March 12, 2010
How would you describe God’s love?
Have you ever experienced a time when you felt that a sermon or bible passage seemed as if it had been aimed directly to you? Two people can come across precisely the same message and yet be personally impacted by the power of God’s voice in profoundly distinct and unique ways. God’s Word is mighty and true. The Bible describes it as being “alive and active.” In Ephesians chapter 3, the love of God is expressed as “wide, long, high, and deep.” Yet often times, when I read this portrayal, a different image comes to mind. Sometimes I picture Christ the carpenter, carefully constructing His Church, incorporating each person into precisely the proper place, at the proper time, in the proper arrangement, so that we can become vessels of His love to a hurting world. At other times, one particular aspect will seem to jump off the page, reminding me of a specific character trait of God that speaks to my current situation.
- For example, consider length. I might be reminded of God’s faithfulness. It is an awesome and humbling joy to realize that God has been, and will continue, watching over the full length of my life, beginning from before I was conceived, through birth, life, death, and even beyond the grave!
- Width reminds me of God’s omnipresence: at any given moment, God is involved with every detail of my life. Carefully orchestrating each one with perfect precision so that despite the difficulties (as God will not interfere with free will), I might draw closer to the One who has loved me since before time began.
- The Depth of God’s love may cause me to reflect on the fact that God knows me fully and completely, even better than I know myself. It can also bring to mind the fact that Jesus was willing to suffer death on a cross in order to come down from Heaven and meet me in the darkest corners of my heart.
- And lastly, height lovingly lures my mind and spirit to bask in God’s holiness and sovereignty. To be reminded that He is above all things and although God created the entire universe and everything in it, the greatest object of His affection, is us.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.” Ephesians 3:18 NLT
“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:9 NLT
Shadia Hrichi
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February 15, 2010
“The Writing is on the Wall”
Almost everyone has heard the expression, “The writing is on the wall.” I’ve never given its origins much thought until recently as I was reading the book of Daniel, Chapter 5. The Babylonian king, Belshazzar, after repeatedly ignoring God’s warnings and judgments, went so far as to mock the God of Heaven by having a wild drunken party using the gold cups that had been taken from God’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Suddenly, a hand – all by itself – appeared and began to writing on the wall. The guests, and especially the king, were terrified as the hand spelled out the king’s fate…and the king was killed that very same night.
My “Writing on the wall” experience happened about two weeks ago. For three days, I had been praying about the devastating earthquake that recently hit the desperately poor country of Haiti. In the past, before I was laid off from my job, I almost never hesitated sending sums of money to relief efforts after major disasters, in addition to giving God my regular tithes and offerings. But without a job and after having to sell my home, lose the equity I had hoped to recover, and moving into a small apartment, I hesitated because the size of the gift I felt God was asking me to send was so large. But then something amazing happened: God began “writing on the wall.” On the first of the three days I prayed about this, I asked God to do something I almost never ask of Him: to give me not just one, but three clear confirmations of His will because of the size of the gift and because I had no job. That first morning, God lead me straight to Psalm 46 which begins, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea…” (verses 1-2)
Wow. But still, I hesitated. The gift was far larger than what I often would send when I was working! So the next day, I prayed again. And God lead me to read the story of Nehemiah (Chapter 2). Here we read that Nehemiah is filled with grief over the destruction of his beloved Jerusalem and so, with fear and trembling, he asks the king of Persia, whom he serves, for all of the resources he would need to go to Jerusalem and rebuild it.
By then, I knew full well what God wanted me to do – but, unlike times past when I felt more financially secure, I still needed an extra measure of courage to send this gift. And yet God, in His amazing mercy, gave it to me. On the third day, after I had finished praying and reading my Bible, I went into my bedroom. I noticed a stack of bible verses lying haphazardly in one corner of my dresser. I had written them out on post-it notes over the years and had placed them on various walls and cabinet doors in my recently sold home to serve as reminders; I simply had not gotten around to putting them up on the walls of my new apartment. To my astonishment, on the very top of the pile was the verse James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Truly, the “writing was on the wall!” I immediately went to my computer and sent the funds. Looking back, I realized that not only had I almost risked failing to ‘look after orphans and widows in their distress’ but I nearly allowed the world, and its empty promises of security and self-fulfillment, to rob me of the joy of being a blessing to others! Praise God who is not only generous to us in His mercy, love, wisdom, and kindness…but even in His patience!
