Category Archives: Devotional

Healing Honeycomb

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There’s been a lot of buzz lately about bees because they are mysteriously disappearing en masse. How tragic!

As you know, bees are necessary to pollinate food crops. And they produce sweet honey, which is exceptionally healthful to the body, as is the honeycomb it is stored in. In fact, the diverse medicinal properties of both have been utilized for thousands of years. Bees wax is also medicinal.  In fact, burning pure bees-wax candles helps clean toxins out of the air. The  list of its other beneficial uses is nearly as long as that of honey.

Because the bees are disappearing at a rather frightening rate, scientists are trying to breed super bees and manufacture artificial honey and honey-related products. The problem is, artificially created products are usually more detrimental than beneficial. For instance, artificial honey is nothing more than sugar, water and citric acid (invert sugar), which can create health issues and artificial bees-wax contains chemicals, which are toxic to the human body.

I am reminded of Proverbs 16:24, which states: Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. I have personally experienced much encouragement and emotional healing from the pleasant words of others. However, I have also experienced the sting of pleasant, but insincere flatteries -like artificial honey- which made me feel good for that moment, but in the long run proved to be of no real value. I very much desire, therefore, that my own words be pure, sincere and healing to others.

“…. the difference is that instead of dirt and poison, we have rather chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax, thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light.” ~Johnathon Swift

The Key to Peace

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It wasn’t until the toilet was flushing that I realized my car keys had fallen in. Normally, something like that would have really frustrated me, but I managed to laugh at my mishap instead. Then again, I knew that I could call my husband, and he would bring a spare set; which he did.

I hated to inconvenience him after a long day’s work, but at the same time, I was quite thankful to have someone watching out for me –someone to come to my rescue when I need it. Actually, this is not the first time my husband has had to bring me keys –although, flushing them down the toilet was a first.

Later, the LORD brought the following Scripture to my mind, and reminded me of some very important keys: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19).

Simply put, God has given kingdom authority to those in His family. Are you in His family? If so, you have been given everything you need to live a victorious life.

True, you may run into some obstacles along the way. You may even encounter circumstances that will overwhelm you to the point you lose sight of the right kingdom key to unlock the answer. When this happens, dear reader, you need only call upon the LORD. He is always watching out for His children and He will always come to your rescue.

Although He may rescue you in a dynamic, miraculous way; chances are He will hand you a spare key instead, and let you go about your business. Why? Like any good parent, your Heavenly Father uses every situation to your advantage –to help you learn and mature. Knowing this, you need never feel frustrated when things don’t go your way. You simply need to trust the LORD –that is the key to peace.

The Arbitrary Song of the Wind Chime

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photo: windandweather.com

Although quite windy, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I had several errands to run that day, but they would just have to wait a little longer. Nothing seemed as important, at that moment, than stopping to enjoy the arbitrary song of the wind chime.

The tune varied from gust to gust, but each was distinctly beautiful. I couldn’t help but think: Sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.¹ My heart swelled with joy as I breathed-in the fresh spring air and watched the trees dance to the song of the wind chime.

Then another pearl from God’s word came to mind: For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.²

It is true; we are living in very disturbing times. However, Scripture says: let all those that put their trust in thee [O LORD] rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. ³

I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to sing for joy. My voice may not beautiful, and sometimes my songs are nothing more than spontaneous words of praise, but that which is not perfect can be beautiful too, like the arbitrary song of a wind chime.

¹Psalm 96:1
²Isaiah 55:12
³Psalm 5:11,12

Perfect Heathen

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“Listen, that boy is a perfect heathen,” she said. Actually, I wasn’t really listening as much as overhearing, but I couldn’t help but marvel at the obvious paradox. A heathen is, by definition, a person that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible, let alone live by His instruction. The Bible speaks of the heathen one-hundred-fifty times, and never in a good light. In fact, God calls the ways of the Heathen filthy and abominable. He commands us time and again not to participate in the “shame of the heathen” nor learn their ways.

If someone were aspiring to be “perfect” at something, heathenism would certainly not be a good choice. True, the word heathen seems pretty benign in American culture. How about the word pagan? That word tends to evoke lots of horrible images –images of everything from polytheism to the heinous, unspeakable sins that the pagans commit– yet the words heathen and pagan are pretty much synonymous.

