Good Morning,
It is a great thing to learn to take God first. Then He can afford to give us everything else without the fear of it hurting us. As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol. When you become satisfied with God, however, everything else loses its charm and He can give it to you without it harming you. Then you can take just as much as you choose and use it for His glory. There is no harm whatever in having money, houses, lands, friends and children if you do not value these things or ones for themselves. If you have been separated from them in spirit and become satisfied with God Himself, then they will become to you channels to be filled with God and to bring Him nearer to you. Then every little lamb around your household will be a tender cord to bind you to the Shepherd's heart. Then every affection will be like a golden cup filled with His love, that you can drink in. Then every bank, stock and investment will be but a channel through which you can pour out His benevolence and extend His grace. You can enjoy all good things when they are in their proper order. "Epbraim, he hath mixed himself—" Hosea 7:8 Henry
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Good Morning,
In this new day, in this new week, do you feel like you are losing ground? The spiritual enemies are gaining on you. Sometimes God calls us aside from our work for a season and ask us to be still and learn before we start again. This is especially true when there has been some serious break, some sudden failure or some radical defect in our work. There is no time lost in such waiting hours. In fact He can only help with those necessary repairs when we become still and wait. Remember the good guy with the white hat, running from the bad guys, when his horse loses a shoe. What to do, now that his horse needs a shoe? Conventional wisdom seemed to urge him on, but higher wisdom taught him to stop a few minutes at the blacksmith's shop to have the shoe replaced. Though he heard the feet of his pursuers galloping hard behind, yet he waited those minutes until his pony was refitted for his escape. Then, leaping into his saddle just as they appeared a hundred yards away, he dashed away from them with the fleetness on the wind. He knew that his stopping for a while, waiting for the repairs, had actually saved him. So often God bids us to tarry and fully recover ourselves for the next great stage of our journey and work. Lord, teach me to be still and know that You are God, and all this day to walk with You. "They shall not be ashamed that wait...."—Isaiah 49:23 Let Him bless you today, and remember that you are loved!!! Henry Good morning,
Everyone wants to belong. It's just part of our nature. No one wants to have to "go it alone". We remember playing basketball and baseball in high school, and that feeling of camaraderie we had. That was especially true of a baseball team, with nine players. Others found that in a garage band, or the school band or choir. To belong, some adults will join social clubs or service clubs. Belonging to each other was always stressed in our military unit. Some things we join are not the best for us, for I remember working with a guy that grew up in New Jersey. He said he had to belong to a street gang in order to just safely get to school and then back home. In one of my favorite Statler Brother's songs, "Thank You World", they describe singing in the quartet, and finding their place in life; their spot along side the other three. But the greatest for all of us is the feeling of belonging to God and His Son. There is just nothing to compare to that! "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, ........" John 17:6 A wonderful by-product of this fact of belonging to God and His Son, is that Christians belong to each other. Take full advantage of that tomorrow and be in church. Henry GOOD MORNING,
IN THE SUMMER OF 1876, GRASSHOPPERS DECIMATED CROPS ALL ACROSS MINNESOTA. DESPERATE FARMERS WORKED DAY AND NIGHT TO KEEP THEIR FIELDS FROM RUIN. AS THE CRISIS MOUNTED, GOVERNOR JOHN PILLSBURY PROCLAIMED APRIL 26, 1877 AS A STATEWIDE DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING. ALL THE SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES CLOSED AS PEOPLE GATHERED IN CHURCHES TO PRAY AND FAST. JUST LIKE TODAY, THE GOVERNOR HAD CRITICS, WITH THE MOST VOCAL BEING THE LIBERAL LEAGUE, WHICH STATED OF PILLSBURY'S ANNOUNCEMENT: "WE HOLD THAT THE BELIEF IN THE POWER OF PRAYER IS PALPABLY UNTRUE, ITS INFLUENCE PERNICIOUS, AND IN THIS DAY, A MARKED DISCREDIT TO THE INTELLIGENCE OF MINNESOTANS..." THEN THEY FINISHED OFF THEIR COMMENTS WITH THE STATEMENT: "FROM THE BEGINNING DOWN TO THIS DAY, OUTSIDE OF SO-CALLED SACRED HISTORY, THERE IS NOT ONE WELL-AUTHORIZED INSTANCE OF SUCH PRAYER HAVING BEEN ANSWERED, NOT ONE." THE NEXT DAY TEMPERATURE SOARED ABNORMALLY. FOR THREE DAYS HORRIFIED FARMERS WATCHED BILLIONS OF GRASSHOPPER LARVAE WIGGLE INTO LIFE. ON THE FOURTH DAY, HOWEVER, THE TEMPERATURE SUDDENLY DROPPED, AND THE FROST KILLED THE LARVAE. PEOPLE WERE ASTOUNDED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE REMAINING GRASSHOPPERS DISAPPEARED INTO THE HORIZON. PEOPLE WERE SO THANKFUL FOR THIS MIRACLE THAT IN COLD SPRING, MINNESOTA, THEY CONSTRUCTED THE "GRASSHOPPER CHAPEL." A GRATEFUL GENERATION EMBRACED THE MEMORY OF THEIR DESPERATE DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING AND GOD'S MAJESTIC DELIVERANCE. WHAT BREAKTHROUGH DO YOU NEED? WHAT JESUS MIRACLE IS NEEDED IN YOUR LIFE, YOUR MARRIAGE, OR YOUR FAMILY? "FOR NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD." LUKE 1:37 DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES CALL FOR DESPERATE PRAYER AND FASTING. MAY HIS BLESSINGS BE ON YOU TODAY, AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOU'RE 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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