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Tag: God’s presence

Dollars to Donuts

Dollars to Donuts

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Dollars to Donuts--a collection of various kinds of donutsDollars to donuts (or doughnuts):

  • Prices will rise.
  • Taxes will increase.
  • People will die.

We can predict some events with confidence. We expect them to happen.

If we say dollars to donuts, we express certainty.

No doubts. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Many of us use the expression with no idea it comes from gambling. Whether we bet or not, we say dollars to donuts to voice confidence. To risk money against donuts or anything of little worth would be a safe bet.

We act with certainty on many issues, but hardly anything is definite.

  • Prices occasionally go down.
  • Taxes usually rise, but not always.
  • Jesus rose from the dead and offers eternal life to all who follow Him.

God’s promises never fail.

We can count on God’s offer of:

Those gifts are worth more than all the dollars and donuts in the world.

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5 NIV).

Thanks to Tillie Cowherd for the suggestion. Image by Edward Lich from Pixabay.

Remember: On Saturday, October 30, I will randomly select the name of one person on my mailing list to receive a free copy of Tracy Crump’s book,  Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. Please encourage your friends to also subscribe to my mailing list for a chance to win.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Hold Someone’s Feet to the Fire

Hold Someone’s Feet to the Fire

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Hold Someone's Feet to the Fire--fireman holding baby in front of fireLast week we looked at cold feet. This week we explore holding someone’s feet to the fire. I doubt many of us desire either condition.

Holding a person’s feet to the fire was a form of torture years ago. It was also a way to test a person’s courage.

Although we may not use real fire today, we still hold people’s feet to the fire.

When we hold someone’s feet to the fire, we pressure a person to do something.

  • We may want the person to do what he said he would do.
  • We may also try to force a person to do what we want him to do.

Occasionally we need to resist the pressure of others.

We don’t always want to do what they want us to do.

The Bible tells of three young men thrown into a fiery furnace, because they remained faithful to God. God was with them and kept them safe. Yet, they were willing to die for their faith, if necessary.

If we follow God, He remains with us, whatever fiery trials we face.

Like the three young men, we may have to go through the fire, unsure of the outcome. Like fire fighters who risk their lives for others, we may suffer when we serve our hurting world. However, we have the promise of God’s presence, whatever happens.

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18 NIV).

Thanks to Margaret Bertram for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Out of the Mouth of Babes

Out of the Mouth of Babes

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Out of the Mouth of Babes--Tracy Crump headshot

Please welcome my friend Tracy Crump as today’s guest writer. Tracy and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, where she frequently serves on staff. Tracy dispenses hope in her book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. She has published 22 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books and includes tips on writing for the series in her free e-newsletter, The Write Life. I highly recommend both the newsletter and book.

Out of the Mouth of Babes--streams of heavenWe can find wisdom in surprising places.

Even young children may teach us things. They often:

  • See things we don’t.
  • Look at the world in a different way.
  • Are very honest (sometimes more than we would like!).

Children’s fresh ideas may be just what we need.

One evening, my son and five-year-old granddaughter, Nellie, walked out the door. They looked up and saw beautiful thin clouds, lit with pink and orange, sweeping across the sky.

“Those are the streams of heaven,” Nellie told her daddy.

She knew what we often forget, that we can see God’s presence in the simple things.

  • A sunset
  • The touch of a friend
  • A baby’s smile

We can learn something from everyone we meet.

Don’t forget to listen to the words out of the mouth of babes.

“And [they] said to Him, ‘Do You hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”?” (Matthew 21:16 NKJV)

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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