Hi,
If you have ever tried to row a fishing boat across a lake, you realize it's necessary to have two points of reference to line your course. If not you will zig zag like a snake's coil. When teeing off at the golf course, you must pick a spot where you want the ball to land, but you also need to pick a spot a few yards from your tee, then line up the two spots before you hit your driver. Same with plowing a straight furrow in your garden, you need two stakes to line up on. And with those two stakes in front of you, you must always keep your eyes on them, and keep them in line. If you are careful to not deviate an inch from a straight line, then your furrow will be as an arrow speeding to its target. This can be a great lesson to us in our Christian lives. If we would run a straight course, we must have two stakes-the near and the distant. It is not enough to be living in the present; it is likewise a great and glorious thing to have a distant goal. We can enjoy the blessings of a clean and well disciplined life today with Jesus, and look forward to the blessings of heaven and life eternal with Him. For you see, we are just pilgrims, just passing through. And we are to pass through on a straight course. Strangers and pilgrims—Hebrews 11:13 Henry
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Hi,
If you have ever tried to row a fishing boat across a lake, you realize it's necessary to have two points of reference to line your course. If not you will zig zag like a snake's coil. When teeing off at the golf course, you must pick a spot where you want the ball to land, but you also need to pick a spot a few yards from your tee, then line up the two spots before you hit your driver. Same with plowing a straight furrow in your garden, you need two stakes to line up on. And with those two stakes in front of you, you must always keep your eyes on them, and keep them in line. If you are careful to not deviate an inch from a straight line, then your furrow will be as an arrow speeding to its target. This can be a great lesson to us in our Christian lives. If we would run a straight course, we must have two stakes-the near and the distant. It is not enough to be living in the present; it is likewise a great and glorious thing to have a distant goal. We can enjoy the blessings of a clean and well disciplined life today with Jesus, and look forward to the blessings of heaven and life eternal with Him. For you see, we are just pilgrims, just passing through. And we are to pass through on a straight course. Strangers and pilgrims—Hebrews 11:13 Henry Greetings in Jesus Name,
My daughter-in-law just competed in her first Mini-Marathon last week in Louisville. Not only did she finish the 13.1 miles, but she finished well. This is a most serious thought, this thought of finishing our work. There is nothing in the Christian life quite so sad as unfinished work. As I look over the work of God, I see strewn all along the way this curse of uncompleted work. The book of Judges tells us of five hundred years of sub-par living, because God's people did not complete their work when they were in possession of Canaan. They conquered Jericho; they conquered 31 kingdoms; they divided the land among 12 victorious tribes; but they left here and there little strongholds that were not subdued-little tribes that could not or would not be driven out-and it was not long until they brought Israel under subjection and neutralized all the work of Joshua's conquest. Elijah had at great victory at Mt. Carmel, only to leave the field in the possession of God's enemy, after he was threatened by the queen. A successful minister from the past, William Culbertson, reportedly often closed his prayers with this plea, "And Lord, help us to end well." Another popular minister, F.B. Meyer, said to a friend, "I do hope my Father will let the river of my life go flowing fully to the finish. I don't want it to end in a swamp." God's powerful grace can help us finish well. Without His renewing our spirits daily, little negative attitudes will become bitterness, little cynical statements will become blatant skepticism, and little private sins will cause us to end in a swamp. It is not enough to go on for a while. Allison finished that Mini-Marathon, because she had made preparations to finish. It is the last step that wins. May God put on our hearts this thought, ".....that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24b The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Never forget that you are loved!!! Henry click Here for a video devotion from Pastor Paul on this same topic. Go to season finale in the yout tube viewer. Good Morning,
Jesus said we would always have the poor with us, and we know that includes the materially poor and the spiritually poor as well. That is a promise also, that we will always have the blessed privilege to help someone. Nehemiah gives us a graphic picture concerning what took place during the celebration of their glorious Feast of Tabernacles. "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared . . . neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength." How many there are on every side for whom nothing is prepared! Let us find some sad and needy heart whom there is no one else to think of or care for. Let us pray for someone who has none to pray for him. Let us be like Him who, one day, came to a world that would not appreciate Him, to be rejected and finally murdered. Let us not be afraid to know something even of the love that is rejected or that seems to be thrown away on the unworthy. That should never be a deterrent from doing good to those in real need. For that is the love of Christ, and God has for such love a rich recompense. "Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared—" Nehemiah 8:10 Henry Good Morning,
I'm made to believe that if we start our day off this morning by worship the Lord, we will have a better day. Just one short thought to reflect on: If you created something should it not belong to you? "Thine O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heaven and on the earth is Thine. We thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name! Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all. Both riches and honour come of Thee and Thou reignest over all. In Thine hand is power and might: and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name!" May Jesus Himself, the greater of all things, bless you today as you worship Him, and forever, remember that you are loved!!! Henry Good Morning,
