Feed Your Spirit

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Psalm 42:1

During the days when we are giving on demand, we need a constant source of nourishment for ourselves as well.

Psalm 42:1-4 provides a mental picture of the many moms who'd love to spend time with God but can't seem to fit it into their hectic days: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (vs. 1-2).

There are many days when our spirits feel parched and we wonder when - or if - we'll ever "meet with God" again. Even getting to church once a week is often difficult.

Instead of waiting to go to the house of the Lord, why not invite him to your house? Sit down during a child's naptime and read a few verses from the Gospel of John. Use a mealtime blessing to really pray about what's happened that day. Leave your Bible open on the table and grab a phrase from one of the psalms as you walk by. Graze on Scripture morsels throughout the day from a flip book on the kitchen counter. Listen to a tape of the New Testament in the car. Take a prayer walk through the neighborhood and talk to God about the details of your day.

When you think of taking a break, include a practice that will feed your spirit.

By Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall, taken from, "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Forgive and Let Go

"Those who love your teachings will find true peace, and nothing will defeat them." Psalm 119:165

The God who is willing to forgive you has already forgiven you much more than you could ever forgive anyone else. The best thing you can do to bring peace to your life is to forgive the mistakes of others. I'm not saying justify their mistakes; I'm saying forgive them and let go.

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

God is Our Refuge and Strength

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Psalm 46:1-2

Though waves and storms go o'er my head,
Though strength and health and friends be gone,
Though joys be withered all, and dead,
Though every comfort be withdrawn,
On this my steadfast soul relies,--
Father! Thy mercy never dies.

JOHANN A. ROTHE

Your external circumstances may change, toil may take the place of rest, sickness of health, trials may thicken within and without. Externally, you are the prey of such circumstances; but if your heart is stayed on God, no changes or chances can touch it, and all that may befall you will but draw you closer to Him. Whatever the present moment may bring, your knowledge that it is His will, and that your future heavenly life will be influenced by it, will make all not only tolerable, but welcome to you, while no vicissitudes can affect you greatly, knowing that He who holds you in His powerful hand cannot change, but abideth forever.

JEAN NICOLAS GROU

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

Beginning to Sink

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him." Matthew 14:30-31

Beginning to sink . . . immediately . . . " But even so, for we are all weakness in ourselves, there are times when nothing comes to mind but these words. They assure us of so much more than they seem to say . . . Chiefly they bring the certainty that there will be no sinking, for Peter never sank. ("When I said, "My foot slippeth," - in that moment - "They mercy, O Lord, held me up.")

They come underneath the feeling of sinking; they say, "This shall never be." It was Christ's sorely tired prisoner, Samuel Rutherford, who wrote that the parings and crumbs of glory, a shower like the thin May-mist of his Lord's love was enough to make him green and sappy and joyful. Such a word, even such a little word as this, if only we open our hearts to its healing power, may be a crumb of glory enlightening the soul, a thin May-mist of His love making green and sappy (or glowing and golden) what was so dull and dry before. "And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him." How many seconds lie between a man's beginning to sink and his sinking? A second or less, I suppose, sees one who is beginning to sink under water. How swift, then, was the movement of love! And as He was, so He is. - Amy Carmichael

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

E. A. Hoffman

By Charles E Fuller and J. Elwin Wright, taken from "Manna in the Morning"

Waiting is Hard

"When the cloud tarried... then the children of Israel... journeyed not" (Num. 9:19).

This was the supreme test of obedience. It was comparatively easy to strike tents, when the fleecy folds of the cloud were slowly gathering from off the Tabernacle, and it floated majestically before the host. Change is always delightful; and there was excitement and interest in the route, the scenery, and the locality of the next halting-place. But, ah, the tarrying.

Then, however uninviting and sultry the location, however trying to flesh and blood, however irksome to the impatient disposition, however perilously exposed to danger--there was no option but to remain encamped.

The Psalmist says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." And what He did for the Old Testament saints He will do for believers throughout all ages. Still God often keeps us waiting. Face to face with threatening foes, in the midst of alarms, encircled by perils, beneath the impending rock. May we not go? Is it not time to strike our tents? Have we not suffered to the point of utter collapse? May we not exchange the glare and heat for green pastures and still waters?

There is no answer. The cloud tarries, and we must remain, though sure of manna, rock-water, shelter, and defense. God never keeps us at post without assuring us of His presence, and sending us daily supplies.

