God

Why Homeschool? Reason #1

~ Heather Davis ~ 4 Comments

Before I get into the reasons to homeschool, let me start by setting the record straight: I am not one of those girls who grew up dreaming about having kids or homeschooling. Quite the opposite. I was more of a Moses type, answering God’s call with, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else (Exodus 4:13).

And while I know homeschooling was the right choice for my family, I know it because it was not my idea; it was God’s. Not everyone is called to homeschool, and not everyone who homeschools should be doing so – or at least, they should be taking it more seriously than they do.

That being said, there are SO many good reasons to homeschool, some of which I touched on in a previous post. But of all the excellent reasons, the most important one is given straight from the mouth of the Almighty. The biggest reason to homeschool is to equip the next generation to truly love, obey, and serve the Lord our God.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

The original Hebrew of this passage brings out a richer context, especially in the first sentence. The Hebrew word translated heart (לבב; levav) was understood a little differently in the culture and context of the time. Nowadays, we think of the heart as the seat of our emotions; i.e. we feel with our heart.

But the Hebrew word connotes not only the idea of emotion, but also of will & desire or determination, of our thinking & reflecting; the seat of intent and understanding.

Depending on the translation, the same word (levav) is translated as mind in Deuteronomy 30:1 & Jeremiah 51:50; as understanding three times in Job (see 12:3, 34:10, 34:34), and even when translated as heart often carries implications of the seat of reasoning, pondering, and decision-making (such as seeking God with all your heart as in Jeremiah 29:13 and others). In 1 Chronicles 22:7, some versions translate it as intended to or wanted to (build the house of God). And these are a mere handful of examples.

Loving God with all our soul is probably more straightforward, though it could be noted the Hebrew (נַפְשְׁ; nephesh) can be translated as breath. Thus, we are to love God with the very breath in our lungs!

Finally, we come to loving Him with all our might. Once again, the Hebrew is a bit different and even translates rather awkwardly. It literally says to love God with all our meod, our very. This word is used in such phrases as tov meod (very good) or gadol meod (very large).

How does one love God with all one’s very-ness? In my mind, I am to love Him with EVERYTHING that is me – all I am and all of it. Thoroughly. Verily, if you will – or one could say with our muchness, to borrow from Tim Burton’s take on the Mad Hatter.

“‎You’re not the same as you were before,” he said. You were much more… muchier… you’ve lost your muchness.”

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 1999 movie

And so far, I’ve not even unpacked how all this ties into homeschooling. That bit is in verse 7: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

And that, my friends, is homeschool in a nutshell. The most significant reason is to give our lives to discipleship of the children God has entrusted to us, knowing full well where they spend eternity is more important than any other lesson. Thus we talk about it throughout the day – an easier task when homeschooling.

Will it mean making temporary and material sacrifices? Yes.

Will it cost you a career? Possibly.

Will it be easy? No.

And will you see guaranteed results, rewards, fruit? Not necessarily.

But if you are called by God to do it, obedience is still the best decision you can make. The results are up to Him. Your job is to do the job He gives you to do with all your will, all your breath, and all your very-ness. Be muchy for Christ, talk about Him incessantly, and let Him do the rest.

Next time, we’ll get into other very practical reasons to homeschool. I look forward to sharing them with you. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to comment, like, or share if you found this post helpful!

State of Disunion?

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

A Bit of a Rant and a Message of Hope

I don’t often dabble in political posts, but I do have concerns to voice; concerns not so much political as practical. I made a valiant attempt to listen to the most recent State of the Union address. I truly did, but the ongoing heckling, boos & cheers finally drove me to just read the transcript. What I read only reinforced a growing certainty that the leaders of my nation have completely lost touch with the actual people of America; a state of disunion between what it means to be an American citizen and what it means to wield power in the USA.

Above all, I see a future for all Americans. I see a country for all Americans. And I will always be President for all Americans because I believe in America. I believe in you, the American people. You’re the reason we’ve never been more optimistic about our future than I am now.

President Biden – State of the Union Address, March 7, 2024

Of course, this is not news to anyone who can read between the dog-wagging and cat videos – that is to say, to anyone who can still read.

The greatest actual threat to “united we stand” is – well, it’s us; we the people. Or more specifically, our penchant for letting spin-doctors do the thinking for us while we entertain ourselves right into a brave new Huxleyan world.

And our leaders – well, they’re not exactly leading. They’re playing Two Truths and a Lie, wondering if the public will realize they’ve already shrugged and asked, “What is truth?” From what I’ve seen, they do not appear to accept the inconvenient constraints of reality.

After all, their economy is (evidently) soaring. Meanwhile our grocery bills are not their problem.

