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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Salisbury PlainClimb a Hill, Look at a Rock Day
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.
(Click for enlarged)
“Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts, My King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. Selah” Psalm 84:3-4,ASV
We feel so blessed; today is signing day. By later this afternoon, we’ll have a new house. The next few days are going to be insane with moving and unpacking, but we are anxious to settle in and make this house a home. We are looking forward to the life we will live here. The reason for buying this house is because it puts Bruce closer to his job; his commute will be half or even a third of what it has been over the past few years. The new house will save us money on gas. It will give us more time together. It will give me space for a studio and an office where I can write without interruption. The kitties are going to love the low windows and the long track from one end to the other for their romps.
Through this process we have been calling this our ‘forever home’ because we are hoping this is the last house we will ever have to buy. Bruce and I have moved so often with the military, we want to know that we won’t eventually have to move again. Our realtor has focused on resalability of the houses, but I kept saying, “Don’t worry about that. It will be our kids’ problem.” We want roots. We want to be so entrenched that you’ll have to drag us out. We want this to be our permanent refuge.
Of course, we know that it will not be permanent. Any home, no matter how wonderful and comfortable we make it, it will only be temporary. This might be our forever home on earth, but we have an eternal home that is being made ready even as we live our lives here. When we go to that home, however, we won’t have to pack boxes or cancel utilities. We won’t even have to go house hunting, for God has already selected our forever home. The wonderful part of this story is that we don’t have to wait. Though we will leave this world and go to the next, we can already dwell in our eternal rest because God is that house. He is the Temple where we will worship for eternity. He is the home where we will rest. He is the bread we will eat. He is the living water we will drink. He has given the sparrows a home, so too He has made a place for us, in His heart and in His kingdom, forever.
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“And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus; and they told him all things, whatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had taught. And he saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desert place apart.” Mark 6:30-32, ASV
My phone is ringing off the hook today. We are so close to closing on our house that everyone wants to make sure that we are informed and prepared. Since we are selling a house, too, we are getting calls about that business. Plus, I’ve been making arrangements for cleaners, carpet cleaners and all the utilities. We have to cancel for our old house and set up our new one. It is insanity. Yet, it is very good insanity because it means everything is falling into place for our new life in a new house.
I will be inconsistent for the next week or so as we get settled into the new house. I have made sure that I have access to the resources I need to do the writing each day, but there’s one thing I can’t do: make more time. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, no matter how well I plan my schedule. I spent several house yesterday running errands, and unfortunately one place took much longer than expected. I can’t focus all my attention on just one thing; I have a family that needs my help and my attention. I need to sleep and eat and take care of my health. I have to keep things relatively clean in the midst of this chaos.
Time is something we just can’t control. There is a television commercial that shows people pulling up to a drive-thru window, like at a fast food place, asking for more time. They want an extra fifteen minutes here or a day there. Wouldn’t that be nice? I know there are times when I wish I could add a day or even an hour, just to get everything done. But we know that isn’t possible. So, we have to learn how to use our time wisely and accept when we can’t be superpeople.
God is blessed when we spend our time in worship and service for Him. He is glorified by the work we do and the words we speak as His witnesses. He does, however, know that we are human and that we have limitations. Time is eternal and limitless for Him, but we are bound by the clock and calendar. He knows that we need balance in our lives; we need time for work, but we also need time for rest. We need time to serve and we need time to rejoice. We need time to accomplish things, but we also need time for silence. It is up to us to find the balance. We might want that extra fifteen minutes, or another day to the week, but sometimes the answer is to say no once in awhile. The key is to accept that you can’t do it all, and that God does want you to take care of yourself. Your world might appear to be chaotic. You may see a million tasks that need to be accomplished. Sometimes, however, you just have to set something aside.
Unfortunately, we tend to think that setting aside ministry for something so mundane as doing the dishes is selfish and irreverent, so we do the dishes and the ministry but we don’t get enough sleep or spend that time with kids or pets that help keep us sane in the chaos. The disciples were very excited about the work they were doing, and they were probably ready to minister to those people who were gathering around Jesus. But Jesus knew they needed time to rest, time to eat, time to breathe, so He took them to a solitary place to rest. The break didn’t last very long; but we see in this story that Jesus is concerned not only that we are doing what He calls us to do, but that we are also taking care of our lives. It isn’t selfish to take time to eat and sleep. It isn’t selfish if we have to occasionally put off ministry for daily living. Our time is valuable and limited, and God wants us to use it well.
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. This devotional is posted on Wednesday, at both A WORD FOR TODAY and at MIDWEEK OASIS.
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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