"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God."
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
Wow, what a voice!
It was deep, melodious, and strong as one of my favorite singers sang from a gospel video.
Actually, I had attended a live concert and her music ministered mightily to me. There was something more than was seen and heard on the surface. An anointing encircled her that went way beyond her physical voice.
The Plumb line of God...How do You Measure up?
Amos 7:1-17
Just before the death of actor W.C. Fields, a friend visited Fields' hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible. Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, "I'm looking for loopholes."1
By contrast, a number of years ago my mother and my mother-in-law were both visiting our home. It was an afternoon and the two were quietly sitting in the living room, both reading their Bibles. Our youngest daughter who was about ten or eleven years of age at the time caught sight of this and replied, "they're studying for their finals".
A friend once told me about being hired by the government to study the bears in a certain area. He and another man set up a camp in the midst of known bear territory and began the work. They had been watching a family of bears for some time, recording their movements and eating habits. One morning they were observing a large male fishing in a river. They recorded their data and slowly backed away. When they thought they were a safe distance they stood up and turned toward their camp. My friend had his head down, fiddling with his camera case when suddenly he heard his co-worker call his name in a rather urgent tone. There, only a few feet away, was a large female. Her two cubs were romping a few paces away, between the men and the mother. The female had not seen them yet and they managed to back away quickly before she did. My friend said it took them a while before they stopped shaking. They new there was one primary rule in their work ? a rule they could not break ? "Don't mess with Mama." Mother bears are notoriously protective. Their first instinct is to protect their young. Those two men knew they had escaped a potentially deadly situation.
A Hurting Word...
Salt and pepper...ham and eggs...bread and butter...pain and peace? No way! If you've ever known emotional pain, then you know there's certainly no peace in it! True--but it can lead to peace--His peace--if you will hear His healing Word today!
"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." - Proverbs 18:24
Most of us have had many friends over our lifetime. Some of those friends have been life-long friends. Other only last for a 'season', and then they are gone. Many of these friendships evolve into a 'family-type' friendship; in other words, the friend is just like part of the family. And, when we lose one of those friends, it's an upset to our ego, and our self-esteem falls. Perhaps we have trusted these friends enough to share things we might not ever discuss with others, and then we feel betrayed.
Rev. Spence Laycock pastors at Church of the Open Bible, Ponoka, Alberta, Canada.
Blog Writings by Melva Cooper.
Melva Cooper is a wife, mother and grandmother from Jonesboro, Arkansas. God has given her, in her retirement years, the ministry of writing for HIM. "Even in old age, you will still produce fruit" is a verse He has given her (Psalm 92:14). And it is her desire to serve Him all the days of her life.
Barbara, a Christian homemaker, began her Web Site through encouragement from her son, and a dream. It quickly became a ministry for the Lord. She began writing devotionals to encourage, inspire, and build up spiritually those coming to her site. Barbara is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.
Dr. Harold McNabb pastors at Westshore Presbyterian Church in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
"Ever feel as though life is a lions' den and like Daniel, you're right in the middle of it all? Enjoy these "Devotions from the Den" (Lions 'n Life at Peggie's Place) and delight in God's promises of love, joy and peace for whatever is happening in YOUR den today!"