It is my totally irrelevant and probably ignorant opinion that the leaders of our nation haven’t the foggiest idea what their constituency really cares about. They are out of touch with the American people; the ones who exist outside the ranks of the wealthy and powerful.

They’ve enjoyed immense wealth, power, and privilege for so long, they no longer understand mere proles who work jobs, put kids through college, pay monthly bills, and wonder if they’ll be able to afford to retire.

Or pay their medical bills.

Or buy groceries.

I’m not sure what got under my skin the most this year. Was it the lack of decorum in the official echo chamber? The unusually coherent speech by our current President? The conflation between campaign rhetoric and reporting on our nation’s condition? The almost-but-not-quite funny way playground politics have played their way right into the highest ranking official positions of this country?

Of course, childishness is not a new characteristic of our ignoble leaders. Unfortunately. Ewwww, adulting – amiright?

I honestly feel we crossed the line from democratic republic to oligarchy long before I was even aware of politics. I’ve never seen a presidential candidate who represents the analog people in my circles, and I can count the local candidates who have tried on one hand.

However, I can honestly say the Great American Side Show (i.e. -election year) makes me incredibly grateful my hope does not rest on the outcome of this election. Nor any other election, nor my feelings, nor anything else in all this beautiful, broken world. In fact, my sense of security has nothing to do with the future but is rooted in an event that’s already happened.

No matter who rules the nation I live in, how much or little civil freedom I’m afforded; even if every possession is stripped away through the collapse of our duct-taped economy, I have hope. Security. Certainty. Shalom.

Yeshua Messiah – Jesus Christ – the One who was at the beginning with God and is God; through whom all things were created and hold together – HE is my hope, my security, my certainty, and my peace. Even if my nation falls from oligarchy to dictatorship, ending all political or socio-economic freedoms, I will remain truly free; for freedom from enslavement to sin is the greatest and most lasting freedom there is.

But like many exotic flavors, freedom from sin is a thing you must taste for yourself. Explanations fall short, but the joy and peace are like no other.

Fady Al-Hagal, aka The Tenne-Syrian

Besides, I expect to suffer in this world, for my Lord did and He promised I would, too. Yet I also know my King has overcome the world and will one day reclaim His throne and reign forever. No more cheap shots and playground politics, but a perfect and just theocracy backed by true power and Truth and followed by all things made new, restored to glorious perfection.

So why does He wait? If He’s so powerful and just, why not come now, put an end to this charade, and banish evil once and for all time?

My dear reader, He waits for all those who will chose Him to do so. He waits out of mercy, not wishing that any perish but that all will allow Him to free them from slavery to sin and its destruction and prepare them for life everlasting.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

2 Peter 3:9-10

He waits, knowing those who have trusted in His Son’s sacrifice and surrendered to Him as Lord can endure this light and momentary suffering because of the eternal weight of glory, joy, and pleasures forevermore awaiting us when this world has passed.

Perhaps, sweet one, He waits for you.

Would you trust Him today? Despite the lies you’ve been sold, His Way is not the end of fun, merely the end of your unbearable burden; your hopelessness and despair. But what you’ll gain--! You’ll gain HIM, and He is everything worth having!

I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You..."
I have set the Lord always before me; 
Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken...
You make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence there is fullness of joy; 
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:1, 7, 11

But you can choose to cling to what the world calls fun and all the baggage it brings. You can allow your emotions to be steered by the outcome of potentially unhinged elites or the definitively un-sane media.

Or you can choose Christ and gain life and peace and joy and meaning and purpose without end. But the choice is yours to make. I earnestly hope you will choose life.

Excerpt from My First (Really Bad) Book

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

So, here’s a public admission, if you will. I’m working on a book. It’s been a long time coming, in part due to health challenges and the general busy-ness of life. And I confess – it’s sometimes difficult to give time to projects (like this blog, for example) that don’t offer financial help to my overworked husband and my three college kids. Yet, I believe the Lord has told me to write the book, so write I will. I’m starting to get some traction, but most of my writing time is devoted to the book at present.

But, I don’t want to leave y’all totally alone! The truth is, I’ve written two books before – truly bad ones. I’ve learned much since those first efforts, so maybe this time will be different. It’s in the Lord’s hands – my lot is to obey. Nevertheless, even from a bad book, there are good elements. Below is an excerpt from my first ever book; a scene I still like for the way it illustrates the seriousness of sin.

