Love isn’t always easy. Some days, it feels like your insides are being ripped out. Hosea is one of those books of the Bible which occasionally leaves you scratching your head. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit leading you to do something, but you could not figure out His overall plan? In fact, you wanted to say, “God, where are You going with this?” I wouldn’t be surprised if Hosea wondered that himself a few times after God told him to marry a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). So, after Hosea married Gomer, she went back into prostitution (crazy, right!?!). She had a husband, three children, … [Read more...]

Ruth is one of my favorite books of the Bible. What a precious story of faithfulness! First of all, my heart goes out to poor Naomi. She moved from Bethlehem to Moab with her husband and her two sons because of a famine – and after they reached Moab, her husband died. So, she’s far from home and loses her husband. Her sons marry Moabite women (Orpah and Ruth) and lived in Moab for ten years. Then, the sons died. So, Noami is far from home and she has lost everything in her life that matters at all – except her daughters-in-law. It was custom back then for a widow to marry a brother of her … [Read more...]

God made a covenant with Abraham and said that he would father many nations (Genesis 17:5). This seemed impossible considering he was almost a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. Sarah laughed at the thought of having a child at such an old age (Genesis 18:12), and then God replied with a statement which brings me such comfort, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son” (Genesis 18:14). Have a son she did! In her old age she gave birth to Isaac and his name means laughter! God doesn’t always give … [Read more...]

Abraham and Sarah (previously known as Abram and Sarai), is a couple close to my heart. I admire Abraham for his faith and obedience to God and Sarah for her faith and submission. Here is a couple who wanted children, were well past the age to bare children, and God tells Abraham that He will give him a son through Sarah. Abraham was ninety-nine when God spoke to him and said the following: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you … [Read more...]

In the next couple of weeks, in celebration of the month of love and Valentine’s Day, we are going to explore some love stories of some of the Bible’s famous couples! Have you ever imagined actually being in the Garden of Eden before the fall of man? Can you picture the beauty of the plants, the brightness of the fruits and vegetables, and the perfection of Adam? I would love to see how perfect the human body was before sin entered the world, wouldn’t you? Now consider this: you take a long nap, wake up, and find a beautiful companion next to you! Don’t we all wish that the quest for … [Read more...]