(the post-it of James 1:27 is now securely affixed to my computer monitor 
Shadia Hrichi
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January 1, 2010
Hearing God’s Voice
Have you ever felt, “If I just prayed more often, or harder…I’d get closer to God and be able to hear His voice…?” I know I have – just this morning as a matter of fact. But then I read this Bible verse, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.” John 14:21 NIV (emphasis mine)
Suddenly I realized there is a PROMISE here! The Bible says God will reveal Himself to those who love Him and the way God knows we love Him is by obeying His commands.
There is no formula, or ritual, or rules on how/when/how hard to pray…it’s about a relationship that boils down to one question: Do I trust God? Can I trust God with my life, my family, my career, a job loss, my children, finances, sickness, finding a new home…whatever I need Him for at this very moment?
His commands are designed, not to keep us away from something, but rather to lead us each into our own ‘promised land.’ When we commit ourselves to following Him, to staying on the right path, we have positioned ourselves where we can both see Him and hear His voice. Do you want to be closer to God? Do you have God’s commands written on your heart? They hold the key to hearing God’s voice. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus spells out for us God’s greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (NIV)
It’s all about the relationship. It always has been. Because God, out of His deep love for us, gave us everything – even the life of His very own Son – are we willing to trust God enough to obey His Word? Not just the parts we’re willing to accept but all of it?
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Shadia Hrichi
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November 27, 2009
Why is God holding back?
Just one glance at the news can make anyone wonder, “When are You coming, Lord?” It is a question God knows full well. In Luke Chapter 17, the teachers of the religious law asked Jesus the same thing: “When will [the Kingdom of God] come?” Jesus’ answer likely took them by all by surprise, “The Kingdom of God is already among you.” (verses 20-21)
The Kingdom of God takes residence within each and every person who welcomes Jesus into his or her life as Lord. Many of the disciples had experienced it, yet most of the religious leaders were still looking for it, blind to what was right in front of their eyes: Jesus, God in the flesh. (see John 1:1, 14) Interestingly, Jesus then turns to His followers (no longer addressing the religious leaders) and offers these illustrations:
- During the days of Noah, as people were mocking God and ridiculing Noah, God held back His righteous punishment until all of those on the earth who loved and trusted Him – who, in the end, amounted to only Noah and his family – were safe inside the ark. Then, the punishment of God came.
- In the days of Sodom, God held back His wrath until all of those in Sodom who loved and fully trusted Him – only Lot and his two daughters – were safe outside the city. Then, the judgment came.
Many are eager to embrace selective character traits of God (Merciful, Loving) yet they ignore His Holiness and Righteousness which require that wrongdoing be punished and Heaven remain Holy. God extends His offer to take away the stain of sin from everyone but He gathers only those who come to Him willingly. He will not force His love, or His Holy Heavenly Kingdom, upon anyone.
Trust Jesus today as your Lord and Savior. Just as Jesus was willing to step off His Heavenly Throne to bring you the Kingdom of God, His very Self, we, in turn, must step down from the throne of our hearts and invite Jesus to take our place as being King and Lord of our lives. Only then will we truly understand the immeasurable love of God who is holding Himself back, only for a time, from executing His Final Judgment upon the earth. The reason He is holding back, is you.
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 NASB
Shadia Hrichi
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November 2, 2009
What Can You Learn From a Crook?
Have you noticed how often dishonest people seem to get away with their schemes? So many are willing to pay an incredibly high price for things that, in light of eternity, have no lasting value. In the beginning of Luke Chapter 16, we read about a dishonest manager who was embezzling money from his employer and got caught. His boss ordered him to get his books in order because he was going to be fired.
Sadly, instead of trying to make things right, the manager decided to “make friends” whom he figured would help him after he was fired. This way, he thought to himself, he wouldn’t have to resort to manual labor or begging in the streets. The manager decided to call in each person who owed his boss money. When they arrived, he offered to adjust the records to make it appear as if they owed less. Not only did the manager throw away a second chance to do the right thing, the debtors took advantage of the situation themselves, agreeing to the falsified records.
There certainly is a lesson here; however, it may not be the one you might have guessed. The lesson is not “though shalt not steal” but rather, don’t miss a great opportunity! The manager had no shortages of opportunities in life—as a matter of fact, he made the most of every opportunity to steer them to his advantage. He simply chose wrong over right, evil over good, his way over God’s way.
