Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Way Home

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12

Mark squirmed as his mother talked to him. She had recently become a Christian and was trying to explain how he could receive Christ as Savior, too. "I want you to be in heaven with me someday," she said.

"Don't worry, Mom," answered Mark. "Uncle George says I'm such a good boy that if anybody makes it to haven, I will."

"Uncle George is a very smart man, but he's mistaken about the way to heaven," Mom replied, "it's not your goodness that will take you there. Jesus is the only way."

Mark turned toward the door. He didn't want to talk about salvation anymore. "I have to go finish my paper route collections now," he said, hurrying out of the kitchen.

As Mark was buys on his route, he saw a girl and a little boy, "Don't cry. I know how to get to 102 Shelby Street," he heard the girl say. "You go that way one block," she said, pointing north, "and turn right. That's Main Street. Then go three blocks and you come to Shelby. Your house is right there on the corner." Mark frowned. Those directions weren't right!

As the girls went into her house, Mark met the boys. "You're Jimmy Jones, aren't you?" exclaimed Mark. "I deliver papers to your house. Remember me?" the little boy looked at him and nodded. "That girl gave you the wrong directions," said Mark. "You have to turn left at Main Street, not right." Jimmy's lip began to tremble, and Mark took his hand. "I'll take you home, OK?" Mark asked. Happily, Jimmy nodded, and soon Mark had delivered him to his family.

On the way home, Mark thought about what had happened. Suddenly he realized that he was just like Jimmy! He was trying to follow directions to heaven that were given by someone who didn't know the way. He needed to listen to what God said in His Word, and God said Jesus was the only way. I was Jimmy's way home because I took him there, he thought. Jesus is the way to heaven. I want Him to be my Savior and take me there.

How about you?: Are you following the right directions to heaven? God knows how you can get there. His directions are found in his Book, the Bible. He says you must trust in Jesus, the only way to heaven. Trust Jesus today.

Taken from "The One Year Book of Devotions for Kids"

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Encourage the Sheep

"Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3

Take the Savior’s loving hand
And do not try to understand,
Just let Him lead you where He will,
Through pastures green, by waters still.

Today follow the Shepherd. Encourage the sheep who have strayed to return to the fold.

Monday, October 29, 2007

The Shepherd

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:11

It is a relief to know that the life of faith is not dependent upon our ability to trust, but upon HIs trustworthiness. The sheep can trust their shepherd if He is a good shepherd. And we are the sheep of His pastures. His sheep may safely gaze.

All of His sheep.

The lambs which He gathers with His arms may certainly graze safely and know that even if they stumble and fall, the Shepherd will "lay down his life for the sheep." He will "gather the lambs with his arm . . . "

Those of us who have known Him over a period of time know that He will care for those new in His love. We can assure them that He gathers the newborn Christian in His bosom with great tenderness and great gentleness. But for those who have been the sheep of His flock for a longer time and who have been given the sometimes painful work of carrying young Christians or non-belivers as a sheep carries her young, here is great hope for us in this "blue stone" verse too.

"He shall . . . gently lead those that are with young." The enemy is also very watchful over "those that are with young." Traps are everywhere. Storms blow up suddenly and we try to rush and push past the others to the safety of what we think is the fold. On the way, in our foolish haste, we may drop the "young." Only the Shepherd knows how to lead us safely. Only He can recognize the false traps of the enemy. I was led to Christ by one who had never before brought anyone to Him. She led me safely because she listened to the Shepherd. She let Him lead her.

He shall . . . gently lead those that are with young.

By Eugenia Price, taken from "Share My Pleasant Stones"

Friday, October 26, 2007

Accepting our Feelings

"My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me." Psalm 55:4

Many of us have the idea that in order to be mature, respected adults we must renounce all our feelings. We may think that if we are to be real men or women of God we must never admit a need. We must always have an answer and always appear in total control. Perhaps as children we were taught that it was weak or cowardly to admit to disappointment, hurt, sadness, discouragement, anger or even happiness. But what we learned is a misconception.

King David led his people to victory many times. Nations looked up to him. But he made mistakes. He experienced the rejection of trusted co-workers. he felt angry, jealous and hurt. David was a truthful man who allowed himself to think and feel and be. In the Psalms he often expressed sadness, discouragement and confusion. His acceptance of reality and the resulting feelings of disappointment and pain led him again and again to God. And God called him "a man after my own heart" (Acts 13:22). Like David we can think, feel and share, as responsible, mature men and women of God.

By Joan C. Webb, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Endurance of God

"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer." REVELATION 2:10

"Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for Thy law is my delight." PSALMS 19:77

O BLESSED life! the heart at rest
When all without tumultuous seems;
That trusts a higher Will, and deems
That higher Will, not mine, the best.

