Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
All of my musical instruments are put to good use. None are for display only. There are people that collect instruments and keep them in perfect condition, but that’s not me. They all have a scratch or a ding of some kind. Hey, life happens.
Recently, a mic-stand fell over and marked my Gretsch guitar. I thought, “Man, why can’t I have nice stuff?” The Lord showed me that’s how we are. Scars happen when you live a life of faith. Read Hebrews 11, around verse 36. It speaks of folks whowere scourged, stoned, beaten, tormented for the sake of Christ. Scars and blemishes are actually badges of honor. Better to be useful than sitting on some shelf, eh?
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
“O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. America, America, God shed his grace on thee!”
We need God to shed his grace on us, don’t we? Grace is defined as “the divine influence upon the heart.” Many things influence our hearts today. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked – who can know it?” That’s why we need a spiritual heart transplant. When we are born from above, God’s grace can influence us for good. As Paul writes in Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly in this present world.”
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Mist is an interesting phenomenon of God’s creation – tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere. On a windy day, its’ wisps swirl about like ghost dancers among the hills and valleys. On a still day, it seems to make things a little more quiet. Mist softens the sharp contrast of the trees and buildings it covers. It also waters the earth, gently covering and slowly seeping into the ground.
In the story of creation, Genesis 2:6 tells us that before there was rain, “there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” May the Holy Spirit be like a gentle mist for you today, softening the sharp edges and bringing you refreshment in Jesus’ name.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
You know, there’s nothing I like better on a hot summer day when I’m really thirsty, than a cool glass of fresh spring water. Clean water is so important to life. A person can live quite a while without food, but not without water. It is one ingredient that is crucial to life.
The spirit of God is like that. He is crucial to kingdom living. Being filled with God’s holy spirit is like being a fresh spring of water to those around us. Jesus said, “He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ – who hasn’t heard that adage? Well, if that’s true, then what about a movie, or better yet, the real thing – in living, breathing color? Our heavenly father has presented us with pictures every day to tell of his greatness and splendor. In fact, “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1 and 3). All creation bears witness to God, and we should, too.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
I heard a preacher once say that God is color-blind. Nice sentiment, but not true. In fact, God is an amazing artist who built color into His creation. Sadly, because we are fallen people living in a sin-drenched world, we use color to separate, even among people created by God, and in His image.
Bigotry and racial prejudice are simply indications of the sin problem that Jesus came to fix. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. looked for a day when people would be judged by character, rather than skin color. “The Lord said to Samuel… man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Being born again allows us to see God’s creation, as God’s people, through God’s eyes.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Faith is a little five-letter word, whose depth of meaning is deeper than the deepest sea. It is the solid rock foundation of what we as Christian followers base our beliefs on. It determines our choices and course of action for our lives. This faith I’m talking about did not originate in us. It was given to us by God himself, the very bedrock of all creation. It is how we live victorious lives that are pleasing to God.
“But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for they that come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God will reward you, my friend, as you exercise that faith you have been given.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Some people are early risers. Others are not. Personally, I don’t always get up early enough to see the sunrise, but when I do, its’ splendor always delights my senses. In Psalm 5:3, we find King David writing this: “My voice shall you hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto you, and will look up.” Since God’s mercies are new every morning, it makes sense that our first thoughts, yes, even our prayer, would be to Him first thing each day. Let me encourage you, my friend: turn your thoughts to God first, then everything will be in proper perspective.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
“O, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). As we go through our day, a barrage of information comes at us. Our thoughts land on something, then flee in another direction. Truth is often obscured by half-truths, and blatant lies appearing as truth. How to weed through all that? How to stay focused in this information tsunami?
I know how – by meditating on God’s word. All day long, God’s word comes to me, focusing my thoughts on truth. You can do that too, my friend. As you determine to spend time in God’s word, you will actually come to desire it more and more. “O, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day.”
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
God is the author and finisher of our faith. Each new day is a gift from Him, because He owns it. In Him, we live and move, and have our being. We couldn’t exist without him, because he holds all things together. People – if all this is true, then it is true every second of the day. And, it is indeed true.
Therefore, it stands to reason we should thank Him all day, every day. “Lord, with my whole heart have I sought you. O, let me not wander from your commandments” (Psalm 119:10).