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  • Watching Us

    To Be Known and Seen Psalm 11:4b – He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. God is watching. There is a popular song that announces that truth but distorts it with the words, “from a distance.” That is only half-true. There will always be a distance between God and man because He…

  • Privilege and Punishment

    Greater privilege and clearer understanding bring greater responsibility. Hebrews 12:6 says that God chastens those he loves. Amos 3:1-11 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: You only have I known of all the…

  • Prayer for Hard Times

    https://tomsims.substack.com/p/prayer-for-a-hard-today-psalm-6 Psalm 6 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; * do not punish me in your wrath. Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; * heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked. My spirit shakes with terror; * how long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me;…

  • Revelation – The God Who Self- Discloses

    Psalm 19 God desires and chooses to be known. God’s Word at work in the cosmos declares God’s glory. God’s Word in written words declares God’s will. God’s Word at work in the witness of humanity is God’s self-disclosure fleshed out in the world. God’s Word at work in the cosmos declaring God’s glory. Psalm…

  • Called and Calling, “Come!”

    Read at https://medium.com/@tomsims/called-and-calling-to-come-and-be-prepared-c1258acefbed Isaiah 2:1–5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say,…

  • Attention to Detail

    God is careful because God cares. God prepares because God cares. Some preparations can be tedious. Take, for instance, crawling in the attic to retrieve decorations. Then, take Matthew’s recounting of Jesus’ genealogy in excruciating detail. Between that and this is a big distance: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even…

  • Prayers for Cares

    Who cares? Who is there? We wonder sometimes. A Prayer Rap that Wraps Us in God’s Protection“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor and render justice to the needy. Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, and the upright shall continue in your sight.” If you live in…

  • Thanksgiving Reflections

    I can say with some confidence that Thanksgiving is the oldest of holidays. People have been giving thanks since they first became aware that there might be a power greater than themselves. So, I have abandoned the argument of whether the first European Thanksgiving in America was in New England or Virginia (It was Virginia),…

  • Rejoice

    Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. – Philippians 4:4 Again I Say, “Rejoice!” You can’t say this enough – so Paul says it many times, “Rejoice!” It is the natural response to joy and joy is the natural progression of grace in our lives. It is giddy, chuckle joy, the kind…

  • A Spiritual House

      Churches or Temples “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ …  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who…