Christian, Jews

Embracing God’s Patience

1-minute devotional for Tuesday, 7/29/25

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

“The apparent delay in Christ’s return is a gift of mercy, a sign that God is extremely patient. In His great love, He waits, granting people the opportunity to come to repentance and be saved, not wanting anyone to perish.” Jeremiah Study Bible Notes

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Are We Willing to Put Truth Before Consequences?

1-minute devotional for Monday, 7/28/25

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (emphasis mine)

“It’s costly to be faithful. The early Church feared heresay more than it feared martyrdom. Faithfulness brings difficulty….. May God help us in these sad and bewildering times to be men and women who follow the Lord wherever He would go, who put truth first, who refuse to conform to the times.”

Ian Hamilton, President, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

The Miraculous Story of Israel: Strength Amid Adversity

“The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:8

Written by Berel Salomon:

There’s something about Israel that makes people uncomfortable, and it’s not what they say it is.

They’ll point to politics, settlements, borders, and wars. But scratch beneath the outrage, and you’ll find something deeper. A discomfort not with what Israel does, but with what Israel is.

A nation this small should not be this strong. Period.

Israel has no oil. No special natural resources. A population barely the size of a mid-sized American city. They are surrounded by enemies. Hated in the United Nations. Targeted by terror. Condemned by celebrities. Boycotted, slandered, and attacked.

And still, they thrive like there’s no tomorrow.

In military. In medicine. In security. In technology. In agriculture. In intelligence. In morality. In sheer, unbreakable will.

They turn desert into farmland.

They make water from air.

They intercept rockets in mid-air.

They rescue hostages under the nose of the world’s worst regimes.

They survive wars that were supposed to wipe them out, and win.

The world watches this and can’t make sense of it.

So they do what people do when they witness strength they can’t understand.

They assume it must be cheating.

It must be American aid.

It must be foreign lobbying.

It must be oppression.

It must be theft.

It must be some dark trick that gave the Jews this kind of power.

It must be blackmail.

Because heaven forbid it’s something else.

Heaven forbid it’s real.

Heaven forbid it’s earned.

Or worse, destined.

The Jewish people were supposed to disappear a long, long time ago. That’s how the story of exiled, enslaved, hated minorities is supposed to end. But the Jews didn’t disappear. They actually came home, rebuilt their land, revived their language, and brought their dead back to life — in memory, in identity, and in strength.

That’s not normal.

It’s not political.

It’s biblical.

There’s no cheat code that explains how a group of people return to their homeland after 2,000 years.

There is no rational path from gas chambers to global influence.

And there is no historical precedent for surviving the Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusaders, the Inquisition, the pogroms, and the Holocaust, and still showing up to work on Monday in Tel Aviv.

Israel doesn’t make sense.

Unless you believe in something beyond the math.

This is what drives the world crazy. Because if Israel is real, if this improbable, ancient, hated nation is somehow still chosen, protected, and thriving, then maybe God isn’t a myth after all.

Maybe He’s still in the story.

Maybe history isn’t random.

Maybe evil doesn’t get the last word.

Maybe the Jews are not just a people… but a testimony.

That’s what they can’t stand.

Because once you admit that Israel’s survival isn’t just impressive, but divine, everything changes. Your moral compass has to reset. Your assumptions about history, power, and justice collapse. You realize you’re not watching the end of an empire. You’re witnessing the beginning of something eternal.

So they deny it.

They smear it.

And rage against it.

Because it’s easier to call a miracle “cheating” than to face the possibility that God keeps His promises.

And He’s keeping them still!

“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13:14-17

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Forgiveness Through Christ: A Promise for All

1-minute devotional for Thursday, 7/24/25

“Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” Romans 4:7-8

This is the promise of all promises for everyone who is ashamed of their sins and has repented, trusting and following Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Maybe you have walked the straight and narrow path your whole life. Or, maybe, like me, you haven’t. But know this: If you belong to Jesus, you’ve been forgiven.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Quote of the Week, 7/23/25

Once people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe in nothing; rather, the problem is that they will believe anything.

C.S. Lewis

These lies come from Satan, the deceiver.

Jesus warned the Pharisees, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (emphasis mine)

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Featured image: Drag Queen show for children in a U.S. public library

Christian, Jews

The Days of Noah: A Reflection on Our Times

1-minute devotional for Tuesday, 7/22/25

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39, NIV 1984)

My thoughts: What was it like in the days of Noah? Watch TV.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

The Certainty of God’s Plans

1-minute devotional for Monday, 7/21/25

“Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’
From the east I summon a bird of prey;
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned, that I will do.” Isaiah 46:9-11 (emphasis mine)

My Advice: Read your Bible and stay informed.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Featured image: Mt. Hermon

Christian, Jews

The Bible: A Journey Towards Jesus

1-minute devotional for Sunday, 7/20/25

“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.” Psalm 43:3 NLT

“Your word, Lord, is eternal;
    it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89

The Bible is not merely a book to be read, heard, or studied—it is truth to be encounteredFrom Genesis to Revelation, it progressively draws us toward Jesus, God’s appointed means of restoring our fractured relationship with Him. 

Bruce Cooper, From the Garden to Glory

Read it here: https://wordpress.com/reader/blogs/3321366/posts/51340

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Does God’s Word Change with Culture?

Should we interpret the Bible in terms of our culture? Do God’s Words mean something different today than when they were written? We must look to the Word of God itself for the answers. What does God’s Word reveal?

Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 (emphasis mine)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16 (emphasis mine)

There may be verses that we want to interpret in a way that is more acceptable to our culture, but my advice is to put those verses on the list, Verses I Don’t Understand Yet, because God says,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

In his article on Postmodernism Christian Movements, Bruce Cooper describes Progressive Christianity as: “a contemporary Christian movement that seeks to reinterpret traditional Christian beliefs and practices in light of modern perspectives and societal changes.”

But God says, “I the Lord do not change.” Malachi 3:6

To twist the meaning of Scripture to suit ourselves will only dull our Sword and contribute to our own demise! In effect, we shoot ourselves in the foot!

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

If we don’t prepare ourselves by reading the Word daily, we will be like a soldier going into battle who doesn’t know the intelligence report or the battle plans! Jesus explained it this way:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-27 (emphasis mine)

Notice that in verse 24, Jesus said, “Therefore”. That means that the “house built on sand” analogy does not stand alone, but is referring to the preceding verses, which say,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Pause and reflect on that for a moment!

We live in a time of great deception. Our culture believes in things that shock the senses! It is becoming increasingly difficult to speak the truth because we don’t want to be called a hater or be hated. Jesus said,

18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:18-20 NIV

During our current times and in light of current events, those verses take on greater meaning than ever before in our lifetime.

It is remarkable that the Bible, written 2,000 years ago, is so pertinent to the world today and all its problems!

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.

Christian, Jews

Understanding Noble Character in Berean Jews

1-minute devotion for Friday, 7/18/25

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)

What does noble character mean?

virtuous, good, honorable, honest, upright, upstanding, decent, worthy,  uncorrupted, moral, ethical, reputable

A person of noble character will examine the Scriptures to find truth. They do not examine the Scriptures to prove their own opinion. Big difference.

In His Love, Cindy

All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.