Conversely, striving for “perfection” is a worthwhile and desirable pursuit. King David said, “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way (Psalms 101:1,2a). The Hebrew word for perfect is taw-meem, which means that David’s heart was undefiled, full of integrity and truth. The Bible uses the word, perfect -with all its derivatives- almost one-hundred-fifty times as well. However, that which is “perfect” is always pleasing to God.

Perhaps you believe, dear reader, that you can never be perfect. Truthfully, if you are striving for perfection according to the heathen’s definition, you probably won’t ever attain it. But if you acknowledge the God of the Bible, and have a heart like King David’s, you most assuredly can. After all, perfection and righteousness are pretty much synonymous; and the Holy Bible has given us ample instruction as to how to live righteously before the LORD.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Co 7:1).

Having said that, I pray you all have a perfectly glorious day!

A Little Pick-Me-Up

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As my son and I walked through the parking lot, he stooped to pick up a coin. “Cool; it’s a dime,” he said. “If it had been a penny I wouldn’t have bothered, but a dime – now that’s a different story.”

I guess he doesn’t know that a 1943-D bronze cent was recently sold for $1.7 million, or realize that certain other pennies have been sold for as much as $200,000 in recent years. Then again, I have no room to talk. There have been lots of times that I was too tired, lazy or busy to bother picking up a stray penny.

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t take the same attitude when he decides to pick someone up after they have fallen? If people were coins, Jesus would consider every dull old penny every bit as valuable as a shiny new gold piece. And, He would search for every lost coin. Consider the parable of the woman who lost a silver coin, then searched diligently to find it.

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:8-10 NIV).

I believe there is also rejoicing in heaven every time someone stops to help pick someone up who is lost or fallen because that is a reflection of Jesus’ heart. I pray that I never cease to recognize the value in every human life, and that I always avail myself to be the LORD’s arms extended.

After all, everyone could use a little pick-me-up now and then!

The End of the Matter

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Surely, you’ve heard the story of the young bride that always cut the end off a roast before she put it in the pan to cook? It is said that her husband asked, “Honey, why do you do that?” To which she replied, “I don’t know. My mother always did it that way, so I do it that way.”

This made the young bride curious enough to ask her mother, “Mom, why do you always cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Her mother answered in like manner, “I don’t know. My mother always did it that way, so I do it that way.”

By this time, her curiosity had really peaked. “Granny,” she asked the following week, “Why do you always cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Smiling sweetly, her grandmother answered, “Well dear, I always bought a big roast to feed a big family, but my roasting pan was too small. I had to cut the ends off the roasts so they would fit in the pan.”

Whoever first told this story was probably trying to make a point about the folly of following others blindly. Scripture speaks to that issue as well when it says if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). But that is not the point I wish to make.

I would like you to ponder this Scripture instead: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15).

Dear reader, if someone were to ask you why you believe as you do, are you prepared to open your Bible and answer them through Scripture? And if someone were to ask why you, as a believer, why do you do certain things, are you prepared to answer those questions also? It might not be in your best interest, or theirs, to say, “The church has always done it this way, so that’s how I do it.”

After all, there are many folks out there who are hungry for the truth and they want definitive answers. Telling them, “It has always been done this way,” is a bit like serving a roast with the end cut off – pointlessly lacking.

Two Coins in a Mountain

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Photo: Gabi Laron, Institute of Archaeology

Last night I had a few moments to relax so I spent time at the B.A.R. –Biblical Archaeology Review magazine, that is. Being a biblical archaeology enthusiast, I love this magazine for several reasons. Most importantly, B.A.R reports on the latest finds from the Middle East that validates the absolute historicity of the Holy Bible.

This month’s magazine reported on the find of two ¹bullae that date to the time of Jeremiah, the prophet. These bullae are inscribed with the names of two of Jeremiah’s worst adversaries. The names of both of these men, Jehucal and Shelemiah, are found in the Bible in the 38th chapter of Jeremiah –imagine that.

“What if tangible proof of these princes existed? It would corroborate Jeremiah’s account –and be colossal proof of the accuracy of the Bible…. Rarely do science and the Bible converge as dramatically as with the Jehucal and Gedaliah bullae.” B.A.R. Jan/Feb 2012.

