Category: Purpose

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Pattern of Living

Man and child holding hands walking on a dirt path surrounded by autumn foliage

Sometimes, we hear people say, “Do as I say but don’t do as I do.” This quote is morphed from a warning of Jesus to His followers about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matt. 23:3 NKJV).

We all have patterns of living. The habitual lifestyle of good or bad actions creates a pattern by which we are known. Others observe us subconsciously and purposefully. Those around us know us by our patterns. We are generally known by our lifestyle. It is not that people are judging us; they are only taking note of their observations.

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Tension: Strengthening by Two Forces

I have been thinking about the concept of tension for a few weeks. In the physical world, you need two opposing forces to have tension. Think of limp rope that is tied securely on one end to an object. It will remain limp until the other end is attached to another object and the slack pulled from the rope. In society and everyday life, people dislike tension in their lives. We gravitate to one side while despising the other end.

We grow stronger by having some tension in our lives. There is no need to look for trouble/tension because it has a way of finding us. We need to see the opportunity of becoming stronger when trouble comes.

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Jesus on the Cross

This week is Holy Week when we remember and declare Jesus Christ’s trial, crucifixion and resurrection. As we approach Good Friday and His crucifixion, I wanted to share the first chapter in my book, Journey of the Messiah — The Awakening. It describes not only the horror of the cross imagined from His perspective but also the ramification of His redemption to a lost world. Note: The book is written in the first person of Jesus, as if He is telling the story. It is from the author’s perspective and imagination.

Chapter 1: To the Cross, from the Cross

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

From the beginning, I knew My life as the Son of Man would come to this torturous end. It was the redemptive plan of God for man, before man was to be. This knowledge did not make My pain any less but added grief to My agony. The weight of the sinful guilt for man is a knife to My soul as the nails are to My flesh. I hang between heaven and earth, bridging the gap for all time and for all who come by faith to drink My blood and eat My flesh.

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Who Am I and Who Are You?

God met with Moses at the burning bush on the backside of the desert. He told Moses about his assignment. Moses was not so sure if he was up to the task. I am sure he was not the last man to have questions concerning his qualifications.

Moses’ first question was, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exod. 3:11 NKJV). He wasn’t necessarily questioning God’s wisdom but questioning his own capabilities. It sounded like an impossible task. One desert shepherd confronting the most powerful leader in the world sounded more like a death-wish than a career change.

When God calls a person to such a task, the “who me?” question is a good test of humility. In the kingdom of God, those who think they are the perfect choice is a disqualifying attitude. If an assignment can be done with only a person’s talents, then it is not a kingdom job.

God assured him, “I will certainly be with you” (Exod. 3:12). That is the main thing we need to know. The great African missionary, David Livingstone prayed this, “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.”

Then Moses needed information about God when the people asked, “What is His name?” Even though the God of the Israelites was often known as the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob; the people had lived four hundred years in a land of many ‘gods’. “Who are You?”

God answered, “I AM WHO I AM.” A rough definition of this is The Self-Existent One. He is the Eternal One who has always existed and all that exists comes from Him. He is the Supreme One over all other entities whether in Heaven above, on the earth, or under the earth. The-Number-One is above all powers, principalities, and dominions. All are beneath Him. He has no rivals. When we go in the name of the Lord, the demonic horde sees the One who is with us! That ought to make someone shout!!

Back to the two big questions. “Who am I?” And to the Lord, “Who Are You?”
We are who He says we are. We can do what He has called us to do. He is the Great I Am. There is no one like Him in all universes that are out there. With Him, there are no limitations. He is boundless. He is All-Powerful. He is Ever-Present. He is All-Knowing. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

All you need to know in life is who you are in Jesus. Who is the One you make both Lord and Savior of your life. Now go! Fear not, He is with you.

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt

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Lessons from Abraham: SACRIFICE OF THE SON

Remember that God gave Abraham a promised son in his old age. Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. Abraham’s wife Sarah was ninety years old and passed child-bearing age even by ancient standards.

God had told Abraham that the covenant and promises given to him would flow to future generations through Isaac. All this sounds great until God commands Abraham to offer Issac as a burnt offering.

In our walk with God, at times things will not make any sense. Here is a contradiction, a son of promise is to be offered as a burnt offering. How could Isaac be a link to blessed future generations and a slaughtered son at the same time?

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Take Off Your Sandals

In the desert near Mount Sinai, a fugitive of Egypt is shepherding the sheep of his father-in-law. He was born an Israelite slave in Egypt. It is a point in history when Pharaoh was thinning the Hebrew population by killing all the newborn male slaves.

Surely the enemy of God, Satan himself, had designed this slaughter because a deliverer was destined to be born. The Adversary would plan a similar genocide 1300 years later to extinguish another deliverer—the Messiah.

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Balancing God and Self-Sufficiency

I often advocate for a balanced approach to life. People get a little dizzy when their lives get out of balance. Humans have a tendency to lean to the extremes. We can obsess over anything.

I have been pondering about being sufficient in God versus self-sufficiency. As Christians, there needs to be an overriding reliance upon God without becoming child-beggars. The things we can do with our hands and minds are only possible because of God. He gives us health, strength, knowledge, and the ability to reason and create.

When my children were small, they loved the frozen waffles Eggo®. At first, I cut them up with a fork and knife. Then I tried to teach them to use the utensils, but they were not coordinated enough. So, I made them tear them into pieces with their hands before we poured on the syrup. Just a wee lesson on being self-sufficient.

Good parents teach their children to grow up to be responsible adults with reasonable self-sufficiency.

God loves to see His children solve problems, build things, create, paint beautiful pictures, and play beautiful music. He is glorified when we see our own work and give Him the thanks for the ability we have. I’m sure your picture is on God’s refrigerator, but He has one of my coloring sheets on it.

God created us to create. God worked six days to make a place for us and to make us in His image. An aspect of that image is to create as He created. He made everything from nothing. We get to re-purpose pallets into all sorts of cool things.

When we were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God told mankind that man would eat by the sufficiency of his work. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground” (Genesis 3:19 NKJV).

“Much food is in the fallow [un-cultivated] ground of the poor” (Proverbs 13:23 NKJV). Many folks are sitting on potential.

Yes, our sufficiency is in God. Our next breath is in His hand. Our next logical thought is in His hand. Our very lives and our next day are in His hand. Yet, He loves to see His children be self-sufficient in life to the degree of being productive adults.

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5 NKJV).

Make God smile, get up and go do something!

Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt

You might enjoy a related blog I wrote years ago, “I Shine My Own Shoes.” You can read it here.

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