His boss, who saw what the manager was doing, was actually impressed by his shrewdness. We may be quick to dismiss the manager as having nothing valuable to teach us; however, Jesus says we should actually learn from him. Like the manager, we should use our resources, influence, and opportunities to “make friends.” The difference is that the manager was short-sighted and self-centered: he made friends purely for selfish reasons—to use them for what he could get out of them during the short time he had left on earth. But for us, we should make friends for their benefit, making the most of every opportunity to share Christ, to show people God’s love, and to make friends we will enjoy for an eternity in Heaven!
“Here is the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke 16:9 NLT
And here is the warning: “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose. It. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Mark 8:35-37 NLT
Shadia Hrichi
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October 18, 2009
You Are Not Here by Accident
Do you know that when God fashioned the earth, sun, moon, and stars, He did it all for you? He was thinking of you when He created the trees, flowers, and all kinds of fruit and food. It is no accident that the first humans, Adam and Eve, were created only after everything else was in order. Let your heart really soak this in: when God set out to design the world, it was you He had in mind…
Take, for instance, a husband and wife looking forward to starting a family. Even before they learn they are expecting a child, they begin to dream about what their child will be like, start putting extra money aside, and excitedly talk about what name to give their child. Then, still long before the child is born, a room is cleared out, safety features are installed on outlets and cabinets…linens, furniture, and plush toys are carefully selected and lovingly arranged. Bottles, bibs, and perhaps a rocking chair are brought home; ready for the moment their child arrives. Everything is put in order before the child arrives.
As much as one couple may plan, prepare, and dream about their new life with a child, it pales in comparison to how carefully your Father in Heaven, who purposely conceived you first in His heart, set out to prepare a place for you. But it goes far beyond your earthly home, which He designed in perfect order, complete with everything you would ever need. Yes, God had far more in mind than a temporary earthly home when He created you. Ever since the creation of the world, God has been preparing a home for you in Heaven, far greater than anything you could ever imagine. But how do we get from here to there?
Just as a mother endures a painful childbirth to bring her child into the world, God was willing to endure the horrendous death on a cross in order to open the door to Heaven, a perfect, holy, and eternal home prepared just for you. Jesus said, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved.” and, “In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you…” John 10:9, 14:2-3 NIV
Have you put your trust in Jesus’ death as your passage home, to an eternal home with God in Heaven?
“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy…[and] decided in advance to adopt us into His own family…through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT
“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 NLT
October 12, 2009
Lessons From a Soldier, an Athlete, and a Farmer.
It’s so easy to blame other people or our circumstances for the reason we don’t make time for God. A busy schedule, demanding children, your boss the taskmaster, are all fair excuses to sleep through what would have been a wonderful quiet time. But what happens when the missed mornings with God become a habit? A day may come when you stand before God in heaven and ask Him why you never became all that you knew He intended you to become. His answer may simply be, “I waited for you each morning with guidance, wisdom, and strength; however, there were many times when you didn’t show up.”
“…you didn’t show up.” You can hear the tender sadness in His voice. Your heart breaks when you realize His sadness is not because you’ve hurt Him but because you missed all the blessings He desired for you to experience.
Now picture your life right now, here on earth. If your professor or employer spoke similar words to you, you’d understand why you didn’t get an admirable grade or were passed up for a promotion. There would be no confusion; you’d know full well that you chose to focus your energy elsewhere, and as a result you simply missed out. In the same way, neither can we expect to advance in our walk with God without doing our part.
In 2 Timothy 2:3-6, Paul shares three illustrations to teach us how to do our part:
- A soldier – who focuses on his mission, refusing to be distracted by his surroundings
- An athlete – who disciplines himself to diligently train day after day
- A farmer – who, after putting in long, hard hours, waits patiently, looking forward to being the first to enjoy the harvest
These three pictures are not exclusive, as if we can succeed by following the example of one and disregarding the other two. Nor are they presented in random order.
- First, we must make up our mind to commit ourselves to the mission.
- Next, we discipline our bodies through daily training
- Finally, we can trust in our spirit that we will be first to reap the rewards
These illustrations depict the progressive, willful submission of first our mind (the soldier committed to his mission), then our body (once the goal is set, to begin organized, disciplined training), and finally, our spirit (trusting in God to produce the results).
