Gwendolyn Harmon's Blog: Learning Ladyhood, page 14

Bearing Fruit in Season

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in is season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

(Psalm 1:1-3)

For whatever reason, this psalm has been coming to mind quite often lately. Perhaps its...

Say So!

Psalm 107 begins with a grand declaration of God’s goodness and endless mercy, but it is also a call not just to worship with the psalmist, but to speak aloud the mercies and goodness of God for ourselves.

 

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.” (vv.1-3)

 

Perhaps you...

The “Moment” of Affliction

None of us like to be afflicted.

Pain, discomfort, emotional turmoil, or rifts between ourselves and a loved one all take their toll. But when we are in the will of God, there is a glorious truth we can cling to when in a time of affliction.—No matter how long the trial lasts or seems like it will last, in the grand scope of eternity, it is “but for a moment”

But before we look at the verse in which that promise is found, it is important to look at the context in which it has been given:

In 2 Cor...

Thirsty?

Recently, I’ve been trying to drink more water. It never ceases to amaze me just how hard I find it to stay hydrated. I have no trouble drinking large amounts of coffee or tea or even juice, but water is a struggle—and water is the very thing my body needs.

Last Friday was the ten-day mark for my latest quest to drink enough water, and partway through the morning, I was startled to find myself actually thirsty! And it wasn’t due to extreme dehydration, either. Nor was it a craving for coffee or ...

Tempted, Yet Without Sin

This week, God brought Hebrews 4:15 to my attention:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

 

The next verse goes on to say that, in light of this truth, we should go boldly to the Lord for mercy and grace in time of need. While boldness in prayer is the clear application of this passage, the Holy Spirit quickened another facet of truth to my heart as I read the verse.

Christ was “in all points tem...

Believing God

In church last Sunday, Pastor was preaching through the last few verses of Mark 16 when something stood out to me I had never noticed before. The chapter details the resurrection, the appearances of Christ to believers, and the ascension. Verse 14 tells us,

 

“Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.”

 

This might seem very unlike our idea of Jesus, es...

Slowly, but Surely

It was a Sunday evening at the end of a particularly long and seemingly fruitless week. And yet, as I thought back over the day, I was astonished at the work God had let me catch a glimpse of that day: a work He was doing slowly, but surely in the hearts of several people.

As a writer, I typically don’t get to see the fruit of what God does with my books and blog posts. But every once in a while He gives me a little peek into what He is using my writing to accomplish. This time, I was reminded  ...

No Mighty Work

In Mark 6, we find the account of Jesus visiting His own country, the place where He grew up. The people there were astonished, but not in a good way. Notice what they said:

“And when the sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this Man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands?

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James an...

A Lesson from the Grave Clothes

“And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre, which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”

Mark 15:46

 Until a few weeks ago, this verse had always struck me to be a rather mundane detail tucked into the account of Christ’s death. But to the grieving hearts of those who loved Jesus, the grave clothes would have had a poignant significance.

That length of linen, purchased for the burial of One most dear,...

The Shortest Verse in the Bible

For whatever reason, little facts about the Bible seem to stick with people: The longest chapter, the shortest book, the shortest verse. I always wondered who first realized John 11:35 was the shortest verse in the Bible. Maybe it was a child looking for a quick verse to memorize for a contest, or perhaps a procrastinating theologian off on a researching rabbit trail.

Regardless of who first discovered it, the fact of John 11:35 being the shortest verse in the Bible has made the verse itself one...