Harper's Column: My Spiritual Devotional

I save all the devotionals I have completed and frequently re-read them when I feel compelled.  One I have previously read tells the story of a group of Rabbis who could not agree on the meaning of 1Thessalonians 5:17 that states, “pray continually.”   While on her knees scrubbing the floor, the maid spoke up and gave an account of her prayer with each of her activities during the day.   Remarkably, her prayers were for others and building up God’s kingdom rather than her circumstances.  The devotional says the Rabbis were amazed at her great wisdom. Though I have read this devotional many times before, God used it on this day to reveal my selfishness and inability to see others who have hurt me with the same compassion that I desperately long for.   Deep pain makes a person blind to the needs of those who caused their suffering, and they become the judge and jury.   Profound sorrow gives the devil a foothold that causes blindness to everything outside of s...

I have always enjoyed paranormal reality shows.  They are a source of information, education, and entertainment since I like scary movies and psychological thrillers.  However, when I learned that God denounces mediums and all paranormal, I began to feel shame and guilt.  At that time, I also began to wonder about the spiritual beliefs of those who work as paranormal investigators.   I asked God to help me better understand his command on this topic, and He answered.   Because God is the creator of all, he knows and sees everything from beginning to  end; not a blade of grass moves without his knowledge and approval.  Therefore, God questions why anyone would seek information from anyone but Him, the creator himself, and tells us that the messages received through these sources are not of Him ( it is understood that anything not of Jesus is of evil ). "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but o...

 Coming to Christ to Turn Away Many people come to Christ only to turn away the minute their life doesn’t seem to be blessed.  They turn because their teacher does not tell them the whole truth and set proper expectations of the Christian life.   Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered pain, betrayal, persecution, and even death during his time on earth.   Are we better or more important than our Christ?   Are we more privileged than our Christ?   Absolutely not!   As Christians and believers who profess to love Jesus Christ, we must be willing to suffer as Christ suffered for us and understand that we too will suffer in this life.   Jesus himself told his followers to count the costs. Jesus answered, “If  you   want   to   be  perfect, go, sell  your  possessions and  give   to   the  poor, and  you  will  have  treasure in heaven. Then  come ,  follow  ...

 The AHA Moment Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  ( Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV) Have you ever struggled to make sense of something in your effort to learn?  While taking Algebra I in high school, I thought that the key to learning and remembering how to correctly solve any given equation was to understand and make sense of “why”.  I was continually going to my teacher and asking her to help me understand why each step of the problem-solving was important.  Her response to me was, “Don’t worry about the why, just accept that it is”.  Once she told me that, I never had another struggle.  I aced every exam and became board while she was busy teaching the rest of the class.  My need to understand why and associate each step with some understanding and meaning was hindering my abilit...