ThingsHopedForThingsHopedForThe randomly recorded thoughts of Jason Hardin. Articles
Independence
2008-06-30 18:15:00 Independence Day is this Friday. What does it mean to you? What will be on your mind? To many, the 4th means charcoal, hamburgers, hot dogs, a day off of work, and fireworks. The cost of liberty will be a distant thought, and that’s unfortunate. But how much worse to go through this week without appreciating ... More About: Jesus , God , Meditations , Christ , Jehovah
?Tis Midnight, And On Olive?s Brow
2008-06-29 18:46:00 ‘Tis midnight, and on Olive ’s brow The star is dimmed that lately shone; ‘Tis midnight, in the garden now, The suffering Savior prays alone. ‘Tis midnight, and from all removed Emmanuel wrestles lone with fears; E’en the disciple whom He loved Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears. ‘Tis midnight, and for others’ guilt The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood; Yet He who hath ... More About: Midnight
In Need Of Wisdom
2008-06-28 12:30:00 It can be hard to admit that you don’t have all the answers. It can be disheartening to acknowledge that you’re not sure. But the first step to greater wisdom is an acknowledgement of your need. Our knee-jerk reactions when the need for more wisdom hits us are relatively common: More study. More ... More About: Bible , Meditations , Proverbs , Wisdom , James
Signs Of Maturity
2008-06-27 12:10:00 I find “maturity” difficult to define. It’s like “love.” You see signs. You observe the fruits. But to capture its essence in words is challenging, at least for me. How about this? There are two sides to maturity. “I used to be bothered by things that weren’t worth being bothered about.” A sign of maturity is the ... More About: Christian , Life , Maturity , Signs , Christ
None Of Self
2008-06-27 09:26:00 Higher than the highest heavens, Deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, Thy love at last has conquered, “None of self, and all of Thee.” There it is. The great goal of the disciple of Christ . The ideal as defined by the Son of God in Mark 8:34-35. What steps, regardless of how small, can you take throughout the day to ... More About: Jesus
RSS: The Key To Virtual Time Management
2008-06-26 13:22:00 Do you consistently drop in on blogs or Internet news sites? If you’re not doing so via the wonder of RSS, you’re wasting boatloads of time. Don’t know what RSS is? No problem… I highly recommend Google Reader and it just so happens that Abraham Piper has done an excellent job customizing a step-by-step RSS guide ... More About: Management , Tube , Time , Time Management
Less Of Self
2008-06-26 12:38:00 Day by day His tender mercy Healing, helping, full and free, Brought me lower while I whispered “Less of self, and more of Thee.” Are you dedicated to the goal of spiritual growth? Day by day? Hour by hour? How ironic that in order to grow closer to God we must wither to self. With that in mind, here’s ... More About: Meditations
Amazing Grace
2008-06-25 14:03:00 William Wilberforce, young leader of the movement to abolish the British slave trade, speaks with John Newton, former slave-ship captain who has recorded his personal arguments for the abolition of the trade and is passing them along to reinforce Wilberforce’s argument in Parliament. I Once Was Blind, But Now I See. Incidentally, I recently preached two sermons ... More About: Sermons , Grace , Amazing , Fatherhood , Amazing Grace
Know Thyself
2008-06-25 13:57:00 “It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else and still unknown to himself.” - Francis Bacon
Some Of Self
2008-06-25 13:51:00 Yet He found me; I beheld Him Bleeding on th’accursed tree, And my wistful heart said faintly, “Some of self, and some of Thee.” Double-mindedness. That’s what the verse above describes. Double-mindedness beckons us to follow the easy way that leads to destruction. It’s the way of compromise. It’s the path of self-deception. Before another minute of your ... More About: Christian , Meditations , Christ
All Of Self
2008-06-24 15:59:00 O, the bitter pain and sorrow That a time could ever be, When I proudly said to Jesus “All of self, and none of Thee.” Are you wasting your life? What could define the principle of wastefulness more than a being created in the image of God Himself who proudly says by his actions (or inaction), “All of self ... More About: Meditations
Slowing My Pace
2008-06-23 07:44:00 I preached a sermon yesterday in a series on growing in spiritual maturity entitled Slowing My Pace . The hymn from yesterday is a wonderful reminder of our Creator’s encouragement to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If you didn’t take the time to really reflect on the lyrics, go back over them ... More About: Sermons
Alone At Eve
2008-06-22 07:02:00 Walking alone at eve and viewing the skies afar, Bidding the darkness come to welcome each silver star; I have a great delight in the wonderful scenes above, God in His power and might is showing His truth and love. Sitting alone at eve and dreaming the hours away, Watching the shadows falling now at the close of day; God in ...
The Wordled Bible
2008-06-20 11:06:00 Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. Take a look at the English Standard Version of the Bible , wordled.
