When I was very young my mom told me many times to "consider the source". I always took it to mean that the other "source" was somehow less than me. I don't know that is how she meant it, but that is how I took it. He or she wasn't worth my hurt feelings because they weren't as good as me in some way, or worth as much as me in some way. Of course as an adult, I completely understand how my childish understanding was skewed.  However, I do believe in the statement "consider the source".  Let me give a few examples why "considering the source" is helpful. A person who has never had a cavity requiring a dentist to fill it may not understand why another person doesn't look forward to going to the dentist.   A person living in California may not understand why a person from the Midwest might have reservations about visiting the San Andreas fault area. The person in the Midwest might not understand why a person from California might...

Several things today popped up about being refined. I listened to a sermon this morning about digging deep into your thoughts and motivations then got home and started reading devotions. The first book I picked up is called Everyday Life in Bible Times .  I haven't picked up this book for months. It is a beautiful book of pictures and rich descriptions of things, terms, and concepts in the Bible. I started where I left off last time I read it. The word was smelt (to refine metal). Next, in my chronological Bible , I am to a grouping of Proverbs full of verses about examining motives and the heart and references to refining.  Proverbs 16:2   All a person’s ways seem pure to them,      but motives are weighed  by the  Lord . Proverbs 17:3   The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,      but the  Lord  tests the heart. Proverbs 27:21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for  gold ,  ...

I often say that I hope this happens or that happens. Sometimes I get corrected. "Don't you mean you'll pray about it" or some other correction. People want to call my faith into question when I say "I hope". That is wrong thinking. To have hope is to have faith. I hope because I have faith. Hope is part of my faith.  Hope anchors my faith. We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure .  Hebrews 6:19a NIV What is hope? How does it anchor our soul? For me, hope bubbles up from my faith that God is good, that God knows best, that God has everything under control and that He loves me and desires all good for me.  In fact, He works all things for the good of those who love Him. Sometimes good has to be worked through. To get good, we have to strain and struggle. The butterfly won't fly if it doesn't work to get out of the cocoon as nature intended - I mean chrysalis, not cocoon. A toddler doesn't learn to walk unless allowed ...

God's love for us is revealed in the story of the two sons, the younger, irresponsible son and the older responsible son. Let's not focus on the sons, but on the father.  Read Luke 15 . Especially verses 17 - 24    “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!   I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned  against heaven and against you.   I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’   So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe  and put it o...

I have a rather flippant answer for why does bad stuff happen. I don't mean for it to be flippant but I'm certain it sounds that way. However, I get the answer straight from the Bible.  Here is the answer: to know God, really KNOW God. Many places in the Bible, things happen that are not "good" by our standards. Job lost his wealth and if that wasn't bad enough, he lost his children too. There was nothing (apparently) good about the situation. However, because of his great loss, he was able to gain strength in his knowledge of who God is and in his own trust in a good God.  As early as Exodus 4:5 , God states His reasons for doing something. " This ", said the LORD, " is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers -.....has appeared to you." In Exodus 8:10 , God, through Moses says "It will be as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God." Deuteronomy 4 :35 states that ...

Do unto others as you'd have them do to you..... SHOCKER - this is NOT in the Bible - at least not as a stand alone statement. Rather it is part of a list that Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 7 , which is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount which starts in Matthew 5.  Matthew 7:12 says " So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,  for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  This verse, taken by itself without the context of the previous verses, can cause trouble or confusion.  Let me explain using an example. I like to use a thick towel. My husband prefers a thinner towel. When I give him a nice plush towel, I am doing to him what I want done for me, but it isn't what he wants. ( I discovered this after 40 years of marriage!)   The point of Matthew 7 is not doing for others like we want done for us. The point is loving others  the way we would like to be loved. To do this well, we need to know them well enough to do fo...

During this time of stay-at-home, we don't get to attend church.  We aren't able to physically visit church family and we don't like it. However many church families are able to "participate" in church at home. Churches are using Facebook Live or YouTube or possibly other methods of televising worship services.  I have to admit that I like the conference meeting method because I can see the faces of my church family!  I've seen pictures of communion at home, drive-in style worship services where people view a big screen. I've seen drive-up confessional services. It's all been rather neat. I have noticed that when I watch my church's Sunday Worship, I have 2 choices. I can sit and watch it like a television show. OR I can participate. I participate when I prepare for church like any other Sunday such as dressing for service, putting on make-up and styling my hair. I can participate by standing when we're supposed to stand, bow my head during...

I walk most mornings. Usually about the length of a sermon or other Bible teaching - some are much longer than others! This morning I listened to a podcast by Chip Ingram with Living On The Edge.  I don't remember the sermon except that it was a teaching on the gospel of John. That gospel is a testimony of who Jesus is.  John states his purpose in John John 20:30-31 .  The question I do remember in the sermon is "Who is Jesus to you?" I tried to honestly answer this question in my head as I was walking:  Saviour, Master, Lord, Brother, Friend, Guide, Teacher, Authority, Light, Accountability partner  -  Wait, what? Accountability partner?  I had never thought of Jesus being my accountability partner. But upon reflection of this stunning revelation I discovered that He tries to be my accountability partner!!! ("Tries" because I'm not very good at listening.) When I go for another snack - which I don't need or even have room for! - I ...

