Ridge Haven

06/11/2026

Sovereignty of God 1
Sovereignty, what does it mean? Isaiah 40:25 -26 reads, “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might.
And the strength of His power; not one is missing.” These words speak of God’s being Sovereign, which is one of the most important principles in our understanding of who God is. Who God is, and what power or authority He has, is continually debated in “religious” circles. Then, too, many of us use the term “sovereign” in reference to God, without really diving into what that means. The sovereignty of God is a natural consequence of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, meaning God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere at the same time. The religious world agrees on these, and yet debates exactly how much control God has over the will of humanity. It is for this reason that I thought it good to dive into what is meant when we say God is sovereign. What does our Bible tell us? Consider that Psalm 147:5 says, “How Great is our LORD! His Power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” This gives us confidence that God is all-knowing. Exodus 3:14 reminds us that God is not restricted by time. “God replied to Moses, I AM who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” Then Genesis 1:1 tells us God is responsible for creating everything. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John picks up on this in John 1:1, saying, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God and the Word was God”. The bible itself tells us God has no boundary in His control of the universe. Neither does He have a limit in power or knowledge. All this is to say that nothing happens that God doesn’t know about, or have control over, or isn’t present at. I could write a book on this, yet I’m attempting to be brief. At the same time, these attributes of God cause us to have many questions. For example, God has the power and knowledge to prevent anything He chooses to prevent, so why does God let bad things happen? Why does God let sickness, storms, and other disasters happen? The sovereignty of God means that anything that does happen must, at the very least, be “allowed” by God. This leaves us to question why? I will not pretend to tell you I have the answer. I will tell you this is where our faith kicks in, and we trust God’s sovereignty is working for our good. This is not blind faith; it is trusting God is God, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all present, ALL at the same time. I do not know this intellectually; I receive it by faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 reminds us what faith is. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”
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Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/10/2026

Freely give?
In Matthew’s account of Jesus Christ, he records something very powerful. The setting is Jesus teaching and then commissioning the disciples to go into all the world. As Jesus sent them out, Matthew 10:8 says He told them, 'Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons.' Freely you have received, free give.” No doubt you’ve read this many times, as I have as well. We can read that and think “WOW”, would it be great to be able to heal, raise, cleanse, and drive out demons? All of these are “WOW” factors, yet there is something even more of a “WOW”. Just six words at the end of verse 8 covers every area of our lives. “Freely you have received, free give.” Read it again, “Freely you have received.” Zero in on the word freely. What have you been given, “Feely”? Can we agree we’ve been given everything “Freely”? Sure, we work, as God has created us, so that we are able to do so. Yet, it is only by God’s Grace “Freely” given to us, that we are able to do so. By God’s Grace, we have been given abilities, talents, and resources, from which we are to “Freely give to others”. To heal, cleanse, raise the dead, and drive out our demons, would indeed be “WOW” factors. Yet there is something greater God has “Freely” given to us. That is forgiveness. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are “Freely” forgiven. There’s nothing we can do to “earn” forgiveness. In that light, we are called to “Freely” forgive others. I see this as being even greater than those other “powers” Jesus gave to the disciples. Forgiveness is also misunderstood, when we think it gives the person being forgiven a free pass. While forgiveness is helpful to another person, it is most helpful to us as we forgive. Unless we forgive those who have “hurt” us, we can harbor unforgiveness, which breeds contempt, anger, and frustration, as well as taking up valuable time thinking about getting revenge. Unforgiveness can consume the person unwilling to forgive, while the other person may have no clue there’s a problem. The person held in unforgiveness is free, while the person unwilling to forgive is held captive, not free to enjoy life. “Freely you have received, free give.”
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Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/09/2026

Spring Cleaning
Growing on the farm, the seasons were, well, more seasonal. Winter was established and would remain for months. It was not uncommon for snow to fall in November and often remain till March. Regardless of the weather, Spring meant getting the garden and the fields ready for planting. That meant tilling up the soil to establish a seedbed. In addition, with Spring came Spring cleaning of the house. All the doors and windows would be opened, throw rugs would be carried outside and hung on a line to “beat” all the dirt/dust out. Floors would be scrubbed and even polished. All the walls would also be washed down. I suppose all this was an attempt to clear out the cold of winter, to welcome in Spring and the hope of seeds going into the earth, that would grow, and produce a crop. Psalm 51:7 reads, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” It might do us all well to have a Spiritual Spring Cleaning. That is to open up our hearts to the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to search us, revealing any “dirt (sin)” that is found, so that we can seek forgiveness and cast it out. All the time we remember, “What can wash me, white as snow, nothing but the Blood of Jesus”.
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06/08/2026

Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/08/2026

Light
Matthew 5:14-16 reads, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Surely the question for everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ is, “How can I be light”? Or, “What does it mean to be 'the light of Christ’? Being "light in the world" basically means reflecting Jesus Christ, who is the true Light. It means living in the truth of Jesus, who is TRUTH. It encompasses living in Jesus’ holiness and love to push out spiritual darkness. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be a visible testimony through our good works, pointing others to God and bringing His hope into a broken and sinful world. Now, having said all that, let me say this. It is impossible for anyone, regardless of their walking with Jesus, to be light. It is impossible because no one can generate or manufacture light. A follower of Jesus can only “reflect” His light. For many, this means to stop trying to be “spiritual.” Stop trying to be so knowledgeable about churchy things, so that others will think highly of you. I think the key to being light in a dark world means to grow in Christ, by understanding more who He was/is. As we learn about Jesus, we learn that He did not try to impress anyone. Then, too, what we learn about Jesus must become an internal part of who we are. The more we learn about Jesus and receive Him into our lives, the more of His light will be in us, and the more we can reflect His light into the world in which we live. For many who are sincere in following Jesus, this means relax, stop trying to “be” light, and let His light shine through us. This saying may be true. Our calling in life is to be a mirror that reflects Jesus. We are called to be “moons”. The Moon does not produce any light. Moonlight is actually sunlight that reflects off the Moon’s dark surface. The Sun constantly illuminates one half of the Moon, while the other side is dark, creating the phases we see as the Moon orbits the Earth. Let the SON illuminate your life, so that it illuminates all of our darkness, and reflects the SON’S light to a dark world.
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Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/06/2026

Silence
Do you like silence? Many, if not most, people do not like it. Make note of this the next time the worship service becomes really quiet. More often than not, when the service becomes quiet, people become uncomfortable and start to shift in their seats, which breaks the silence. God tells us to “Be still, and know that He is God”, yet we struggle to do so. There is another silence that is uncomfortable, as well. It is when God seems silent. It is when we’re going through a challenging situation. When it seems everything is going wrong, and our help seems to be silent. It is as if God is nowhere to be found. The writer of Psalm 88 must have felt God was silent when he wrote Psalm 88. The Psalm opens with, “O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day, I come to you at night.” Then the Psalmist pours out his heart. Verse 2, “hear my cry”. Verse 3, “My life is full of troubles”. Verse 4, “I am as good as dead”. Verse 5b, “I am forgotten, cut off from your care”. Verse 18b, “Darkness is my closest friend”. It’s all there! Feelings of being forgotten, overwhelmed, cut off, grieved, rejected, fearful, and filled with despair. To make things worse, God is silent, nowhere to be found. As we experience all these feelings, it is easy to think God has stopped loving us. Have you been there? Sometimes we can feel that we are living the words of Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God, Why have YOU forsaken me”? Do you think God stopped loving Jesus as He hung on that cross? That’s not possible, is it? Neither is it possible for God to stop loving us, especially when we feel/think God is silent. Here’s what I’m learning. It is when God seems silent that He is really working behind the scenes. Read the short book of Ruth. I challenge you to find the name of God written anywhere in the four chapters. It’s not there, God seems silent, and yet we can read how He is working behind the scenes to put Ruth exactly where she is supposed to be, in the working of God’s salvation for the entire world. I can reason that God is never silent towards His children. It only seems that way when we can’t see/feel God in our lives. Let’s take courage in knowing the promise of God is true when His word says, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you: He will never leave or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
https://www.facebook.com/RidgeHavenRetreat
Do you like silence? Many, if not most, people do not like it. Make note of this the next time the worship service becomes really quiet. More often than not, when the service becomes quiet, people become uncomfortable and start to shift in their seats, which breaks the silence. God tells us to “Be still, and know that He is God”, yet we struggle to do so. There is another silence that is uncomfortable, as well. It is when God seems silent. It is when we’re going through a challenging situation. When it seems everything is going wrong, and our help seems to be silent. It is as if God is nowhere to be found. The writer of Psalm 88 must have felt God was silent when he wrote Psalm 88. The Psalm opens with, “O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day, I come to you at night.” Then the Psalmist pours out his heart. Verse 2, “hear my cry”. Verse 3, “My life is full of troubles”. Verse 4, “I am as good as dead”. Verse 5b, “I am forgotten, cut off from your care”. Verse 18b, “Darkness is my closest friend”. It’s all there! Feelings of being forgotten, overwhelmed, cut off, grieved, rejected, fearful, and filled with despair. To make things worse, God is silent, nowhere to be found. As we experience all these feelings, it is easy to think God has stopped loving us. Have you been there? Sometimes we can feel that we are living the words of Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God, Why have YOU forsaken me”? Do you think God stopped loving Jesus as He hung on that cross? That’s not possible, is it? Neither is it possible for God to stop loving us, especially when we feel/think God is silent. Here’s what I’m learning. It is when God seems silent that He is really working behind the scenes. Read the short book of Ruth. I challenge you to find the name of God written anywhere in the four chapters. It’s not there, God seems silent, and yet we can read how He is working behind the scenes to put Ruth exactly where she is supposed to be, in the working of God’s salvation for the entire world. I can reason that God is never silent towards His children. It only seems that way when we can’t see/feel God in our lives. Let’s take courage in knowing the promise of God is true when His word says, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you: He will never leave or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/05/2026

