johnmarkharris.net

Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I willnot forget you.

Isaiah 49:15

God never becomes preoccupied or neglectful toward one of His children. God said it would be morelikely for a nursing mother to forget the infant at her breast thanfor Him to forget one of His children! The nursing mother has a keensensitivity to her baby. Even if the infant is in another room themother’s senses are in tune with her child. The mother knows when itis time to feed and care for the child. The mother never becomes sopreoccupied with other things that she neglects the needs of herchild. 

Continue reading →

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading tosalvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world producesdeath.

2 Corinthians 7:10

There is a difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow, though both are deeply felt. You can feel genuinesorrow over something you have done. Your mind can become consumedwith your failure and offense against God and others. Judas felt thiskind of sorrow. He betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces ofsilver, the standard price of a slave. Yet his sorrow did not lead himto repent and to seek restoration with his fellow disciples, butrather to a lonely field where, in his anguish, he took his own life(Matt. 27:3–5). 

Continue reading →

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. We want to be people of action. Wefeel better if we are doing something to address our need, but waitingforces us to rely on God. David learned what it meant to wait. He waschosen by God to be the next king of Israel, then spent years waitingfor the day God’s Word would come to pass in his life. As he waited, aparanoid, egocentric king occupied the throne that had been promisedto him. David spent his time hiding in caves and living among hisenemies. As he waited, he saw good friends murdered and his family and possessions taken. 

Continue reading →

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Hope in theChristian’s life is not wishful thinking. It is confident expectation.Those without Christ may wish things were different and wish they knewsomeone who could change their situations. The Christian is personallyrelated to the Lord of the universe, who is sovereign not only overall creation but also over every circumstance we experience. We can live with confidence because our hope is in One who is faithful. 

Continue reading →

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace ofGod; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble.

Hebrews12:15

Bitterness has a tenacious way of taking root deep within the soul and resisting all efforts to weed it out. Bitterness occurs formany reasons. It might come from deep hurts you received as a child,hurts you cannot forget. Time, rather than diminishing the hurt, onlyseems to sharpen the pain. Bitterness can result from the hurtfulwords of a friend or coworker. Often the person who hurt you is unaware of the extent of your bitterness. 

Continue reading →