Pray For Others
by Dion Todd July 6th, 2015
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 KJVJob went through a terrible time in his life where he lost everything, and as he sat in ashes with sores covering his body, his friends told him that it was because of his sinful life that this happened. This had to be a new low for Job who lived blameless and...
The Jigsaw Puzzle
by Dion Todd July 5th, 2015
For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little. Isaiah 28:10 WEBWith little pieces of the jigsaw puzzle scattered all over the table, we began to try and assemble it. This one was seriously difficult because someone had mixed a couple of other puzzles together in the same box and there were pieces that did not belong. Fortunately we had a...
You Are An Awesome God!
by Dion Todd July 4th, 2015
When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another. 2 Chronicles 20:22"He sure...
My Sheep Hear Me
by Dion Todd July 3rd, 2015
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27 WEBJesus said that His sheep would hear His voice and that they would follow Him. "And a stranger, they would not follow" (John 10:5). God speaks to His people individually and collectively. Often we are so concerned on being deceived...
A One-Hundred Fold Return
by Dion Todd July 2nd, 2015
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38 ESVThe visiting speaker who had ridden in on a bus was in need of money and had delivered a great message. He was humble and I felt like his heart was in the right place. I had already paid my tithes for the...
The Lord is My Rock
by Dion Todd June 30th, 2015
He said, The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; You save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:1 ESVDavid sang this song to the Lord when he was delivered from all of his enemies. Where others...
Luke Chapter 12
by Dion Todd June 29th, 2015
Luke Chapter 12
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Luke 12 Outline:12:01-03 The leaven of the Pharisees.12:04-12 Live ready for judgment.12:13-21 The rich fool.12:22-34 Seek the Kingdom of God.12:35-40 The coming of the Son of man.12:41-48 The responsibility of servants.12:49-53 Fire on the earth.12:54-59 The signs of the times.Fun Facts:— Jesus called His...
Going Down For The Last Time
by Dion Todd June 29th, 2015
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand. John 10:26 ESVThe star of the show that we were watching took some really bad knocks and it looked like he was going down for...
Once Saved - Always Saved?
by Dion Todd June 26th, 2015
Once Saved - Always Saved?
While writing about the dangers of being lukewarm in one of my devotionals, I compared our relationship with God to a marriage relationship. In a good marriage, we do our part out of love for our spouse. Likewise, there are things we do as Christians, out of love for our Creator. After all, the church is believed to be the “Bride of Christ” and betrothed to...
One Thing God Does Not Have
by Dion Todd June 24th, 2015
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalms 50:1215 ESVA reader emailed us yesterday after I posted "A Stranger at the Diner", the...
Avoiding Vaccination
by Dion Todd June 23rd, 2015
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and dont know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; Revelation 3:15 WEBThe needle hurt when they gave me the shot. It was...
Luke Chapter 11
by Dion Todd June 22nd, 2015
Luke Chapter 11
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Luke 11 Outline:11:1-4 Jesus teaches His disciples to pray.11:5-8 The friend at midnight.11:9-13 Asking and giving.11:14-26 Jesus and the evil spirits.11:27-28 True blessedness.11:29-32 The sign of Jonah.11:33-36 The light that is in you.11:37-41 True cleansing.11:42-44 Woe to the pharisees.11:45-54 Woe to the lawyers.
Fun...
Luke Chapter 10
by Dion Todd June 15th, 2015
Luke Chapter 10
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Luke 10 Outline:10:1-12 The mission and the message.10:13-16 The doom of the Galilean cities that had rejected Jesus.10:17-20 The return of the seventy.10:21-24 Jesus is thrilled with joy.10:25-37 The good samaritan.10:38-42 Mary and...
Super Natural Provision
by Dion Todd June 10th, 2015
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They dont toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, wont he much more clothe you, you of little faith? Therefore dont be anxious, saying, What will we eat?, What will we drink?...
The Beach Ball
by Dion Todd June 9th, 2015
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 ESVWhile at the beach one day, I watched some kids playing with a beach ball. They would hit it and it would soar into the air, but then gradually float back down to earth. The kids would hit it again, but gravity kept pulling the ball back to earth. Without some form of lift, the ball will always fall to the ground. Yet, if...