Clearly, these two bullae do exist as proof of the Bible’s absolute accuracy; as do countless other artifacts. Amongst them, are two very significant coins which have recently been unearthed in the area of the temple mount in Jerusalem. One of the coins, a silver half-shekel, was minted by Israelite temple authorities in 66-67 AD. The half-shekel was required of the Israelites to be given as temple tax, as recorded in Scripture. The other coin, from the period of the First Revolt against the Romans, which preceded the destruction of the Second Temple, bears the phrase “For the Redemption of Zion. These coins are invaluable given the ownership issues which surround the temple mount –ownership which was clearly established in Scripture (That would be Israelite ownership –not Palestinian).

While there will always be those who scoff at the Bible, I am thankful for the archaeologists which labor tirelessly to prove its accuracy and validity. I guess it just goes to show, no matter how deeply the past gets buried, someone is bound to dig it up eventually!

Regarding the aforementioned artifacts (and more), B.A.R invites us all to “Come see these remarkable artifacts and discover the inspiring story of ancient Israel’s dramatic rise under King Solomon, its tragic collapse under King Zedekiah –and the faith-filled work of Jeremiah.

January 16 through October 16, 2012
Armstrong Auditorium
Emund, Oklahoma
(405) 285-1010
Armstrong Auditorium.org

¹A bulla (singular) is a hard clay seal impression used in the ancient world to record important information.

Click here to visit Biblical Archaeology Society online

Two Kinds of Christians

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I’ve heard it said that there are two types of people in the world: those who are “saved” and those who are “lost.” To be honest, I believe that is true –either you will spend eternity with the LORD or you won’t, it’s as simple as that.

Usually, those who make this statement are referring to Christians as those who are saved. Having said that, I would like to break it down further; I believe there are two kinds of “Christians.”

The first category of “Christian” is the one who starts with their world view and then purposely interprets Scripture to make it fit. (only the LORD knows if these are really saved or not.)

The second is the Christian who starts with Scripture and insures that their world view conforms to the written Word of God no matter what. I trust, if you are a devoted Christian, that you belong to the second category. If so, you are quite likely to face persecution for your faith at some point. Just remember, Jesus said:

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock”
(Matthew 7:24, 25 NASB).

Finish the Race

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“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

Yesterday my husband tackled one of those organizing tasks that I have been putting off for longer than I care to admit. Although appreciative, I must admit that my gratitude was slightly hampered by a touch of guilt for not having done the job myself. Normally I try to keep up with such things, but life does have a way of getting away from me sometimes, so that all the “insignificant” stuff gets put-off until who knows when.

The truth is, in the long run, some things really aren’t all that important. I’m sure the Apostle Paul felt the same way quite often, as his primary focus was on the task given to him –and to all of us– to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

Time is short; let’s all keep running the race and sharing God’s grace with new fervor. True, we might have to examine our lives and do a little organizing or re-prioritizing, but there is no better time than right now to do so. And remember, if we are going to run an endurace race, we need to be thouroghly prepared; no one can do this for us. May I encourage you, dear reader, if you don’t already do so, to begin daily Bible readings this year! Did you know that you can read through the whole Bible in one year by reading less than four chapters per day? I can’t think of a better way to start a new year!

The Prayer Tin

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There are only a few days left in this year, so I guess it’s time to make a few New Year’s resolutions. As I was thinking about all the items on my rather long list of improvements and achievements for the coming year, it occurred to me that my family and I have somehow let one of our most important “traditions” slip into oblivion.

Years ago, we kept a decorative tin on the dining room table at all times. Inside the tin were the names of just about everyone we knew – friends, family, and acquaintances new and old. Every evening, just before the dinner prayer, one of the children would draw a name out of the tin and we would include that person in our prayer. We always trusted the LORD to guide our selections so we would choose the name of someone who really needed a little extra prayer.

Looking back, I’m not sure when, or why, we stopped using the prayer tin, but I am determined that we are going to add it back into our daily routine. Dear reader, I may not know you all personally, but I am going to include a name card for those of you who subscribe to my blogs. I also plan to include a generic name card for those of you who read my blog, whose names I do not know. I already pray for you at times, but number one on my resolutions list is to intercede on behalf of others more than ever before and it is my great pleasure to include you.

From my family to yours, God’s richest blessings upon you.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers (I Thessalonians 1:2)