Tag Archives: lies

“Marble Not!” – She Said
avatar

Posted on by
courtesy of microsoft.com free image gallery

God Keeps His Promises

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 ESV

“Marble not!” My brother laughed hysterically at a joke about a country preacher who got his facts twisted.

“Country” preachers in the mountains sometimes get their words twisted when they get into that “preachin’ hell-fire and damnation mode.” And this preacher got his marble nots mixed up with his marvel nots.

I thought of that joke as I listened to a shower of speeches during the Republican and Democratic Conventions. There was little to marvel or marble at.

I didn’t sit plastered to the television, hanging on every word, but I heard the speeches wafting through the house while I worked. It was one promise after another and I, just like the remainder of the nation, knew…they’d never be kept.

Men (generically speaking) put little credibility in the value of a promise these days. And when there is no value in the promise, it boils down to a lie.

Parents promise their children a good life with little discipline. Teens slip tiny rings on their fingers, promising their love when they haven’t a clue about love. Politicians promise no more tax increases, more jobs, and on and on. All nothing more than empty words…lies.

Not God. God makes good on every promise He makes. The wonderful thing is He doesn’t just make good on it once. His promises are good through eternity. He promised His son. He sent Him. We still have Christ and we always will. God promised us rest in Him and it’s there if we release hold of the anguish and fall into His promise. Two thousand years later…God’s promises still ring true.

Want a few more? Try forgiveness. Grace. Hope. Peace. Love. Salvation. Eternal life… and the list continues. Just as God made good on His promise to Jacob, He faithfully upholds those He’s made to us.

Our little preacher friend was referring to John 3:7: “Marvel not …” Whether he had all his marbles when he got wound up in his preaching is another matter. All I know is, it’s no surprise. God is a God of His word. When He makes a promise He is with us to the bitter end.

Election time approaches. Put your trust in the one who never breaks a promise.

Photo courtesy of microsoft.com free image gallery

Read Cindy’s devotions.

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

 

 

 

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

QR Code

Wildfire – Laurinda Wallace
avatar

Posted on by

Gossip Burns like a Wildfire

In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3:5-6 NLT

Wildfire! It’s a frightening word in the Southwest before the summer rains start. One Sunday afternoon my husband and I watched a small fire to the south of our home, causing smoke in the mountains. It was miles away but the following Sunday we were staying with friends– evacuated from our home just four days after the fire started.

For twenty-four hours we had no idea if our home was gone, damaged, or still standing. We knew several homes had been destroyed a few miles west of us. Emergency shelters filled with evacuees and pets while firefighters battled high winds with tinder dry conditions. The fire raged, threatening the city limits where we stayed.

Whatever started the massive fire was small in the beginning. It might have been coals from a campfire, a cigarette tossed into the brush, or an intentional act. It’s the same with our speech. A careless word can ruin a reputation in a short time.

I’ve been the victim of such careless gossip and it hurts. Sometimes gossip is piously mentioned by couching it as a “prayer request.” Other times we do it to ourselves. Before you know it, a reputation is ruined. A life is set on fire.

A fire is easy to start, but hard to put out once it has fuel. It’s the same once we have a reputation as a gossip, a liar, or a big talker. It took firefighters nine days to get any amount of containment, but it had already destroyed thousands of acres of beautiful mountain woodlands, over fifty homes, and several businesses. Our favorite hiking places won’t recover for years but by God’s grace, our home and neighborhood were safe. Lives were changed dramatically because of the fire. Some will never be the same.

Before you make that sarcastic comment about someone, keep truth as your focus and your tongue in check. Think about the wildfire.  Don’t start a fire of ruin for yourself and others.

Laurinda Wallace lives in the beautiful high desert of southeast Arizona with her husband David. Besides being the office manager for her church, she is a freelance writer and has published numerous magazine articles and devotionals. She is currently working on a mystery series set in her hometown area of Western New York. Laurinda and her husband have two grown daughters and twin grandsons, who are amazing miracles of God’s grace.
Read Laurinda’s devotions.

Receive a daily devotion on your Kindle!