I’ll set up the scene by saying the character, Liam, is a successful star of sorts who meets the love of his life, a young lady named Stace who is a believer. Though she loves him, she keeps him at a distance because she doesn’t want to yoke herself with a man who isn’t committed to seeking the Kingdom of God first – even though from a worldly perspective, he would be a “dream guy.” Toward the end of the book, a freak accident results in her death. As she’s dying, she prays for Liam to see what she sees, and he has a supernatural experience with the Risen Christ. And now, on with the show:

For a moment, the Man held this posture, His hand poised over Liam’s blood-stained one, then He raised his head and looked Liam directly in the eyes. And Liam’s reality splintered.

In a flash, Liam found himself in a garden. In some inexplicable way, he knew it was not just any garden; it was the Garden – Eden. Amazed, he looked around, inhaling deeply of heady aromas. Everywhere he looked, there was beauty; well-tended and lovingly nurtured. Many of the plants were either in flower or heavy with a wondrous variety of fruits. The temperature was pleasantly warm. Birds twittered and darted among the trees and insects buzzed in and around the flowering plants…

As he moved forward with a steadily increasing sense of awe, he saw a woman who could only be the first woman, Eve. Just as he was about to call out a greeting, Liam noticed that she was not alone. Apparently, she was deeply immersed in a conversation with a creature unlike anything Liam had ever seen, for neither of them glanced his way as he approached.

Taking advantage of their inattention, Liam stopped beside the low hanging branches of a tree and observed the creature closely. Although he could not understand the words, something in the silken tones of the creature’s voice was appealing, even soothing. As it spoke, it paced slowly before the woman, displaying its beautiful, scintillating scales to great advantage. However, to Liam’s eye, something in the sinuous way it moved as it spoke was suggestive of a snake. This must be the serpent.

Apprehensively, Liam took a step closer stopping only when he noticed that the woman and the beast were not alone. Nearby, a man sat leaning back against a tree, half-listening or perhaps pretending not to listen as he idly wound then unwound the tendrils of a vine around his finger.

As understanding struck him, Liam’s heart sank; he knew this story. It was one of the first he learned from the Bible.
Wait – could he stop this from happening? If he stopped this first great tragedy, would it save Stace? Maybe that’s why he’d been brought here!

Running to the woman, he tried to distract her, to warn her, but she seemed not to hear.  He whirled around to grab the man’s shoulders and haul him to his feet if necessary, but Liam’s hands passed through empty space. For the first time, he realized he wasn’t actually in the Garden. Rather, he was seeing a memory, painted in vivid color and for all the world like some sort of three-dimensional movie. Although he experienced the scene as if he were a part of it, he could neither interact nor interfere.

Sickened, he watched the woman listen attentively to the deceiver; watched her eyes growing thoughtful. Though her husband was still close enough to hear, hands now resting limply at his sides, he made no attempt to engage in the dialog.

Liam looked again at the woman. A subtle change was coming over her face. The childlike guilelessness he first saw began to harden, touched by a tinge of disdain. The serpent continued its ceaseless spiel, and her eyes began to drift toward a tree.

Suddenly, a Voice broke into the scene, “The tree she looks upon is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life is not far away. Watch, and learn.”

Uselessly, Liam continued to watch as the woman moved toward the forbidden tree, watched her examine the fruit closely, weighing it in her palm as if the weight of consequence could be measured by the heaviness of the fruit. The subtle change he had begun to see in her face moments ago steeled into something so entirely modern that he reeled with the shock of it. He recognized it as the very look that had haunted him from his own mirror on so many occasions. It was a face filled with Pride; ruthless, stubborn, and petulant pride.

With the painfully familiar expression came another: doubt. Almost, Liam fancied, he could hear her inner dialog. Perhaps all the serpent had implied just might be true. Perhaps God was being stingy, withholding something that was good for them because He wanted no rival. Perhaps there would be no death. Such thoughts swam in her eyes as plainly as if printed there.

The woman took a bite of the fruit. Then, quickly as if she feared taking this step alone, she handed some of the fruit to the man who was with her, and he ate as well.

In that one, seemingly insignificant and ordinary act, the first man and woman turned their back on the One who had given them everything, even life itself.

A weight of horror settled on Liam, and he could only observe in futility as the shock of comprehension, then shame, distorted their faces. No longer did their expressions radiate an almost uncanny, beauteous innocence; no longer did their eyes dance with joy untainted with sorrow. 

The knowledge they’d craved did not bring the power they hoped. It never did. It never did. Oh, if only they had listened! He felt the ache of it so deep, he could hardly stand.

As the couple turned and fled deeper into the garden, Liam saw the discarded remnants of the fruit lying on the ground and he knew: Death had entered here.

Having rejected the Tree of Life for the one Tree forbidden them, they now knew they had chosen poorly and now their innocence had been ripped away leaving behind a ragged wound. The days of walking with their Creator in simple love and trust had ended. The horror and shame of what they had done drove them to try to hide from the God Who Sees.
Liam ached for them.

