Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
In the 1960’s, a mighty move of the Holy Spirit swept over America, impacting the youth especially. Many young people were seeking the truth. The spirit of God called out of people for the Lord, people who were willing to turn from their sin and follow Jesus, no matter the cost. The phrase ‘peace, love, dove’ came out of that move. Now, in the 21st century, as it seems wickedness and deception, confusion and brutality are on the rise, there are many people seeking the truth – and, there is a mighty move of the spirit of God, not relegated only to the young. Revelation 18:4 says this: “Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins.” Come to Jesus.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Hello, my friend. How’s it going? Are you having a good day? I sure hope so. What’s that you say? You’ve got bills, you’ve got struggles, you’ve got turmoil in your life? You say it seems like the world is going crazy around you and it’s only getting worse? The apostle Paul lived at a time when it was extremely dangerous to be a Christ-follower. The people of Jesus were being hunted down and imprisoned, or killed. Paul had to be very concerned, but listen to what he wrote to the friends in Thesslonica, [chapter 5] verses 16 -18, “Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I once heard Bruce Lee say, “Be water, my friend.” You know, water has many amazing qualities, but it makes no sound of itself. You can put billions of drops together, and they lay quietly. They only make sound when they’re on the move. Think about rain, or water moving over rocks. A waterfall can be a deafening roar, and waves in the ocean are powerful and noisy.
The body of Christ is similar. When the church lies dormant, comfortable in its’ surroundings, it’s a silent witness. But when the Holy Spirit is engaged, the Church can be a loud force for good. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus never intended his church to lie dormant.