26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET:
THE LETTER H
Monte Holland
Several persons have expressed an interest in having my husband, the Rev. Monte W. Holland, post an online series of devotions. Through their encouragement, Monte will post a weekly devotion on CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS. To read the introduction click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction. Click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter G to read the previous post on the letter G.
Return to this site each Saturday to read his devotions. Carolyn C. Holland
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALPHABET OF THE BIBLE – THE LETTER H
Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. (Exodus 20:12)
A central tenet of the Christian faith is the Great Commandment : love God, neighbor and self with heart, soul, mind and strength. In a sense the faith is a three-dimensional relationship—God, others, and yourself.
The current day practice of the faith often strongly tilts toward a two-dimensional relationship—between God and self. Self-fulfillment, every person for themselves, and freedom from the constraints and expectations of family, government, and society in general, seem to permeate religious practice inside and outside the church structure.
Our H verse serves to remind us that relating to God can never be separated from good relationships with others. God has used our parents as a conduit to our entry and growth in this world. God has used us to be the conduits for our children. In our case, one of our children is adopted. God still uses us as a conduit for our daughter’s growth. God expects us to honor our parents. This is honoring God as Creator. This verse starts a process of thankfulness for all of God’s creation—our lives, the lives of those around us, and the whole created order.
The term embedded became part of our vocabulary with the term embedded reporters, used in the Iraq War. The reporter in the midst of conflict was expected to fully experience the war and share that experience with others.
God has embedded each of us in this world. Thankfully, our parents introduced us to this world and set our direction toward the future. No matter how well or poorly our parents performed the task, they got us started. It is up to us to acknowledge our start through our parents, and to ultimately recognize God’s grace. It is up to us to build on this and find our purpose in the world we live in. Jesus helped us by claiming the centrality of the Great Commandment.
Do we seek that our days be long in this world? It all begins with honor and thanksgiving to our parents and to God for the start of our life. Then it is up to us to continually honor our parents for the start they gave us by living as responsible persons in this world—using our gifts to make a unique contribution back to God by upholding and enriching the lives of others and by respecting the rest of God’s Creation.
Is this all part of honoring father and mother? I think so. After all, who we become will contribute in part to how our parents are remembered.
To read 26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET: THE LETTER I, click on: 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter I
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t miss Monte’s devotions.
Subscribe to CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS today
TO RECEIVE E-MAIL NOTIFICATION
OF NEW POSTS
(to subscribe see upper right hand post on this site—
Notification will begin after you confirm your subscription
in the e-mail you will receive from wordpress.com.
Your e-mail address will not be published. )
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADDITIONAL READING:
26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction
Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath
A Father-Daughter reunion after 30 years
Two Photographers Named Cornell
KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 1
CAROLYN'S COMPOSITIONS
26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter H
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26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET:
THE LETTER H
Monte Holland
Several persons have expressed an interest in having my husband, the Rev. Monte W. Holland, post an online series of devotions. Through their encouragement, Monte will post a weekly devotion on CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS. To read the introduction click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction. Click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter G to read the previous post on the letter G.
Return to this site each Saturday to read his devotions. Carolyn C. Holland
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALPHABET OF THE BIBLE – THE LETTER H
A central tenet of the Christian faith is the Great Commandment : love God, neighbor and self with heart, soul, mind and strength. In a sense the faith is a three-dimensional relationship—God, others, and yourself.
The current day practice of the faith often strongly tilts toward a two-dimensional relationship—between God and self. Self-fulfillment, every person for themselves, and freedom from the constraints and expectations of family, government, and society in general, seem to permeate religious practice inside and outside the church structure.
Our H verse serves to remind us that relating to God can never be separated from good relationships with others. God has used our parents as a conduit to our entry and growth in this world. God has used us to be the conduits for our children. In our case, one of our children is adopted. God still uses us as a conduit for our daughter’s growth. God expects us to honor our parents. This is honoring God as Creator. This verse starts a process of thankfulness for all of God’s creation—our lives, the lives of those around us, and the whole created order.
The term embedded became part of our vocabulary with the term embedded reporters, used in the Iraq War. The reporter in the midst of conflict was expected to fully experience the war and share that experience with others.
God has embedded each of us in this world. Thankfully, our parents introduced us to this world and set our direction toward the future. No matter how well or poorly our parents performed the task, they got us started. It is up to us to acknowledge our start through our parents, and to ultimately recognize God’s grace. It is up to us to build on this and find our purpose in the world we live in. Jesus helped us by claiming the centrality of the Great Commandment.
Do we seek that our days be long in this world? It all begins with honor and thanksgiving to our parents and to God for the start of our life. Then it is up to us to continually honor our parents for the start they gave us by living as responsible persons in this world—using our gifts to make a unique contribution back to God by upholding and enriching the lives of others and by respecting the rest of God’s Creation.
Is this all part of honoring father and mother? I think so. After all, who we become will contribute in part to how our parents are remembered.
To read 26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET: THE LETTER I, click on: 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter I
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t miss Monte’s devotions.
Subscribe to CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS today
TO RECEIVE E-MAIL NOTIFICATION
OF NEW POSTS
(to subscribe see upper right hand post on this site—
Notification will begin after you confirm your subscription
in the e-mail you will receive from wordpress.com.
Your e-mail address will not be published. )
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADDITIONAL READING:
26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction
Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath
A Father-Daughter reunion after 30 years
Two Photographers Named Cornell
KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 1
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