Monthly Archives: October 2026

What If Obit

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You will have read obituaries of people you have known over the years. I think of it as a summary of a person’s life for people who knew them but might not be aware of various aspects of their life including accomplishments, family, and activities. Obituaries I read paint a glowing picture of the person to be hung on our wall of mental memories. 

More than once I have wondered if the defect-free, near-saint person I just read about was the same person I knew. I then wondered what if our all-knowing God, the One Who knows our every thought and hidden motive, was to be the One Who wrote the obituary. Certainly, a different picture could be painted.

What a great motivation that thought should be to us to live every moment with the desire to be pleasing to our God, our Rock, our Savior. The pleasing isn’t to be just our actions but our every thought. What joy that should be. Oh to hear the words, “Well done.” Sure we will fall short, but may pleasing Him be the desire of our hearts. 

“The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight” (Psalms 18:20-24).

It Is Everywhere

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This week, there was a tragedy only three blocks away from our house, just off of our daily walking route. We didn’t know the husband or wife. We had seen her outside their house a couple of times, but never close enough to have a conversation with her. His photo looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen him. Apparently they had marriage problems, and his solution was to eliminate her and then himself. Friends reported that she was planning on leaving him. What an unnecessary tragedy. 

People are hurting everywhere, and likely some of you dads reading this have marriage problems. Men tend toward ignoring a problem, hoping it will go away.  That seldom solves anything. Closing our eyes and pretending it doesn’t exist will not yield peace and joy.  

Dads, if your marriage is in trouble, I plead with you,.Don’t ignore it, Seek a proper solution. The Lord is very aware of it. Don’t wait until it is in deep, deep trouble, Be proactive now. Whatever the status of your marriage, build it up, nurture it, and be determined to make it the best it can be. God put the burden of it squarely on your shoulder. 

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Fear 

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Fear is so popular these today. “Scare them to death. Oh man, that will be so fun!” I understand the lost possibly doing/thinking these things, but even professing Christians? Really?  

When people divorce themselves from the truth, and promises, of God’s Word, then evil might be fun. In all my years, I have yet to see a Halloween display that celebrates the people who live in that home as the victims of some evil crime or as headed for hell. The most horrific Halloween display could never capture the horror of hell, an eternal hell. 

What does God call someone who doesn’t abhor evil? He calls them wicked. “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil” (Psalms 36:1-4).

Notice that last thing in the list is that the wicked don’t abhor evil. Evil is to be loathsome, despised, and cast away from us. We are to have absolutely nothing to do with what is evil. 

Could I encourage you that anytime you see something evil, use it as a stimulant to increase your sharing the gospel with those who are headed for their worst nightmare, an eternal one. 

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).

Where Is Your Heart?

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Have you read Psalm 119 recently? It is rich in a multitude of ways, and I love reading it. Lately these verses have grabbed my heart and challenged me.“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart” (Psalms 119:2). “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments” (Psalms 119:10).

Whole

That word “whole” used twice in these few verses is there for a purpose. We are to understand from verse 2 that blessing comes when we seek the Lord with our whole heart. It doesn’t mean just part of our heart or even most of it, but the whole heart, all of it. In verse 10, because the Psalmist is seeking God with his whole heart, he is asking God to help him not wander from his commandments. 

Israel Seeking

Israel often didn’t seek God with all their heart until they had suffered the consequences of their sin and not seeking him. Deuteronomy 4:27-29 says, “And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

We see this played out in real time when God tells Israel through Jeremiah that after their 70 years of captivity, they will seek Him and find Him. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).

Things Above

We also see this in the New Testament as Paul encourages us in Col 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” It seems this even gives us a clue about seeking Him. It is setting our minds on Christ, His Word, His truth, His ways.

ALL My Heart

So I asked myself: Am I seeking the Lord with ALL my heart? What would that look like in my daily life that isn’t happening now because I am not seeking Him with ALL my heart. I felt like the Lord gave me some solid, practical areas that needed to change in my life. One was pretty simple – my bathroom time. During that time, I think about all kinds of things, but I am generally NOT seeking the Lord. What if I were to meditate on memorized Scripture or pray each time I am in there to brush my teeth, blow my hair dry, shower, or whatever. Then I would be seeking the Lord.

I also thought about my time in the kitchen and exercising. I usually listen to something with my AirPods. Often it is Scripture, a sermon, or a Christian audiobook, but I also regularly listen to health related information. Don’t I have enough of the health stuff already? Honestly, it is usually more confusing and conflicting than helpful. As I purpose to seek Him with all my heart, I plan to keep that time and my thoughts for listening to Scripture, sermons, Christian audio books, or prayer. 

Finally, it was my daily Bible time. Seek Him, really truly seek Him. Don’t read just to read and move through my Bible, but seek Him, as I read. Have that desire in my heart – seek Him with all of my heart. My Bible time is very habitual and has been a part of my life for many years. If I enter it each day with the mindset of seeking Christ with all my heart, it isn’t routine. It is exciting, joyous, teaching, and growing me.  

What about You?

How would you categorize seeking the Lord with your whole heart? Some of you are homeschooling moms with long, busy days of serving in your family. What might that look like for you? Is it what you are doing now? Is it something you have done in the past, but isn’t where you would say you are today? May I encourage you – seek the Lord with your WHOLE heart. 

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Posted in: Mom's Corner

One Second

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I have heard of several tragic car accidents lately where lives are forever changed in the blink of an eye. There is no preparation. In an instant, everything is changed. However, there is actually preparation that can and should be done to prepare for any tragedy that might befall us. 

Brothers, is your “house” in order? First and foremost to consider are your spiritual affairs. Are you truly saved? Are you trusting in Jesus shed blood alone? “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Are you “walking” with your Lord and Savior? “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sins” (1 John 1:7). Our walk/works don’t save us, but they are certainly a good indication of whether we truly are His children, not to mention a proper example for our own children. 

Then, we must trust. Our God is always good, always. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). “Lord, if you allowed this, then we trust. You have a purpose and will use it for good.”