for our health take TIME. And those who have learned to appreciate it are blessed.
These days it has become conventional wisdom to comment on (or complain about) our culture of instant gratification. Yet in this deteriorating world situation the question, "How long O Lord?" is becoming more understandable each passing day. The biblical prophet Habakkuk issued a deeply resonant heart-cry:
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. ” [Hab.1:2-4]
God's timing was the prophet's complaint...."Too long, LORD!" In his day, the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had already taken place. And in just a few short years the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of the Temple would follow. Yet witnessing the wickedness of his own people in their generation Habbakuk agonizes, “How long O Lord? Evil abounds! Where is your righteous judgment?"
Here is God’s response to Habbakuk... and I love this: “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” [Hab. 1:5]
"Joseph was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, he himself was laid in irons, until the time of his word came to pass"; [Ps. 105:18-19]. And, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning. Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit; [Ecclesiastes 7:8]. He has made everything beautiful in its time"; [Ecclesiastes 3:11].
Yes, things look bleak. Yes, evil is rampant. But God is doing a work. He is not surprised by what is happening. He is not panicking or trying to figure out what to do next. He has had a purpose and plan and has been preparing it from the beginning of time. And in the end, it will be perfection.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]David is called a “man after God’s own heart.” Considering that he lusted after his neighbor’s wife, committed adultery with her, and had her husband murdered, the Lord’s description of him is remarkable. How could a man who was convicted a murderer and an adulterer also be called one after God’s own heart?
This passage in Isaiah contains a poetic play on words which is lost to any reader but one who understands Hebrew. A word for word translation runs something like this: “If not you will believe (lo ta-aminoo), surely not you will be established (lo te-amenoo).” The three letter Hebrew root – “aleph”- “mem”- “nun”, is the same in both words, and the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah is clearly playing on this root to emphasize His point. The same root letters are also used in the spelling for the familiar word “Amen” which literally means “truthfully”.
“Break up your fallow ground.” In this context, the Lord is referring to breaking up the ground overrun with weeds and thorns creating a hardness to produce righteous fruit.
Momentum is simply the force or speed of movement that carries an object to its final destination. If you want to break through, you need to have a certain amount of momentum. In order for a rocket to blast into space, it needs tremendous momentum to break the gravitational barrier – but with the enormous power of jet engines and rocket fuel the ship is propelled faster and faster till it breaks free of the earth’s gravitational pull.
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was speaking to a church that was surrounded with sexual immorality. The city of Corinth was a haven of hedonism where many temples hosted hundreds of prostitutes which were visited by vast multitudes of foreigners. In the ancient world, the term “Corinthianize” indicated a life of sexual promiscuity.
You know how sometimes we get a phone call from someone who didn’t intend to dial us? And what do we usually say? Sorry, you have the wrong number.
Judges 6 begins with an angel talking to Gideon saying, “thou mighty man of valor!” However, in this passage Gideon isn’t feeling very valiant — he’s consumed with his circumstances — how poor his family is and how he’s the least of his fathers’ house. He doesn’t feel he’s done anything worthy of being called valiant, yet the angel still addresses him “mighty man of valor!”