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
Christian Bible Study Pages
Proverbs 31,
A Study on Christian Living
Archives
Travel Pages
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)
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men. Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn’t be comforted, because they are no more.” Matthew 2:16-18, WEB
The numbers are disturbing. Statistics show that about ten percent of children around our nation will be sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday. In the state where I live in 2023, more than fifty thousand children were confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect, with more than a hundred fatalities. Too many of these children are not even old enough to attend kindergarten. Some of these children are sold as sex slaves. Not all child abuse is sexual, of course, but all abuse is heartbreaking and extremely damaging to the victims. Some children are abused physically, some verbally, some emotionally. Too many children are used as pawns for adults, particularly in broken relationships. Too many children are used around the world for political purposes, trained as babies to be suicide bombers or used as human shields. And of course, all too many children are never born because many are aborted for selfish and self-centered reasons.
The abuse of our babies is not new. Ancient religions used children in human sacrifice. Historically, the children of the powerful were used in their political games as they were given in marriage not for love, but to join kingdoms. Children didn’t matter; they were little more than property to be used for the benefit of the family, community, or kingdom. Children were beaten to teach them lessons or left to die when there was not enough food. I wonder, though, if we aren’t doing as much or more damage to our kids in modern times. It doesn’t seem like abuse to give our children everything they want or to tell them how wonderful they are, but it is possible to coddle our children into adults who do not know how to be responsible adults. They suffer at our hands; our over-protectiveness creates people who are selfish and self-centered, leading them to abuse others in other ways.
Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the day we remember the children who perished at the hands of King Herod. He heard that a new king had been born and he was so concerned about his own power and throne that he did whatever was necessary to ensure his legacy. Millions of children have suffered since the beginning of time, but we are particularly taken aback by the story of these babies. We imagine this to be a horrid event with blood running down the streets as thousands of children are slaughtered. The reality is that Bethlehem was a small town with an estimated population of just hundreds. Though some estimate the deaths in the thousands, it was probably far fewer. There are no secular historical accounts of a massacre, probably because it was not noteworthy that a local ruler would kill a few children. The numbers do not make the incident less horrific: one innocent life is one too many. One child suffering for whatever reason is one child too many.
What Herod did not understand is that Jesus was not born to rule as an earthly king; He was sent to bring forgiveness, to transform our lives, and reconcile us to God our Father. What we often forget is that the blood of those children is on our own hands. Our sinfulness brought Jesus into this world. We blame Herod for the death of the innocents, but he is no different than us; his sin is no greater than ours. I can’t imagine any of us laying a hand on a child to guarantee our job or position, but how often do we think of ourselves before we think of the effects of our actions on others? Do we accept that our own sin can cause another to suffer? Do we do what we think needs to be done for our own benefit, ignoring what we might be doing to our children?
As we recall those innocent lives lost, we should also remember the children who suffer every day in the violence and selfishness of this world. Even more so, let us pray that God will kill the vices in our lives that affect those around us so that we won’t bring harm to others through our selfishness. May God help us to understand how our actions affect others and think first before acting, especially when we might bring harm to an innocent child.
If you would like to contact me, please use the following address, replacing the bracketed words with the symbol. Thank you for your continued interest, prayers and messages of encouragement.
A WORD FOR TODAY is available daily through a mailing list. Visit the link below and you will receive the WORD in your box Monday through Friday.
“They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ He kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 8:58-60, WEB
Christmas is over; all that is left is the clean-up. The presents are unwrapped and put away. The leftovers are in the refrigerator. The decorations are a bit worse for the wear; the outside lights have been blown about; the tree is beginning to drop a few needles. There is no more shopping to do, presents to be wrapped, or parties to attend. Though many people will have the week off and New Year’s Eve is soon, the world is ready to pack away Christmas for another year.
I am sure that some people are relieved that Christmas is over. Christmas is supposed to be a time for “peace on earth, goodwill to men”, but I imagine that there at least a few people trying to get over struggles with family. We gather together because that is what we should do, but our differences often make those reunions uncomfortable. We open presents, eat a meal, and then run off to do other things because we just can’t deal with those differences. Jesus came to bring forgiveness, but on this day after Christmas, many have forgotten the purpose for Christmas, grumbling today about the things they don’t like about those they are supposed to love most.
