Devotionals

2021

The Job Isn’t Completed Until—

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Why doesn’t my child pick up his toys when I tell him to? Why does my boss seem to be dissatisfied with my work, but never tells me why? Why does the city council keep making such contrary decisions? Why does our...

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She’s Gotten Old and Cantankerous

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford She’s an old woman now, very old, and cantankerous. She’s a Christian, but unreasonable in her demands. Querulous. Complaining. Ungrateful. Destructive. Causes conflict between family members. Her adult children...

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The Glorious Paradox of God’s Holiness and His Forgiveness

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Daddy, I think God must get very tired of my having to say ‘I’m sorry’ to Him so often,” I said impulsively one summer day when our family was vacationing with my parents. You understand, I was already middle-aged,...

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The Law of Creation

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford When Albert Einstein was five years old and sick, his father gave him a magnetic compass to play with. He was fascinated. As he watched that needle swing inevitably to the same place no matter where he pointed it,...

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The Law We Seem to Have Forgotten

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford In the hysteria of protest marches like “Me first” and “I’m fighting for my rights,” have we lost sight of one law, a principle, given to us by God, that would so wonderfully ease human relationships? That “law” is...

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Because of God’s Grace, A Wonderful New Year Awaits You

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford If you pay attention to what’s going on in the world, you know the world is in bad shape. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that tensions between nations all over the world could escalate into unbelievable horror....

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Christmas Isn’t Really Over, Thank God

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Christmas 2023 isn’t really over. True, it sure seems like it should be over, with bills to pay, the Christmas tree to dismantle, goodbyes to loved ones said, and clutter to clean up. It looks like Christmas is...

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“I Am Willing to Do Whatever God Wants”

Thinking about Christmas with Elizabeth Rice Handford If ever a woman needed the protection and love of a steadfast husband, surely it was Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus. The story is so familiar, it would be easy to overlook the really frightening aspects of her...

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My Conversation with a Leaf-Hopper

A Christmas Meditation with Elizabeth Rice Handford It was late October, and I was delighted to read that the Orionid meteor shower would be visible again in the Carolina sky that night, with perhaps as many as 20 “falling stars” an hour. I got up in the middle of the...

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Some One Is Watching You—Thank God!

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Joe DiMaggio still holds the MLB record for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941. His motivation to play well is interesting: “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time or the last time. I owe...

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