Helper

Elizabeth Mitchell
5 Jan 2018
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“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8). Heavy-hearted and under siege, we hunker down and hide, fearful of the onslaught from the enemy intent on our destruction. At the very least, he plots to capture us in his cavern of discouragement by providing a hundred reasons why self-pity is the reasonable choice at present. We must retaliate with the wisdom found in the wellspring of the Word. Our Lord fought him with truth; we flourish if we imitate our Savior’s example and do battle in his name. We reinforce our trembling […]

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Beyond Bountiful

Elizabeth Mitchell
8 Jun 2017
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“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). In all likelihood, nothing fits in a fist closed tight. A clenched hand, fingers turned inward with nails pressed into palm will never hold a thing, will never be on the receiving side. Miserly and meager come to mind. If I view God as a hard taskmaster, I will be prone to measure carefully when asked to share. If I fail to recognize the Father as extravagant and gracious, I will protest and excuse myself from any generous […]

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No Vacancy

Elizabeth Mitchell
20 Feb 2017
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“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). “No room in the inn” would become a signature piece for how the Son of Man would be regularly excluded from the world he came to save. Repeatedly throughout the Gospels, a “No Vacancy” sign was extended to Christ as he journeyed toward the cross. In the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth, he stood and read Isaiah from the scrolls and then informed the audience of their […]

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Abide in Me

Elizabeth Mitchell
20 Jan 2017
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“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). It was never designed as an entry in the “have to” category, but we shoved it into that column, making it a chore rather than the grand adventure it was intended to be from the beginning. Spending time alone with the Father, carving out a sliver of the day to hear his voice and respond to his word, should always be firmly fixed in the “I-can’t-believe-I get-to-do-this” frame of […]

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