Letting Hatred Go…
Why do we hold onto the things that poison us the most? [Jesus said,] “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions (Proverbs 18:1-2). Forgiveness is setting the imprisoned bird free, then realizing that you were the imprisoned bird. (Traditional & Unknown) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). “Your hatred of her is unjustified,” the teacher said as a man ranted about his ex-wife. “What do you mean unjustified?” he spit out. “You have no idea how she treated me, the things she’s said to me, or the #$#@$@# things she continues to do. It’s my God-given right to hate her.” I’m taking a class for couples who are divorcing or are recently divorced that have too much conflict. Actually, let me restate that: the judge ordered that we take it. It’s like a finishing school of sorts for something that is, well, finished, or at least theoretically should be. The class is divided into 2 sessions: one partner comes to the earlier class and the other comes to the later one. Mr. It’s My Right to Hate Her was in the later class with me and assumed the teacher was making comments based on something his ex had said in his absence. “My comment has nothing to do with her,” the teacher responded in his calm and gentle tone. “She hasn’t said anything that makes me say it. I simply want you to know that your hatred of her will be your undoing.” They’re strong words. They’re also accurate. Trust me, I know. I once believed that if I didn’t fight for certain causes, it meant I was a pushover and was somehow giving my approval to things that shouldn’t ever have a seal of okay-ness on them. If someone pushed me on it, I would have justified my stance, probably even defined it as a righteous indignation. There are definite times for anger and indignation, but this was something different: it became a pattern of combativeness, of trying to determine who was right and who was wrong, or more aptly, of trying to prove my worth over someone else’s while recruiting others into my ring of dislike for the other party. That other party died recently. I’m not saying the fight ended. I am talking funeral service and all that jazz. I won’t – can’t – go into it, other than to say something in me did, too. If I had known their days were more limited than expected, would I have done things differently? I sure hope so. No, wait. Strike that and make it a resounding yes, one that echoes deep within and bubbles out, even to the point of verbalizing it to Mr. Its My Right. “Yes, you absolutely have every right to hate her,” I softly said to him. “No judge or anyone else is ever going to mandate that you abandon your views of her. But even though you have that right, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. The hatred comes at a high cost. There is so much that is valuable around you, especially your kids, yet you’re losing out on it as you’re consumed in this war against her. When does it end and when do you get to be you and have the freedom to live?” My words weren’t intended to be a I’m better-than thing, but rather of one who has been there for much too long and can look back and see the price. It comes with a ticket I refuse to pay anymore: bondage, depression, grief, and perhaps worst of all, giving someone else the right to determine if I was happy, upset, or somewhere in between. This life is too great to chance it away like that. This life is too great to hate it away like that. Today, I’m on a different mission. It’s one I eagerly recruit people into the ring with me to fight for it and embrace it dearly. It’s called life. I want to live, not as a result of what others say and think, but to live fully, extravagantly, and truly. Come join me in the ring. Title image courtesy of and altered from Flickr: Ben Salter About the author: Stacy is a founder of Eyes of Your Heart Ministries. which helps women “know the hope to which (God) has called (them)” (Ephesians 1:18). She is an author and speaker known for her ability to connect with audiences while bringing Biblical characters and principals to life. A proud mama of a beautiful daughter and energetic son, Stacy and her husband Allen live in Colorado.
Where Does it All Come From?
