by Craig McAndrews | Mar 28, 2023 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Psalm 73:28 I never put much thought into the impact of nearness until recently. Over the past six months, my wife and I have transitioned into the empty-nester phase of life as our youngest son went off to college. The early part of the transition was fun and exciting as we started to have a bit more time for the two of us. There were fewer activities to navigate, less managing curfews, and a dramatically lower grocery bill. However, as time has passed, we have wrestled with our sons being away. We miss them and often look for ways to get together. There is something about having them near that brings a sense of peace and comfort. These words describe a similar sense we may experience when God is near, however, in Psalm 73:28 the topic of nearness goes deeper and should more profoundly impact how we respond. In Psalm 73:28, Asaph writes, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all his works.” I can’t think of many Christians who would disagree with the idea that having God near is a good thing. However, in this verse, we read about a deeper level of dependence and a compelling call to action as the output of the nearness of God. The nearness of God brings about a deeper dependence on Him as we make Him our refuge. The word refuge is more than just a place of escape. The King James translation uses the word, “trust” which means a literal shelter or a...
by Mitch Hershey | Mar 13, 2023 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Recently my kids discovered a caterpillar on a bush outside of our house. They are at ages where curiosity is abounding and so we brought it inside and borrowed an insect net from some friends. Soon after, the caterpillar spun its chrysalis for its transition to a butterfly. We did some searching on the internet and found out that the chrysalis stage typically lasts for 11-12 days. Unfortunately for the kids, this meant that we were going to be on vacation when the butterfly emerged, so we took the insect net to a friend’s house and had them send some pictures and videos of the butterfly. Soon after we arrived home from vacation, we found several more caterpillars on the bush and ended up with 13 caterpillars, some of which we “blessed” other families with by giving the caterpillars away so they could have the opportunity to watch this amazing process. We ended up with 7 of our own, and over the last few days we have watched them closely as they have matured into butterflies and completed the biological process of metamorphosis. It has been a truly fun experience to watch my kids’ excitement, and it also reminds me of the metamorphosis that occurs in the life of the believer. Just as caterpillars transform into butterflies, so too do we as believers undergo a transformation at salvation when the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We are born again into a new life. Nicodemus wrestled with this idea in John 3 when Jesus tells him that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus...
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