Suffering because I am a Christian is a foreign concept to me personally. The suffering I have experienced through my life has not been because I was a Christian, but just because life "happens," and suffering is a part of life. Bev has several bunches of Bermuda Grass in her flower beds. They can be renewed each year by burning them off. A few weeks ago I watered down the area around the bunches of grass to protect the other flowers, and then set fire to the six feet high grasses that were very dry and brittle. The fire that I created was impressive, but it left a very black and ugly area where the beautiful Bermuda Grass had been. Over the past few weeks as I watched and waited, I have seen these areas come to life again, with fresh new growths of green grass. They will again reach their height of six feet or more. So it is with suffering. Our Heavenly Father has placed limits on our sufferings. He knows how much we can bear. When it is enough, it ends. While the after-effects may seem to be devastating. God's timing and restoration always bring beauty and growth that we would never have known without the "burning." Wherever you might be in this "renewal" process, take heart; the results will be worth it. "These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7 May our gracious Lord bless and keep you today, and never forget that you are loved!!! Henry Good Morning,
The roots of the church in America go back as far as the first settlement at Jamestown. The first service was in 1607 when the colonists were led in worship by Rev. Robert Hunt under a sail that had been removed from one of the ships. Here they thanked God for protecting them on their dangerous voyage and pledged themselves afresh to serve Him as they faced the task of developing a new life in this land that lay before them. Later they erected their first building of split logs which they stood upright. John Smith described it as "a homely thing resembling a poorly built barn." The church began to grow, and church history reveals that in the early 1800's one denomination alone was establishing, on an average, one new church per day throughout the new frontier. We know that the church is not a building, but is made up of those that, along with Peter can say of Jesus: "....Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." ".....and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." "He hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, and the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." "Let the Church be the Church, let the people rejoice. For we have settled the question and we have made our choice. Let the anthems ring out, songs of victory swell, For the Church triumphant is as alive and well." Bill Gaither God bless you today, as you reflect on this and thank Him for letting you be part of His body, the church, and remember that you are loved!!! Henry Good morning to you,
"Just as it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."1 Corinthians 2:9 Marco Polo arrived back in his home in Venice in 1295. In a journey lasting 24 years, he had traveled to China and back. He had seen places, people, and things no European had seen and few could imagine. He told stories about previously unknown civilizations and landscapes. He described deserts and mountains, islands and rivers, spices and gold. Many were intrigued. Yet to some, his stories seemed far-fetched and hard to believe. One account described them as "past all credence." Yet now we know that his stories were true. Many react in the same way to the promises in the Bible. If they are those who cannot believe that God created the earth, how can they believe that He created heaven, which is much more splendid. To many those promises for our life here as well, seem amazing...hard to believe. Yet in the same way that Marco Polo knew what he was saying was true, Paul knew firsthand that God's Kingdom was filled with riches beyond the imagination of most people. He described "visions and revelations of the Lord" from a man "caught up to the third heaven." There, this man (whom many believe was Paul himself) "heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak" (2 Corinthians 12:1-4). The riches and power were so great that understanding them requires a supernatural revelation from God (Ephesians 1:18-22). Yet he knew that no one ever has seen, heard, or conceived "all that God has prepared for those who love Him." Even though these promises are true, many people-even some Christians-are filled with doubt. They would rather place their hope and trust in the things of this world. Today, dare to believe that God's Word is true. All of it! Don't allow doubt to rob you of His blessings. Speak His Promises. Believe. Step out in faith. Be blessed today, as you believe the One who cannot lie, and remember that you are loved!!! Henry Good Morning,
Perhaps the strongest love of a Christian friend is that which drives him to speak to his friend about his Saviour. Gypsy Smith says that when he was converted he immediately began longing for the conversion of his uncle. Among the Gypsies it was not considered proper for children to approach their elders on matters of duty, and so the boy prayed, and waited for God to open the way. One day his uncle noticed a hole in his trousers, and said, "Rodney, how is it that you have worn the knees of your pants so much faster than the rest of them?" "Uncle, I have worn them out praying for you, that God would make you a Christian," and then the tears came very naturally. Nothing more was said, but the uncle put his arm around the boy, and drew him closer to himself, and in a little while was bending his knees to the same Saviour. When we wear our clothes thin in praying for others, we'll find it easy to speak to them if the opportunity occurs. "We may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear ......." Heb. 13:6a As you pray for that lost loved one today, be blessed, and remember that you are loved!!! Henry Good Morning,
Monday morning, and the cycle starts again. We understand nature moves in cycles, such as the earth's rotation and revolution around a moving sun, resulting in our days and years. Don't our lives seem to be lived in cycles as well? We work a shift, we rest a shift, we eat a meal and we burn up those calories. We work seven days and rest one day. We work several months, and we take a vacation. Even our outer skin, epidermis, is completely replaced in about 35 days. So on and on it goes. We must realize there are seasons of our soul as well. However, we are not at the mercy of nature here. We can have an effect on the spiritual cycles. Our scripture today is a much quoted one, very familiar to us. We wait, soar, run, and walk, and then it can start over again. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 Hours of holy exultation are the reward for hours of patient plodding, waiting and working. Nature has its springs, and so has grace. Human nature could not stand perpetual excitement, even of a happy kind, and God often rests in His love. Understand that our strength comes from Him as it is burned up for Him. Let the Lord Jesus restore your strength today as you wait, read, and pray. Be blessed, and remember that you are loved!!! Henry |
Henry DeatonHenry D. is from Southern Indiana and writes these wonderful daily devotionals to encourage those at the Dogwood Community Church located in Paoli, Indiana. Henry has graciously agreed to share these wonderful devotionals here at Without Excuse Ministries to encourage you our valued guest! Archives
January 2013
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