If we live our lives according to this pattern of aligning our mind, body, and spirit with God’s purposes, then, like Paul, we may stand at the end of our life, look back, and confidently say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7 NLT
What joy it will be to hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21 NLT
Shadia Hrichi
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October 5, 2009
Prayer: a Last Resort?
Do you sometimes pray to God as a last resort? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself faced with a challenge and without thinking, the first thing you do is call a close friend or family member for encouragement. You may even begin to grumble to your co-workers at the office, perhaps seek some self-help articles on the internet…or even call into the psychic help-line? (ok, maybe that’s going too far…) But the truth is that we as Christians, quick to proclaim how God is the answer to everything, are just as prone to look everywhere else but to Him for answers.
In the Bible, we read in Mark Chapter 9 how Jesus’ disciples could not cast out an evil spirit that was tormenting a young boy. Although Jesus heals the child, he uses the incident to rebuke both His group of disciples as well as the crowds of people, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Mark 9:19 NIV) At first, His words seem harsh. Won’t we always need Him? Certainly. But at some point, He expects us to grow in our faith and learn from His example as we spend more and more time with Him. When the disciples later ask Jesus what went wrong when they tried to heal the child, Jesus matter-of-factly explains, “This kind [of evil spirit] can be cast out only by prayer.” Could the implication be that the disciples tried everything but prayer?
In looking back on the challenges I’ve faced in my own life, I can only wonder if perhaps my times of struggle could have been shortened had I come to God first, rather than as a last resort. All too often, when facing difficulties, our human nature strives to take over, tempting us to labor in our own strength and then, after all else fails, we cry out to God for help (that is, of course, unless we’ve already decided to blame God for the trouble in the first place).
Thankfully, we’ve been given Jesus Himself as our example. Whenever Jesus faced a challenge or had a difficult decision to make, His first response was to pray, thanking God for what He was about to do, and only then did Jesus proceed to take action.
When faced with a challenge, if, like many of us, you tend to want to act first and pray later… bring your fears and desire for control to God; ask Him to help you to become more intentional about seeking Him first.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV
Shadia Hrichi
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September 28, 2009
What Does Evil Look Like?
Some things seem to automatically conjure up feelings of fear, revulsion, and warning. Take snakes, for example. For most people, snakes almost always invoke a sense of evil and danger. I personally don’t like snakes. They simply creep me out. If you were to ask me, there are plenty of good reasons: their beady little eyes, their stealth, undetectable movement, slippery smooth skin (I know, scales)…they’re sneaky, move sideways, and almost always appear ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. But if creepy and dangerous are all that it takes to be evil, why not sharks, spiders or even skunks for that matter?
I believe the answer goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Satan, after rebelling against God and being thrown out of heaven, chose the serpent as his disguise. As a result, thousands of years later, we still associate snakes with evil in its purest form.
I was recently reading the book of James when I suddenly saw snakes in a whole new light – and the image that came to mind was more ugly than the first. In Chapter 3, James is urging Christians to recognize the importance of controlling what comes out of our mouths. He describes the human tongue as “restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” (Verse 8 ) But it gets even worse. “Sometimes [the tongue] praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.” (Verse 9)
Have you ever done that? I know I have. “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.” (Verse 10) The moment I read that verse, an image of a snake’s dual-pronged tongue immediately flashed through my mind. The NLT Study Notes describes improper speech this way: “gossiping, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, and lying.” And goodness knows how many times we speak without even recognizing our hidden, less than admirable, motivations.
It’s so easy to picture evil as being heinous, sharp fanged, and full of lethal poison. Yet, when Satan, still furious for being thrown from heaven, approached Adam and Eve disguised as a serpent, neither were afraid. Nonetheless, what appeared to be an innocent encounter set in motion both the most disastrous and glorious chain of events in human history. How did Satan do it? Not with weapons, sorcery, or violence. No pitch forks, ferocious hissing, or magic tricks. All Satan needed was one small, but greatly underestimated, tool—a tongue. With it, Satan was able to tempt his unsuspecting victims with one simple question, “Did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1)
As Christians, we certainly make every effort to guard ourselves from obvious forms of evil. Murder. Adultery. Stealing. Yet, we often fail to recognize that what comes out of our own mouths is just as capable of inflicting pain, injury…and yes, even death.
“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say…for from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.” (Matthew 12:34, 15:18)
How do we protect ourselves from “gossiping, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, and lying?” The Bible says that above all else, “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
And how do we guard our heart? By wielding the mighty power of God’s word, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
Shadia Hrichi
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