Where does the strength for a crisis come from? John Paul Norman is twenty-five, married, and the father of a four-month-old son. His mom, dad, and two sisters take such pride in him. He was an excellent student in high school and always kept his nose clean. In fulfillment of his boyhood dream to fly military aircraft, he earned an appointment to the Naval Academy, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and had become the “go-to guy” of his outfit – excelling now in flying two-man Cobra helicopters. On his last day of stateside training before leaving for duty overseas, his sophisticated flying machine failed its pilots. The experienced Major at the aircraft’s controls did everything right to minimize the crash impact. He was injured but able to escape the cockpit. Lt. Norman, in the front position and manning the Cobra’s weaponry, was pinned. As his flying mate and another crew of Cobra pilots tried to extricate him, the terrible fire began. And John suffered third-degree burns on both arms and both legs. As I write this story for you, he is still fighting for his life in a burn unit in Phoenix. He is getting outstanding medical care and has already undergone three major surgeries in the two weeks following his injuries. It has been absolutely amazing to watch his wife, parents, and sisters deal with all that has happened. And their way of coping reflects the heart and character of the patriotic young man they love. Something of a mantra within this godly family right now goes like this: “God didn’t cause this to happen to John, but he is going to use John and what has happened to him in some wonderful way we can’t see yet.” Have you ever heard a clearer, firmer declaration of faith? Do you wonder how they found such strength in this crisis? They didn’t! They built it into their lives and relationships over decades. What some people don’t understand is that heroic or righteous behaviors don’t just spring up in a fortunate few. They surface in the lives of people who have been about the little things that build faith, nurture love, and form character over time. Then, when the crisis comes, they have deep reserves from which to draw. If you think the routine things of your life – showing up, doing your job well, being honest and fair, saying grace at meals with your family, getting to Sunday School and church together – don’t really count for much in the grand scheme of things, you are incredibly mistaken. They are monumentally important. They are the tiny elements of the deep strength you may need for your own ordeal someday. So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 5:1-8) As you think about your own needs for today, please pray for my friend John. About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
The Face of Fear
What do you do when you are really afraid? We were stunned. People chose sides and weighed in with strong opinions. The young mother was sentenced to prison. Her live-in-lover was already in prison for the brutal death of her young child. His actions were beyond belief, and had raised incredible rage in the community. How a toddler could be so disgracefully murdered was incomprehensible to everyone. Now, the mother was being sent to prison for not protecting her child – for not reporting the previous abusive incidents by her boyfriend and not immediately reporting the role her lover had in taking the life of her child. “She lived in terror for her own life!” That’s what women’s advocates screamed. That’s what her defense attorney emphasized. He pleaded that she had been demeaned enough, had lost enough, was grief-stricken enough, and that prison time could do nothing to redeem the situation. “She is the child’s mother. As parents, we have a sacred duty to protect our children, no matter the danger or the consequences.” That was the position of the DA and most in our community. I’m not asking you to choose a side. I want us to think for a moment about what lies underneath this incident. I want us to us focus for a moment on fear – fear that paralyzes and intimidates and fear that shuts us down, immobilizing and debilitating us. Have you ever been terrified? I’m not talking about going to a really scary movie or having an instant of sudden, but passing fear. I’m talking about an ongoing sense of absolute terror for your own life and the lives of those you love! As the debate raged about this mom and her lack of response, my heart broke for her. I have known terror. I’ve worried about having put my whole family in jeopardy. It was a long time ago, but every now and then, something happens and it comes back like a cold paralyzing wave. Fear has the power to destroy God’s work in us. Fear can become our unwanted god, making our heavenly Father an irrelevant relic left in the stain glass ghetto of Sunday. Our Christian faith sounds so neat and tidy there, so powerful and inspiring. But you see, it’s not really put to the test until we see the face of fear in our own mirror. Until we feel its wilting breath cold upon our shoulder and experience the total emasculation of our resolve. Hopefully in our time of fear, a brother or sister in Christ will step in and buy us some time to sort out our fear. Hopefully we will courageously keep doing the mundane things that are necessary for life and open the door to the Spirit’s presence. But in the crucible of real life, ultimately there comes a time when those of us in fear have to decide whether or not we believe in the promises of God to give us ultimate victory beyond death. We have to decide that God is with us no matter what the circumstances are – that we are not alone in facing our terrors and that God’s Spirit will strengthen us AS we do what’s right, even when we are not sure we have the strength to do it! When I was a boy, filled with images of John Wayne movie courage, I thought that a courageous person did not experience fear. Now I know better. I understand that God’s Greatest saw the face of fear and prayed, “Let this cup pass from me.” He saw the terrors of hell that he would have to face on the Cross and he asked to be delivered from them. But looking fear in the face, he went one step further: “Not my will, but yours be done.” If he could not be delivered FROM his terror, he was confident that God would deliver him THROUGH his terror. In the end, this is the ultimate test of faith and this is the ultimate proof of courage. When Jesus came to his disciples on the stormy waters and said, “Fear not, I AM!” I don’t believe he was saying, “Don’t let fear cross your minds.” No, he is saying, “In the face of fear, recognize I am here. Don’t let fear stop you from what I’ve called you to do.” There is a difference between feeling fear and being mastered by it. There is a difference between being afraid and being immobilized by it. Courage is seeing the face of fear and then choosing to call out to the one who insures that it can never have us, our great I AM. Courage is seeing the face of fear and refusing to have it be our master. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Beautiful Scars
Can ugly scars be beautiful? The following story by Lih Yuh Kuo appears in Chicken Soup For the Soul: A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking. “How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked. The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She touched the burned side of her face. “This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did.” At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day. In a similar manner, Jesus Christ bears a scar – many scars, in fact. There are those who find that somewhat embarrassing – “You mean to tell me you worship a man who was crucified?” However, realizing that his ugly scars are the result of his efforts to save me, they suddenly take on a special beauty. Those scars led Thomas to say, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) They lead me to say the same thing. I’m so thankful that something so ugly and horrible has taken on such beauty, because of the great love that Jesus Christ had for me. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) About the author: Alan Smith ministers with the Church of Christ in White House, Tennessee and publishes the email devotional “Thought for the Day.”
