Sherry Sharp

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT.

“Writers are quirky people.” This I was told when attending my first writers conference a few years back. While I was surprised that quirkiness is an “epidemic” among writers in general, a dear friend had already identified this as one of my personality traits during one of his visits to my home; by the end of this writing, you will probably agree with my friend.

Before I understood that God instills within each one of us a leaning toward either “logic” or “creative” thinking, I knew which of these traits came more naturally to me. In the classroom, while everyone else focused on the lesson at hand, I was the student reprimanded for daydreaming out the window. Little did I know that with a little “harnessing,” something positive might come of my daydreaming. For example, I see biblical analogies when reading headlines and billboards.

Okay, now that I have made my confession, on to the point.

The following headline comes from a magazine ad: “Blueprint basics—Knowing how to read plans makes the building process easier.” When reading this, my mind went immediately to the Bible passage from 2 Timothy. Isn’t this true about the “blueprint” of God’s Word? I thought to myself. If we study and learn how to read Scripture as God’s way of building us into the people He wants us to be, doesn’t it make the process easier?

The Bible is rich with instruction to make us strong in character, loving in how we treat others, and wisdom in leaving the world a better place for having been here. I pray that you and I will take the time to open God’s Word and build upon His solid foundation.

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.” Psalm 130:5, NKJV

Young children find waiting on anything almost unbearable; the older we get and the more experience we acquire from the act of waiting, the more patience we also tend to gain. Who has never heard the question of a child, “are we there yet?” when taking a family road trip? As adults in the world of instant messaging, mobile phones, and communicating with others, most of us wonder, “Why isn’t he/she answering my call?” Waiting is hard!

The Bible often references “waiting” throughout Scripture. Most of the time, we are waiting on God, such as in the verse from Psalm 130. How are we to wait when God is silent? Perhaps the answer reveals an area within our spiritual growth needing exercise, such as:

Patience without gratification

Forgiveness without an apology

Trusting without seeing

Hoping without evidence

Loving without being loved

Giving without receiving

The list above is by no means exhaustive, as I am sure you can think of other ways one might be found waiting in his or her lifetime for something we feel is important. Jesus Christ is the Ultimate example of right attitude and action during a time of waiting. Did you know that God must also wait on you and me at times in our lives?

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NKJV.  

If you have not asked Jesus into your heart to be Lord and Savior, even though he has already died for you, God is waiting for your answer.

“But the LORD said to Samuel… ‘For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7, NKJV.

In the 1930s, two young men created the comic book character that has remained alive throughout the decades. With many iterations as of 2023, several movies have resulted from its popularity, and if I were to guess, reader, you have seen at least one version in your life. From the title of this writing, you have probably correctly guessed the character, Superman!

Of course, the Superman figure possessed all the qualities necessary for the title: superpowers, like extraordinary physical strength, taking flight from a standstill reaching warp speed in seconds, and the even more unique achievement, seeing through walls of steel. Superman was a hero figure, conjured up in the imaginations of talented, creative human beings.

When God told the prophet, Samuel, that he was being sent to the family of Jesse to anoint a new king for the people of Israel, Samuel naturally fell prey to his human misconceptions and began looking at Jesse’s older and physically strong in stature sons. Imagine Samuel’s reaction when God rejected each and all of Jesse’s sons until, as the last resort, Jesse pointed Samuel to his youngest son, David a shepherd tending the sheep. The story about the life of David is rich in meaning for the nation of Israel and for every person who gives his or her life to Jesus Christ. (For deeper reading: 1 & 2 Samuel.)

While it is fun to imagine a “superman” figure, human beings, even the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and so on, with all their powers cannot know the depth of the human heart; only God can. This understanding may feel like a double-edged sword. Humans often lack words to express our love for God, so we hope He knows our heart. On the other hand, God even knows the intentions of the heart. The prophet, Jeremiah reminds us, that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV). Good news! Jesus lived, died, and rose from the grave and has overcome the human broken heart. Thank You, Jesus; You are my everlasting and eternal Hero. There is no one like You in all the earth. I give You praise and worship with a heart of thanksgiving. Amen.

