Today's Word
You are welcome to use the writings on these pages or pass them on to others who might find a touch from God in the words. Our purpose is always to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you everything, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring these words to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom its been shared. All rights reserved. Peggy Hoppes
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Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
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Due to the high volume of spam that comes through the domain, I have had to stop using that email address. However, if you would like to send me mail, use the following address, replacing the bracketed words with the symbol. Thank you for your continued interest, prayers and messages of encouragement.
We were on vacation for the week of July 5-11 and I was unable to write. Please forgive any inconvenience. My schedule for the texts for July 19th will be the Old Testament on Monday, Epistle on Tuesday and Gospel on Wednesday. Since Psalm 23 is used so often, I will not be using it this week, but you can find many devotions from Psalm 23 at my archive page at Scripture Index.
Scriptures for Sunday, July 19, 2009: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah. Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, against the shepherds that feed my people: Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith Jehovah. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply. And I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, saith Jehovah. Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.
What is leadership? I suppose in many ways this is the big question of our day. When we are watching corporations fall apart because of poor leadership and politicians of every stripe questioned about their decisions in their public and private lives. We even see it happening in churches and families. What is the right way to lead a group of people? What is the best thing to do for the sake of the group and for those outside the group? How many leaders are really concerned about their people? How many are concerned about their own power and position?
Jeremiah passes on a word of warning to the leaders in Isreal: they have failed to care for God’s people and God is ready to take over and he will take care of everyone, including the leaders. Unfortunately for them, He will take care of them by calling them to account. They will experience the same measure of care they gave to those who were given to them. What if the leaders had to live according to the same expectations as they place as burdens on their people? It seems that many leaders live by the adage, “Do as I say, not as I do.” What if they had to live according to their own words? Would things be any different?
Many leaders forget that they are not the top of the food chain or that they will not remain on top forever. Then what happens? What happens when the abusive father becomes old and unable to care for himself? Does he receive the same mercy he gave to his children? Does the corporate CEO stay in power by stepping on the little people who make the company work? The good leader is the one who realizes that the burden is on his or her shoulder. When they take care of those who are in their care, then they will do everything they can to make their leader successful.
Jesus never worried about His power and position. As a matter of fact, He spent a great deal of time running away from the crowd’s desire to make Him an earthly king. His concern was for the people, to ensure that they received the kind of care that God desired for them. He was in a right relationship with both those who were under His care and His Father in Heaven. That’s what makes good leadership, an understanding that although one is the Master, He is also the Servant. Perhaps we could use more leaders like that in our world today, in corporate leadership and politics and the church and in our homes.
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Scriptures for Sunday, July 12, 2009: Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85:8-13; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:30-34, 53:56
Psalm 85:8-13 I will hear what God Jehovah will speak; For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: But let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, That glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springeth out of the earth; And righteousness hath looked down from heaven. Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good; And our land shall yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before him, And shall make his footsteps a way to walk in.
Since Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year, many people have been given an extra day off this weekend. Some people even lucked out with a four day weekend, which gives them plenty of time to party. The celebrations are kicking off early, with some activities happening today. A neighboring town even began their carnival yesterday, with the major festivities including a parade, planned for tomorrow. I’m sure some people will even be planning events for Sunday. The holiday is a great excuse for people to get together and have fun.
I think the best type of celebration is the kind where family and friends gather together for a pot luck picnic. Pot lucks are great fun because everyone brings in their best dishes. We get to enjoy Aunt Marge’s potato salad and Grandma’s fire roasted chili stew. Hot dogs taste especially good grilled by neighbor Fred on his state of the art grill and the fresh tomatoes hand picked that morning from Sam’s garden are quite a treat. My mouth is watering as I think about the cool, crisp, sweet watermelon and the hot gooey marshmallows toasted over the charcoal and squished between chocolate and graham crackers into s’mores.
Ok, now I’m hungry for all those yummy picnic treats. The point of this writing is that this type of celebration brings together the best of all worlds. It might be fun to go to a party where someone does all the work, and I have to admit that I enjoy hosting that kind of party. But the pot luck picnic is something special. It is a gathering of food from all over the world; salads with incredible combinations that might not be planned together are piled high on paper plates until no one can eat any more. The deserts are tremendous, sinfully delicious. I think that the family gatherings in the summer are less stressed than those around the holidays. I’m not sure why, perhaps it has to do with the good weather: the gathering can take place outside where people can stretch and play. Games of volleyball or badminton bring riotous giggles heard throughout the neighborhood. These are good times.
The psalmist also speaks of good times. Look at the wonderful things God is going to do. This passage is a potluck of God’s grace! Salvation, glory, mercy and truth, righteousness and peace all come together in God’s kingdom. Thanks to God’s goodness, His people will prosper. He establishes the way of righteousness for them. This is truly something to celebrate.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Saviour Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honour Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Saviour's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
Scripture on this page taken from the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible which belongs to the public domain. Some scripture on this site taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
As you may be aware, I also write a weekly devotional on Wednesday called "MIDWEEK OASIS." For those of you who are familiar with lectionary scripture sources, MIDWEEK OASIS is based on the texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The lectionary consists of four texts – an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text. We are now using the lectionary for our A WORD FOR TODAY texts. The way it works: Our week begins on Thursday, with our texts being those that will be used on the Sunday ten days out. Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday we look at each of the texts – an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, an epistle and a Gospel text, in no particular order. On Wednesday, we'll look at how these texts fit together, how they fit into the church calendar and how they fit into our lives. I use the Revised Common Lectionary as used by the Lutheran Church.
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You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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