Larry Fitzgerald

The Amazing ‘Chesed’ of God

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:22-24, RSV). Those who say that the God of the Old Testament was a God of…

Singing Brings Us into God’s Presence

[232 words] Psalms 100 was intended to be a song of praise in the Old Testament worship. There is evidence that this psalm (among others) was part of New Testament worship, as well.* The psalm, in its entirety, is quoted here. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with…

Being Secure in an Unsafe World – A Study of Psalms 46

[408 words] How can we be secure living in an unsafe world? The Psalmists tells us through their own experiences: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalms 46). That’s where we can find true security and peace. In Psalms 46, we are reminded of three things: Our Security is in…

What Is Your Focus?

[312 words] Jesus went into the desert looking for a place to pray. However, when he and his apostles went ashore they discovered a huge crowd of people. Scripture says that there were about 5000 men. (Counting the women and children, I’m guessing that there were 10,000 or more people.) After a full day of…

When We Walk With God, the Best is Yet to Come

[202 words] Youth! As children, we thought that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t achieve. And we believed we could become anything. Astronauts, famous scientists, sports stars, movie stars, presidents, and generals! But then we grew older. Life began to beat us down. Victories were fewer than defeats. Health began to wane. And most people my…

When We All Get to Heaven

[195 words] There is a wondrously upbeat song that many love to sing in our worship services. The refrain goes like this: When we all get to Heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory! The problem with that song is that not…

10 Promises from the Book of Proverbs

[116 words] 1. God gives healing to those who confess Him (3:6-8). 2. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry (10:3). 3. The Lord protects those whose way is upright (10:29). 4. The Lord blesses the Godly giver with more (10:24). 5. When you are kind to the poor, the Lord repays our…

The Patient Father

[320 words] We are told that children learn many life lessons from their fathers. I am delighted to hear that more and more fathers are seeing the importance of their role in the upbringing of their children. A recent survey showed that nearly half of all fathers spend more time with their children than their…

Learn the Lesson of the Ant

[342 words] They get into everything; they are bothersome, contrary, persistent, and, on top of all of these things, they hurt! However, the Bible tells us: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Proverbs 6:6). Thus, we “go to the ant” for some guidance, some instruction, and some motivation. Please…

Natural Disasters

[221 words] A few days ago, the USA Today headlines read: “Worst flooding since Hurricane Matthew swamps N. Carolina.” Several people lost their lives in this weather event. I followed the news because my wife’s sister and brother-in-law live in that state. The flooding also brought to mind, two massive floods from 2005. That’s when…

Snowbound

[237 words] December 14, 2016, in Albany, Oregon, a homeowner went outside after a winter storm to an unwelcome surprise. Lying on his driveway, was a fellow whose description sounded a lot like me. He was about my height and weight and age. He even had a beard like mine. He had some cash on…

70×7 – The Formula of Forgiveness

[177 words] The Lord Jesus Christ commands us to forgive people. And he punctuates it with this statement: “so that your Father in heaven may forgive you.” If you forgive, God forgives you. If you don’t forgive, God will not forgive you (Matthew 6:14-15). One of the more challenging things about forgiveness is that it’s…

The Palmyra Massacre

[290 words] One of the darkest chapters of the Civil War is “The Palmyra Massacre.” In 1862, the Confederate Army released 45 Confederate prisoners from a Union stronghold and arrested an Union sympathizer, Andrew Allsman. Union Provost Marshal William R. Strachan re-took the post and demanded that Allsman be returned or 10 Confederate POWs would…

The Cure for Loneliness

David found the cure for his loneliness in Psalms 25 beginning with verse 15. Here is David’s prayer: “My eyes are ever on the LORD … Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my…

Do You Know About The First Valentine?

  [297 words] This month we will celebrate the holiday referred to as Valentine’s Day. It is a time when we show others that we care for them. Small gifts of cards, candy, and flowers are part of the tradition. But it might surprise you to find out that this holiday started out as a…

‘Go Ye’ Means ‘Go Me’

I read recently that when asked how often Christians had shared their faith in the past year, 95% of the respondents replied they had not shared their faith! Not even once. Really? Can that possibly be true? I have asked audiences around the country that same question, and received with few exceptions, the same approximate…
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