DISH THE STRESS

 

Monday, July 20, 2026

 

DISH THE STRESS

 

Ps 34:17-19

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

 

          Stress is the emotional or physical responses to life’s difficulties. We almost always think of stress as a bad thing, but stress is what tunes a stringed instrument. Without the proper amount of stress, the instrument is out of tune.

 

          Distress is destructive. Distress snaps the string and the instrument is of little value until a new string is attached and placed under the proper amount of stress. It is now in tune again.

 

          If you can’t cry out to God IN righteousness then, for your own sake, cry out to God FOR righteousness. Those who have been made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus gain a hearing before a merciful God. We are not exempt from stress, but we have the careful hand of God turning the tuning pegs!

 

1 Cor 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

Dear Lord, my strings are old and worn. Please be careful as you tune me. Let me sing your praises in perfect pitch. AMEN

 

WHAT IS TRUST?

 

Sunday, July 19, 2026

 

WHAT IS TRUST?

 

Ps 62:7-8

7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

 

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “trust” is to be found in our English Bible 134 times! It is curious to me that of the SEVEN Bible Dictionaries in my library NONE of them are willing to define the word. What, then, does it mean to trust? We don’t know – and yet we do. Trust is the X in every equation! Now, math was never my strength, but I know that X refers to the unknown. At the solving of the equation, X equals the answer sought. Generally, to trust in God is to cast our burden on the Lord when it becomes too heavy for us.

 

Ps 55:22

22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

 

Companions of trust are a holy quietness, security, and peacefulness of spirit springing from a full persuasion of our safety. We know that He CAN sustain us because He is God. We know He WILL sustain us because of His nature. He is gracious and full of mercy. Trust is also to abandon our reliance on human reasoning!

 

Prov 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

Christianity is not occasional but constant. “Trust in Him at ALL TIMES, ye people.” Do not use God like a spare tire or a good-luck charm. He should be the constant object of our trust. Through Him we can draw water from wells that are empty, find food in pantries that are bare and gain clarity when all around is only confusion.

 

Dear Lord! I know that if I am to trust you, I must not lean upon my own understanding! Lord, help me to trust in you. AMEN

 

WE BEHELD HIS GLORY

 

Saturday, July 18, 2026

 

WE BEHELD HIS GLORY

 

John 1:14

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

Matt 17:1-3

17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

 

Those of us who make it a habit to be at church will admit that occasionally the ritual and routine burst into true worship. When worship truly happens, we behold his glory although not as fully as did Peter, James and John. On those grand occasions God seems closer and more majestic than ordinary days. We want to save as well as savor these moments and we strive to reproduce and recreate the experience.

 

Beholding His glory is extraordinary and therefore can challenge normal reasoning. Peter wanted to build permanent structures, monuments, if you will, to every glorious person he beheld!

 

Matt 17:4

4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

 

We shouldn’t chide Peter so much because what he experienced was so marvelous that he simply did not want to return to his former mundane existence. He did not want to descend the mountain. He wanted to stay, enveloped in the splendor of the moment. We sympathize with Peter on this point.

 

What Peter, James and John saw was a preview of heaven! Their spirits, made raw by this breach in the veil, recognized Moses and Elijah even though they had been gone for many years. Jesus himself was no longer the carpenter that led them. He was the Lord of Glory. His face did shine like the sun.

 

If we read further in Matthew chapter 17, we see that God broke the spell of that splendor so that they could return to their work in the valley. There the lunatic was healed and Jesus foretold his death and resurrection. Later Peter would cast a hook and catch a fish to pay taxes for himself and Jesus. Somehow, after the vision of Glory, none of it seemed so farfetched as before.

 

Dear Lord, show us enough of your glory today to make the mundane things marvelous. AMEN