Wait, young man, do not be in a hurry to make a change! Minister, remain at your post! Until the cloud clearly moves, you must tarry. Wait, then, thy Lord's good pleasure! He will be in plenty of time! -Daily Devotional Commentary

An hour of waiting!
Yet there seems such need
To reach that spot sublime!
I long to reach them--but I long far more to trust HIS time!

"Sit still, my daughter"--
Yet the heathen die,
They perish while I stay!
I long to reach them--but I long far more to trust HIS way!

'Tis good to get,
'Tis good indeed to give!
Yet is it better still--
O'er breadth, thro' length, down length, up height, to trust HIS will! - F. M. N.

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

No Secrets

"Commit yor way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your rightousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Psalm 27:5-6

We are trying to enter into a relationship with God, and as is true with any relationship, we must bring a vulnerable openness to it. We cannot partition off from Him certain frustrations or disappointments, our happy plans for the evening or our schedule for the workweek ahead. We are our ideas and thoughts, hopes, ambitions, feelings and dreams. To begin a relationship and allow it to deepen, each of these aspects of our life must not be hidden, but be ready to be presented to God.

This open sense of sharing is another way of saying that we truly trust God. We are not afraid to rely upon Him. We do so willingly, with no hidden secrets. With such tust, we till the soil of our soul for devotion.

By Judith Lechman, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Shadow of a Great Rock

"The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve." Isaiah 14:3

To-day, beneath Thy chastening eye,
I crave alone for peace and rest;
Submissive in Thy hand to lie,
And feel that it is best.

J. G. WHITTIER

O Lord, who art as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land, who beholdest Thy weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self; in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy rest. Amen.

CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI

Grant to me above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou its only rest; out of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very peace, that is, in Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and rest. Amen.

THOMAS À KEMPIS

Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.

ST. AUGUSTINE

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

Be the First One

"Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

Jesus says, "Use your head, but don't lower your standards." You be the one who interrupts that vicious cycle of paying one another back. Don't get on the roller coaster of resentment and anger. You be the one who says, "Yes, he mistreted me, but I am going to be like Christ. I'll be the one who says, 'Forgive them, Father, they don't know what they're doing.'"

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

Near to Christ

"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment." Revelation 4:4

These representatives of the saints in heaven are said to be around the throne. In the passage in Canticles, where Solomon sings of the King sitting at his table, some render it "a round table." From this, some expositors, I think, without straining the text, have said, "There is an equality among the saints." That idea is conveyed by the equal nearness of the four and twenty elders. The condition of glorified spirits in heaven is that of nearness to Christ, clear vision of His glory, constant access to His court, and familiar fellowship with His person: nor is there any difference in this respect between one saint and another, but all the people of God, apostles, martyrs, ministers, or private and obscure Christians, shall all be seated near the throne, where they shall for ever gaze upon their exalted Lord, and be satisfied with His love. They shall all be near to Christ, all ravished with His love, all eating and drinking at the same table with Him, all equally beloved as His favourites and friends even if not all equally rewarded as servants.

Let believers on earth imitate the saints in heaven in their nearness to Christ. Let us on earth be as the elders are in heaven, sitting around the throne. May Christ be the object of our thoughts, the centre of our lives. How can we endure to live at such a distance from our Beloved? Lord Jesu, draw us nearer to Thyself. Say unto us, "Abide in Me, and I in you"; and permit us to sing, "His left hand is under my head, and His right hand doth embrace me."

O lift me higher, nearer Thee,
And as I rise more pure and meet,
O let my soul's humility
Make me lie lower at Thy feet;
Less trusting self, the more I prove
The blessed comfort of Thy love.

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon, taken from "Morning and Evening"

Psalm 121

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more."

The Calm Spirit of Christ

Today is moving day. There will be plenty of reason for fretting and stewing, impatience, and turbulence. I am one who seems to feel that unless I do things or unless they are done my way, they will not be done right, and the day will disintegrate. But I have been watching the sea--very turbulent this morning because of a tropical storm hundreds of miles away--and I remember Him whose word was enough to calm it.

Speak that word to me today, dear Lord: peace. Let your calm spirit, through the many potentially rough minutes of this day, in every task, say to my soul, Be still. Even this day's chaos, with all its clutter and exertion, will be ordered by your quiet power if my heart is subject to your word of peace. Thank You, Lord.