But quickly, other scenes flashed past with brutal intensity; the far-reaching consequences of one simple act of distrust until the mind-bending network of billions of sins and their consequences culminated in the ultimate price. Death, it is true, but a death like no other.

The Man – the same Man who had knelt by Stace – now raised in a gruesome display before a mob. This time, he wasn’t He clothed in intense white but caked in blood and dust, bearing on His head the very symbol of the curse of sin – branches of thorns twisted into a sick parody of a king’s circlet and shoved down over His brow, Blood from numerous scratches ran into His eyes.

God’s own Son, battered and torn, crowned with the unfathomable weight of countless sins, covered in shame and wretchedness that belonged to mankind – yet He wore it willingly. For the two rebels in the Garden. For all humanity. Even for the very ones who jeered from the crowd, He suffered humiliation and agony and Death.

For the first time, Liam understood the wonderful, terrible reality of the God who came to rescue those who rejected Him by paying the price of their insurrection with Himself.

And yet, still many did not believe. So many, oh so many, chose to believe themselves wiser, stronger, more progressive or modern or advanced than to believe in something so foolish as a God, never knowing that what they rejected was the glorious exhilaration of true Life. And such a Life—Life lived in harmony with the power, wonder, and endless love of the very Creator of life!

The scene shifted, and Liam saw himself ad a very young man; saw his mockery of his parents and his rejection of the two hard-working, plain people who loved him as best as they could. But he turned his back on them to become something more than a small-town hick. And Death entered that relationship.

He saw himself after his first big break, flattered by the attentions of many young ladies and reveling in his own sexual prowess, never once thinking of anything but his own pleasure. And Death stalked into many relationships.
He saw himself grow in fame and begin to wield some control over what roles he would accept, sometimes withdrawing like a sulky child when his whims were not met. And Death prowled among his business relationships, too.

Again and again, Liam watched countless moments of his own life; moments where he had chosen to feed his pride or flaunt his aptitude, often to another’s detriment and always to achieve a sense of personal victory. And side-by-side with each distinction and achievement as his self-importance swelled, Death walked through wide-open doors into many places in his life.

Finally, he saw himself waking alone in bed the morning before he had first met Stace, and he knew—the Thing that had stalked him when success and wealth failed to fill a deep void within; the Thing that clawed with hateful fingers at his throat and stifled his breathing – was Death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23, ESV).

The Great Apathy

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

You know what really tangles my kite strings? It’s a thing I’m calling the Great Apathy. The powers that be in my nation longer bother with trying to dress their lies in a modicum of truth. What’s worse, the public as a whole seems to have accepted this as perfectly normal.

Blatant and egregious falsehoods in media, politics, and advertising? Of course; why not? Please pass the sugar.

I cannot claim to be surprised. After all, I’ve read the Bible several times through and am well aware of the course this planet travels.

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Yet I also find it darkly humorous that my countrymen will feel smug enough to doubt we could ever fall under the sway of a tyrant the likes of Adolf Hitler or believe such obvious lies as Putin critic Alexei Navalny’s passing from “sudden death syndrome” in a Russian prison.

But then again…

I’m wondering what families they polled to discover this fine achievement. All the families I know are groaning under the cost of groceries, and no one is moving because they can’t even afford to downsize with the current cost of housing.

And that’s just ONE lie. There are so many others. I’ve seen ground beef labels with fine print stating, “beef flavor added,” a bag of oranges reassuring me the orange color was added, and bitten into apples only to see red dye staining the flesh of the fruit.

And don’t get me started about the lack of grammar and thoughtful communication.

Evidently, this dinner cut is owned by a stir fry?? That or someone in their marketing department doesn’t know the difference between a plural and a possessive noun.

Then there’s the entire alphabet soup mess of biological confusion. Don’t get me wrong. I feel truly and deeply grief-stricken for the people caught up in this princedom of lies, but I can’t claim to have zero anger towards those who propagate the chaos and confuse hurting people who are already suffering.

On one hand, we’re told there is a difference between biological sex and gender (which is honestly just Gnosticism in modern clothes), and on the other hand we can read how scientists discover “for the first time” how men’s and women’s brains work differently.

Of course, any married couple, preschool worker, or person who interacts with other persons in real-world settings on a daily basis could have told you this centuries ago. But for some reason, many of my countrymen have fallen under the spell of “science” – or more aptly “scientism” as a friend of mine calls it.

What I’m wondering is what happened to a people who took in data, ruminated on it, and acted according to their own values systems? Today’s average jill or joe seems to do nothing more than search social media or other online sources for the acceptable attitude of the day and adopt it. Data is increasingly difficult to come by, and lies increasingly dominate.

