Archives: Watchword

A bit of scripture, short meditations and stories, prayers, news and maybe a touch of humor.

God, Where are You?

WATCHWORD:

1 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.

7 Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

10Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” 13 Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?”  Psalm 77:1-2, 7-9, 10-13

 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69 Continue reading

Reality of the Miraculous

WATCHWORD:

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John 6:8-15

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 Continue reading

Yesterday’s History, Tomorrow’s a Mystery

WATCHWORD:

18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24 Continue reading

The Distance…

WATCHWORD:

1 How good God is to Israel—to those whose hearts are pure. 2 But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff! My feet were slipping and I was almost gone. 3 For I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked. 4 Yes, all through life their road is smooth. They grow sleek and fat. 5 They aren’t always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else, 6 so their pride sparkles like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty! 7 These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! 8 They scoff at God and threaten his people. How proudly they speak! 9 They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut through the earth. Psalm 73:1-9

57 How we thank God for all of this! It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord! 58 So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 Continue reading

Work to Be Done!

WATCHWORD:

15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:15-17

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 Continue reading

Power of the Cross

WATCHWORD:

Jesus Dies on the Cross

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  Matthew 27:45-50 Continue reading

Wisdom for the New Year

Beginning the new year, here are bits of wisdom to get your new year off to a good start:

“You’ll never get bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do.” — Dr. Seuss

“The best is yet to come.” — Frank Sinatra

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C S Lewis

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”  — Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” — T.S. Eliot

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” — Germany Kent

You are never too old to start the next book.  — Stan Escott

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year has gone, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

— Alfred Lord Tennyson

Change in Watchwords:

Friends — A reminder that for the New Year, the Watchword will come to you once a week, on Wednesdays, and in each edition I will prayerfully seek to  distill a full week’s worth of inspiration. Occasionally, as inspiration and opportunity presents, I will send additional Watchwords on other days, each will come to you in your e-mail. May your New Year be filled with God’s blessings.  Stan

 

A Prayer for the New Year:

As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. May God’s blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year. God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly, thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others, mindful that our steps make an impact and our words carry power. May we walk gently, for we are your children. Amen.

 

Simeon

WATCHWORD:

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So, when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Luke 2:25-32 Continue reading

Imago Dei?

WATCHWORD:

27 So God did just that. He created humanity in His image, created them male and female. 28 Then God blessed them and gave them this directive: “Be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth. I make you trustees of My estate, so care for My creation and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that roams across the earth. 29 Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows on the earth and every fruit-bearing tree. They will be your food and nourishment. 30 As for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and every small creeping creature—everything that breathes the breath of life—I have given them every green plant for food. And it happened just as God said. 31 Then God surveyed everything He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating its goodness. Evening gave way to morning. That was day six.  Genesis 1:27-31 The Voice

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5 Continue reading

Changes Coming to Watchwords

Dear friends, as you know, Watchwords arose out of a need to stay in touch and support each other during the pandemic which, while still with us, has somewhat tapered off. I’ve always believed that in all my writings, including Watchword devotionals, inspiration from my Lord was leading the way. And now I am being led to finish a book I have been working on, The Inn on Jericho Road. Starting next week, I will be sending out a regular weekly Watchword on Wednesdays, which I hope will distill a full week’s worth of inspiration. Occasionally, as inspiration and opportunity presents, I will send additional Watchwords on other days. God bless you.  Stan

 

Geography Lesson

WATCHWORD:

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. Isaiah 9:1 Continue reading

Christmas Is Over!

WATCHWORD:

8 Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. 9 Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!

10 Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. 11 Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for You! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! 12 You will know You have found Him when You see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.

13 At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers—a vast heavenly choir. They praised God.

14 Heavenly Choir: To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God! Luke 2:8-14 The Voice

 

Meditation:

Christmas Is Over!

Christmas day has come and gone. Wait!  That’s not right!  Let me start over — Christmas day has come, thank God.  Christ is with us now and forever, as he has always been. What’s his name? That’s right, Emmanuel, God with us. Make it personal, God with you! God with me! Live that!

We are so privileged, and I’m afraid, too often, we are careless with the blessings we have been given. The greatest present we could ever receive is the Presence of our Lord.  Think on this: The Creator of everything, the heavens and the earth, the stars that shine, the beauty around us, the snow that falls, the animals large and small, your loved ones, on and on and on.  All gifts to You and to me, free and clear, batteries included. Complete. The only thing remaining is our acceptance of these gifts, as we accept this Divine Baby, this Savior and Lord, this God Almighty in the manger. Do not minimize the power and glory of the Gift that has been given.

From Verse A Day: The arrival of Christ is cause for celebration! ‘Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’  Lord Jesus, we are so grateful for You and to You. It’s because of You that all people have been extended grace; and in surrender to You, we find true life.  You lived to do the will of God the Father.  Lord, please give us the courage to live for You, and help us remember that Your Grace is sufficient, it’s enough.  You offered us the greatest gift we can ever receive: Eternal life with our Father in Heaven. How can we thank You enough? We praise You God and say with open hearts, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom Your grace and favor rests. Amen.

 

Doxology Prayer:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above the Heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen