jesus
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I Have A Few
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalm 37:4) I have always thought Psalm 37:4 was one of those wonderfully dangerous verses to pull out all by itself. “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Well now let’s see… I just happen to have…
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For Best Results, Follow Instructions
There may be no sentence in the English language more consistently ignored than the instructions that come with something we are absolutely certain we can figure out ourselves. Instructions, after all, are apparently written for other people. People who lack intuition. People who cannot look at seventeen pieces of hardware, three boards, two brackets, twelve…
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The Other Side of the Soil
There is something almost backward about planting a seed. If I had one tiny seed in my hand and wanted to keep it safe, common sense might tell me to protect it. Keep it dry. Put it somewhere nothing can damage it. Maybe tuck it into a little envelope and place it safely in a…
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When the River Runs Rough
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” — Isaiah 41:10, KJV Years ago, on Mother’s Day of all days, my oldest son, Jonathon, my youngest…
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Blue September
At first, there was only darkness. Concrete pressed against concrete,dust thickened every breath,and somewhere beyond the weight of it allcame sounds too distant to name. He called out. Then again. Nothing. Until somewhere above hima thread of light appearedbetween broken steel and stone. And beyond it— blue. September blue. The same impossible bluethat had stretched…
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The Gift I Could Never Afford
Scripture Focus: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 3:24 I have discovered something rather embarrassing about myself: I am not particularly good at receiving things I cannot repay. Let somebody buy lunch, and some little accountant in my head immediately opens a ledger. All right.…
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Until He Finds You
Scripture Focus: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” — Luke 15:4 There comes a point when carrying certain things becomes exhausting. Anger is heavy. So are…
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When God Says It Is Gone
Scripture Focus: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” — Psalm 103:12 I wonder how many sins God has forgiven that we are still trying to serve time for. There are things we have confessed honestly, grieved deeply, and brought to God with no…
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What Have I Been Counting?
Scripture Focus: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” — Psalm 103:2 How often do you find yourself counting burdens instead of blessings? I shudder to think what my answer would be. Maybe you do too. No matter how blessed we may be, it is remarkably easy to become so…
