Category Archives: God’s Word

Why the Word: A Look at Psalm 19

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word

I’m terrible at following directions. This fact has resulted in many quandaries through the years, like the time I decided I didn’t need driving directions for a trip back to college one semester, and for about two-hundred of the four-hundred-mile journey, I drove in the wrong direction.

There was that time.

I also neglect directions when it comes to putting furniture together. Once I pull out the pieces and lay out the various tools, screws, and parts, I simply start. The directions can usually be found in the trash because I have convinced myself: I can figure it on my own.

And this is why we have unnecessary holes in bookshelves, why we have a lop-sided chair, and why our music stands pop off every time I pull them up.

As ridiculous as my attitude is toward following directions, I’ve realized that my disposition toward Scripture can too easily slip into a similar mindset: I know it’s important, but I’ve read it before. Or, sadly, I will first seek my own solutions to difficulties in life rather than searching the Bible for answers; perhaps there is a part of me that believes I can figure it out on my own.

If you struggle to read the Bible because you don’t think it’s necessary, or if you’re tempted to believe that it doesn’t make a difference in your life, take a look with me at the particular words chosen by the Psalmist in Psalm 19.

Bringing our “Hungry” to His Plenty

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word

God woke me up and showed me Jesus when I was in high school. My one and only high school boyfriend was about to escort me to a fancy Christmas party, and I was stoked. I’d noticed him acting a little strange recently, but I was sure it would pass. Instead, after the party he drove me to a quiet, romantic spot, and broke up with me.

I was devastated. My mother shouldered the burden of sorrow and rejection with me, but I refused to be comforted. As far as I was concerned, I was not only unloved, I was unlovable. Days turned into weeks. Then of all things, my mother—who was not the Bible thumping type—said this, “Rondi, you’ve got to get a hold of yourself. You need to ‘put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the waters.’”

In a flash, the Holy Spirit connected the dots for me. The Jesus of my childhood suddenly became the mighty Savior of the Scriptures who had come to rescue me. The 1971 folk song brought a portion of God’s word to life and Jesus stepped off the page.

A Journey of Grace Upon Grace

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word

The earliest emotion I remember feeling about God is fear. As a child, I pictured God as distant, thundering, fiery. I assumed that the Father would blast me with consequences when I sinned, unless Jesus chose to plead with the Father to let me off with a warning. To be honest, I thought of Jesus as the nicest member of the Trinity—the Father was angry and the Holy Spirit was just peculiar.

I obeyed God for a long time, not out of love, but from a deep sense of fear. I did all I was supposed to do, but I kept my distance from God, and (secretly) hoped he’d keep his distance from me. As I entered adulthood, my skewed “fear of the Lord” began to destroy me. If God was not for me, then everything was against me. Who could I trust? I was insecure, unstable, anxious, blown about by circumstances.

Deep down, I wanted a different relationship with God, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. How do you learn to trust when you’ve spent a lifetime protecting yourself? I turned to a passage of Scripture that had been tugging on my heart for years—the first chapter of John’s Gospel: “For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:16–18).

When Scripture is Hard

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word
KIM BARNES|GUEST Recently, my 20-year-old daughter, who is taking a Pauline Epistles class in Bible college said, “I’m not a feminist, but sometimes it’s hard to stomach some of the things Paul wrote about women.” She believes the Bible is authoritative, but the struggle is real. How does she reconcile these hard teachings with her… Read More

The Father’s Lavish Love

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word
BARBARANNE KELLY|CONTRIBUTOR Let’s play a little word-association game. When I say, “lavish,” what comes immediately to your mind? I don’t know about you, but what comes to my mind is frosting on a cake—chocolate frosting, deeply and generously applied with reckless abandon. I want to reach out and swipe up a fingerful for a taste.… Read More

How to Read as a Berean

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word
CHRISTINA FOX|EDITOR I grew up surrounded by books. My mother worked at our local library and I spent many afternoons, Saturdays, and lazy summer days there. I knew every inch of that library. From the racks of books that the public saw to the dumbwaiter elevator that brought books down to the deep recesses of… Read More

John Owen and the Art of Biblical Meditation

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word
SARAH WHITE|GUEST Do you think of meditation as part of your Christian practice? How about theological study? Did you know that our forebears considered these things to be intimately connected—and accessible to every believer? One such figure was John Owen, the seventeenth-century English Puritan theologian and pastor. In The Glory of Christ, written near the… Read More

How Hungry Are You?

by Christina Fox, in category God's Word
Editor's Note: If your New Year's resolve is beginning to dissolve, Courtney's post today reminds us why we need to be feasting on God's word. COURTNEY DOCTOR|CONTRIBUTOR I like food. A lot. And, the truth is, I eat for a variety of reasons and in an assortment of ways. I eat because I’m hungry. I… Read More