Archives: Watchword

WATCHWORD:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV

 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. Hebrews 11:1  Living Bible

 Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. Hebrews 11:1 The Voice

 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1  Revised Standard Edition Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:18-20

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WATCHWORD:

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. Psalm 23, Message. Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

He has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. ³ As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. Acts 9:1-5

¹ There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. ² After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” ³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” ⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” ⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  John 3:1-5 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹ But Moses said, “They won’t believe me! They won’t do what I tell them to. They’ll say, ‘Jehovah never appeared to you!’”  ² “What do you have there in your hand?” the Lord asked him. And he replied, “A shepherd’s rod.” ³ “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So he threw it down—and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it! ⁴ Then the Lord told him, “Grab it by the tail!” He did, and it became a rod in his hand again! ⁵ “Do that and they will believe you!” the Lord told him. “Then they will realize that Jehovah, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has really appeared to you. … ¹³ But Moses said, “Lord, please! Send someone else.” Exodus 4:1-5, 13

Meditation:

What’s in Your Hand?

I would not want to be in Moses’s sandals, knowing what I know and what he will be going through in the next 40 years. You can hear the doubt in his voice and if you read further in Exodus 4, it becomes clear this is a task that God has assigned to him despite his fear and resistance.  These are difficult people that he is leading, full of resentment and demanding. No wonder he pleaded, Lord, please! Send someone else.

So unlike us? Really? How often do we use this excuse to not get involved, to not reach out to others, to keep quiet about our faith? In other words, avoiding what Jesus would have us do. What would people think? There are others who are better qualified. If I wait, someone else will do the work. I don’t agree with my friends, so I’ll just zip it up. How many excuses do we have in our bag of tricks?

Has God ever said to you, symbolically, “What is that in your hand?  Before you answer, think about it. Think about what you consider your talents, your abilities, and all the graces that surround your life, each a gift from God. Those graces and gifts are right there, in “your hand.” Did God prepare you for such a time as this, such a situation as this, such a hurting person as that one, such a need there before you?

Our comfort zone, our schedule, our small aches and pains are often a barrier to our response. That little voice within tells you to go and do likewise, and we respond, do I have to? Our resistance is high, the recliner is so comfortable. But God doesn’t make mistakes and when we use human frailty as an argument against the calling of God, how silly is that? Like it or not, we have been prepared for what he places before us. Do you want to tell God, “No, I do not want to do that?” Believe me, the “send someone else” ploy, won’t work, I’ve tried it. He has called you and me. He has called our name, and that is a good thing.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send…who will go for us? ‘ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me! (Isaiah 6:8-13).  Is that your/my voice, I hear?

Notice:

It’s Wednesday, but Saturday is coming and there will be a Watchword. Watch for it!

A Daily Prayer:

Here I am, Lord. Send me. Amen.

WATCHWORD:

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and add to virtue knowledge; and add to knowledge temperance; to temperance add patience;  to patience add godliness; and to godliness add brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness add love. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8

¹⁰ Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? ¹¹ The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. ¹² Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law. Psalm 94:10-12 Continue reading