by: Gary L. Hutchens It has been said, “Like sand through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” Time waits for no one. The Rolling Stones put that truth to music in 1974. Second by second, minute by minute, time’s passing is inexorable, relentless. As each second ticks away, it is gone forever. It will never come our way again; we have it but once.
by: Gary L. Hutchens In a few days, multitudes of people in this country and around the world will supposedly celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many will attend some kind of special church service in His honor. Others will simply feel special feelings about the Savior as they go about the day. Specific references to the birth of Christ will be uttered in prayers by some. A large number of people will party and get drunk!
by: Gary L. Hutchens A crisis is defined as a critical moment, a decisive point in time, a situation or period of time in which matters are difficult, uncertain, painful, potentially dangerous, even catastrophic. Frequently, a crisis calls for decisive action in order to avoid disaster. Everyone faces a crisis in life from time to time, some more compelling than others. One of the most profound of all crises is a crisis of faith, which can come in different forms.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Could you imagine trying to live without electricity? Probably, every one of us has had some experience with that prospect, on a limited basis. Storms of various types often down power lines or cause transformers to blow. Sometimes, heavy usage within an electrical grid will lead to a shut-down of the system within that grid. There have been a number of instances of loss of power over extensive areas of the country. While such scenarios cause problems, the resultant loss of power is usually fairly short-lived. Before long, the problem is corrected and power is restored.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Just a few days ago we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, in my mind one of the best holidays of all. People put aside their busy schedules. Families come together and eat and talk and enjoy each others company. Many prayers are said reflecting upon the many ways in which they have been blessed. It is a time that motivates people to think more, at least for a little while, about their spiritual lives.
by: Gary L. Hutchens This coming Thursday is, in my opinion, one of the great holidays that we celebrate as a nation- Thanksgiving Day! A number of reasons could be listed as to why this is a great holiday, depending on who does the listing. There are few holidays that command as much attention and respect as does this one. To a great extent, the busy pace of our society drops down into low gear on Thanksgiving Day. Most businesses will be closed, and most employees will have the day off.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Back in 2009 another movie playing on the theme of global destruction was released. It was just the latest in a long series of such films dating way, way back. Based on the focus of that movie I wrote an article titled, “Will The Earth End In 2012?” Well, here we are nearing the end of 2019, so the answer to the question is obvious. Now we hear a growing cry among climate change activists that, on our present course, life on earth will be pretty much wiped out within twelve years!
By: Gary L. Hutchens Frequently we’ll respond to something that we consider to be really good with the exclamation “How great is that!”. We might apply that statement to anything from a wonderful experience, to a great play made by some athlete, to a piece of chocolate cake. On the spiritual side of life, the Hebrews writer asked the question, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (Heb. 2:3). He’s talking about our eternal salvation, everlasting life with God and Christ in Heaven. How Great Is That!
By: Gary L. Hutchens Hezekiah was twenty five years old when he became king of Judah. He is described as having done right in the sight of the Lord, trusting in God, so that no other king of Judah was like him, either before or after his reign. He held fast to the Lord, did not depart from following Him and kept His commandments (2 Kgs. 18:1-6). He was an exemplary king.
by: Gary L. Hutchens What elevates man above the animals? Some would say, “Intellect, superior intellect is what elevates man above the animals.” Others would say “Self-awareness. Man has a sense of self-awareness that translates into meaning and purpose in life that animals do not possess.” Pretty good, thoughtful answers, but incorrect. Man is above the animals because God created man, and not the animals, in God’s own image, and He subsequently put the animals under the dominion of man (Gen. 1:26-28; 5:1; 9:1-2).
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