Then again, the current ruler of this world is a liar and the father of lies.

I’m just thankful this place isn’t my home but only the land of my sojourn. While I’m here, I hope to share the hope I have in Yeshua (Jesus) my Lord with everyone I can, convincing them to trade their fragile earthly citizenship for an eternal one in the Kingdom of God.

Friend, if you are also struggling with the ugly spread of deception you see pervading our society, dividing us into groups at war with ideologies neither group fully comprehends, I invite you on a journey. Go outside and take a walk in the fresh air. Marvel at the beauty of a budding tree or the flight of a bird. Then return, pick up a Bible, and read the greatest love story ever told, asking the Author of the story to help you both understand and believe it.

Then someday, we will have eternity to enjoy the goodness of God together as we relish our release from the bondage of deceit, decay, and death. But we don’t have to wait – we can be free of the great apathy now and engage in real-world pursuits rather than theoretical imbibing of Kool-Aid and red or blue pills.

Let the Creator of all that is untangle those knots in your kite strings and learn to fly free from the entanglement of sin and self. You won’t regret it.

A Chronology of Obedience

~ Heather Davis ~ 9 Comments

Reading through the Bible chronologically in a year or so lends a different perspective than taking deep dives into a specific book or passage. This is the – oh, I’d say maybe sixth time I’ve followed a chronological one-year plan, and each time the Lord has given me a few new pearls to string together. This year, I’ve been noting the chronology of obedience reiterated through the pages of the Text.

One of the big themes I saw repeated throughout Genesis and Exodus is that quite often, obedience to God precedes the miracle, sign, or blessing from God.

Take a look at these by-no-means comprehensive examples:

The Call of Noah | Genesis 6:9-9:22

Make yourself an ark of gopher wood … For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven… But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you…

Genesis 6:14-18

Noah had to build the ark before the flood ever happened – in part because a large seaworthy vessel does little good if one begins construction during a catastrophic weather event. He and his family were not saved from the general destruction until after they obeyed what doubtless seemed to be a rather bizarre set of instructions.

The Call of Abram | Genesis 12

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…

Genesis 12:1-2

Note that God did not provide Abram with a roadmap complete with a large red X marking the destination, but instead directed him to “the land that I will show you.” Imagine having that conversation with your wife! As a wife myself, I can state for the record that I might slightly doubt my husband’s sanity if he told me we were moving but we wouldn’t know where until we got there.

And the promised sign? God would make a great nation of him and make his name great. Becoming a “great nation” is not an event that tends to happen in one’s own lifetime, as it would take generations for one person’s progeny to number enough to be considered a nation. We can see clearly that Abram’s belief was not about personal gain but was instead God-focused.

There’s a lesson in this I’m taking to heart.

The Offering of Isaac | Genesis 22

He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 

Genesis 22:12-13

Again, God didn’t provide the animal for the sacrifice until Abraham’s arm was poised to strike. Sometimes God’s provision comes in the very nick of time, even when our obedience seems to be more costly than we feel we are able to pay. Yet in reality, God Himself always shoulders the true burden.

This moment in history, like the others, deserves a deep dive of its own – far to much to cover in this overview. But can I at least comment that it wasn’t unusual for pagan gods to require child sacrifice? God’s dramatic display here showed that He would be the one to provide the sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate provision of His own Son of the promise for the greatest and most complete sacrifice humanity will ever know.

But back to our main point – Abraham’s obedience came before God’s miraculous provision. We stand at a point in history where the miraculous provision has already happened. So, why do we yet hesitate to obey? Food for thought.

The Whole Life of Joseph | Genesis 37, 39-46

Ok, that’s a lot to take in, so let’s narrow it down to Joseph’s trial with Potiphar’s wife, shall we?

“He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

Genesis 39:9-10

Here’s a case where the obedience to God actually brings the poor man into a greater amount of trouble. Because of his obedience to God and his refusal to be seduced by a powerful woman, Joseph spends time in jail.

Let me rephrase that: he spends time in jail for doing the right thing.

Obedience to God often comes at a great personal cost. This is reiterated in many ways through the Book, but this is a powerful example. Yet God did use all these circumstances to ultimately position Joseph in a place where he could save his family from starvation. He also had to forgive them for selling him as a slave – a fact that may shock us in today’s “trauma-sensitive” environment.

So in Ol’ Joe’s life, we see that obedience leads from the frying pan to the fire and then into the coals themselves before God’s miraculous delivery is brought about.

Never forget, at our historical moment, the most miraculous has already been done. Yet we still have miles or months of obedience ahead before we get to see the total fulfillment in our eternal reward!

