Do you want to have a doubt free wedding day? Gary Thomas & Dr. Steve Wilke kick-off their Sacred Search video series to share about why through issues needs to happen WAY before your wedding day.

My husband and I recently watched a documentary on the Hubble Space Telescope. Even though we’d seen this presentation before, the majesty of what we beheld kept us totally captivated. And as the narrator detailed the numbers that kept growing increasingly immense, the expanse of the heavens clearly pointed to a pretty amazing Creator.

You don’t have to look to the skies to catch a glimpse of God’s greatness. Years ago, Dr. Richard Swenson shared some spectacular facts at a Focus on the Family conference for physicians. For instance, did you know that your body is comprised of 10,000 trillion trillion atoms? This number represents more than the stars in the universe! Did you know the human body has anywhere between 10-100 trillion cells-and it can make up to one trillion new ones each day? Take a deep breath if that blows your mind; when you do so, you’ll have taken in 150 million molecules of air.

These are some big numbers for you and me, but they reveal an even bigger God!

This simple thought helps me when I get overwhelmed in my world. The debt may be climbing, but the Lord who made the stars and calls them by name has everything in control (Psalm 147:4). The rapid rate that information is being processed today astounds me, but it’s only a drop in the bucket to what God knows (Psalm 147:5).

In Psalm 19 we discover that long before telescopes were invented, glancing at the evening sky led David to exclaim “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known” (verses 1-2, NLT). And later in Psalm 139 after he pondered the greatness of the One who had formed every intricate part of him, David reflected on more big numbers:

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!

(verses 17-18)

How awesome! The heavens are huge, and the human body intricately complex-yet the thoughts God has about you and me cannot even be numbered!

I don’t know about you, but that’s the best big number I can possibly imagine. God thinks about us-in countless ways throughout each and every day. With that in mind, step out into your world with a renewed confidence this month. While the math may not seem to add up, the numbers really are on your side!

Thought of the Month

He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!

Psalm 147:4-5

Thanks to the latest in Apple technology, life has gotten a little simpler. I used to carry around a bulky planner filled with my calendar and a lengthy “to-do” list, yet all that has become virtually obsolete with the iPhone apps available at my fingertips. In fact, just the other day I simply hit a button and asked Siri to leave me a reminder. I felt like a character from Star Trek-without the “beam me up” capability!

Despite how complicated some people feel Christianity may be, God is all about simplicity, too. Throughout Scripture He provides clear directions for successful living, often in a list-like fashion so we can’t miss the concepts He knows will be most helpful to us. A perfect example of this is found in Ephesians 4 where the Lord offers a few basic instructions for Christ-like living. Let’s look at His “to-do’s” for a few minutes:

²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.

²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

If you look over this list again, you’ll see these are fairly simple ideas to improve your life. Why not add one to your own “to do” list today-then a new one tomorrow, and another the day after that? While all of us will have many things to accomplish during the month of March, may we be inspired to try some of these ways to grow in our faith and please our Heavenly Father at the same time!

Thought of the Month

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Ephesians 4:14-15

During the month of February, you simply can’t miss the message of love. Valentine’s Day paraphernalia has popped up from department store windows to drugstore displays. Television commercials have morphed from jolly holiday commercials to jewelry advertisements.

When the world starts talking about love, believers’ thoughts often shift toward a favorite passage tucked away in Corinthians. I read it again the other day, and I realized I had missed an important part of Paul’s message. Let me share this section of Scripture here before I explain:

Perhaps it was reading this contemporary language version of the Bible that highlighted the concept I hadn’t quite caught before: God’s love is all about accepting idiosyncrasies. In other words, just because you do something differently than me, I should still be able to care about you. When someone else’s ideas don’t mesh with mine, I ought to be okay with that. And when anyone challenges, opposes, or simply annoys, we’re told that true love “puts up with anything.”

Now, this doesn’t mean that when an individual is doing or thinking wrong that we must agree with him or her-rather we’re encouraged to live right yet still love. This means the Lord is asking us to love His way: loving the sinner, not the sin. This includes accepting the rude without being discourteous, and ignoring the cantankerous while not being cranky. Most of all, loves looks past what seems odd, idiosyncratic, perhaps even idiotic to discover what is best and good about that individual, no matter what.

As I mulled over these verses, I realized this is what I hope others would be willing to do for me. You see, despite my best attempts, I’m really just a floundering perfectionist-and I need others to forgive my flaws and foibles to feel truly loved. But God is asking me to love His way first and to care for all of the “others” in my life, not looking back-being faithful in His love until the end.

This is a different kind of love, dear friends, but it’s exactly the type of compassion those around us desperately need.

Thought of the Month

^“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:23-25

The couple had a relaxing weekend away, thanks in part to Grandma’s willingness to watch the kids. Late Sunday afternoon, they returned home, and after settling in, mom asked:

“So, what have you been up to while we were gone?”
“Lots of things-and we even went to church,” Trevor replied.
“You all got ready and went to church with Grandma?”

Before Grandma could respond, Trevor quickly piped in: “Well, not exactly-we did couch church!”
Our world is transforming before our eyes, and there’s no better example than Trevor’s “couch church” description to emphasize this truth. On that Sunday morning, he and his sister enjoyed a television service that their grandmother watches. When later queried by his father about what he’d learned from the sermon, Trevor even had his own personal take-away.

Today we not only have television options for learning about God, but there are also numerous resources on the Internet, too. My brother-in-law is a pastor in Texas, and we tune in to his Sunday morning service thanks to streaming technology. We get to enjoy that worship service as we’re getting ready to head out the door to our own church!

There are also many “old school” methods for getting closer to God. Not long ago in Montreal, we watched as two men had “café church” – in French! Hovered over a Bible, the two sipped coffee while reading and vigorously discussing a portion of Scripture. This is exactly what the verses above are telling us about: meeting together, encouraging one another, and offering motivation for acts of goodness and love. This kind of spiritual empowerment doesn’t have to happen in a particular building; it should be happening everywhere we go, all throughout our day!

I learned a valuable lesson from Trevor’s story. People worship in different ways, and in a high-tech world like ours, there are multiple options to help people know more about God and the goodness, mercy, and love He has to offer. As you begin this amazing New Year, take time to think about the way you worship. Stay involved in a Bible-believing church. Meet with friends and family often, and be sure to share about what God has been doing in your life. Look for new opportunities to reach out to others, encouraging them in life’s journey. Most of all, keep your focus on the wonderful future your Heavenly Father has planned-just for you!

Happy New Year to you and your family from all of us at Sonkist Ministries!

Thought of the Month

“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people. . .”
Psalm 100:1-3a