Posts by HPBC (Page 230)

Posts by HPBC (Page 230)

Going First

Going First From Our Daily Bread – July 6, 2017 Read: 1 John 4:7–21 We love because he first loved us.—1 John 4:19 We worked patiently to help our son heal and adjust to his new life with our family. Trauma from his early days in an orphanage was fueling some negative behaviors. While I had enormous compassion for the hardships he experienced in his early days, I felt myself begin to withdraw from him emotionally because of those behaviors. Ashamed, I…

Could I Say That?

Could I Say That? July 5, 2017 Read: Genesis 45:1–11 It was not you who sent me here, but God.—Genesis 45:8 “The perception of favoritism is one of the biggest factors in sibling rivalry,” said Dr. Barbara Howard, a developmental behavioral pediatrician (“When Parents Have a Favorite Child” nytimes.com). An example would be the Old Testament character Joseph, who was his father’s favorite son, which made his older brothers furious (Gen. 37:3-4). So they sold Joseph to merchants traveling to Egypt and…

Celebrate Freedom

Celebrate Freedom From Our Daily Bread – July 4, 2017 Read: Romans 6:15–23 The law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.—Romans 8:2 After being kidnapped, held hostage for thirteen days, and released, New Zealand news cameraman Olaf Wiig, with a broad smile on his face, announced, “I feel more alive now than I have in my entire life.” For reasons difficult to understand, being freed is more exhilarating than being free.…

Destroying the Divides

Destroying the Divides From Our Daily Bread – July 3, 2017 Read: Joshua 7:1–12 I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.—Joshua 7:12 A writing deadline loomed over me, while the argument I had with my husband earlier that morning swirled through my mind. I stared at the blinking cursor, fingertips resting on the keyboard. He was wrong too, Lord. When the computer screen went black, my reflection scowled. My unacknowledged wrongs were doing…

Verse of the Day – Psalms 5:11-12 KJV

¹¹ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:  let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:  let the also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  ¹² For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

How do you know your life is about to get better?

How do you know your life is about to get better? It’s when you wake up during the night with a repeating line of song in your head . . . “for I’m a part of the family, the Family of God.” And then it starts over again. It’s when you learn that you really weren’t as happy as you thought you were. It’s when you witness for the first time in your life genuine Christian behavior. It’s when you…

Taking Shortcuts

Taking Shortcuts From Our Daily Bread – July 2, 2017 Read: Luke 9:57–62 Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.—Luke 9:23 Sipping her tea, Nancy gazed out her friend’s window and sighed. Spring rains and sunshine had coaxed a riotous expanse of color from a well-groomed flowerbed of lilies, phlox, irises, and evening primrose. “I want that look,” she said wistfully, “without all the work.” Some shortcuts are fine—even practical. Others short-circuit…

Verse of the Day – 1 John 2:15-16 KJV

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.    For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.