WILLIAM TIDD MATSON

NOTHING is so trying to nature as suspense between a faint hope and a mighty fear; but we must have faith as to the extent of our trials, as in all else. Our sensitiveness makes us often disposed to fancy that we are tried beyond our strength; but we really know neither our strength to endure nor the nature of God's trials. Only He who knows both these, and every turn of the hearts which He has made, knows how to deal out a due proportion. Let us leave it all to Him, and be content to bear in silence.

FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FNELON

It is not the sunny side of Christ that we must look to, and we must not forsake Him for want of that. Oh, how sweet a thing were it for us to learn to make our burdens light, by framing our hearts to the burden, and making our Lord's will a law!

SAMUEL RUTHERFORD

Compiled by Mary Wilder Tileston, taken from "Joy and Strength"

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Gratitude

"God, I will thank you forever for what you have done. With those who worship you, I will trust you because you are good." Psalm 52:9

Gratitude comes from having the right perspective. It's being able to look at what you have and being thankful for that, rather than longing for what you don't have.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Psalm 57

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam . When he had fled from Saul into the cave. [a]

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

6 They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Monday, October 22, 2007

"Let God do with me what He will"

"The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul." Psalm 121:7

Under Thy wings, my God, I rest,
Under Thy shadow safely lie;
By Thy own strength in peace possessed,
While dreaded evils pass me by.

A. L. WARING

A heart rejoicing in God delights in all His will, and is surely provided with the most firm joy in all estates; for if nothing can come to pass beside or against His will, then cannot that soul be vexed which delights in Him and hath no will but His, but follows Him in all times, in all estates; not only when He shines bright on them, but when they are clouded. That flower which follows the sun doth so even in dark and cloudy days: when it doth not shine forth, yet it follows the hidden course and motion of it. So the soul that moves after God keeps that course when He hides His face; is content, yea, even glad at His will in all estates or conditions or events.

R. LEIGHTON

Let God do with me what He will, anything He will; whatever it be, it will be either heaven itself or some beginning of it.

WM. MOUNTFORD

Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"

Friday, October 19, 2007

A New Creature

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Salvation is not an improvement of the old nature. God doesn't take the old nature and fix it up by reforming it. No, the old nature is dead in trespasses and sins. When you become a new creature in Christ Jesus you have the new nature, God's nature, imparted to you. Old things pass away and ALL THINGS become new. As you once loved the things of the world, now you will turn away from them because you have different affections. Once you had no taste for the church or prayer meetings. Now you love the brethern; you love times of spiritual fellowship. Once you had no interest in God's Word. now it is meat and drink to your soul. Once you craved sinful pleasures. Now it is your highest pleasure to do His will. Once your time was occupied with scheming and working for money and success. Now you have found eternal riches in Him.

Why? Because you have the very nature of God transplanted into your heart." - Charles E. Fuller

Search me, O God, search me and know my heart,
Try me and prove me in the hidden part;
Cleanse me and make me holy as Thou art,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Thou art the same today and yesterday,
O make Thy life in me the same alway,
Take from my heart the things that pass away;
Lead, lead me in the way everlasting.

Give me the heart that naught can change nor chill,
The love that loves unchanged through good or ill,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Take my poor heart and only let me love
The things that always shall abiding prove;
Bind all my heart-strings to the world above,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

A. B. Simpson

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Never Alone

"Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" (Isaiah 62:4).

"Forsaken" is a dreary word. It sounds like a knell. It is the record of I sharpest sorrows and the prophecy of direst ills. An abyss of misery yawns in that word forsaken. Forsaken by one who pledges his honor! Forsaken by a friend so long tried and trusted! Forsaken by a dear relative! Forsaken by father and mother! Forsaken by all! This is woe indeed, and yet it may be patiently born if the LORD will take us up. But what must it be to feel forsaken of God? Think of that bitterest of cries, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Have we ever in any degree tasted the wormwood and the gall of "forsaken" in that sense? If so, let us beseech our LORD to save us from any repetition of so unspeakable a sorrow. Oh, that such darkness may never return! Men in malice said of a saint, "God hath forsaken him; persecute and take him." But it was always false. The LORD's loving favor shall compel our cruel foes to eat their own words or, at least, to hold their tongues. The reverse of all this is that superlative word Hephzibah "the LORD delighteth in thee." This turns weeping into dancing. Let those who dreamed that they were forsaken hear the LORD say, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Thoughs on a Familar Verse

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3

This "blue stone" verse is perhaps one of the most familiar verses in the Bible. People hang it on their walls and send it in sympathy telegrams and signs in at the end of letters and use it in psychology books.

Certain groups use it as a kind of mental therapy. Psychologically it is a very strong verse. The new thought books recommend it as a way to "find" peace.

