THANK'FUL, adjective Grateful; impressed with a sense of kindness received, and ready to acknowledge it. [Webster’s 1828 dictionary] Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, walking between Samaria and Galilee. When He entered a certain village, ten leprous men approached and shouted out to him for mercy–keeping their distance as their illness required. Jesus looked at them and spoke, telling them to go and show themselves to the priests. According to the Law of Moses, [...]
app • application application • : an act of putting to use : a program (as a word processor or a spreadsheet) that performs one of the major tasks for which a computer is used : the act of fixing the mind; intenseness of thought; close study; attention : that part of the discourse, in which the principles before laid down and illustrated, are applied to practical uses – ♦ ♦ ♦ – Just for [...]
A man set out to plant a garden. He purchased a large plot of ground in an area that had fertile soil, and he built a strong fence around it. Then he divided it up into sections, one section for each of his favorite foods, and carefully plowed each section into rows. Next he painted signs for each section, showing colorful pictures of the plump vegetables and fruits he was looking forward to harvesting there: [...]
…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chr. 7:14 The Lord God Himself spoke these words to King Solomon after the dedication of the first temple in Jerusalem. The promise was given to the people of Israel, but it applies equally to us [...]
There is a unique interplay between our choices and actions and those of the Lord God. Sometimes I get hints from Scripture that the “consequences of our actions” may be more interactive than we believe. The story of Moses and Pharaoh is a good example (Exodus 7-11). God sends Moses to plead with Pharaoh for the release of His people, but He warns Moses, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs [...]
Continued from part one... As we continue to wrestle with the question of forgiveness, I want to take a look today at Psalm 51, written by King David. This is a man about whom God said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22c) But David was far from faultless. Most of you will be familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba, [...]
We celebrate the New Year with hope. The New Year gives us hope because it offers new possibilities and a chance to start fresh. New Year’s resolutions express our determination to do it better this time and not make the same mistakes. We are attracted to the new. Advertisers know it. They stamp “New and Improved!” on their products because they know it is sure to grab our attention. Kittens, puppies, newborn babies, and flowers [...]
Fast food. Microwaves. Pay-per-view movies. Instant Messaging. E-Mail. YouTube. Our lives are filled with time saving, instant gratification conveniences. There are not many things we will voluntarily stand in line for. We don’t like to wait. Unemployment. Unpaid bills. Growing children. Medical bills. Home repairs. Inflation. Flat tires. Grouchy co-workers. Marital stress. Pain. Fear. Anger. Our lives are drained with stresses from every direction. We know we need to pray, but we find it hard [...]
A young man lay in his bed. He had lain there for some time now. He sighed dejectedly, rolled over, lay there some more, and then reached for the remote. Turning toward the TV, he grabbed the legs of his pajamas to adjust himself to a more comfortable position and turned on the television. He flipped through the stations until he came to a soccer game. He loved soccer. He watched for a while. As [...]
In part one, I wrote to you about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might (Deut. 6:5) and how we might use Dennis Hollinger’s paradigm of Head, Heart & Hands to help us understand what it means to live out that love in our everyday life. In this part, I want you to consider how to recognize expression of faith through your head, heart and hands [...]
