Harry Whitt on the Journey with Jesus
A grateful heart begins with seeing eyes to perceive God’s bounty. We see the blessings given to us as gifts beyond our efforts and intelligence.
A grateful heart hears with an ear of mercy to those who cry. We are moved with compassion just as our Savior was moved to heal and deliver.
Continue reading “Anatomy of a Grateful Heart”
We exist for God’s purpose not our own. Sure, we existed in the mind of God before He said, “Let there be light.” What a crazy thought but true. Yet, God does not exist so we can live happy, contented, and fulfilled lives. We exist for His pleasure and the fulfillment of His plan in and through us.
Continue reading “Finding Joy in Surrender: Embracing God’s Plan for Fulfillment”
Recently, I needed to determine the approximate elevation of a hill on our little homestead. My son and I used a process called differential leveling that I learned in an agricultural technology class. The point of the beginning was an established point set at 100 feet of elevation. It is called a benchmark—the initial point of reference. The final reading at the top of the hill was 138 feet, so the hill was 38 feet tall (138 minus 100=38).
I’m sure most of you care nothing about differential leveling, but I wanted you to know where I came about with this concept of a benchmark.
A benchmark is a reference point established as a constant and everything is referenced back and evaluated from that point. In life we need a benchmark to reference all the information that comes to us. If you do not have a reference point, everything else is just a garbled mess.
In the culture of the world, the secular mindset says there is no absolute truth–that there are no benchmarks. (It is funny, that they absolutely state that there are no absolute truths.)
If there is no absolute truth, then every known concept is a falsehood and there is no reliable reference point to anything. It is by this viewpoint of fluctuating ‘facts’ that people are redefining words and concepts that have stood for over 5,000 years of recorded history with little challenge during those five millennia.
Continue reading “Benchmark of Life”
I recently heard someone opine that he thought that 15 percent of people are bad, 50 percent misguided, and 35 percent were good. Now whether you agree with that number or not, you must admit that there are some crazy people in this world. When I talk about crazy, I’m not talking about people with organic mental issues. Crazy is a term reserved for those who can do better but don’t. I believe some people who act crazy are demonically influenced. Now you may think I am crazy.
I am not a psychologist, but my life’s work has been in the people business from being an educator to a Christian minister. Furthermore, I think of myself as a somewhat positive person because I usually reserve an ounce of hope for everyone regardless of their craziness.
The truth of the matter is, everyone can change but not everyone will or want to change for the good.
Continue reading “Don’t Let Crazy People Drive You Crazy”
The easy answer that even an eight-year-old Sunday school student would blurt out is “God.” Yes, that is true but how do you know if it is God or not? Even seasoned Christians struggle with this. I have heard the voice of God in my spirit so clear that it might as well have been audible. There are other times I question, “Is that God’s voice, my thoughts, or even the enemy’s voice trying to trick me?”
Listen to what the Bible says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NKJV).
A partial definition of discernment from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: “comprehend what is obscure.” In the spiritual sense, it is not a revelation of specific knowledge but a discrimination between two opposing points such as good versus bad, righteous versus evil, or right versus wrong. The testing of spirits is discerning if they are to be trusted or not.
Discernment only reveals if it is good or bad. It does elaborate on the why. This makes discernment bewildering because we want to know why. It is like a mother telling her daughter to stay away from a certain boy and the daughter asks “Why?”. The mother counters with, “I just a have a feeling about him.” You can imagine the smirk on the daughter’s face at this point. By the way, mature women seem to have more discernment than men, so sons and daughters trust your mom and husbands trust your wife!
Continue reading “What Voice Do I Trust?”
I know you have eaten in a diner where the table was wobbly because one leg was a little short (and you probably put a wad of a napkin under it.) Do you know that a three-legged stool will never wobble? A carpenter puts a diagonal brace in a structure because he transforms a rectangular object into two triangles thus stabilizing the structure.
When rock climbing or climbing a ladder, the safest way is to always have three points of contact—move only one foot or hand at a time.
You see where I am going with this, right? Something of “threes” brings stability. A three-legged stool never wobbles.
“Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NKJV).
In the wobbly world we live in, let’s look at the three legs of stability. In a stable society, we need three points of contact to stay secure. We need faith, family, and community.
Continue reading “Stable Stool in a Wobbly World”
The phrase “fifteen minutes of fame” is erroneously attributed to Andy Warhol who reportedly said, “In the future, everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes.” In today’s world of Tik Tok, Reels, and Shorts, fifteen minutes is way too long.
Psychologists say that some if not many mass shooters who end their own lives by direct suicide or “suicide by cop” may be wanting notoriety. Very sad for a soul to want a moment of fame that ends in so much loss of life, even their own. It speaks to the tragedy of today’s mindset.
And then we have people on social media getting way too close to a wild animal or hanging precariously from a cliff just to capture a video hoping it will go viral so they can cash in on the fame.
Continue reading “Fifteen Minutes of Fame”
Have you heard something said, and realized that you knew the concept but had never put it into words? I have said this in the past, “Someone articulated a truth that I never had the words for.” We hear it and say, “Aha, that’s the truth!”
Some of the worst descriptive words are “this is my truth” or “this is what I feel is the truth.” How arrogant is that! Our feelings or thoughts are not the indicators of truth. Truth is not derived from the receivers but from the Giver.
Continue reading “And The Truth Is…”
Back in my younger days when I taught high school vocational agriculture (now it is agriscience), we had district ag-teacher meetings about four times a year. I usually left more deflated than encouraged. Talking with my high school ag-teacher and mentor, Mr. Jim Turner, I told him how I felt about the meetings. He laughed and said, “Harry, some of those guys who are bragging about all the things they are doing, are probably not doing half of what you are doing. Just keep your head to the grindstone and don’t let it bother you.” It was great advice, comparison between good or bad is not healthy in either direction.
Today we have social media. Most postings on social media usually fall under one of two categories: how great someone’s life is or the severity of their problems. I am not saying either should not be posted, that is a personal preference and perhaps another discussion for another day.
Continue reading “Problems and Such on Social Media”
All of us who try to live for Jesus, struggle with surrender at moments in our lives. Surrender to God is not a ‘one time and done’ but a life-long journey. There are times we easily surrender and then we grapple with surrender. I would think that those who do not struggle with surrender to God have already made a dwelling on the other side, in the land of rebellion. If you are struggling, congratulations! At least you are trying.
I think I am a simple man. I like to simplify rather than complicate an issue. In the process, I may at times oversimplify something. I really do not like to quibble over words, but rather concentrate on concepts to live by. So here is my take on struggling with surrender.
I think when people fail to surrender to God, there is one of two main problems at fault. One is outright rebellion where one has the attitude of, “God is not going to tell me what to do.” The other is a lack of faith or trust in God. I would prefer to err with the last one than rebellion which puts a person on the same lane as the devil.
Continue reading “Struggling with Surrender”
Pathway Journey 