The Value Of Nothing
2008-06-19 13:57:00 May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the Kingdom like children in the market place, chattering about everything, but pausing to learn the value of nothing. - A. W. Tozer
Finding The Joy In Trials
2008-06-18 06:06:00 James doesn’t waste much time getting into the meat of his message. Take a moment, tune everything else out, and read James 1:2-3. You may not even see it coming. It could arrive today. In the next few hours you might become intimately acquainted with a trial unlike any you have ... More About: Meditations , Trials , James
Wisdom Cries Aloud
2008-06-17 19:58:00 Today’s thought is taken from Proverbs 1:20-21. Make sure that you pause long enough to place your mouse over that reference and read that passage. Maybe even read it a second time. Have you really listened to the message? You’ll hear a lot of noise today. Much of it hasn’t evolved beyond ... More About: Meditations , Wisdom
Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind
2008-06-16 07:41:00 A prayer for the busy week ahead. Dear Lord and Father of mankind, Forgive our foolish ways; Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives Thy service find, In deeper reverence, praise. In simple trust like theirs who heard, Beside the Syrian sea, The gracious calling of the Lord, Let us, like them, without a word, Rise up and follow Thee. O Sabbath rest by ... More About: Mankind
Thankful For Helpful Parents
2008-06-15 06:51:00 Take a moment to read Proverbs 1:8-9. Have you been blessed with parents who taught you the Creator’s will from a young age? If so, make sure to pause and appreciate that gift throughout the day. Those of us who grew up with godly parents can’t put a price tag on such ... More About: Parenting , Meditations , Parents , Fatherhood
My Sister Was Sick
2008-06-10 03:17:00 A dear sister in Christ recently handed me this. Her sister in the flesh had passed away the day before. My sister was sick. I intended to call. I was waiting for the right time of day. My sister was sick. I forgot to call. Then, at evening, the time slipped away. My sister was sick. As I slept that night, God called her ... More About: Sister , Sick
The Beginning
2008-06-05 17:34:00 Proverbs 1:7 carries a message you and I need to remember throughout the day. I’m especially mindful of those who’ve justed graduated high school and are headed to independence in one form or another. Young person, remember. Whatever you learn, regardless of what you think you know, beyond each of your fears, ... More About: Meditations
The Beatitudes Movie
2008-06-04 17:11:00 Been a while since you read (and really thought about) Jesus’ nine “blessed” statements at the outset of his “Sermon on the Mount”? Take two minutes and forty-three seconds out of your busy day, tune the world out, the volume up, and watch The Beatitudes Movie by Steve Deaton.
Awareness Of Our Smallness
2008-06-04 16:01:00 It is the Christian s, O Emperor, who have sought and found the truth, for they acknowledge God. They do not keep for themselves the goods entrusted to them. They do not covet what belongs to others. They show love to their neighbors. They do not do to another what they would ... More About: Jesus , Rome , Bible , Awareness
Troubling Our Own Households
2008-06-03 16:08:00 Take a thoughtful look at Proverbs 11:29, particularly the first half of the verse. We all know how to make trouble in our own households, don’t we? We’ve been there. We’ve been the member of the family who has opened the front door to trouble and invited it in as a welcomed guest. By operating ... More About: Jesus , Home , Households
Recent Sermons
2008-06-02 16:32:00 Sermon: Forbidden Trails That Lead To The Dark Valley Of Sexual Immorality Interactive outline Sermon audio Sermon: The Masks Of Hypocrisy Interactive outline Sermon audio Sermon: “When Can I Be Baptized?” Interactive outline Sermon audio Sermon: “I Pledge Allegiance To…” Interactive outline Sermon audio More About: Sermons , Recent
Looking For Something To Read In June?
2008-06-02 04:47:00 How about joining us as we shoot to read 35 psalms in the next 35 days? - Introductory Sheet - Read ing Calendar - Read Online More About: Bible , June
?Christian? is a bad adjective, but a good noun
2008-05-30 15:59:00 When we ponder the wisdom of Christian ity gone militant and triumphant, we need only to look on the ruins of Christendom in the regions where Christians ruled by the sword. Look at Europe– England, Sweden, Denmark, perhaps post-Christian USA in a few years. To find Christianity at its best, and the church alive, ... More About: Good
Five Things Not To Do In Front Of A Bible Class
2008-05-29 15:50:00 The church Bible class won’t usually throw tomatoes or pound their feet in response to a bad class, but they do respond in more subtle ways: they don’t follow the teaching, they don’t sign up for your class, and they won’t ask you to teach again. So what Bible class presentation “no-no’s” should you avoid? 1. Don’t ... More About: Teaching , Things , Front , Class
A Refreshing Messenger
2008-05-28 20:08:00 Today’s thought is from Proverbs 25:13. Try to imagine life without instant ice cubes at the push of a refrigerator button. That’s the context of this verse. Long before the days of the kitchen freezer, snow from the north would be brought and stored in clefts of the mountains. That ... More About: Messenger
When You Hear, Do You Listen?
More articles from this author:2008-05-27 15:38:00 A couple of days ago we challenged ourselves with the message of Proverbs 25:11. How did you do? For today, let’s build on the challenge with the next verse — Proverbs 25:12. Perhaps you’re married. If so, how much does your wedding band mean to you? Doesn’t it go without saying that your ring is ... More About: Hear , Meditations , Listen 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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