Falling on our Face
Did her Olympic disaster remind you of anyone you know? We’ve all done it. We’ve “fallen on our face.” Some of us have done it literally. My nickname through early life was “Trip” and I’ve literally dive-bombed my way into an embarrassing situation or two – while walking to class, on dates, with family, in front of crowds, walking off of the tee box … the list could on and on. Nearly all of us have “fallen on our face” figuratively. We’ve promised God we wouldn’t fall into the same old sinful trap and then turn around and stumble over the same temptation. We’ve torn apart a relationship because of repeated bad judgment, insensitivity, or just plain ol’ sinfulness. We’ve ruined a good business because of continuing greed, arrogance, or success lust. We’ve spawned a feud with a family member and nurtured it with an unwillingness to ask for forgiveness and with an unwillingness to forgive. The list could go on and on. If we are honest, we all know a little bit how Guo Xinxin of China felt when she fell on her face the other night at the Olympics. Guo had led the first round of Women’s Aerials in freestyle skiing. However, when Evelyne Leu of Switzerland connected on her extremely hard triple summersault with three twists, Guo had to try a very hard jump to win. Her jump was beautiful in the air, but on her landing, her skis pulled apart and she missed her landing. Actually, she literally “fell on her face” with her arms and legs spread eagle with her landing. This not only cost her the Olympic gold medal, it also cost her a trip to the podium for any medal. Like the old ski jumper in ABC’s “agony of defeat” segment, that poor guy who missed his jump and bounced down the slope of the hill with his arms flailing, Guo was the “spectacle” in the “spectacle of sport.” She was the morbid fascination of this winner-take-all made for TV drama. She even made the front page of our sports section. She was displayed face down in the snow, sliding down the landing hill with ice and snow splashing all around her. Guo is from a sports culture where winning is so important – and these days it sure seems all cultures are pretty much that way about the Olympics. I have wondered how Guo will be received at home. Will she be lauded for attempting such a hard jump rather than simply settling for a medal? Will she be “scapegoated” for her failure to live up to her predicted victory? How does she feel inside about “falling on her face”? How will her friends and teammates help encourage her? Over the years, I’ve literally seen thousands of posters, plaques, needlepoints, pictures, and banners displaying Isaiah 40:30-31. Nearly all of those have a picture of an eagle. I’ve never seen any with a person lying face down in the snow! While I love the majestic grandeur of these soaring eagles, I’ve come to believe that the real heroes are not those who soar like eagles. It’s pretty easy to enjoy life and keep going when you’re soaring like an eagle! My heart is now more often drawn to those who have stumbled and fallen, even “fallen on their face,” and then they have gotten back up and kept on walking. So here’s to you, Guo XinXin. May you keep on walking. And if you do, I know you will take flight in the aerials once again. And here’s to you – yes, you who have “fallen on your face” once again. Your failure matters more than Guo’s because she failed at a game, no matter how important that game may seem. No, you have failed at your life. You’re not sure you can go on. You’re not sure you even want to try to go on. Even worse, you are not sure you are even worthy to be given another chance to go on. I want to simply remind you that the greatest of heroes are those who get up and keep walking after they have “fallen on their face,” again. God’s promise is for you, if you will summon the courage to believe … and get up … and keep on walking. Even the youths shall faint and be weary,And the young men shall utterly fall,But those who wait on the LORDShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV) About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Daily Prayer for February 28
