Devotionals

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “It isn’t fair,” the young wife wailed. “He oughtn’t to get by with it.” If you knew the circumstances, you’d agree with her that the thief deserves punishment. An employee of her husband admitted he’d stolen...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Everybody said the old man was stubborn and set in his ways, and there was no way he would ever become a Christian. People had certainly tried to convince him of his need. A deacon went; he said no. The pastor went;...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford When you are talking to me, don’t wistfully long for the “good old days.” I was born in 1927, the week Charles Lindberg flew the Atlantic alone in his fragile “Spirit of St. Louis.” I know all about the good old...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Our fifteen-year-old grandson is loving his new job at a fast-food restaurant. His Christian employers have given him his first priority: “Make your customer feel valued.” It’s easy, perhaps, to do that, if you’re...

The Gospel of Luke chapter eleven tells us of a lawyer who was trying to discredit the Lord Jesus, so he asked, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 11:25). Jesus responded, “What is written in the law?” “You shall love the LORD your God with all...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Were you mystified as a child when you first heard Stephen Foster’s song, “Oh! Susanna, Don’t You Cry for Me”? Was it silly or supposed to be funny? What in the world did it really mean? “It rained all night the day...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Recently a friend whom I hadn’t seen for a while dropped by to see me. Her heart seemed full, and so I mostly drank coffee and listened as she talked of many different things. But as she talked, it seemed as if...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “It’s easy for you to be a good Christian, Libby,” a friend once said to me. “You grew up in a Christian home, and your parents were good Christians.” “You’re right, Anna. You know how grateful I am for my godly...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth R. Handford Walt and I had a dear friend who was a multi-millionaire. We were very careful never to presume on his generosity because we had heard too many of his “friends” hint without subtlety of their needs. He once said to...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus, you can’t help feeling the enormous pressures of our culture against our faith. I sometimes feel like Nik Wallenda, the first person ever to cross Niagara Falls on a...