By Elisabeth Elliot

Shadow of a Great Rock

"The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve." Isaiah 14:3.

Today, beneath Thy chastening eye,
I crave alone for peace and rest;
Submissive in Thy hand to lie,
And feel that it is best.

J. G. WHITTIER

O Lord, who art as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land, who beholdest Thy weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self; in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy rest. Amen.

CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI

Grant to me above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou its only rest; out of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very peace, that is, in Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and rest. Amen.

THOMAS À KEMPIS

Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.

ST. AUGUSTINE

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

"Little Ones"

"A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time." Isaiah 60:22

We have already said there are no little things with God. He cares about every little thing as though it were not at all small. And if there are no small things with God, surely there are no small, insignificant people with Him.

Not long ago, I was with an outstandingly capable and successful woman just minutes before she walked like a trusting child into a personal relationship with her new Saviour, Jesus Christ. But before she made the glorious transaction, she looked at me and asked: "How do you expect me to believe God cares about one bit of protoplasm like me?"

Just one or two words about Jesus as He hung on the Cross and her heart melted. She already wanted Him. Her need was great. As was mine. But when one is for the first time aware of god as a Person who loves, one is at the same moment struck with the appalling thought that a god who could create the macrocosm and the microcosm could possibly care about one "little one."

Only a look inside the heart that broke on Calvary can convince our hearts. But one look does convince us. And here is a "blue stone" whose every facet holds a promise that He not only cares, but cares enough to make good, creative use of each one of us. Especially the "little ones" among us.

God has had a marvelous plan for your life from the moment He conceived you in His mind. A plan especially for you. One no-one else can complete. Only you. Here is a promise to lay hold of with great expectation. " . . . I the Lord will hasten it in his time." Knowing Him, we know He is never late nor early. And He does have a plan for each one of our lives, if those lives are in Christ.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in him.

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

I Am Hidden With Christ

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7

The Nazis wielded terror over all who were not like them in race, religion or rule. During World War II, the primary hate targets were the Jews; their power stripped, property confiscated, people confined - and killed - in concentration camps. In fact, the Nazi-dominated Holland, the ten Boom family had carefully hidden thousands of Jews in their "hiding place" - the secret place behind their watch shop.

Then on February 28, 1944, that which was most feared happened - the hiding place was discovered! The Gestapo arrested the ten Boom family. Their crime? Hiding Jews. Their punishment? Immediate transport to a concentration camp.

As the two sisters waited in line to be searched, Corrie ten Boom asked god if he would keep the bible that was tucked inside her clothing hidden from view. "Dear God, you have given me this precious Book, you have kept it hidden through checkpoints and inspections." The woman in front of Corrie was searched three times. Beloved sister Betsie standing behind her was also searched. Miraculously, the officer never touched Corrie. Her Bible now had a hiding place in a German concentration camp!

Filth, disease, beating and rape became a part of their struggle for survival. But as Corrie read the Bible's truth's, she knew his word would keep hatred from her heart. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)

Is there a hiding place for you? A place of healing for your damaged emotions? When you have been treated harshly, you can be free of hatred. Because he hides his truth in you, you are protected from wrong thoughts and wrong choices. The adversary of your life has no power to trap you . . . as long as you stay hidden in the shelter of God's wings where you are safe from emotional destruction, hidden from emotional ruin.

By June Hunt, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Patience in the Routine

"Be thou there till I bring thee word" (Matt. 2:13).

"I'll stay where You've put me;
I will, dear Lord, Though I wanted so badly to go;
I was eager to march with the 'rank and file,'
Yes, I wanted to lead them, You know.
I planned to keep step to the music loud,
To cheer when the banner unfurled,
To stand in the midst of the fight straight and proud,
But I'll stay where You've put me.

"I'll stay where You've put me; I'll work, dear Lord,
Though the field be narrow and small,
And the ground be fallow, and the stones lie thick,
And there seems to be no life at all.
The field is Thine own, only give me the seed,
I'll sow it with never a fear;
I'll till the dry soil while I wait for the rain,
And rejoice when the green blades appear;
I'll work where You've put me.

"I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord;
I'll bear the day's burden and heat,
Always trusting Thee fully; when even has come
I'll lay heavy sheaves at Thy feet.
And then, when my earth work is ended and done,
In the light of eternity's glow,
Life's record all closed, I surely shall find
It was better to stay than to go;
I'll stay where You've put me."

