A tourist wanted to visit a famous missionary. He found her tending the festering wounds of a leper. “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” he exclaimed. The missionary looked up briefly and said, “Neither would I.” Divine love will go beyond anything human duty or compassion can conceive of doing.

It is hard to overstate the mixture of disgust and fear the people of Jesus’ day had for lepers. The law required a leper to cry “Unclean!” if anyone approached.

Jesus’ response was remarkable: (1) He let the leper approach, something unthinkable in that day; (2) Jesus had compassion on him, something inconceivable to strictly observant Jews; (3) Jesus touched him, something detestable to the fastidious; (4) Jesus healed the leper, something impossible without divine power.

He calls us by the same love and in the same spirit to reach out to the untouchables near us.

John preached a high level of devotion, “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 4b). It is never easy to lay aside pride–with the sense of entitlement that comes from the attitude that says, “God, I thank you that I am not like other[s]” (Luke 18:11). When we strip away our prideful pretensions, and wade into the cold water confessing our corruption, our condemnation is cleansed in the flood of God’s forgiveness. What happens when we wade back to shore? What do we do? Do we return by the same old path to homes, work, and relationships?

John cried, “Repent!” To repent is to turn from the old ways. That is good, but where do we go now?

“After me will come one more powerful than I . . . he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7a, 8b). Jesus came to give a new power, a new purpose, and a new presence–God’s abiding Holy Spirit.

I love listening to praise music, and I’m used to hearing music played in my home. I was taken by surprise, however, when I heard my 16-pound miniature Schnauzer singing!

Obie (short for Obadiah) first began singing with the sound of sirens as they occasionally passed our house. It wasn’t long until he started singing with me. I just laugh and tell him he’s a choir boy. (I don’t, however, tell him he’s a soprano. I’m afraid he’d be embarrassed.)

Psalm 150 is jam-packed with praise. We’re not only told where to praise God (everywhere); we’re also told how to praise him (in every way possible). But the key verse commands that everything alive give God praise. Again, we see the beyond-genius creativity of our heavenly Father! Though we can’t hear it, imagine what it must sound like to him as he listens to the symphony coming out of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as living coral praises its Maker.

Are you praising God?

I remember singing an action-packed song during my grade school years that was often rooted in competition. The boys would stand and sing at the top of their voices, “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah” and we girls would jump up and sing “Praise ye the Lord!” Each round got louder and faster until the song had actually morphed into a total scream fest.

The Lord is worthy of our praise. And he is worthy of our praise at all times.

It’s easy to praise God after a promotion and when we’re healthy. But true praise rings passionately even during the difficult times as well.

• The doctor’s office calls, the tests are back, and the news is not good. Praise the Lord?
• You’ve lost your job, depression is back, and the bills are coming tomorrow. Praise the Lord?

Yes. Praise the Lord. Though we’re not always happy about our circumstances, we can continually praise him for truly being Lord.

A couple of years ago, one of the many cellular phone companies made the phrase, “Can you hear me now?” almost as popular as “Where’s the beef?” from the 1985 Wendy’s commercial. Phone companies are in fierce competition on matters of coverage, texting rates, rollover minutes, and access to the Web. As a consumer, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the choices.

Aren’t you glad we don’t have to worry about making the right choice in how to communicate with our heavenly Father? His line is never busy. He doesn’t need caller ID. When we call him, we are ushered immediately into the throne room of heaven!

And there’s no right or wrong way to communicate with him—as long as it’s done from a truthful heart. We can call him out loud, through the pages of a journal, between sobs, through a song, and even in the midst of confusion. We’re promised that he is near whenever we call.

Let’s take advantage of never having to ask him the question, “Can You hear me now?” and let’s celebrate perfect communication with him by communicating with him often!

What comes to your mind, when you think of poetry? Something humorous from your grade school days, such as the poem above? Or something more polished, such as Emily Dickinson, John Keats, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?

When thinking about poetry, do you ever think of the Bible? It’s filled with some amazing poetry. In fact, Psalm 145is actually an acrostic poem, each verse begins with successive letters from the Hebrew alphabet. That our heavenly Father would choose to describe his righteousness, endurance, provision, and love for us in an acrostic poem is just a sample of his divine creativity. It speaks of his compassion and the fact that it takes him awhile to get angry. It’s exciting that he presents this to us through the beauty and gentleness of a poem.

God is not only perfect; he knows perfectly how to reveal himself to his children. And I’m grateful he chose to deliver these specific characteristics about himself through holy poetry.

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I don’t have a GPS. Call me old-fashioned, but I still like the feel of a good map in my hands, the smell of ink on the paper, and the tremendous challenge of folding it back correctly. (That part is still a mystery to me!) Actually, I’m convinced the easiest way to get good directions is simply to stop at a gas station and ask, “How do I get there?”

Technology is constantly changing, and oftentimes an atlas is outdated. But one surefire way to get precise direction is to seek it from our heavenly Father. He’ll never steer us wrong. When we trust him explicitly, he shows us how to avoid roadblocks set up by our enemy, Satan, and he empowers us to maneuver around the potholes and detours.

The world offers guidance through media, astrology, celebrities and politicians—all offering opinions on which way we should turn. God is a reliable source. He is our road map.

It came in yesterday’s mail, from my dentist, “Reminder: You are due for your six-month cleaning.” I wish my family physician would do something similar.

Christ is the Great Physician. And it stands to reason that if our physical bodies need a check-up once in a while, our spiritual lives also need an examination. If you haven’t had a thorough spiritual exam recently with the Great Physician, it’s time for an appointment.

We’re told in Psalm 139 how to make the appointment. We’re to pray: “Oh, Great Physician, search me. Shine your heavenly magnifying glass on every part of my life—inside and out. Examine my motives, my feelings, my relationships, my thought life, my conversations, what I do in my spare time, how I dress, how I treat people, my actions and reactions—everything. And if you find something that’s not right, please bring it to my attention. Make me aware, and I’ll commit it to you.”

I crouched between a dozen dresses, three pairs of shoes, and some stuffed animals. I was certain my friend would never find me inside the closet. But no sooner had a minute passed when the closet doors were opened, dresses parted, and the blanket pushed aside to reveal my surprised face at being discovered so quickly.

Because Hide and Seek is a children’s game, I’m often amazed at how many adults are still playing it . . . with each other—and unfortunately—even with God. If we’re genuinely maturing in our faith, we’ll come to realize that being “found” is a wonderful thing! The fact is God always knows where we are and everything about us is comforting. For the totally surrendered disciple, this brings divine protection and guidance. But for the nominal Christian who is still playing games with the Creator, it will spell frustration and resistance to know that nothing can be hidden from God.

Our heavenly Father yearns for intimacy with his children.

Psalm 105 emphasized the importance of God’s grace. Psalm 106 illustrates the evidence of the endurance of God’s grace. The Israelites clearly portray how one sin leads to many and ultimately God’s judgment.

God commanded the people to destroy the nation of Canaan, but they committed the sin of omission and neglected to obey. Compromise leads to contamination. They sacrificed innocent blood and lost the generation.

Once more, they were the recipients of God’s anger and punishment. He allowed other nations to have power over them, and they suffered oppression at their enemies’ hands. However, God extended grace to them for two reasons. Their afflictions and cry for mercy moved him to compassion, and he remembered his covenant to be their God.

God’s grace and love for his people offers mercy instead of justice. God’s long-suffering responds to rebellious sinners.