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Month: February 2019

Robbing God . . . And Myself

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. Malachi 3:8 When our kids were young, I would take them to the card aisle at a local store and let them pick out a card for their mother’s birthday. Because they couldn’t read,…
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How to Find Life and Peace

My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. Malachi 2:5 I’ve lived in turmoil and misery, and I’ve lived in peace and contentment. From the outside, the circumstances between the two conditions probably didn’t look all that different. Both lives involved being a husband/dad, practicing as a…
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Dog Scraps for God

When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Malachi 1:8 Our dog has learned to stick close to the table at dinner time as when we are done, he usually gets the leftovers. Like us, he seems to love steak.…
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What Have You Done for Me Lately?

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” Malachi 1:2 Years ago, while halfway through a marathon for which I was poorly prepared, a runner ahead of me veered off course and collapsed. I’m ashamed to admit that I was a little thrilled. I realized that I’d get…
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What Would You Give to Change?

In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver . . . Zechariah 13:8-9 I have come to very much appreciate the life and joy to be…
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Waiting for the Answer

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 When I was a child, long before the days of online shopping, we had toy catalogues. Once, I found the exact thing I had always wanted and…
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My Dog and the Diet Plan from Hell

The household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Zechariah 10:2 Our dog has become overweight because he eats whatever I give him, and I have apparently been giving him too much. To correct this, I give him fewer calories and he loses weight. It’s a pretty…
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The True Meaning of Life

I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Zechariah 8:7-8 Drug addiction was only the most obvious manifestations of a life pointed at myself. I…
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What Does a Christian Look Like?

Show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor . . . Zechariah 7:9-10 Growing up in a small town, I knew where the bars and churches were. I knew that those who went to church were Christians and those who went the bar weren’t.…
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Fake It Til You Make It

This shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God. Zechariah 6:11 Whenever I’ve struggled with some self-destructive behavior, I’ve struggled because the behavior is something that I want to do. I have an appetite for unhealthy food. I’ve had an appetite for drugs. I’m naturally self-centered. In these struggles,…
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