Dang, I didn’t even get out of Genesis, and there are tons of others: Moses and his call to deliver the people from Pharoah – another painstaking and unpopular process. Joshua and the silent “battle” of Jericho. The list goes on and on.

This time through the Word, I’m relishing the overview and remembering that my obedience may not pay out in earthly comfort, convenience, or reward. But in the long run, my choosing again and again to trust God will be worthwhile.

Friend, so will yours. Chronologically speaking, obedience is the only safe bet.

Job: A Summary of Reflections

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

A brief walk-through of a few of my reflections through my latest reading of the book of Job:

JOB 1:6 – Why do most English translations grant the accuser a proper name when the original language is merely a noun with a definite article roughly translating to “the accuser?”

JOB 1:8 – Imagine the honor of being showcased by the Almighty as an exemplary servant! I mean, yeah, the temporal consequences stunk, but still…

JOB 4:12-16 – Job’s buddy Eliphaz seems to confuse either nightmares or demonic visitation with a word from God.

JOB 8:4 – Bildad isn’t the most comforting, either. I can’t do better than the paraphrase of this verse I heard on Wednesday night: “Sorry your kids are dead, but they probably deserved it.”

JOB 11:6b – And his pal Zophar tends more toward condemning than comforting, too. The title of this section in the ESV says it all.

JOB 13:5 (NIV) – Nice one, Job. Silence would indeed suit these guys well.

MOST OF JOB – Lord, help me not to be like Job’s fair-weather friends. Teach me how to shut my mouth and listen more. Also, I hope Job got some better friends after this crisis.

JOB 38 – What is it about the human race (yours truly included) that makes us believe we are actually entitled to know things? We are created things yet we somehow think all our whys should be indulged by an answer, as if we could possibly grasp the vast and ancient wisdom of the Ancient of Days. How like a small child we are, sulking when our Father doesn’t provide us with an answer we can come to terms with and not realizing we aren’t even capable or understanding even if He deigned to tell us (see also Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6).

JOB 41 – What in the sweet summer sunshine is Leviathan and how can I avoid ever meeting one??

My overall takeaway from this past reading of Job is to stay in my lane and trust my God even when nothing around me makes any sense. Lord, help us to remember who we are and who You are, amen!

When Job Is My Portion

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

This past Saturday, I woke to one of Tennessee’s typical grey winter days. After reading my morning portion of the Word, I caved in to my Aussie’s pleading stares and vocalizations. A quick check of the weather app assured me the looming clouds would not spill over for “at least 60 minutes,” nonetheless, I donned my rain gear and set off with the furry victor happily trotting at my side. Since my portion is in Job at present, it seemed appropriate to me to listen to said book while I walked to enhance my morning’s reading, and I decided to backtrack and listen from Job chapter 1.

The weather app lied.

About a half-mile into my walk, a misty drizzle started. It was fairly warmish and the drizzle was light, so I decided to keep going. Besides, my poor pooch had already missed several walks this winter due to my state’s bipolar weather and my own health issues. As I passed the lake, I noted my friend the limpkin still inexplicably hanging out at the water’s edge despite being a good 450-odd miles from the northern edge of his typical range – not to mention last week’s snowpocalypse.

He stared at me as I passed, possibly wondering why the crazy human trudges through the mist and still stops to snap photos of him. Good question. I moved on, listening to Job’s lament and feeling a bit dissatisfied with my choice. But I kept walking.

About halfway through my short route, the drizzle picked up to a light rain. By this time, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had begun their potshots and part of my mind drifted to my own times of trial. The rain lent a dismal ambience to perfectly complement the audio.

When the light rain began to drift toward downpour, I debated the merits of fighting the rain for control over my phone’s screen to make a call. Instead, I put my head down and determined to finish the last 3/4 mile or so as quickly as possible. Then I saw movement. Through the raindrops coating my glasses, a familiar vehicle drew near.

My husband had noted the increase in damp and come to my rescue. Hallelujah!

The whole experience reminded me of a dark and dismal time in my life. Like Job, I’d lost a lot (though not all). The people I’d called “friend” abandoned me in my hour of need, and I felt myself alone, groping through a cold and misty waste with nowhere to turn. Then out of nowhere, as I trudged ahead in a grim and hopeless determination, my Rescuer appeared.

I found the Word of God – not just the Book but the Redeemer it speaks of: Yeshua Messiah, Jesus the Christ, Immanuel, God-With-Us. My Lord and my God. In my darkest hour, in abject fury and despair, I shouted my unbelief and unbelievably, He came to my rescue anyway.

