In this devotional podcast, M.t. Clark opens with a sunrise photo and a personal reflection on a recent loss: the passing of Miss Linda Lee Henley, a beloved community member known for her self‑less service, strong moral compass, and expression of God’s light. Clark shares details from Henley’s obituary, highlighting her work in special education, elder care, Girl Scouts, Sunday school, and her love for music and hospitality. He uses her life as a concrete illustration of the biblical principle that believers should be led by the Holy Spirit rather than the sinful nature, citing Romans 8:5‑6. Clark urges listeners to repent, think on what pleases the Spirit, and follow the moral guidance of Christ, especially in a culture of moral relativism. He connects this call to discipleship with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship, pointing listeners to a related blog post on mt4christ.org. Clark also promotes additional resources—Dr. Neil Anderson’s teachings, the “Victor Over the Darkness” series, and the “Bible Study with the Zinkatis”—and invites the audience to engage with his website and podcast. Throughout, he shares his own testimony of past depravity and conversion, emphasizing that a life guided by the Spirit leads to peace, joy, and love. The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer for Linda’s family, for listeners facing struggles, and for God’s guidance in daily life.
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To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of an epic November sunrise comes to us from a friend who captured this early morning scene yesterday near their home in the Clifton Park area of upstate New York. Our friend wasn't the only one to witness this stark evidence of God's glory, as many in the Capital District shared similar photos with the local news outlets who shared them on social media. I suppose I could have borrowed one of these other photos, but I prefer to share my friends, even though it has been quite some time that I have seen them or have spoken to them. This particular friend had some life experience that, uh, are similar to mine, and even though I honestly don't know how they are doing currently, I'm rooting for them. And because of our crossed paths, I suppose I always will be. Just knowing they witnessed this scene gives me joy. Well, it is Monday after— it is the Monday after Thanksgiving, and although I am filled with joy for my friend, my heart is somewhat heavy this morning as my wife, her children, and many others will be mourning the loss of a friend who was more like family later this afternoon. Our shared experiences in history can really form strong bonds in a short period of time, but those bonds can be especially strong when we walk through life with someone for an extended period of time, where the time of our relationships together can witness the aging of our children to adulthood. I only met Miss Linda— Linda Lee Henley on a couple of occasions for brief periods, And she seemed like a friendly lady, but I know that she was much more than that to my wife, as she was introduced and described as a grandmother of sorts to my wife's kids. I only met her a few times, so I won't be taking off from work to attend the memorial service this afternoon, but I did lift Miss Linda's grieving family up in prayer this morning because I knew she was greatly loved and will be dearly missed. Out of curiosity, I checked out her obituary this morning to learn a little more about this nice lady who meant so much to so many, uh, to see what it, uh, see what it would say and to see if there was anything I could learn from her life. It says Linda was an extraordinary mother, wife, and caregiver. She just dedicated her life to helping those in the world who needed it most through her work with special education, elderly care, the Girl Scouts, Sunday school, and other various youth organizations. She traveled just about every road in this country, welcomed foreign exchange students into her home, and loved bringing her family together around the dinner table. One of her many creative talents was playing the accordion. Linda was intelligent, had a strong moral compass, and her compassion extended not just be— just to humans, but to all creatures of the earth. Linda exemplified selfless and unconditional love. She was an expression of God that will radiate his light even in the darkest shadows. She passed away on Tuesday somewhat suddenly. I had seen her at my stepdaughter's, um, birthday back in September, and now she's gone but obviously not forgotten. And because she knew the Lord, we know she lives today. Although we can't see her yet. While serving the community and our fellow man is admirable, I think the best thing anyone can say about us is what was said about Linda, that she was an expression of, of God that will radiate his light even in the darkest shadows. What a testimony! As much as we try to make our way in the world and leave a legacy behind, Linda's life shows us that the love we have to give is the most valuable thing we possess, and that our life is best spent giving it away. So pray for the, for the family and friends of our departed sister, and let's thank the Lord for being able to know his love and to know people like Miss Linda Henley, whose life was a living expression of his light. So as we get back to business as usual this Monday morning, Let's remember our friends and family that show us the love of the Lord, and let's remember to not be so busy and to try to reflect the light of the Lord in our lives as we keep on walking and talking with God. Today's Bible verse— verses come to us from the New Living Translation Bible Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verses are Romans 8:5 and 6, and they say, uh, those who are dominated, uh, by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So let your sinful nature control your mind, uh, so letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Today's verses encourage us to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and to, and to guide us to repent of our sinful nature and to think about things that please the Spirit, to give us a life of peace. Hey, what's, what's