Good morning! How are you today? I hope you are doing great. Last week I did two things: I worked hard at the office and then I worked hard in my yard. Carina and I have a wonderful little house and a beautiful yard. Since we are only 300 meters from the sea, we can smell the ocean right when we step outside. Now everything has turned so green at the beginning of the summer, and it is astonishing to watch the innate power of nature to cause things to grow. For each year that passes, I appreciate this part of the year more and more: Nature’s resurrection power after the long winter.
Friday afternoon they called from Daystar Television and asked me to come for a special interview about the work we are doing in Israel, and that same afternoon we settled the dates for two MEGA crusades in Nepal. The Gospel is going forth and the Jews are coming in – and you and I are a part of it! Isn’t that great?
You might be wondering if I have a special word for you today. Of course I do! When God spoke to me about writing a Monday morning blog, he specifically told me to share my life with my brothers and sisters around the world, along with a short and encouraging teaching. We are in this together, you and I, and this is what God has for you this morning:
“Tell my people that there is a heavenly host who is fighting for them. Even when life seems tough, when the problems are many, and when victory seems far away, I have not abandoned you. That is when I am closer than ever, and if you could see into the invisible realm, you wouldn’t just see the fight itself but also how I, in my great mercy, am fending off attacks and removing dangers that you aren’t even aware of. Believe in me and in my goodness! Don’t ever think that I am anything less than fully good or that I would want anything less than the absolute best for you. Even at this very moment, I am with you, and the day you finally meet me and see your life in the rearview mirror, then you will see how great and mighty I have been in your life.”
Amen. Let those words sink in. The one who has spoken is God, the maker of heaven and earth! Sometimes we Christians want everyone to think our lives are perfect, but that’s not the reality. Neither my life nor Carina’s life is a piece of cake, and sometimes things happen that we don’t understand. But we know that God is good and even if we don’t understand everything, we do know that nothing can stand up against God’s goodness in the long run. Everyone has problems in their lives. When you go through difficulties, maybe you think that you are the only one going through tough times, but that’s not true! The Bible is not about people with perfect lives, but about people who, despite big problems and individual failings, eventually come out victoriously on the other side of their problems – because they believed in God!
Like I mentioned last week, Monday mornings are always special. I wake up at 5 am, and then after an hour or two of prayer I go to the gym just 5 minutes from home, and around 9 am Carina and I have a long breakfast together. Monday is the day I work from home. My plan for today has to do with the book that I have to finish before the first of October. I haven’t even started writing it yet, so I need to figure out a plan for it today. I will also be doing some weeding in our yard today. Killing weeds is like casting out demons: They have to come out by the roots, otherwise they’ll come back!
Have a wonderful day!
–Tommy