We think of this day after Christmas in secular terms, as another shopping day or a time to clean up, but today is also St. Stephen’s Day. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, the first of the disciples to die for his faith in Christ. It almost seems odd that we would go from the peaceful story of the Nativity right into the martyrdom of Stephen. It seems too soon to be thinking about those who have risked everything for their faith. However, that is what it is all about. Christ died that we might live to forgive.
Perhaps it is good to follow the joy of Christmas with the stoning of Stephen so that we’ll remember that our faith in Jesus leads us to follow the example of people like Stephen. At the moment of his death, Stephen did the unthinkable: he forgave those who killed him. He asked God for mercy on them. Stephen gave a stirring sermon about the faith of their forefathers, and they lived to see the day of the Lord which had come, but it is in these words of forgiveness that we see the true witness of his faith. We can all be great evangelists, but the best way to live our faith is to forgive those who have hurt us most.
We use the word martyr in reference to those who have died for their faith, and yet the word simply means witness. The martyrs who have been stoned, beheaded, burned or who have died in other ways give us an example of extreme devotion to God. We are not likely to be asked to live or die in such extreme circumstances. We are, however, called to be witnesses. We are called to speak the story of God into the lives of those who are still living in darkness even while the light shines so brightly in the world. We might have to make sacrifices for our faith, but that is the cost of discipleship. It isn’t enough to celebrate the Nativity with a trip to church on Christmas Eve and a battle at city hall for a manger display. Our faith calls us to tell the story of Christ, to bring forgiveness and reconciliation to those who are lost and separated from our God.
The life to which we are called is never going to be easy. We may be taken out of our comfort zone and put into a position of risk and difficulty. We may have to do something that shocks and upsets the world around us. We may have to say the very things that will bring scorn from our neighbors, sometimes even from people who are meant to be most dear to us. We are not likely to be martyred, but Christians are dying for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. We cry out for peace, and we strive to work for peace, but the peace that God promises is not something we can achieve by doing this or that. It comes from God.
As we live in that peace, we are called to be holy and chosen people, growing in the grace of God and becoming the visible manifestation of His love in the world. We are told to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are told to bear with one another, to forgive as we have been forgiven and to put on love above all else. As the peace of Christ rules in our hearts and we live in thankfulness, the world will see the word of Christ dwelling in our lives, like Stephen. For some, this life of peace will be offensive, and they will seek its end. We might be tempted to hide that peace or to work toward a false sense of people, but as Christ dwells amongst us, we will grow in grace and will naturally live the life to which we have been called, the life of thanksgiving and praise, uttering the most difficult words, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!”
Most people come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in simple, quiet ways. Many are taken to church as children and grow up learning the Bible stories in Sunday school. Some marry a Christian and tag along until they too come to love Jesus. Some stumble upon a church or a Christian at a difficult time in their lives and decide that it couldn’t hurt to try to find some comfort and peace through this thing called faith.
Though they are no more saved than the person who grows up knowing Jesus, the most exciting testimonies are those who come from people who have had incredible conversion experiences. Sometimes these folk become evangelists, sharing their amazing encounter with God with others in the hopes that they will hear the Gospel and be saved. We have heard these stories – people on the brink of death who see or hear Jesus, men or women who have led lives desperately seeking fulfillment in all the wrong things who suddenly know that Christ can fill the whole in their heart.
Jacob Koshy was one that came to know Jesus in that way. While living in Singapore, his obsession with success drove him, but it led him to a life of gambling and drug abuse. He eventually ended up in prison, a center that would not allow him to even have cigarettes. He smuggled in some tobacco and used the pages of a Gideon Bible to roll is cigarettes. One evening he fell asleep while smoking and the cigarette went out. When we awoke, he noticed the words, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” on the paper and asked for a new bible to read the story. It was the story of Paul’s conversion.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Savior 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 honor Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Savior's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary 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 and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found 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
 |