Harry Whitt on the Journey with Jesus
The news cycle has been filled with the corona virus. Butch Suddath and I just got back from India when cases of the COVID-19 virus jumped from China to other places on the globe. Airport officials are much more alert now to travelers with possible symptoms and some people exposed have been quarantined for 14 days, the maximum incubation time for the virus.
You may be wondering like me—where has this year gone? Wow, it is hard to believe, we are just a few weeks away from 2020! In this month, we gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus and stand in amazement of God coming in the likeness of man in the person of Jesus the Christ.
Things have been more than busy—they have been crazy. Along with the normal ministry and family duties, there are certain seasons or periods of time when a bunch of things seem to happen at once.
I was somewhat amused by the various reactions to Kanye West’s conversion. There were skeptics from the religious world and the secular world. The woke are in the dark when someone else has seen the light. They are as confused concerning someone’s turn-around as they are to the meaning and purpose of life.
In the beginning God brought forth light upon the dark and chaotic waters of creation. The Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters when God the Father said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3 NKJV). The Word sent out by the Breath of God executed the will of the Father and rolled the darkness back by His Light that was called forth from nothing but birthed from His own eternal substance.
If you follow any news, there is no question that there is an evil darkness in the world. People are frantic about what to do. In the United States we have had two mass killings almost back-to-back. In the political world there has been a rush to win the blame game. All have agreed that evil is at work, but no one wants to really name the true source of evil. Satan is on a rampage to kill, steal, and destroy but to the world elites, this would only be an archaic, outdated, and even unthinkable description of the source of this type of evil.
On a typical Sunday morning in the United States, as we ease into our comfortable pews if someone were to ask us, “Are you comfortable?” Our response may be about the pew or the temperature level in the church. While in other places of the world “comfortable” is not a consideration in their Christianity. They may have looked over their shoulder as they turned down the street leading to the gathering of the saints. The cramped quarters or the temperature level is the least of their concerns. Continue reading “Persecution from a Christian Perspective”
There have been thousands of books written about being successful, rich, happy, fulfilled, and the list seems to never end. Everyone seems to be looking for that formula of life that will bring the blessings of peace and joy.
Jesus began a sermon with some verses we call the Beatitudes (Blessings). It is not a formula but a lifestyle likened unto Jesus. For the follower of Jesus, these are not optional nuggets of wisdom but the principles for our lives as we journey with Jesus.
Light of the World
Jesus said He was the light of the world, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12 NKJV).
These statements on the surface may seem to be light and cheery; something to put on a decorative poster or on a greeting card. Yet the underlying truth to this statement belies a dark truth—we live in a dark world. The evening news reports mostly on the darkness; a car-bombing, an outbreak of cholera in a third world country, a flu epidemic here, or another war there. DARKNESS!!
