Of all the Old Testament heroes I would someday like to meet, none has any more fascination for me than does David, the shepherd-boy who became king. Though he was a warrior, this man had heart and compassion.  Of all the thousands of individuals who are mentioned in Scripture, David stands alone with the distinction that he was a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22).  He was a great man, and yet—and here we turn the corner—David had his dark moments.

Any tragedy--great or small--forces us to acknowledge our humanity, and often that realization leaves us depressed or immobilized.  But through difficulty or disaster, many turn to God; others turn on Him, blaming Him for the difficulty, accusing Him of failing to stop the tragedy, forgetting that while God loves us, He never promises to protect us from all evil.

"God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number," said Job long ago.  Then he explained, "He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields" (Job 5:8-10).  Seldom, however, do we think of a rain shower as being a wonder or something of awe, yet when you consider the complexity of the whole process, which we take for granted, it's a whole different issue.

Today there are many translations of the Bible into English, and publishing companies have jumped on the commercial bandwagon with specialty Bibles for students, for business people, for married couples, for singles--for all kinds of people groups.

Why a sovereign God spares some and allows others to face the fire is something that we will never fully understand this side of heaven.  That fact was again illustrated on the morning of September 11 when the World Trade Center was destroyed.  One young man forgot his ID badge and had to return home to get it.  That delay caused him to arrive at the WTC late enough to be spared.

The English word “misery” comes from a Greek word miseo which is translated “to hate.”  Yes, we know what hatred is, and with all due respect to what psychologists can do, I’ve never met anyone whose heart was filled with hatred for someone who was a happy person.  A happy-hater is a contradiction of terms.

“As long as the Arabs hate us more than they love their children,” said Golda Meir, “there will be war.”  The schoolteacher-turned-politician was a tough lady who saw plenty of hatred-driven conflict in her life.  But could not an Arab living on the east bank of the Jordan have said the same thing of the Jews?  But here’s the deeper question: Was she right? Is hating your enemy more important than seeing your children grow up, marry, and have a family?

What you love and what you hate reveals a great deal about your character.  Why?  Because, simply put, you can’t be for something without being against its opposite.  When you love your family, you stand in strong opposition to anything which would threaten it.

Should you ever have the opportunity to visit ancient Corinth, there is an out-of-the way, seldom-seen-by-tourists place that makes what Paul wrote to the Corinthians more meaningful.  Remember Paul's comments that those who run in a race should run in such a way as to gain the prize?   If your guide really knows his geography, he will take you to the place near the Corinthian canal where the Isthmian games were held every two years.

New Year's resolutions!  If you make them, can you keep them?  John always gets out his pencil and paper and starts jotting down those bad habits and little shortcomings with determination that "this time I'm really going to keep my resolutions."