Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
The weather report called for sun and clouds today with no rain in sight. Ha ha! I say that as the rain comes down out of a totally overcast sky. There’s an old saying that goes, “Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.” Well, that’s extreme, but we do need to be cautious and check things out. The Bible tells us that regarding spiritual things. In 1 John 4:1, the apostle warns us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Check it out for yourself, my friend.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
It’s been extremely windy here lately. A friend of mine got home to find all the stuff in his shed there, but no shed! He looked around to discover it in pieces, two neighbors down! Wind is a powerful force. Some people live in areas where tornadoes and hurricanes are common occurrences. My cousin’s town in Oklahoma was devastated by a mile-wide tornado a while back.
What do you do when disaster strikes? Psalm 46:1-2 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, he began, “Our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus was instructing us to direct our prayer to God as a father. That’s how personal and intimate our conversation with God can be. He also mentioned that the very name of God is holy. ‘Hallowed’ means ‘sanctified, set apart from the average, the mundane, the common.’ Yes, God is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. He is all-powerful and just. Yet Jesus said we can address him as ‘father’! That speaks of a family relationship with God as the supreme head of the household. If you love Jesus, he’s your father, my friend!
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, I’ll bet you’ve heard the saying, “and the lion shall lie down with the lamb.” I’ve seen beautiful paintings with that theme.
Can I let you in on a little secret? That phrase is nowhere in scripture. Very poetic indeed; beautiful imagery, but not scripture. Two mentions in the Bible are of lamb-eating beasts living in harmony together with their prey someday. Here’s one from Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb.” That is why it’s imperative for you to know what the Bible says for yourself.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
After being a follower of Jesus Christ more than 30 years, and reading and studying the Bible many times over, a verse jumped out at me this morning that I hadn’t considered before. The word of God is like that: deeper than we know, and full of surprises.
In Isaiah 65:1 I read, “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.” That was me! Jesus came looking for me when I wasn’t looking for him. He found me, and now I am his forever. What is your story, my friend?
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Traveling through the southwestern United States, I pulled off the side of the road for a breather. Across the road was a huge boulder, and in the middle of it, growing out of a crevice, was a lone pine tree. Incredulous, I had to go take a look. Where does that tenacious pine get enough water and nutrients to grow, I wonder? You know the phrase, “stuck between a rock and a hard place”? It was a perfect example of a tree growing, and even flourishing, in a really hard place. Having struggles, my friend? With the Holy Spirit to nurture you, and God’s word to nourish you, you too can flourish in that hard place. Be steadfast, friends – 1 Corinthians 15:58.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
My friend, almost 2,000 years ago the apostle John penned these words, as recorded in Revelation 22:20: “Jesus said, ‘Surey, I come quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.” Born-again Jews and Gentiles have been looking forward to His return ever since He went back to heaven. But when He does return, where will He come, and for what?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 give the answer, specifically, verse 17: “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Consider this: from the creation of the world until the industrial revolution, mankind moved about on foot, by animals, or by wind power. Only within the last two hundred years have we seen people speeding down the road at seventy miles an hour, and even traveling through space! And this: until the 20th century, man has been pushing a pencil to make calculations, but now does so by computers. In fact, that device called a smartphone has more storage capacity than a room full of computers in the 1960’s.
The Bible predicted all this 2500 years ago. God said to Daniel in 12:4, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the times of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Just something to think about today.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Recently, some friends of mine had a heated verbal exchange over politics. No surprise there, right? Many people I know have broken off friendships because of that. At one point, the military man said to the uber-liberal something like, “Well, I still love you, man.” What an amazing statement that true friendship goes way beyond emotion and differences of opinion.
My friend, that is exactly what Jesus came to show and teach. He said, “… [He] call[s] us no longer servants, but friends; and [his] love is everlasting” (John 15:15). In Proverbs 17:17 we find this golden nugget: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
“O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come; our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.” Isaac Watts penned these great lyrics in the 1700’s, and they are just as powerful today as they were then. They contain eternal truth.
So does this verse from Isaiah 64 that Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.” Do you love God, my friend? Is living for Jesus your desire and goal? Let me assure you, God has amazing things prepared for you – you can’t even imagine.