Phil. 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
If you haven't noticed, our little girl comes in handy for devotional topics. It's funny, we thought we'd be teaching her but boy, is she teaching us some great lessons!
Over the Fourth of July weekend last summer, our family enjoyed a delightful time at Chincoteague Island with some close friends. Elianna had never been to the beach before and today was her day. She'd always loved bathtime but this was like the biggest bathtub she'd ever seen and she was LOVIN' it!
We all sat around sunning, chatting, and relaxing on the beach as Elianna sat beside us playing in the sand and enjoying the inflow of bubbly white water creeping up into the little sandpit we made for her right next to our umbrella. Suddenly, with no warning, the tide shot up in one wave and swept Elianna backward, eyes, nose, mouth full of saltwater, sending her a couple of feet backward. We were absolutely horrified and scooped her up at once. It took Elianna a few seconds to get her bearings and I was sure at this point we'd need to be heading back for the day. After that experience, surely Elianna would be too traumatized to continue playing on the beach.
But to our amazement, Elianna opened her eyes, let out a cough or two, looked around, and then motioned she wanted to get right back to playing! Not even a tear! She took that wave like a pro and just kept on going, happy as before.
Sometimes life can throw us a sudden wave and knock us around a bit. But, like Elianna, we need to get right back up and keep going! Heavenly blessings await those who endure trials and keep pressing forward for the Kingdom!
Have you been sideswiped recently? Don't let it get you down! Let's get right back in there and make the best of our time here on this earth. Soon we'll be hearing the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!"
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]I don’t know about you, but it seems that the tests we’re going through are getting harder and harder. Do you remember when you took tests in high school? At the time they may have seemed hard. But imagine if you had to take an elementary school test when you were in high school. You’d probably think – oh this is so simple.
Over the past month, it seems that we’ve been dealing with different internet issues … and hopefully, these issues will be resolved sooner rather than later. Being that the bulk of our ministry is based upon the internet, it can be problematic at times, especially when you’re suddenly disconnected from the web!
As we continue this study of the Dead Sea scrolls, authorities announced the discovery of several more scrolls as their extensive search for more hidden caves and treasures continues. Given the “coincidence” of the events described in previous devotionals, God’s providential involvement in these developments becomes clear. His Word tells us what is about to happen, and new discoveries of Biblical texts seem to be directly related to modern prophetic fulfillments.
As we continue this study of the Dead Sea Scrolls we jump to 1963 and the unearthing of Masada.
Flavius Josephus the Jewish historian recorded the tragic events at Masada in “The Jewish Wars.” Masada was ignored for years as it reminded the Rabbis of the failures of the many false messiahs that appeared after Yeshua (Jesus).
As we continue into the historical and prophetic significance of the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, I take you back to 1948. Professor Eleazar Sukenik discovered that Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Jerusalem purchased several of the Dead Sea scrolls. So Professor Sukenik visited the archbishop and took several photos of the scrolls which were then sent to William Albright, a Biblical archaeologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
As we’ve been travelling around the U.S., we’ve been trying to take extra care of ourselves, taking vitamins and disinfecting our hands regularly as not to get sick.
A grindstone is a revolving disk made of stone which is used for grinding, polishing or sharpening. It can commonly be seen grinding down wheat or sharpening and polishing metal for various purposes.