Tag: REBECCA VAN NOORD

  • BEYOND REGRET

    Connect The TestamentJudges 13:1-14:20; Philippians 3:21-4:1; Psalm 69:1-17 I’ve excelled at regret. When I’ve dwelt on the wrongs I committed against other people and my offensive rebellion against God, I lost my focus. It’s difficult to be confident in our righteousness through Christ when we go through these periods. In Philippians 3:12–14, Paul offers both…

  • COMMUNITY DRIVEN

    Connect The TestamentsJudges 9:11-10:18; Philippians 2:19-30; Psalm 68:1-1 By default, we flag our own needs as high priority. And we often measure our church community by how well it’s serving our needs. Caught up in our own spiritual growth, we tend to forget that we’re meant to attend to the physical and spiritual needs of…

  • MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE

    Connect The TestamentsJudges 6:11-7:25; Philippians 2:1-11; Psalm 66:1-20 “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” This Christian maxim is a well-meaning attempt at putting our difficult times into perspective. It holds the view that God knows our weaknesses and knows when we can’t measure up to a challenge. But if we’re going through…

  • WHO WILL FIGHT FOR US?

    Connect The TestamentsJudges 1:1-2:10; Philippians 1:1-11; Psalm 61:1-62:12 “Who will go up first for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” (Judg 1:1). I’ve felt this way before—wondering who will be my advocate in my time of need. It’s ironic that we are surrounded by people, and we have constant access to communication, and…

  • THE SUBTLE SINNER

    Connect The TestamentJoshua 19:10-20:9; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; Psalm 57:1-58:11 Some sins slip through the cracks—the ones that emerge in hushed tones between like-minded Christians. Sometimes these sins seem respectable because they occur out of supposed concerns for the Church or others. But they can leave deep gashes in the life of a community because they…

  • JUDGING GIFTS

    Connect The TestamentJoshua 9:1-10:15; 2 Corinthians 10:9-18; Psalm 50 Comparing our gifts to those of the person sitting in the next cubicle or pew is dangerous work. Judging ourselves by this standard denigrates or inflates the gifts we’ve been given, leading to either ungratefulness or pride. Because the assessment method is faulty, we will always…

  • OPERATING STANDARDS

    CONNECT THE TESTAMENTSDeuteronomy 33:1-34:12; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 46 Sometimes I operate on the premise that if I’m honoring God and following Him, I don’t have to be concerned with what other people think. But carrying this too far is just as faulty as basing my identity on the approval of others. One leads to…

  • BOLD REQUESTS

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 30:1-31:29; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; Psalm 44 Psalm 44 is bold. Who asks the Lord to “wake up”? Who asks Him why He is sleeping? The psalmist doesn’t stop with these questions. He makes claims regarding God that seem like accusations: “you have rejected and disgraced us,” “you have given us as sheep for…

  • TEARING DOWN TO BUILD UP

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 28:1-68; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:2-7; PSALM 41 It’s difficult to take rebuke, especially when it’s unsolicited. We feel exposed and embarrassed when our sin is brought to light. And if we don’t have the humility to accept rebuke, the experience can leave us at odds with the brave soul who assumes the task.…

  • COSTLY GRACE

    Connect The TestamentsDeuteronomy 23:1-25:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Psalm 39 When we say something hurtful to a friend or a family member, we know we can’t just ignore the harm we have caused (we should know, anyway). In order to repair the relationship and earn back trust, we have to acknowledge the rift we’ve created. But…