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 |  Daily devotions of Christian scripture and encouragement |
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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:15-17 E-mail: ehwharton@Writing.com "TABLE OF CONTENTS"  "KEYWORDS" Whats the meaning behind 'Doves on Distant Oaks?' ▼ What version of the Bible is used? ▼ |
We Would See Jesus April 21, 2024 at 9:08pm In 1975, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings were playing each other in a professional football game. With less than half a minute remaining, Dallas quarterback Roger Stauback thew a desperate pass from the middle of the field to Drew Pearson who was almost at the goal line. Pearson caught the ball against his hip and stumbled backward into the end-zone to score the game-winning touchdown in a stunning and exciting surprise ending to the game. In an interview after the game, Stauback ... [Read more] Under God's Protection April 21, 2024 at 9:16pm It was a very wet, wintry night. I was driving my family home after a Sunday visit with my in-laws, about 20 miles away. My wife was drifting in and out of sleep in the passenger seat and both kids were fast asleep in the back seat. Part of the drive involved a 10-mile stretch on a winding, country road. Just before I turned onto it, a slow-moving vehicle pulled in front of me and I had to follow it. All I could envision was 10 miles of slow driving, when all I wanted to do was get home a... [Read more] The True Church April 21, 2024 at 9:30pm Have you ever paid attention to water. I mean, really given it much thought? A single molecule of water has no intrinsic power. It can't slack thirst, end a drought, make a gully, wear down rock, or wash away a mountain. But combined with enough molecules, and often enough time, water's effect can defeat anything man builds. Yet, it has no power to move on it's own. It's channeled by an unseen force. Maybe that's what Jesus meant when he talked about moving mountains—by w... [Read more] Agape Love April 29, 2024 at 2:19am We throw around the word "love" a lot. Of everything written in the Bible, it is the central them: God is love, God's love was so great He sent his son, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as yourself—love is painted with broad brushstrokes all over the canvass of the entire Bible. But what do we truly know of love?
Part of the problem is that we only have one word for love. The New Testament was written in Greek, a language that had four words for love: philio (brotherl... [Read more] On Subduing the Earth April 21, 2024 at 9:45pm Many years ago, I stumbled upon an article written by a gentleman named Robert Selle, called On Subduing the Earth . The article originally appeared in American Forests in December 1983. The author had written a letter as if it were from God to humans on what he described as God's land ethic. While no one can truly speak for God, I found it to be illuminating. In honor of God and the Earth he gave us, I've included portions of that letter to show that God's divine land ethic... [Read more] Go and Do Likewise April 25, 2024 at 7:11pm Several years ago, my wife decided to start drinking coffee. She had never drunk coffee before in her life, so it came as a surprise to me when she started. The problem was, she didn’t like the bitter taste of plain coffee. So she began taking the edge off with cream and sugar; a little at first, and eventually a lot. It became a running joke in our family to ask her if she would like a little coffee with her cream.
Sometimes I think we view Christianity the same way. The way we'... [Read more] Eyes on the Prize April 22, 2024 at 12:07am My youngest son served in the Army and spent 15 months in Iraq during 2007-2008. He never talked much about his experiences, and I never asked specifics. One day I asked, of everything he either had or carried, what was the one thing a soldier could simply not survive without. His answer was immediate—his eyes. If you can't see your enemy, you can't defend yourself.
We have an enemy, in fact, a whole army of enemies. No, our enemies are not atheists, or pro-abortionists, or Hin... [Read more] To Boldly Go April 22, 2024 at 12:06am Wouldn't it be nice if everyone's conversion were like Paul's. To learn about Christ, get baptized, and immediately go and begin preaching the good news of Jesus. That's what made Saul, who we know today as Paul, so special. He had been one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, persecutors of the fledgling Christian faith. It's a miracle in itself that he would be the one to be converted, but to straightaway begin preaching is also a miracle. What made Paul so b... [Read more] Always Near April 22, 2024 at 12:05am Not long ago, my wife and I were flying home. It was a very dismal day. The sky was terribly overcast and there was a continual driving rain. It was not the kind of weather anyone would choose to travel in. We checked in, found our way to our seats, and I casually turned to watch us take off. Gazing out the window, I watched as we soared above the clouds and burst into bright sunshine.
I love that when it happens. Our day flipped from depressing to one filled with joy. I had seen tha... [Read more] All You Need is Love April 25, 2024 at 6:00pm As followers of Christ, we often spend a great deal of time trying to get people to recognize their sinfulness. This is important because unless people realize they are in sin, there is no reason for them to receive salvation from that sin. Unfortunately, in doing so we sometimes loose sight of an essential element of Jesus's teaching: that being love.
God is, indeed, love. We often dissect that word and it's various meanings, but we seldom talk about the actual action of loving.... [Read more] Drenched in the Holy Spirit April 22, 2024 at 12:39am It's sometimes odd how followers of Christ are reluctant to talk much about the Holy Spirit. We may talk about God and get a great deal of affirmative response. Many people have at least some concept of God. One could even say atheists have a concept of God—to say that something doesn't exist requires at least some thought on the subject. When we talk about Jesus Christ, the affirmation grows less expressive. Evidently, its okay to talk about God, but Christ is something best kep... [Read more] Golden Calves April 22, 2024 at 10:10pm Idols are everywhere. They're not necessarily the golden-calf kind, but everything we cling to other than our love for God and which we find difficult to let go are idols. The commercial tag line, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” is a perfect example, when diamonds are treated as treasure and not pressurized carbon rocks that they truly are.