Luke Chapter 9
by Dion Todd June 8th, 2015
Luke Chapter 9
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Luke 9 Outline:9:1-6 Jesus sends out the twelve.9:7-9 Herod the tetrarch.9:10-17 The feeding of the five thousand.9:18-20 Peter’s confession.9:21-22 A prophecy of the passion.9:23-27 Taking up the cross.9:28-36 ...
I Did It My Way
by Dion Todd June 7th, 2015
And on the seventh day God finished his work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation. Genesis 2:2 ESVAfter coming home from church, I went straight to work on the new mail server. I kept hearing about not working on the sabbath day on...
Heart Like A Sponge
by Dion Todd June 5th, 2015
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 3:16 ESVJust as a sponge filled with liquid is our heart within us. It absorbs all the hurts and pains in our life. Usually when we come to the Lord, it is filled with...
RHM June 2015 Newsletter
by Dion Todd June 4th, 2015
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11–12 NIV)
June Newsletter - 2015
Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of Refreshing Hope Ministries. This is our monthly update on what has...
The Worlds Greatest Dad
by Dion Todd June 4th, 2015
He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Mark 14:36 WEBGrowing up in the Bible Belt as a child, my image of God was an angry, white-haired, lightning bolt wielding, disciplinarian that just waited on me to mess up. It was rare for me to go to church at all, but when I did visit the local baptist church, they showed movies like The Burning Hell with people like me on fire. God seemed sadistic...
The Invoice
by Dion Todd June 2nd, 2015
Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed. So also My heavenly Father...
Luke Chapter 8
by Dion Todd June 1st, 2015
Luke Chapter 8
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Luke 8 Outline:8:1-3 Women contribute to the ministry of Jesus.8:4-15 The parable of the Sower.8:16-18 The parable of the lamp and the cover.8:19-21 The mother and brothers of Jesus seek Him out.8:22-25 The calming of the storm.8:26-39 The Gerasene demoniac.8:40-41...
Why Did You Doubt?
by Dion Todd June 1st, 2015
But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, It is a ghost! and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:26 ESVThe wind...
The Dentist Chair
by Dion Todd May 31st, 2015
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 ESVAs I writhed in pain in the chair, the dentist wrestled on with the split tooth. It was very painful and I did not want him to touch it, let alone pull on it, but the toothache would not go away until all of it was removed. Like Esau, I began to comfort myself...
The Rooster Crows
by Dion Todd May 29th, 2015
And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he broke down and wept. Mark 14:72 ESVAfter walking closely with the Lord Jesus for over three years, Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus three times in one night. Earlier that evening, Jesus had even told Peter this would happen, but...
RHM Data Center Rebuild
by Dion Todd May 27th, 2015
For most of this year I have meant to rework our data center. We host everything ourselves in house because we send about 3 million emails a month through 10 virtual servers and our website gets about 300,000 visitors a month itself. Also with the equipment in hands reach, I can write scripts and configure it to do anything that I want immediately without having to call someone. For us, third party...
Luke Chapter 7
by Dion Todd May 25th, 2015
Luke Chapter 7
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Luke 7 Outline:
7:1-10 Jesus heals a Centurion’s servant.
7:11-17 Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead.
7:18-23 John’s disciples question Jesus
7:24-35 Jesus commends John the Baptist
7:36-39 Penitent woman anoints Jesus
7:40-43 Parable of the forgiven debtors
7:44-50 Jesus forgives the...
Faithfully
by Dion Todd May 25th, 2015
He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them He remains faithful forever. Psalms 146:6 NIVLooking back over my life, I now see things that the Lord told me twenty-five years ago coming to pass. Things that I had put on the shelf, thinking that perhaps I had missed Him in some way, I am now living. There were a few times that I was convinced that I had ruined His plans for me....
The One Who Makes Dreams Come True
by Dion Todd May 24th, 2015
May He grant you your hearts desire and fulfill all your plans! Psalms 20:4 ESVIt was so hot in the field that day that people were getting sick to their stomachs and the rest of us had to crop their row. As a young boy about twelve working in the tobacco field, my world was very small. My family was the least of the least and I was in my twenties before I even knew what college was, and we could never...
The One Who Sees Me
by Dion Todd May 20th, 2015
They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you. Jeremiah 1:19 ESVThings were finally going well in our computer business. We had one particular client with multiple locations that took up all the time that we could give them. For the first time in forever, we could work all that we wanted and they loved us. We had our own keys...