My God My Everything

We have all had moments where we feel overwhelmed and discouraged or perhaps you have been in a dark valley for some time and you wonder if you will ever come through. Sometimes it seems like the battle will never end. I have a word of encouragement for you; you are not alone. In those deepest darkest moments we have a decision to make of whether we are going to remain there or turn it all over to God who is standing and saying, “Let Me handle this. Trust me and walk by faith.” Letting go of the control we think we have is difficult. We think if we try…

There is a TV show called “What would you do?” that acts out questionable situations and then secretly records people to see how they respond. The responses vary from not getting involved to outrage. It does however, make you wonder what you would do in a particular situation. 1 Samuel 16 tells the story of two men who were in one of those situations. King Saul was again chasing after David and was camped nearby. David and one of his men Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.…

Today is a very special day to me, its Brock’s birthday. I’m often asked how old he would be and today he would have been 26 years old, but to me he will be forever 5. When I think of him that is what I picture in my mind, my cute little cowboy with a “tude.” He loved birthdays because they were “your day,” a day to celebrate you. There was always presents, cake and fun times. The other night while on a hike, my granddaughter asked me when Brock’s birthday was and if she could help send balloons to him. I was so touched that she asked and that…

I have thoroughly enjoyed my study of Abigail. There were so many lessons to be learned from the way she lived her life. I’m sure that we can identify with some of the experiences she went through and be grateful for the things we will never have to experience. I try to imagine what she must have felt, the emotions she had and the realities she faced. She had lived in luxury with a harsh husband who was difficult to deal with and drank heavily. After his death David asked her to marry him. David didn’t live in luxury at the time, rather it was moving from place to place,…

Peaceful responses are a powerful witness of God’s presence and leading in our lives. When we become believers we also become ambassadors, which are authorized messengers or representatives of Christ. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) We are messengers of peace who get the privilege of sharing Jesus with the world.…

A mediator is a person who brings about reconciliation between two parties. They work to bring about a peaceful solution and resolve conflicts that have happened due to actions taken by either person. Abigail acted as a mediator between her husband Nabal and David. Her humility and self-sacrifice were reflections of her faith. We also have a mediator that acts on our behalf. “Just as Abigail placed herself between David and Nabal, Jesus placed Himself between God and us. Just as Abigail volunteered to be punished for Nabal’s sins, Jesus allowed Heaven to punish Him for yours and mine. (1Timothy 2:5-6) Just as Abigail turned away the anger of David,…

How do you respond to criticism or correction? Both can be pretty tough to take at times and our response can actually be a sign of our spiritual maturity. When Abigail spoke correction to David she did it with her words full of grace, seasoned with salt and it turned the whole situation around. She graciously pointed out that what he intended to do was wrong. God had a better plan and destiny for Him and she reminded him of how God had already given him victory when he was slinging stones for Godly purposes. She acknowledged that he was being pursued by someone who wanted to kill him, then…

I’m fascinated with my study of Abigail because there is so much to learn from her and the stories that surround her. In one of the commentaries I was reading it asked the question, “What might her marriage have been like?” When I slow down and think about the bible characters and try to imagine what they were like deep down below the surface reading, it brings a whole new perspective to their stories. The bible tells us that she was intelligent and beautiful, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings. In biblical times marriages were arranged which meant that Abigail may not have been the one…

In our society we often hear about living the American Dream. The idea of having it all, being successful and happy. The reality is that none of that is what will bring real happiness and peace. Material things bring joy for a while, but that fades and more is desired. Relationships are wonderful and can bring a sense of fulfillment at times, but expectations change and people are human. Abigail found what really matters and what will last, the fear of the Lord. What does it mean as a believer to fear the Lord? Fearing the Lord means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact…