Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. This scripture not only refers to individuals. It also includes nations. Do you know any person or nation that is a wreck; is crushed or ruptured? Some come to mind immediately. They need more than a band-aid and a couple of aspirin. They need a major overhaul. No amount of human effort is going to bring healing to these wounds. Only Jesus, the All-powerful God, can restore, heal, bind…
My attention was directed recently to the account of Jesus calling Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree as he passed through Jerico. 1. He didn’t just say, “You there.” He called Zacchaeus by name. Has Jesus called your name to come to Him? 2. Jesus bid him to come down. Have you left your old way of living; your old habits, wrong paths, evil thoughts, to come walk the right way of Jesus? 3. Jesus invited Himself to dine with…
This past week I have had two occasions to be with long-ago friends. About a fourth of our high school graduating class met in the Ozarks for a long weekend. We revisited memories from days past, colored and warped by over 53 years of life since our graduation. The second group was a gathering of Christian sisters who went to the same church over 40 years ago. We came together from all over the map to celebrate one member’s 90th…
Forty years ago, we had a small prayer group at church that met every Tuesday. God blessed us each time we met with miraculous healings and obvious answered prayers; far beyond anything we had ever seen before. Our numbers increased each week as people discovered a personal relationship with the living Lord Jesus. At one of these meetings, Carol, one of the members, announced her husband’s company had transferred them to Colorado from here in Kansas City. We had become…
There is none so deaf as he who will not hear, none so blind, who will not see, none so lame as those who choose their own destiny headed for utter darkness, alone, for all eternity. In this day of increased knowledge, theories abound. People who embrace these ideas consider them new and enlightening. In essence, these are the old lies dressed up in new clothes. Satan has been at this deception since the beginning. He told Eve to go…
Over a year and a half ago, Ardythe Kolb and I decided to write a 365 day devotional. We have been friends and sisters in Christ for over 40 years. We divided the project this way: I sent Ardythe the scripture and the ending prayer, then she wrote the devotional and sent it back to me. I formatted it and in November 2012 we published it. Near the end of the year I helped her write some of the devotionals….
The TV ad from Nebraska Furniture Mart blasted, “It’s Father’s Day. All your dad wants is love and respect.” I’m glad we take a day to honor fathers. Dads are supposed to be God’s representatives of His fatherhood to us. Our Creator desires love and respect from us just as our earthly fathers do. As I look at the world around me, I don’t think we do that at all. This week, our state legislature passed laws to ensure that…
None of us like to think of God chastening us. No correction is ever pleasant. There is one consolation. The Bible says in Hebrews 12: 6 “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” Then in verse 10 He gives us the reason for that discipline, . . . “that we may share in His holiness.” God’s word is true Truth. Romans 3:4 says “. . . let God be found true,…
Jason Collins, an NBA basketball player came out this week announcing he was gay. He’s featured on the cover of Newsweek Magazine. It’s reported his Twitter account has thousands of new followers. President Obama called to congratulate him. There is a missing voice in all this. The Creator of the Whole Universe. The One Who Loves Him Best. The One who laid down very specific instructions both in the Old and New Testaments about homosexuality, among other subjects. Is anyone…
My niece called the other day with this question. “Aunt Sally, what is our heritage?” “Yours is mostly English. Why?” “Well, maybe that’s not what I want to know. I mean what’s my ethnicity?” “White bread, honey. White bread. Our ethnicity doesn’t really make a difference. We’re all descended from Adam and Eve, ultimately.” As I thought about it later, what I said to her was true. We’re all a part of God’s creation. But not all of us are…