How to think peaceful thoughts: " . . . whose mind is stayed on thee." This much is widely used. It is a mental discipline. Focus your mind on your own concept of God, the new thought books say, then you will find peace.

But, true peace cannot be found. It is a gift of God. "He is our peace," says Paul, and the "He" is Jesus Christ who has "made peace by the blood of His cross." There is psychological value in the very act of keeping one's mind fixed on something outside oneself. Something "higher." "but when your heart is smashed you can't focus your mind most of the time. When your body is trembling with pain, you can't practice concentration. This is a power-filled verse under all circumstance only because of who Christ is. It is not the fixing of the mind alone that brings peace. It is the character of the One on whom we fix our minds. And God does not promise to keep us in perfect peace because we have done Him the honor of trusting Him. It isn't a reward. It is an inevitable result.

Peace comes when we fix our minds on God and enter into oneness with Him and we can only do this when we know what He's like! We trust Him because we know Him. We trust Him, not because we are experts in the art of trusting but because He is trustworthy.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever . . . He is our peace . . .

By Eugenia Price, taken from "Share My Pleasant Stones"

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Summer Will Come

"Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18).

Where showers fall most, there the grass is greenest. I suppose the fogs and mists of Ireland make it "the Emerald Isle"; and whenever you find great fogs of trouble, and mists of sorrow, you always find emerald green hearts; full of the beautiful verdure of the comfort and love of God. O Christian, do not thou be saying, "Where are the swallows gone? They are gone; they are dead." They are not dead; they have skimmed the purple sea, and gone to a far-off land; but they will be back again by and by.

Child of God, say not the flowers are dead; say not the winter has killed them, and they are gone. Ah, no! though winter hath coated them with the ermine of its snow; they will put up their heads again, and will be alive very soon. Say not, child of God, that the sun is quenched, because the cloud hath hidden it. Ah, no; he is behind there, brewing summer for thee; for when he cometh out again, he will have made the clouds fit to drop in April showers, all of them mothers of the sweet May flowers. And oh! above all, when thy God hides His face, say not that He hath forgotten thee. He is but tarrying a little while to make thee love Him better; and when He cometh, thou shalt have joy in the Lord, and shalt rejoice with joy unspeakable. Waiting exercises our grace; waiting tries our faith; therefore, wait on in hope; for though the promise tarry, it can never come too late. --C. H. Spurgeon

"Oh, every year hath its winter,
And every year hath its rain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.

"When new leaves swell in the forest,
And grass springs green on the plain,
And alders' veins turn crimson--
And the birds go north again.

"Oh, every heart hath its sorrow,
And every heart hath its pain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.

"'Tis the sweetest thing to remember,
If courage be on the wane,
When the cold, dark days are over--
Why, the birds go north again."

By Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"

Monday, October 15, 2007

I Need Some Help

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:12

God,
I need some outside help tonight.
I want so much to be free,
But I don't feel free.

I know it all in my head
that your life is living in me,
that my life is a miracle,
But in my heart
It seems as if life is pressing in on me
And squeezing me,
Until I feel empty and limp.

Free . . .
What can that word mean
When my life belongs to so many other people,
When i get squeezed between the generation gap
And the tax bill,
And I want o walk out of the door and
keep on walking and never stop . . .
then what does it mean to be free?
God,
I need some help outside myself tonight.

By Gladis and Gordon DePree, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Friday, October 12, 2007

Past Fears & Misgivings

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matthew 6:30

"I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8

Calmly we look behind us, on joys and sorrows past,
We know that all is mercy now, and shall be well at last;
Calmly we look before us,--we fear no future ill,
Enough for safety and for peace, if Thou art with us still.

JANE BORTHWICK

Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His.

H. E. MANNING

I saw a delicate flower had grown up two feet high, between the horses' path and the wheel-track. An inch more to right or left had sealed its fate, or an inch higher; and yet it lived to flourish as much as if it had a thousand acres of untrodden space around it, and never knew the danger it incurred. It did not borrow trouble, nor invite an evil fate by apprehending it.

HENRY D. THOREAU

Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Psalm 63:1-8

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Praise

"Praise the Lord for the glory of His name; worship the Lord because He is holy." Psalm 29:2

Praise is the highest occupation of any being. What happens when we praise the Father? We reestablish the proper chain of command; we recognize that the King is on the throne and that he has saved his people.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Every Other Weekend

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Phillippians 4:11

"I don't feel like going home today," Tim told his friend Brett. He kicked a stone on the pavement. "Nothing's going my way. I want to live with my dad, but it's been decided that we kids have to stay with Mom."

"So that's the problem," said Brett.

