Tag: christian
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Influence and Legacy
5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.–2 Timothy 1 I am a parent. And like most Christian parents, I pray over and for my kids each day. My wife loves to pray…
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Deep Waters of Purpose
5The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.–Proverbs 20 As I journey with someone in counseling, I find it helpful to utter a rather deep statement that I have learned. I DO WHAT I DO BECAUSE I WANT WHAT I WANT. Many people claim…
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Recall Wise Advice
20Listen to advice and accept instruction,that you may gain wisdom in the future.–Proverbs 19 One of the things I find meaningful as I do these daily devotions is that as I read the text for that day, memories will sometimes just jump to the front of my mind. It happened yesterday with Blarney Castle. It…
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The Strong Tower
10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.–Proverbs 18 Here is a photo I took of one of the towers of Blarney Castle outside Cork, Ireland. To kiss the famous Blarney Stone you have to climb a couple of tight, winding stairways up and up.…
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A Reason You Go Through Hard Times
3The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,and the LORD tests hearts.–Proverbs 17 It’s been years since I have taken a chemistry class, and so I brushed up with a little online research regarding crucibles this morning. Crucibles were a way for metals to be purified. Say an ancient culture mined gold or silver.…
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A Quarantine Memory
20Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.–Proverbs 16 I recall during the quarantine of 2021 being a substitute ‘teacher’. I oversee support groups at my church and during that season, we ran them on zoom. I recall that our DivorceCare men’s leader had a…
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Your Speech Matters
1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly. 3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good. 4A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue…
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When to Flee, When to Fight
10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the…
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Can Churches Have Paid Staff?
17Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”–1 Timothy 5 The first honor is the respect and spiritual submission due to the church…
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Go to the ‘Gym’
….train yourself for godliness; 8for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.–1 Timothy 4 The Greek word for train is gymnaze and is related to the word translated today as gymnasium. People who wish…
Joel M Bradshaw 