A Prophet Eating Fish

Now Yahweh's word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Jonah...

The Crossroads

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways," says Yahweh. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8 WEB. Trying to understand God is a crossroads that everyone comes to at some point. It causes many people to stumble. We do not know, nor can we understand everything God is, what He...

The Cutting Edge

In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles Luke 6:12–13 WEB. Jesus prayed all night. Even though He was the son of God, He continually developed His relationship with His Father. Jesus lived as an example to us. Intimacy and infinite knowledge...

The Gift of Today

They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey. The people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!" Numbers 21:4–5 WEB. The Israelites slowly...

Dads

Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9–11 WEB. Many people I talk with have trouble trusting or drawing near to our Heavenly Father....

Lost Donkeys

Lost Donkeys from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Benjamin was the smallest and least significant tribe in Israel, and a young man named Saul lived there. Saul was from a wealthy family but his life had been uneventful up to this point, and there was nothing notable to mention. Then, one day, a mundane task arose:(1 Samuel 9:3–4 NKJV) ...

Shake it Off

He said to them, "Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there. Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" Mark 6:10–11 WEB. When Jesus sent the disciples out...

Do Not Be Afraid

While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue's house came, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Don't trouble the Teacher." But Jesus hearing it, answered him, "Don't be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed." Luke 8:49–50 WEB. Jairus had a twelve-year-old daughter that was deathly sick and couldn't get out of bed. He came to Jesus, fell down at His feet, and begged Him to...

Little Boxes

The donkey saw Yahweh's angel, and she lay down under Balaam. Balaam's anger burned, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have mocked me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you." The donkey said...

Peer Pressure

Amaziah also said to Amos, "You seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there, but don't prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house!" Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman, and a farmer of sycamore figs; and Yahweh took me from following the flock, and Yahweh...

Stand in the Gap

I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30 WEB. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah grew more and more wicked. Their scales finally tipped, and their judgment day came. Abraham stood in the gap for them (Genesis 18:24). He pleaded with God and asked Him if He would destroy the cities...

Burning Down the House

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words and does them, I will show you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But he who hears and doesn't...

Glow Plugs

The Mechanical Rabbit

For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:26 WEB. In dog racing, they have a lure called a mechanical rabbit that runs along a rail beside the race track. At the start of the race, the dogs line up and then chase...

Love in Action

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34–35 WEB. At the last supper, Jesus rose and washed His disciple's feet. Then He told them to love one another, just as He had loved them. By this, all people would know they were His disciples....

The Pressure Cooker

For we don't desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life. Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver,...

Not on My Watch

Whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13–14 WEB. It was another cold, dreary morning at work. After several months of unemployment, I got a job polishing brass plumbing parts on a buffing wheel. When I was laid off from my last job, I was a supervisor, but I longed to work in a Christian...

The Box of Computer Parts

The heavens are Yahweh's heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men. Psalms 115:16 WEB. I watched my son wrestle with connecting the wiring harness to the motherboard of the computer he was building. I could have done it for him, but he was now six years old and needed to learn to do this himself and that the plug only fits one way. He wanted a gaming computer for Christmas. So being...

Great Adventures

Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." He went, and met him on God's mountain, and kissed him. Moses told Aaron all Yahweh's words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. Exodus 4:27–28 WEB. The Lord spoke to Aaron and told him to meet his brother Moses in the wilderness. We don't know what Aaron was busy doing when the Lord began talking...

The Mustard Seed

The Mustard Seed from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Jesus told His disciples a parable about the kingdom of God using a tiny mustard seed. Though mustard was the smallest seed a Palestinian farmer would plant in his field, it would grow into the largest plant in his garden.  (Matthew 13:31–32 NKJV)  Another parable He put forth...

The Wedding Day

I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! Let's rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let's give the glory to him. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." Revelation 19:6–7 WEB. I have a great wife, and we have...

Finishing the Job

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 WEB. It was late Saturday night, and we were both exhausted. We were working on a networked accounting system that was bloated and slow. A simple upgrade job that should have taken a couple of hours on Friday had now taken a couple of days. Still, we chose to honor...

The Greatest Commandment

One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."...

The Commander

The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of Yahweh, he said, "You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, and attack them in front of the mulberry trees. 2 Samuel 5:22–23 WEB. The Philistine army invaded the Valley of Rephaim, and David asked the Lord what to do. The last time David had faced the Philistines, he met them straight on...

Do You Hear What I Hear

Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me. Tell them, 'As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you.' Numbers 14:26–28 WEB. The Israelites came out of Egypt and saw incredible miracles each day while...

Wait Here

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho." He said, "As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over you today?" He answered, "Yes, I know it. Hold your peace." Elijah said to...

Rise From the Dust

Rise From the Dust from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. Moses was a fiery young man in Egypt, raised by the daughter of Pharaoh and reared with all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). He was mighty in words and deeds, but when he turned forty years old, things seemed to fall apart. One day he went to visit his people, the Hebrews, who...

The Roller Coaster

After many days, Yahweh's word came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth." 1 Kings 18:1 WEB. Some friends once pulled me onto a high roller coaster with them. We waited for everyone to get on board and locked in, then the ride operator started it up. The coaster slowly rattled and climbed up the rails. After a long wait, it finally crossed...

The Torn Veil

Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:50–51 WEB. Under the old covenant, the high priest entered a room in the temple called the "Holy of Holies" once a year on Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. The ark of the covenant was kept there. The manifest...

The Janitor

Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean." But Naaman was angry, and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.' Aren't Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,...