Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). These words were penned almost 3,000 years ago by King Solomon. More recently, they were put to music by the late Pete Seeger, and made popular in a cover by The Birds. Timeless words from the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and true for people of all time.
Following verses speak of a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. What time is it in your life, my friend? Remember, in all of it, every season, God is there.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
Some things in life you just can’t change. You may want to, but you don’t have that ability. No matter how many clouds, the sun still rises in the morning. You can’t change that. You can’t change the number of elements in water; it’s always two hydrogen to one oxygen. You can’t change your past, or your parents, or your birthdate. You can’t change who your siblings are, even though you may want to.
Imagine that: you can allow hatred and hard feelings to make you want to exclude from your life those who should be closest to you. Don’t do it, friend. In Romans 12:18, Paul writes, “If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.” That includes family, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
No one who knew me in my former days could ever have imagined the man I’d become, but God could. That’s because He created me. I’m like that lump of clay in Isaiah 64:8. I didn’t get back up on the wheel; at the appointed time the potter picked me up, and placed me back on the wheel. Then, he skillfully began to mold and shape me.
Thirty-two years in the making, I’m still not finished. I doubt that I will be complete, this side of eternity. However, I am quite different than I was, and the master potter continues to refine this lump of clay as he sees fit. Now, I am something useful to him. My friend, pray the potter will mold and shape you into that vessel he can use for his purposes.
Hi, I’m Howie Campbell, and this is a Wisdom and Truth Minute.
My grandfather had a farm in upstate New York. I remember him burning the field, like the Native Americans did, to increase the crop yield the following year. So I tried that once. Before I knew it, the fire was out of control. I took a broom and hit a spot, and it immediately started five more fires! I had to call for help to put it out.
In James 3, he talks about the tongue. In verse 5 through 6, we read: “Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things, behold how great a matter a little fire kindles. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, and defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” Friend, we need to bridle our tongues to speak good things.