Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.18.09 in Devotional, Lent
“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).I submit to you that this is not a natural way to live. When we are insulted, our natural inclination is to return an insult for an insult. But Jesus chose another way…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.17.09 in Devotional, Lent
It is said that Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century first penned the words to one of our favorite hymns, O Sacred Head Now Wounded. The second verse speaks to the issue of our sin and the death of Christ:What thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain;mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.Lo, here I fall…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.16.09 in Devotional, Lent
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).What do these words mean? The dictionary defines light as “a source of illumination.” That provides the key to our definition. To be the light of the world means illuminating the darkness so that others…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.15.09 in Devotional, Lent
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father” (Matthew 10:29). If you check your Bible dictionary, you’ll discover that sparrows were among the humblest birds in Bible times. They were considered food for the poor, and because they were so cheap, the poor co…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.14.09 in Devotional, Lent
A few years ago a friend gave me a Civil War Cavalry saber as a gift. Until today I didn’t know much about its background. After checking the inscription on the sword, I discovered that it is a U.S. M1860 Light Cavalry Saber produced by Mansfield and Lamb in Forestdale, Rhode Island. During the Civil War the company produced more than 37,000 …
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.13.09 in Devotional, Lent
Years ago I knew a Christian counselor who often repeated one key phrase. “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” Then he would add: “If you’ve got a lot of secrets, you’re really sick.” When we sin, everything within us screams out “Cover it up. Turn off the lights. Bury the evidence. Destroy the tap…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.12.09 in Devotional, Lent
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The key word here is “daily.” As someone has noted, the problem of life is that it is so daily. So routine.So mundane.Several years ago I read about a distinguished Christian leader who made the following observa…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.11.09 in Devotional, Lent
Mark 9 tells of a time when John came to Jesus with the news that there was a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name but because he was not a follower of the apostles, they told him to stop. Jesus corrected John with words these simple, insightful words:”Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say any…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.10.09 in Devotional, Lent
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine dealing with diseases and surgery of the eye. I know a little bit about that, having had five surgeries on my eyes over the course of a five year period. I am enough of an expert to know this much. When you are looking for an ophthalmologist, you want someone who knows what he is doing, who doesn’t oper…
Posted by Ray Pritchard on 3.9.09 in Devotional, Lent
“Not so with you. Whoever wants to become great among you must first become your servant” (Mark 10:43). The whole episode begins with the strange request of James and John and ends in a heated dispute. It’s all perfectly natural because we were born to compete, to fight for the top spot, to look out for number one. Winning and los…
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