Men are far from exempt. Benjamin Franklin once quipped, “Old boys have their playthings as well as young ones; the difference is onl... [Read more] An Unchanging God April 22, 2024 at 1:32am In 1986, A movie came out called Hoosiers . It's a sports movie about a small-town basketball team in Indiana that could only field five players. But with those players, and another super-player who joined later, the coach took them all the way to the state championship in Indianapolis against a superior big-city team from South Bend. They ended up winning the state championship.
There was a moment in the film when the team arrived at the huge basketball stadium in Indianapolis. The... [Read more] Let it Stand April 22, 2024 at 1:42am There is an editing, or proofreading, mark called a stēt , which is of Latin origin. It means “to stand.” Editors use it as a way to say “never mind,” or “let it be.” Usually it’s placed over a change in a manuscript to indicate the editor has had a change of heart and altered their reasoning back to the original.
Such faulty reasoning is all around us. Some of it is good, like the evenhanded discernment of righteousness that God intended to be part of the Law. Most tim... [Read more] Broken Tractors April 22, 2024 at 2:17am My father was the foreman of a large dairy farm and had a number of proverbs of his own. By far the most interesting one—and one I use even today—was when he came home from work, worn out and weary. He was responsible for keeping the machinery operating. Some nights he would plop down in his favorite chair and simply groan. My mom would ask him what was wrong and he’d reply, “Every tractor on the place was broke.” That's all he said, and all he needed to say. He had said it... [Read more] Bend the Knee April 22, 2024 at 4:31pm Humility. It's a word that's tossed around a great deal and it's definition is reasonably well known. Ask anyone and they have a good idea what it means to be humble. Yet the ability to humble oneself is not that well practiced. That's because the world is constantly telling us through media, television, movies, and so on to build ourselves up. To be all we can be. To be somebody. It's hard to be humble when you're working so hard to be enrich your human spirit.
... [Read more] God Always Provides April 22, 2024 at 4:43pm Many years ago, my young family and I went through some scarce days. My wife and I were living in an apartment at poverty level with a one-year-old child. I simply couldn’t find a job related to my profession. I worked low-paying jobs, but I also had student loans to pay off—large sums with no professional employment and a wife and toddler to clothe, feed, and shelter.
One of the jobs I found that was semi-related to my profession was as a land surveyor. It was a well-paying job, so... [Read more] Sleep Well on a Windy Night April 22, 2024 at 10:12pm When I was a Scout leader, we had what was called a Scoutmaster's Minute. This came at the end of a troop meeting when the Scoutmaster, or another designated leader, would offer a short inspirational story. My favorite was always one called I Will Sleep Well on a Windy Night.
It goes like this ...
A farmer decided one day he needed help on his farm. So he started the long walk to town to find a suitable helper. On the way he passed a young man sitting on a fence, whittling. H... [Read more] What'cha Doin'? April 22, 2024 at 5:14pm I'm a Yankee born and raised. To those living outside of the United States, that means any American. But within the United States it refers to a more specific group of people―those living in the northeastern part of the country. I was originally from Pennsylvania, but I had the good fortune to realize my shortcomings and marry a Mississippi girl. At first we lived in Pennsylvania, but eventually I was forced to take an early medical retirement, after which we decided to move to Mississip... [Read more] Dropping Napkins April 22, 2024 at 5:27pm Jesus was disturbed by the arrogant way certain people prayed haughtily in public that wasn't true acknowledgment but was done to show others their piety. He wanted us to pray humbly and simply, following a specific pattern. So he instructed us with the Lord’s Prayer at the Sermon on the Mount. On the other hand, Jesus also commanded us to declare Him publicly and let our light shine.
These are not conflicting instructions. Jesus was most concerned about the condition of our hea... [Read more] Beware the Fisherman April 22, 2024 at 5:34pm I love to fish ... all kinds of fish in all kinds of places. I've fished in clear running streams, in fast-flowing rivers, on clear glassy lakes, in surf, and even in muddy ponds. That's hardly the extent of experiences a fisherman can encounter, but it's enough to discover that varying kinds of fish, in diverse environments, respond very differently to the kind of bait that's used. Not only that, but the depth of the water, the time of day, the weather conditions, and so on... [Read more] Holy Moments April 22, 2024 at 5:54pm They are rare, those truly holy moments. You know the ones I speak of. They are moments that take you by surprise, they sneak up on you, they crack your heart. It's different for every person, but it's that moment you feel a connection to something beyond yourself—something that you feel has so much bigness behind it that you don't have words to express it. In fact, you don't even dare find the words because they would somehow belittle the moment.
I was sitting in Sunday... [Read more] Broken Vessels April 25, 2024 at 7:24pm There is a practice in the Japan called Kintsugi , which means "golden joinery." Evidently it began many years ago in the 15th century when a military governor broke his favorite Chinese tea bowl. He sent it back to China to be repaired. At the time this was done by drilling small holes next to the crack and inserting staples. he tea bowl was fixed in that manner and returned.
The military governor was so upset by the ugly appearance that he asked a local craftsman to do a bette... [Read more] Starting Right April 22, 2024 at 8:37pm I worked in forestry most of my adult life and early in my career I was a timber cruiser. Timber cruising is an activity where lines are drawn on a map for a delineated area of forest land, and then with map and compass in hand, a 2-person crew would follow those lines while measuring a sample of trees.
On one particular day, my coworker and I were "running a line" though the woods. We had driven out to the spot where the line began and then starting hiking through the woods, meas... [Read more] Resolutions April 22, 2024 at 9:01pm People make resolutions all the time: time to loose weight, spend more time at the gym, eat better foods, and so on. However, change is not something that can be ordered depending on the day of your choosing. More often it depends on God's plan for you when real change comes into your life. Such was the case with me.
It was on a cold wintry day when doctors discovered that I had end-stage liver disease—cirrhosis of the liver brought on by alcoholism. I was a closet, functioning alc... [Read more] |
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