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 57:10-11, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you have always been gracious to us, revealing your great goodness and power in ages past and in the present. In this revelation we live, O Lord our God. You are the almighty One, who works wonders on earth and who rules the heavens so that we can be blest and helped on our earthly paths. Let your goodness and your justice be revealed throughout all the world. Arise, O Lord our God. Let your light shine in us who believe in you. Let your light shine into the whole world. Let your name be glorified. You are indeed our Father, both in heaven and on earth. You give our lives security now and in eternity. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Light Your Lamp and Read Saint Columban An ancient Irish saint exhorts us to sell our vices and buy life. Read now Painting the Neighborhood John Whitehead Allan Rohan Crite, a contemporary of the Harlem Renaissance, forged his own artistic path in Boston. He has left us a celebration of community. Read now The Masculine Virtues We Need More Of Rubin McClain Jesus shows us what it means to be manly. Read now Christian Fellowship Isn’t Just Being Nice Clarence Jordan In our hunger for fellowship, we have settled for cheap substitutes. Nowhere in the New Testament does “fellowship” imply pleasant social contacts. Read now Walls Make a Room Ersun Augustinus Kayra When offering hospitality to people in crisis, you need to know your limits and boundaries. Read now
27 Feb 2026
One sure way to avoid sin is do deal with evil desires. Seek God’s help before they become temptations which then conceive sin. Share abd pray with brethren who can hold you accountable before that conception happens. Trust God’s help in each circumstance and give glory to Him especially when you experience victory. James 1:13-15; James 5:16.
Light for Living
What will you do when the lights all go off? When I was a boy of about ten, my mother and father took me to Carlsbad Caverns. I still remember the gigantic stalagmites and stalactites. I can almost feel the cold of being deep inside the earth on a hot summer day. But my most vivid memory is of the moment our guide had all of us find a place to sit down and – after warning of what was about to happen – turned off all the electric lights that had been put inside the dark belly of the earth. I felt like I was tumbling head over heels. My heart raced. With one hand I grasped the rock ledge on which I was sitting and with the other reached for my father. Fortunately, the tour guide didn’t allow it to last long. He turned on his flashlight. And it looked as bright as a million candle-power searchlight! An ordinary flashlight that costs $3.00, complete with batteries, can push back the encompassing, frightening darkness of Carlsbad Caverns. A beam that would be hardly noticeable at ground level on a sunny day looks like a laser in deep darkness. As soon as it appeared, my stomach gave up its tumbling sensation. My lunch became stable again. I could see my parents’ faces in outline again and knew I wasn’t alone. I sensed that the single light in our guide’s hand heralded the return of the lights which had guided us previously and whose presence we had taken for granted. When God created Planet Earth for our habitation, he came onto a scene that was formless and dark. He pushed back the darkness with light, then set about to bring order to chaos. It takes light for life to survive and thrive. When Jesus was re-creating the human race and restoring hope to despairing people, he came onto a scene made formless and dark again. This darkness had come by human rebellion against his Father and humanity’s inhumanity to its own. In his birth, teaching, lifestyle, and personal victory over death in the resurrection, he pushed back the darkness with the light of heaven’s bright glory. To use John’s language, Jesus was the light shining into our darkness; the darkness could not conquer the light he brought. If you ever feel the head-over-heels sensation that comes of being in the deep darkness, look in his direction. Jesus is still the Light of the World. And it is only in the presence of light that you can live, grow, and flourish. “I am the world’s Light,” Jesus said. “No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in” (John 8:12 MSG). About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Just Don’t Hurt My Kid!
