STANDING ON THE PROMISES
/Sometimes I hear people say, “God always keeps His promises.” As a matter of fact, I have written those very words in one of my blog posts. The question always comes to my mind, “What promises?”
Read MoreARCHIVE - HEAVEN ON EARTH Blog
MORE ON PAIN
/I won't be surprised if some of you don't want to read this post because of the word “pain” in the title. A year ago, I wouldn’t have read it either...
Read MoreMOVING "TO" OR "FROM"?
/When was the last time you were motivated to take action? What prompted you? I am not thinking about getting out of bed in the morning (although in some situations that may feel like a significant undertaking). I am referring to new behaviors, something that takes you out of your comfort zone or normal routine, or...
Read MoreJUST ONE WORD
/A devotional showed up in my inbox this morning entitled, “Change Your Life with Just One Word.”...What is your "one word"?
Read MoreINHERITANCE - BEFORE OR AFTER?
/It seems to me that we often talk about our inheritance in Christ, the inheritance that is to come, but less often acknowledge the inheritance we have already received from God through others that have gone before us (Ephesians 2:20)...See note below.
Read MoreHEART CONDITION
/It felt like someone poured a gallon of ice water on my head. Time to wake up! Take stock!...
Read MoreA LESSON FROM TREES
/There was a time when I thought I would never “get out of the woods,” but it was a different kind of “woods” than you might expect...
Read More"A SAINT MUST WALK ALONE"
/I found an article by A. W. Tozer somewhat disturbing. As the title above indicates, Tozer believed that loneliness is the Christian’s lot in life...
Read MoreFINISHING WELL
/As I get older, it is tempting to think, “Well, I’ve done my part, time to let someone else do it.” This kind of thinking is not about training up a younger generation to take over the reins; rather, it is an attitude that says,...
Read MoreTHE STRESS TRAP
/I had some startling revelations this morning. When I “react” to a situation with unchecked emotions, stress is the inevitable outcome. The longer my emotions go unexamined, the greater the stress. And I am sorry to say...
Read MoreREADY TO EXPLODE
/I remember the time my family moved to a new neighborhood (one of 20 or more moves, I might add). The night before we moved all of our furnishings to the new house, I took a bottle of homemade apple cider out of the refrigerator and set it on the kitchen counter. The next morning as I was cleaning the counter top, the bottle exploded inches from my face...
Read MoreTHREE ROSES
/A few months ago, I had an unusual ending to a trip up north. I checked out of the hotel with two hours to kill before my train’s return departure. After one last cup of coffee at a local café, it was time to head to the train station...
Read MoreIF ONLY...
/Have you ever felt that you missed an opportunity? If only I had said… If only I had done that… If only I hadn’t missed that call… If only...
This past week I read a devotion that spoke to this very human experience:
Taking the Initiative Against Despair*
Rise, let us be going —Matthew 26:46
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done, it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, "Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore." If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair...
The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, "Get up, and do the next thing." If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.
Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.
Lord, thank you, that when we “mess up,” you don’t leave us behind but say, “Let us be going…” Give us the courage to take that next step so that we may bring glory and honor to your name! Amen.
*Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest, February 18, 2008.
I AM ON A CAMPAIGN
/I came crashing down off “my pedestal” the other day. It didn’t even hurt. No broken bones, no bruised ego, no shame. I laid on the ground laughing. Me and God had a long talk about “pedestal living” after that fall...
Read MoreMORE ON PEANUTS
/One of the faithful readers of this blog said that Mr. Carver's faith is what she remembers most. She shared several passages with me that testify to his relationship with God.
"I lost all thoughts of time. Finally I staggered from the lab. One of the students who had been in the hallway earlier rushed to my side.
"'Dr. Carver - are you all right? You've been working in there for six days and six nights. Why wouldn't you answer the door?'
"I smiled, resting a weary arm on my friend's shoulder..."
Read More20 KINDS OF PEANUT BUTTER
/Today I did some research on peanut butter. “Jiff” brand has 10 varieties. Walmart has 378 varieties of peanut butter posted on their online site under “grocery” products, as well as being listed under some other product headings. After that I quit.
I figure there must be a spiritual lesson here some place. But it is going to take a lot of digging because the word “peanut” is not in the Bible...
Read MoreTRY TEARS
/Have you ever been passionate about a situation that seemed to have no resolution, so passionate that it brought you to tears? Have you ever felt that passionate about the Lord? Have you ever cried out to the Lord, “How long, Lord?” As I was praying about this, I came across a story...
Read MoreTHE DEMON OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY
/Lord, help me get rid of this pride, this “Demon of self-sufficiency.” While our culture thrives on self-sufficiency, beware. It can be a form of self-sabotage...
Read MoreCaught in a Net
/Instead of trying to "deal with stress," wouldn't it be better to discipline myself to "pause" before getting caught up in the tangled net of stress?
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