If my good works won't earn me a spot in heaven, will my evil works earn me a spot in  he** - well, you know? God doesn't want anyone to perish or to be separated from Him which would be he** - well, you know. God sent Jesus to save us. God is patient as evidenced that it's been 2000 years since Jesus was bodily here the first time. He is coming back - His followers believed his second coming would be soon - most of us don't think 2000 years as soon.  So why the delay in Jesus coming back? 2 Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to  perish , but everyone to come to repentance. God is slow, patient, delaying judgment because He doesn't want anyone to perish. He is waiting for us all to come around to accept his amazing gift. I don't mean to say that He will wait forever - just that He isn't ready to pull the plug yet. There have been times when I wonder o...

Matthew 14:28 - 31   “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “ Come ,”  he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.   But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  “ You of little faith ,”  he said,  “ why did you doubt ?” You of little faith; why did you doubt? Notice Jesus didn't ask, "why did you doubt me?" Jesus was asking about doubt, but not necessarily doubt in Jesus. He could ask us the same question. How often do we have doubt in ourselves or our circumstances? Oftentimes, I find that I have loads of faith in Jesus but doubt that I can do whatever. I don't know if I will succeed or complete the task or do it as well as someone else. I sink.  Instead of trusting in the call - Jesus beckoned Peter "Come", - we trust in ourselves. On a good day, we answer ...

I am sitting at my laptop trying to think of something to blog about. Nothing comes to mind, except write, uh type, anyway. So that's what I'm doing. I think that perhaps the biggest lesson we learn from Christ is to do as we're told. Obey. Jesus was obedient all the way to a cross on Calvary.  Jesus asked that He not have to go that far, but He did anyway. He didn't want to go through the agony, the excruciating pain of it all, the desolation and alone-ness. Do you know that excruciating comes from the same Latin root as crucify and cross? This pain is so bad and unique to crucifixion that they had to come up with a new word for it!  Jesus, knowing all things like He does, didn't want to experience that kind of pain but He was obedient. He obeyed. He wanted to please His Father.   Hebrews 5:7- 9 says During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions  with fervent cries and tears  to the one who could save him from death, an...

Then Jesus said to his disciples,  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.   For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.   Matthew 16:24-25 NIV   I have tried to understand this from the perspective of the people who first heard it. When Jesus said this to his disciples, what did they think he was saying about taking up their cross?   Today I read something that has helped me a little bit. It was the Roman way to force the criminal to carry the instrument of their own death to their place of execution. One place I read that the condemned likely carried the crossbeam rather than the whole cross which could weigh 300 pounds or more.  The crossbeam was a more manageable 45 - 50 pounds. The upright posts may have already been in place of final execution. The condemned "carried" the crossbeam that may have been tied or nailed to them. Bas...

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. ( Psalm 91:4 ) He, of course, is our God Almighty. His promises become our armor and our protection from all sorts of things, internal and external. In order for these promises to become our armor, to BE our armor, we have to know the promises. The Bible is full of God's promises. The more we know the more protected we are and the thicker our armor becomes.  (See Ephesians 6:10-17) This one verse has a promise or two, maybe three depending how you count it.  He will cover you with his feathers.   He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Isn't this a promise? Picture a bird in its nest with its baby birds. The baby birds are gathered close, under the warmth of the feather-covering that hides them and protected them from weather. The parent bird chirps out warnings and threats to a...

Psalm 34:5  NIV Those who look to Him are radiant,                        their faces are never covered with shame. I want to talk about reflecting the radiance of God's glory. I read the above verse in Psalm 34 today as part of my devotional reading and thought immediately of Moses' face being so brilliant that the people around him were afraid to look at him. In Exodus 34 , Moses was on the mountain in the presence of God. He was there for 40 days. After these 40 days with God ( verse 29 ), Moses' face was radiant "because he had spoken with the LORD".  His face was radiant, glowing, shining with God's glory because he had spent time with God.  It was so bright in fact that the people were afraid and wanted him to put a veil over his face when he was with them.  Psalm 34:5 says that "those who look to Him [God] are radiant." When we spend time in the presence of the LORD God, we are radiant. We sh...

Fruit of the Spirit Bible study Lesson 1 Bible Study by Sherri Harding 3/30/2020 This was originally written to be used for small group discussions.  I believe it can be used for individual study.  I am posting this for small group study using a social meeting app like WEBEX or ZOOM which during the COVID-19 pandemic is being offered for free use.   If you want more lessons, or want this in pdf for download, let me know and I'll see what I can do.   Questions below are from Scripture quoted from NIV version.   Discuss differences in translations and what that does for your understanding of the verse. Read Matthew 12: 15-37 Q1: In verses 33 – 35, who is talking? _________________ To whom is he talking and about what? __________________________________ Discuss verse 33. Q2: What is meant by “Make a tree good” or “bad”? __________________________________ Q3: What fruit did the Pharisees produce? _________________The Pharisees likely th...