What is every parent’s instinct? God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9-10 NLT) Nearly every parent has either said it or thought it: “You do something to hurt me, it’s forgivable, just don’t hurt my kid!” I will never forget when our first child was born. I was not prepared for the incredible and new type of love that flooded my soul. Here was a human being that I did not yet really know and who would not be able to respond back to me emotionally for several weeks, yet I loved him with an overwhelming and protective love. It was a different kind of love than I had ever known. The power of this love, its pervasive pull across all of my life, was astounding. My love for our son deepened and widened as he began to respond to my efforts to speak with him, to comfort him, to giggle with him, and to reassure him. Several years later, when our daughter came along, I had as much love to share with her as I had to share with our firstborn. That protective love for my kids wasn’t diminished because there was another one to love. Instead, that protective love was strengthened. I would give them anything within my ability. I would do anything I could that was for their good. I would do everything I could to make their lives better for them. Most of all, I would do anything, or take on anyone, to protect them. I believe this God-created, protective love for our children is part of what makes the story of Golgotha so powerful. Yes, on one level, a story of the crucifixion of a Jewish carpenter doesn’t have much to stir us. (1 Corinthians 1:21-2:4) On another level, however, when that Jewish Carpenter is God’s Son, something reaches out and appeals to us that is beyond intellect or emotion. Something overwhelming happens to those who understand the protective power of parental love. It is the primal parental tug on our heart: “Do to me what you must, just don’t hurt my kid!” Something in the Father’s agony at the Cross speaks to us. His ability to withhold his protective fury from his Son’s accusers, mockers, attackers, and butchers reaches us at a soul level that is deeper than words. The distance between our ability to protect our kids and God’s ability to protect his Son is expansive. Withholding his power to protect his boy, while allowing his torturous death to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, wins our heart. Something inside us knows that we can only stand in awe of such love. Something inside that love wins us at the soul level. We become his children, too, bought by a grace beyond us. As the old hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross concludes, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!” O God Almighty, your wondrous creation captures my imagination. However, dear Father, offering your Son as the sacrifice for my sins wins my heart. Thank you for paying the ultimate price any parent could ever envision. I am humbled that you paid such a horrific price so that I could be your child. Thank you in the name of Jesus, your Son and my Savior I pray. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters, when I first came to you I didn’t use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God’s message. For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. I came to you in weakness, timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. I did not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was powerful among you. I did this so that you might trust the power of God rather than human wisdom. (1 Corinthians 2:1-4 NLT) About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
At Just the Right Time
Can you hang on till the right time? When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (Romans 5:6) Something always seems to happen at just the right time. The something may be different, usually is, but something almost always happens at just the right time to make life better, to get you through a situation, or to give you strength to continue the journey. A mother who spends all day with small children gets almost to the end of her rope by the end of the day. Her nerves are on edge. The noise in the house has reached the “driving me crazy stage.” She has issued her last warning. “The next child who says, ‘Mommy, I want …’ will spend the rest of the day in their room.” Then, at just the right time, Dad comes home and gives her a break (hopefully a real break, not just the opportunity to prepare dinner). She will be able to survive another day with the children. A teacher has reached his breaking point with his unruly students who daydream more than focus, talk more than listen, and play more than they study. He’s questioning his sanity and considering a career change. He’s made up his mind that if things do not get better by year’s end, he’s quitting. At just the right time, a former student stops by just to talk. During the conversation the student tells him, “You taught me so much! Thank you.” He will renew his contract. A youth worker is considering leaving his ministry position. He’s been doing it for years. He is afraid he’s losing touch with the younger generation. His family needs have changed. He finds himself scanning the “Minister Needed” section of the church papers, and occasionally he ponders what it would be like to be just a regular church member. At just the right time he gets a call from a former member of his youth group. He tells him he is considering going into youth ministry and wants to ask his advice. A dad drags himself out of his office at the end of another long grueling day. He’s seen his clients more often than he has seen his family. Yesterday he missed another of his son’s games. He likes his job but finding the balance between work and family is tough. He wishes he could figure out a better way of life. At just the right time he and his family get away for a vacation. They reconnect. They recommit. They refocus. They are refreshed. He will go back to work next week with a new attitude. A friendship is hanging on by a thread. Too much time and too many miles have made it difficult to stay close. Every week your good intentions are to give her a call. Every week you fail to call. You rarely hear from her and when you do it is just the surface stuff of life that you despise. At just the right time she calls and says she is coming for a visit. You visit. You laugh. You rebuild. You are amazed at how it seems as though you picked up right where you were the last time you were together. A believer does everything in his power to justify his inheritance in the kingdom. He works hard in the church. He provides for his family. He prays regularly and often. He reads his Bible daily. He doesn’t cuss, smoke or drink, and he does not hang out with those who do. But still it’s not enough. He has no peace. He has no hope. He has no confidence in eternity. At just the right time, God sent his son into the world to die on the cross and save us from our sins and finally understands the reality of the Father’s grace. (Romans 5:1-11) God provides for our needs at just the right time. The right time is not always what we consider the right time. But it is His time. That is the right time. May God bless you so that you can see this time when it comes! About the author: Tom Norvell is the author of “A Norvell Note” — Thoughts and reflections on God, life, people, and living as a follower of Jesus. He has ministered with followers of Jesus for four decades and loves Jesus, his family, and those seeking Jesus, passionately.