“’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD… ‘So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please.’” Isaiah 55:8 & 11, NKJV.

After receiving a message from an old high school friend about meeting for lunch, I looked up the restaurant on my cell phone maps app, since I had not been there before.

“What? This can’t be right!” Five hours and twenty minutes from my house to the restaurant, according to the map service. My friend lives less than an hour from me. I know this isn’t correct. I thought. Using a different app, I looked up the address to find out that the restaurant was less than a ten-minute drive from my house.

Technology is great, when it works; when it doesn’t, one can find themselves scrambling to recover. Sometimes, when we go to God for “direction,” His response can look like my map experience. Many years ago, I prayed for God to intervene into a personal situation. I was young in my faith journey at the time and thought I knew exactly how He would respond. When God did not follow “the plan” as I had believed He would, my emotions went into a free-fall. Spiraling out of control, I cried, begging God to help me understand what seemed like His betrayal. But God was only beginning to reveal to me how His sovereignty is not subject to human approval.

Friend, God’s ways are not my ways, or your ways. We may look at our spiritual “map” and see a different way to navigate the road than the direction God is taking us, but He is not wasteful in any way. One day, on this or the other side of heaven, God’s good and perfect purposes will be made clear. Until then, trust Him.

“Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Hebrews 11:1

The idea that I would use math as an illustration is almost laughable, however it fits very well with this writing. In math, when given word problems to solve, one must be careful to read each word. As I learned in my last math class, a word as tiny as the word “is” can make the difference between solving a math problem correctly or not. My professors taught me when I see the word “is” in a word problem, it stands for the equals sign. Whatever comes on the left side of the word is must equal whatever comes on the right side of the word is.

In our Scripture passage leading into this writing, the word faith comes right before the word “is,” meaning what follows equals faith. So, let’s take a look at what follows: “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” (Emphasis mine.)

Faith is a word that is hard to define, especially to someone who is not a believing Christian. Faith is not tangible in a way that proves beyond a doubt that something exists. For example, when the wind blows, we can’t see it with our eyes, but we can feel it on our skin. If we couldn’t feel it, then we might argue that it isn’t real. I have found that in my relationship with Jesus, faith in what he is doing in my life and around my life is very personal. Like a person who feels the wind, and knows that it’s real, when God works in my life in such a personal way, I believe it to be true. Others may argue with my perception, but this is what faith is called.

In our lives, we must each face God’s call with faith. Never doubt, or believe that anything is beyond the power of God to work out in your life. He loves when we cannot see and yet believe and trust in his mighty work. I pray that each of us will call upon the Holy Spirit to grow us daily in our faith.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24, NKJV

Three of the four seasons, flowers in my garden are beautiful. Every winter, however, the garden looks barren and brown, with the dead, remaining woody stems standing dominant. Visitors who are familiar with the garden often comment about its barrenness, when the chill in the air takes over. Hopefulness and knowledge of what lies beneath the ground, beyond eyesight are what makes the otherwise ugliness, tolerable.

Most people enjoy outdoor gardens. However, there are some people who do not like receiving cut flowers because they feel saddened when the buds begin to shrivel up and die. Cut flowers in a vase will ultimately need to be disposed of this is true, but their fragrance lingers, as does the joy their beauty delivered, at least for a while.

Jesus was the master of using everyday simple objects to teach His disciples the deeper spiritual lessons about life and death. In the 12^th chapter of John, Jesus is preparing His followers for His inevitable death. He explains, that while He is still present with them in human bodily form,

His work and purpose have not been fulfilled. Of course, we on this side of the crucifixion and resurrection understand better what Jesus meant, when telling the story about the wheat. When the wheat grain falls into the soil, the appearance of death, in proper timing, the grain will produce more wheat, the picture of resurrection.

Whether standing in my garden or receiving flowers from a sweet someone thinking of me, the moment reminds me, that for those who follow Jesus, physical death is nothing more than returning to the ground, awaiting the final resurrection, that will come at the proper time God appoints and has promised. Appearances can be deceiving.

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake, and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead” (Isaiah 26:19, ESV).

I pray you have found eternal life through Jesus Christ.