He took me under the shelter of His wings and slowly began the work of healing my wounded heart, untwining the deeply-rooted sins that infected my soul, and cleaning up the mess I’d made. My journey since then has still had moments of despondency and pain, but I now have a safe and warm destination to look forward to.

Just as my husband picked me up and drove me home, my Lord and Savior is carrying me through the murk of life. And I know that someday, He will bring me Home. This is what I keep in mind when Job’s lot seems to be my portion. Even without the Book, Job himself clung to this hope and kept going.

My friend, so can you.

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.

(Job 19:25-26)

What If?

~ Heather Davis ~ 10 Comments

Reading through one of my (admittedly many) favorite biblical stories today – the story of Joseph – caused me to reflect on my own selfishness. Too often in my walk with the Lord, I’ve asked the wrong questions, particularly when things don’t go the way I think they ought. But what if instead of placing myself at the center of the story, I accepted all events as part of the unfolding plan of the Faithful God?

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…

Deuteronomy 7:9

What if I recognized that I am only one of billions of elements incorporated into His composition – a design so intricate and far-reaching, the first stroke was laid ages before my birth; a masterpiece encompassing more details than my mind can fathom spanning the breadth of eternity? What if I simply trusted the Almighty’s sure hand instead of wrapping myself in faithless despair at the first glimpse of a speck of darkness?

In fact, what if all of us who claim Yeshua Messiah (Christ Jesus) as our Lord laid down our limited understanding and trusted in His limitless sovereignty?

Now that would be something indeed.

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

Genesis 45:4-5

I’m reminded by Joseph’s words that my story isn’t really mine. The little length of my life is less than a fleck of paint in the Creator’s magnum opus.

I can make myself miserable by questioning events so far beyond my purview, I wouldn’t understand them fully even if the Eternal One let me in on the wheres, whys, and hows. Or I can be at peace, resting in the goodness of the One who does know, and humbly performing the tasks, no matter how trivial, He gives me to do each day.

Keeping my eyes on my troubles and inviting doubt and misery, or fixing my eyes on the Lord and embracing trust and peace.

It’s not a difficult choice when broken down into the simplest elements.

Diagnosis

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

“That’s not a diagnosis; it’s why I’m here.”

Frustration hardened my voice, drawing a sigh from my doctor. She replied, “We’ve literally tested you for everything, and it IS a diagnosis. There may not be a blood test yet but there are diagnostic criteria, and you do have the hallmark symptom of post exertional malaise. Trust me, this is it. Do your research.”

So much for the hope of something treatable.

A diagnosis of ME/CFS is kind of like being told you have a virus, only the symptoms won’t improve in a couple of weeks. No treatment, no definitive disease course, no cure. Yet this obstacle felt minor compared to the despair I felt in my former life as an atheist.

In those days, I could see the world was a mess. Everywhere I looked, I saw a profound brokenness; a sickness for which I could find neither explanation nor cure. Even mirrors reflected the malady so I avoided them when possible. On my own, single and careless if not quite carefree, I could stomach the ugliness. I even participated; a hopeless if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em mentality.

But on the day I stared down at twin pink lines on a pregnancy test, the weight of the world’s horrors squeezed the air from my lungs.

Could I bring a child into this dismal world where evil lurked in broad daylight; where wars and kidnappings and murders were so commonplace that the news needed something splashier to capture the attention of a calloused public? Was it even moral to consider ushering an innocent life into such depravity?

These were the questions that drove me to my search for truth, and in doing so, I discovered there is not only a definitive diagnosis for the world’s disease, there is also a cure.

Imagine my relief.

The world’s diagnosis is simple: sin.

It’s hard to believe so much atrocity and sorrow can be encompassed by three letters of the English language, and yet it’s true. We live in an age that discounts sin as old-fashioned while failing to grasp the far-reaching devastation it brings.

Instead of measuring right and wrong against a set standard, we prefer to measure our choices against other rights and wrongs. “Sure, I’ve told a lie or two, but at least I’m not a murderer.”

We compare ourselves to Hitler or Charles Manson and feel confident that we aren’t that bad. But we are. The infection is so great, we don’t even see how it’s warped our very understanding.

Instead of being measurable against itself, sin is far more like cancer. One tiny cancer cell multiplies rapidly until the entire organism’s resources are taxed. Cancer, untreated, leads to death. Sin is no different but it is more complicated. Cancer affects only the organism it lives within; sin affects everything and everyone.

Like ripples a water droplet causes in a body of water, sin’s malignancy spreads out and disrupts other people and other elements of this world. To trace the influence of the myriad sins even of a single human being would be tantamount to documenting the impact and reverberation of every single ripple caused by each drop of rain in a hurricane.