Discouragement
Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible. He is described as "the best-attested figure in biblical history. He centralized the worship in Jerusalem and worked to rid Judah of the worship of other cult gods and goddesses. He is considered a very righteous king in both 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles. Hezekiah means "Yahweh strengthens" in Hebrew. Some scholars translate it to mean, "Yahweh is my strength." In spite of trying to follow God and lead the people in his kingdom to lay down pagan idols and trust God, Hezekiah had struggles and may have been discouraged at times. King Hezekiah was forced to face at least two crises within a short period of time. His kingdom was invaded by the Assyrian army, and he contracted a terminal disease, according to 2 Kings 19-20. Hezekiah could have thrown up his hands and said, “I’m done.” He could have called out to God, questioning what’s going on. I’ve tried to follow you and lead my people to follow you. While he may have had his moments, there is no evidence in scripture that he did any of that. Instead, 2 Kings 18:5 says, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who was before him.” This calls me to go to God seeking forgiveness for hosting my own pity party when I think I’m treated unfairly, or when my world is pressing in on me. Too often, I complain when I should be praising God for not giving up on me. Too often, I fail to thank God for the shelter I am blessed with, from the cold of winter and having heat in the summer. Yes, too often I whine when I should be giving thanks. Perhaps you can understand how easy it is to let discouragement creep into one’s life and change focus in a negative way. Perhaps this would be a good time to read 2 Kings 18:5, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who was before him.” What a testimony to this king's faith in God, regardless of the circumstances he faced in life. Lord, give me strength to do likewise.
https://www.facebook.com/RidgeHavenRetreat
Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible. He is described as "the best-attested figure in biblical history. He centralized the worship in Jerusalem and worked to rid Judah of the worship of other cult gods and goddesses. He is considered a very righteous king in both 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles. Hezekiah means "Yahweh strengthens" in Hebrew. Some scholars translate it to mean, "Yahweh is my strength." In spite of trying to follow God and lead the people in his kingdom to lay down pagan idols and trust God, Hezekiah had struggles and may have been discouraged at times. King Hezekiah was forced to face at least two crises within a short period of time. His kingdom was invaded by the Assyrian army, and he contracted a terminal disease, according to 2 Kings 19-20. Hezekiah could have thrown up his hands and said, “I’m done.” He could have called out to God, questioning what’s going on. I’ve tried to follow you and lead my people to follow you. While he may have had his moments, there is no evidence in scripture that he did any of that. Instead, 2 Kings 18:5 says, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” This calls me to go to God seeking forgiveness for hosting my own pity party when I think I’m treated unfairly, or when my world is pressing in on me. Too often, I complain when I should be praising God for not giving up on me. Too often, I fail to thank God for the shelter I am blessed with, from the cold of winter and having heat in the summer. Yes, too often I whine when I should be giving thanks. Perhaps you can understand how easy it is to let discouragement creep into one’s life and change focus in a negative way. Perhaps this would be a good time to read 2 Kings 18:5, “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who was before him.” What a testimony to this king's faith in God, regardless of the circumstances he faced in life. Lord, give me strength to do likewise.

Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I

06/04/2026

Bible Themes
As I study God’s Word, given to me in the form of the Bible, I find there are several themes. There are also major themes and minor themes, yet everyone is there to encourage our growth and understanding of who God is and who we are. I could be wrong in my thinking (and I accept any challenge), but I think there are four major themes given to us to draw us closer to God. It is for this reason that I share what I consider to be four major themes found in the Bible, for your consideration, with scripture support.
God Creates - Genesis 1, Revelation 21:22-24, Psalm 139:13-14, Hebrews 1:1-3, and Colossians 1:15-17 - How things were in the beginning at the creation of all things is an important theme in the Bible. It is important for us to understand that God is the same in the beginning, as He is now, and will be forever. This is the baseline in our understanding of who God is.
Humanity Falls - Genesis 2-3, Romans 5:12, Romans 8:20-22, and Romans 3:9-23 - Drawn from both the Old and the New Testaments, the second major theme of the Bible is the fall of mankind. This single event emphasizes the major impact of sin on humanity and creation. It also speaks of our universal need for a Savior who is Jesus Christ.
God Redeems - Genesis 12:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-11, Galatians 2:20-21, and Ephesians 2:1-5 - With the coming of Jesus Christ, God offers to all of humanity a way to be saved from the pending condemnation of sin.
God Makes All Things New - Revelation 21:1-5, Matthew 19:28, Romans 8:18-21, and Ephesians 2:19-22 - With the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, every person is given the opportunity to have a “new life” in Christ. This involves letting go of our old sinful nature and taking up a new life, where we can overcome sin.
So how to my “major themes” stack up against your understanding of God’s Word?
So how do my “major themes” stack up against your understanding of God’s Word?

Devotions are reflection upon my life's study, reading, and time with God. Credits are given as I