SEARCHLIGHT

  JULY 5, 2024 I'm amazed at the human capacity for love. I will use myself as the case study. I have been blessed to have a beautiful and wonderful woman to love as my wife. When our first daughter was born, I was amazed to find that my heart expanded to a different channel of love. Some of you I am guessing know what I am talking about. My soul opened in a new way. When I thought I had expended all my love, along came children 2, 3, and 4. I would always wonder if I had the capacity to love more than I already did, could my heart expand more? Guess what my capacity for love kept growing. And now as a grandfather of 4, that love expands and expands with each one. I have said to my daughter about my Grandkids, “just when you think you have topped out your love for them,” which is quite substantial, "you spend an afternoon with them and your love for them grows again." There seems to be some new reservoir of love that opens and is released. Have you experienced that in you

  JULY 4, 2024 Psalm 25:14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. “Fear” and “friendship.” Those words normally don’t go together. How can the “friendship of the Lord” be for those who “fear him”? Doesn’t fear cause us to run away or avoid something or someone? Isn’t friendship for those who we hold close to us?Let us remind ourselves of the Bible’s meaning of the “fear of the Lord.” This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be frightened of something. Rather, it is a reverent awe of God, a respect for His power and glory. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through “friendship and knowledge” of His character. So, the Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding (Psalm 111:10). The fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment (Proverbs 19:23). It is the fountain of life

  JULY 3, 2024 Psalm 8  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory      in the heavens. 2  Through the praise of children and infants      you have established a stronghold against your enemies,      to silence the foe and the avenger. 3  When I consider your heavens,      the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,      which you have set in place, 4  what is mankind that you are mindful of them,      human beings that you care for them? 5  You have made them a little lower than the angels      and crowned them with glory and honor. 6  You made them rulers over the works of your hands;      you put everything under their feet: 7  all flocks and herds,      and the animals of the wild, 8  the birds in the sky,      and the fish in the sea,      all that swim the paths of the seas. 9  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! In this Psalm, David expresses wonder at how God displays His power through the most

  JULY 1, 2024 Prayer for Canada (based on  Psalm 72 ) God, give us your love of justice and righteousness. Help our government to rule in the right way. Let the poor always be treated fairly. May our mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful. Help us to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to bring a final end to all oppression. May we love and respect you God as long as the sun shines, and the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever! May our country be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth. May those who love God flourish, and may our country experience abundant prosperity until the moon is no more. May we be united from sea to shining sea, and may our influence go out from here to the ends of the earth. May our enemies never overtake us, and may we have the respect of the nations. Empower us to rescue the poor who cry to us, and help the oppressed who have no one to defend them. Show us how