However, the world and its inhabitants are not affected by a single person’s sin but by the collective sins of all people of all times. Only an all-powerful, all-knowing Being could sort it all out. And indeed, that’s exactly what happened.

God, the Creator who spoke the world and all its complexity into existence, understands the hopeless mangling of His creation caused by sin. He who created humanity that we might share His love also allowed us – as love must – to choose for ourselves whether or not we will share in it. And when each and every one of us rejected His love for the fleeting pleasure of deciding for ourselves what is and is not good and right, He saw the mess we made of things – and He had compassion.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:13-14

To me, this still comes as a shock.

The human response to a creation that defies and destroys would be anger, frustration, annihilation. But God had compassion for us rebels.

His compassion led to the cure for sin – a cure that I’ll be the first to admit sounds unbelievable. He sent His Son to live as human beings were meant to live – in obedience to His created structure – and then to die as a willing sacrifice to pay the price for sin.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Though the Son of God and Son of Man may have clothed Himself in death, He didn’t wear it forever. By the mystery of melded God and flesh and the unwarranted compassion of the Creator who became a part of His own creation, He died. Then He left death behind, discarded along with his grave cloth. He not only accepted the penalty for sin, He overcame it.

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?

1 Corinthians 15:55

Now because of Yeshua Messiah, Jesus the Christ, all we who are hopelessly infected with sin can choose to die to sin by putting our desire to be in charge to death. Then, free from the stranglehold of sin, we can also discard death as a useless garment and walk into true and everlasting life.

The journey starts now, and we must each choose our path. Choose wisely. There are only two options: either the path of sin leading only to death, or the Way of Messiah Yeshua by which we put sin to death and are gifted with life and peace- glorious, true and abundant.

There is only one cure for the cancer of the soul, and His name is Yeshua (Jesus). But like all cures, it is up to each person to accept it and apply it.

Cult of Death; Gift of Life

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace…
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Romans 8:6, 12–13 (ESV)

When facing an enemy that has stated it loves death more than others love life, what is the best step forward?

This is not only the question facing Israel in the current war against Hamas and the looming threat of other militant Islamic groups surrounding them, it’s truly the question we all face daily.

The greatest enemy isn’t Islam. It isn’t a group of people with radical ideology, its neither the Left nor the Right or any other human being at all. Our greatest enemy is far more ancient. He craves death and relishes it like fine wine. Lies are his native tongue, and he delights in threading chaos through both warp and weft of human relations. He inhales decay as a sweet savor and exhales ruin. He gloats as the world squabbles and burns.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44, ESV

I can’t help but feel great grief for Israel, but I feel an equal sorrow for the people dominated by radical Islam. In their own holy book, it is written that lying is permissible in cases of war, and in some hadith it is stated that there is a continual war against infidels who are enemies of Allah. It’s permissible to lie to convert the world to Islam, and death is the alternative to conversion. The zealous followers who drink this philosophy for breakfast believe they serve God, but if Allah is a god then he is the god of this world.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’

Matthew 4:8–10 (ESV)

If a man dies only to bring death and chaos to others, it is a sad thing for all. This is the mission given to many poor souls who fight so fervently for their own destruction. I shudder to think of what happens when the rewards they believed they would gain turn out to be just another lie.

Yet the call of the Lord Jesus is a call to put to death the “deeds of the body” – all that is unholy and evil within ourselves – hatred, envy, deceit, strife, lust, self-worship. When Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die,” he doesn’t mean we die to bring death to others. It is death to self.

We put to death what is deadly to others and to our own spirits so that we may not only gain life, we can give it as well. Sin is death and always brings a death. Yet for the sake of putting sin to death, many who live for Christ are accused of the very evils they are at war against. This is why:

Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

Psalm 44:22, Romans 8:6

It’s been a curious irony to feast on Romans 8 against the backdrop of wars and rumors of war. On one hand, my heart grieves for the world as it burns with fury and with physical fire. On the other, I welcome the suffering because I know they :are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18) – those of us who are in Christ, that is.

My heart sings with gratitude for the Light of the world who healed my blind eyes, opened my unhearing ears, and unshackled my mind from the lies of the evil one’s domain. It also keens for all souls who do not know the goodness of God or who, doubting His goodness, refuse to obey His good and gentle Way.

But mostly, I rejoice because I am my Beloved’s and He is mine. No matter what happens to my body, I am free; free from the law of sin and death, free from the fear of suffering, and free to live fully for the One who once died and rose again.

Oh how I long for the adherents of the death cults to turn and accept the free gift of life! They could stop conquering mere humanity and become more than conquerors, given over to love, and never separated from the goodness of God again in this world or the one to come. How I long for all people to come to this hope!

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-38