"Problem? It's a crisis!" cried Tim. "Dad always took time to do stuff with me. Y'know, guy stuff. Now I'll get to be with him only every other weekend."

"Well, you can talk to him on the phone, too, can't you?" asked Brett. "You still have a lot to be thankful for." Tim noticed Brett's eyes were bright - were those tears? Suddenly he remembered that ever since he met Brett at the beginning of the school year, he had never seen or heard anything about Brett's father. "Does your dad live with you?" Tim asked.

Brett shook his head. "My dad died," he said softly.

"Oh," said Tim, not sure what else to say "Sorry." Tim and Brett walked quietly. "How do you survive without ever seeing your dad?" Tim asked finally.

"It's not easy," Brett said, "but one day when I was trying to make a guitar with rubber bands and a long box, Mom helped me understand how she deals with it. Some rubber bands stretched and fit over my box easily, but others were tight and pulled out thin in order to get around the cardboard. A few even snapped," added Brett. He was still silent, remembering.

"What does that have to do with making it without your dad?' Tim asked.

"The ones that fit super-tight made the best music on my new guitar. And Mom said that as things happened in life, we're stretched, too - like those smaller rubber bands," explained Brett. "We may be uncomfortable, but we can choose to be content and make music, even during the hard times of our lives; or we can give up and snap and be useless. Mom and I decided to trust God to use this hard part of our lives for his good." N.E.K.

Taken from "The One Year Book of Devotions for Kids"

Monday, October 08, 2007

The Lilies

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." Matthew 6:28

They do not toil:
Content with their allotted task
They do but grow; they do not ask
A richer lot, a higher sphere,
But in their loveliness appear,
And grow, and smile, and do their best,
And unto God they leave the rest.

MARIANNE FARNINGHAM

Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all the good pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up utterly to His sweet control. Put your growing into His hands as completely as you have put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern yourself about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him absolutely and always. Accept each moment's dispensation as it comes to you from His dear hands, as being the needed sunshine or dew for that moment's growth. Say a continual "yes" to your Father's will.

H. W. SMITH

Thine own self-will and anxiety, thy hurry and labor, disturb thy peace, and prevent Me from working in thee. Look at the little flowers, in the serene summer days; they quietly open their petals, and the sun shines into them with his gentle influences. So will I do for thee, if thou wilt yield thyself to Me.

G. TERSTEEGEN

Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"

Friday, October 05, 2007

Faith and Doubt

"You call for faith, I give you doubt, to prove that faith exists. The greater the doubt, the stronger the faith, I say, if faith overcomes doubt."

Robert Browning

Thursday, October 04, 2007

What Makes a Christian a Christian?

"But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the Father - Jesus Christ, the One who does what is right. He is the way our sins are taken away, and no only our sins but the sins of all people." I John 2:1-2

What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Quiet Earth

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Stillness is more audible than any sound, not tinny like so many sounds I hear these days.

The silence is full and rich, insistent . . . demanding that I listen and suggesting always that I'd be foolish not to. Only fools refuse the counsel of the wise, and this silence seems to know everything. It seems I've been a prodigal, traipsing along behind the band just like a thoughtless gypsy anywhere the living was easy, stealing morsels when I could have had the loaf.

Maybe it's the oaks and beeches. These oaks have housed a thousand generations of owls and jays, and have withstood abuse from countless woodpeckers and people. They've seen the fleet-footed native child tossing pebbles at their roots and chasing little fawns around between them. They've stood and heard the council casting lots for war or peace while fragrant pipe smoke wafted through their branches.

Perhaps it is the brook, whispering of its secret travels, nurturing the earth along its way, or maybe it's the earth, the pregnant fertile earth, pulling me like influential kin back to my moorings and my heritage.

The earth is calling me home to the simple and eternal things. It persistently calls em to reject the glitter of the transient and return to Father's house.

The silence-a voice asking one pointed and unavoidable question: Will I return and inherit the earth? And here in the silence, the only sound to be heard is the whisper of my own answer.

By Gloria Gaither, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

His Love

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Ephesians 3:20, 21.

We would not meagre gifts down-call
When Thou dost yearn to yield us all;
But for this life, this little hour,
Ask all Thy love and care and power.

J. INGELOW

God so loveth us that He would make all things channels to us and messengers of His love. Do for His sake deeds of love, and He will give thee His love. Still thyself, thy own cares, thy own thoughts for Him, and He will speak to thy heart. Ask for Himself, and He will give thee Himself. Truly, a secret hidden thing is the love of God, known only to them who seek it, and to them also secret, for what man can have of it here is how slight a foretaste of that endless ocean of His love!

E. B. PUSEY

Compiled by Mary W. Tileston, taken from "Daily Strength for Daily Needs"

Monday, October 01, 2007

Psalm 18:30-36

30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.