wrong according to the word of God is wrong, and a life lived following the moral compass of the Holy Spirit is a life that may not always be easy but will will have, uh, an enduring peace. Like I have admitted, I don't— I didn't know Ms. Linda Henley very well, but she was known for her— for being an expression of God's light, not just his love. I wouldn't really know this to be true myself except for my wife's testimony of her words of encouragement to Tammy Lynn's daughters. As we talked about her passing this past weekend, Tammy Lynn told me about how Miss Linda recently told her daughters to do what was right with the way they lived their lives, stating that Miss Linda would remind them that they are Christian girls after all. This age of moral relativism and situational ethics, I just love that testimony of Miss Linda's moral compass, that although she expressed God's love to all within her oikos, her surroundings, her dwelling place, her household, who she made everyone feel welcome in, she also reflected the light of God in the darkness. That meant more than just hope. Her encouragements to live as Christian girls was literally the advice that is most desperately needed in these dark times of loose sexuality and rampant substance abuse that plagues our society. Miss Linda's words were telling Tammy Lynn's daughters the pathway they should follow. That would lead to peace. While we all have free will, and believe me, as someone who abused it for most of his life before deciding to follow Christ, I know the depths of depravity that quote-unquote freedom can lead to personally. The word of God and faithful saints like Ms. Linda tell us quite clearly the way we should go. So walk in the spirit, repent of your sinful nature, and think on and do the things that pleases the spirit. Of God. As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue, uh, sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Discipleship, also known as The Cost of Discipleship. Today's section is, uh, from Matthew 10, and it's on the work of evangelism, or the harvest, um, as Bonhoeffer's already written about. So if you'd like to check out that resource to see what Bonhoeffer has to write about Matthew 10:5-6 and other verses, go to mt4christ.org and you'll see that resource at the end of today's blog post. As always, we encourage people to live a life of Christian discipleship, to follow that moral compass of the Holy Spirit, because it leads to peace. Ask me how I know. For some, like I stated in the message, uh, you know, I lived a life of, uh, total depravity for a while there and suffered greatly before it. Mostly, you know, you know, let's face it, I didn't, you know, live wild most of the time, but, uh, enough to— I was living independently of God, doing things my way. And that's the way we don't want to go. We want to go the way God tells us to do. Selfishness and sinfulness aren't the pathway to peace. God's way, the Holy Spirit's way, is the pathway to peace. And so we encourage people to walk in the Spirit because we experience the truth of God's word as a living expression in our lives, and we've experienced the love of God. So not for nothing, it's the way to go. And people like Miss Linda Henley, who's no longer with us, pointed the way, to go that way. So we should remember faithful saints like Mrs. Henley and their advice to actually do what's right and to follow in the way of the Lord, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it's, it's the right way to— the, the right thing to do and the, the path that leads to peace, joy, and love. You know, that's why. If you need help with that, if you need to know who you are in Christ, uh, we, we offer our teachings that on, uh, Dr. Neil Anderson's work, uh, Victor Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ, um, all on our podcast and our YouTube channel. Uh, we also offer a Bible study of sorts with Bible Study with the Zinkatis, uh, that's available, although the last 2 weeks we didn't do one, uh, as they are out traveling, seeing family, and sharing the love and light of the Lord all over the country. Um, So yeah, sometimes you have to take a break to actually go live your life, um, and share the love, uh, with, with your family and friends, uh, no matter how far away they may be. So that's what they're doing. It's my prayer they make it back safe this weekend, uh, that we'd have another Bible study, uh, coming up this Sunday, uh, as we'll be entering into the month of December by the end of the week. And that points to the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, the one who can, you know, give us peace with God and give us a new life if we all but follow him, put our faith in him, and follow him in the way we should go. So that's what this podcast and blog is all about, is just trying to encourage people to follow the Lord, to keep walking and talking with him as we go through this life. So it's Monday, we gotta work, so let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, Lord, uh, thank you so much for all that you do. Thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we pray for Linda Henley's family today and friends who are mourning her loss. Um, but Lord, let them remember the good things about Miss Linda and remember that most importantly, she lives. Um, she lives in the kingdom of heaven, and, uh, we'll will one day see her again. So Lord, we thank you for this enduring life that never ends when we put our faith in you. Lord, we pray for the people listening, Lord, to encourage them after a long weekend that life's good even on a Monday. We haven't suffered loss, we could experience that, but even if we suffering currently, it's not as bad as it could be. And most importantly, we know you. Lord, so we pray for the people listening today, that you'd come alongside them in their prayer request. And Lord, help them in whatever struggles they are facing today. And Lord, as always, we pray for you to go before us today, to lead us in the way we should go, and to open our eyes to all the things you would have us look at and want us to know, want us to see. Or we thank you, we praise you, and we love you. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