"Oh restless heart, that beat against your prison bars of circumstances, yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, leave God to order all your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, will be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the larger opportunity which God may some time send you."

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

Work and Labor of Love

"If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another." I John 1:7

"God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Hebrews 6:10

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe'er estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts,
To keep and cultivate,
And a work of lowly love to do
For the Lord on whom I wait.

A. L. WARING

We do not always perceive that even the writing of a note of congratulation, the fabrication of something intended as an offering of affection, our necessary intercourse with characters which have no congeniality with our own, or hours apparently trifled away in the domestic circle, may be made by us the performance of a most sacred and blessed work; even the carrying out, after our feeble measure, of the design of God for-the increase of happiness.

SARAH W. STEPHEN

Definite work is not always that which is cut and squared for us, but that which comes as a claim upon the conscience, whether it's nursing in a hospital, or hemming a handkerchief.

ELIZABETH M. SEWELL

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

Yesterday's Failures

"See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road to everlasting life." Psalm 139:24

Father in heaven, help us as we grapple and cope with yesterday's failures. They dog at our heels like irritations. They follow us around. They cling to our ankles like fifteen-pound ball weights. Help us to release those regrets in the right way, and keep us close.

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

Remember

""Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:5-7

A warm letter from a friend. A compliment from my boss. An unexpected refund. A comforting Scripture. These arrive as God's good gifts to me. But they usually get overlooked while I'm focusing on what feels like - at least to me - insurmountable trouble. Always, it's trouble that God hasn't solved yet. Often, I complain about His delayed response. But really, my myopic vision isn't fair to him. If I lift my eyes off the problem, I can spot God's gifts all around me. they may not be the answer I'm searching for at the moment, but they're good and continuous gifts that say, "I still love you, my child." They remind me that God doesn't stop caring for me, even though I live with unfulfilled expectations. Now during the hard times, I remind myself to hunt for God's small surprises while I'm waiting for his big solution. It takes my mind off the problem. It helps me to trust him . . . It encourages me to know that god still cares.

By Judith Couchman, taken from "Women's Daily Devotional Bible 2"

The Love of God

"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"

Through Christ Jesus

"Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made me free from the law that brings sin and death." Romans 8:2

Does the Word of God say, "There is limited condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"? No. Does it say, "There is some condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Think of it - regardless of our sin, we are not guilty!

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

Listening to the Lord

"Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the battle which man that is born upon the earth shall fight; that, if he be overcome, he shall suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victory, he shall receive the thing that I say." Ephesians 6:12

One holy Church, one army strong,
One steadfast high intent,
One working band, one harvest-song,
One King omnipotent.

S. JOHNSON

We listened to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in our little world. It was not the cold clear voice of one giving advice and warning from serene heights to those who were struggling and sinning below, but the warm living voice of one who was fighting for us and by our sides, and calling on us to help him and ourselves and one another. And so, wearily and little by little, but surely and steadily on the whole, was brought home to the young boy, for the first time, the meaning of his life; that it was no fool's or sluggard's paradise into which he had wandered by chance, but a battle-field ordained from of old, where there are no spectators, but the youngest must take his side, and the stakes are life and death.

THOMAS HUGHES

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

Hearing my cry

"Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity." Isaiah 58:9

Thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke . . . ." What does this mean? Isn't God willing to hear our cry, even when we are disobedient? Yes. I couldn't follow a God who only favored me according to my attention to Him. This would make God very much like the conception many people seem to hold of Him, but I believe it to be entirely wrong. In Jesus Christ, and all through the New Testament, I see God as a God who will never leave us. Who not only hears our cries, but is right there with us in our troubles. A God who actually falls to the ground with a little brown sparrow would not turn His back on me because I failed Him.

No, I merely believe this means we do not hear His response to our cry except on the conditions He gives us in this "blue stone" verse. The "yoke" has our attention. And here the yoke seems to constitute criticism and pride or shallowness of heart in us. " . . . the putting forth of the finger" may be arrogance toward the very sacredness of life itself. It may be self-righteousness. Wrong attitudes of heart. And the "speaking vanity" may be our own voices saying, "Well, I'm just like this and that's all there is to it!" Or is may be the self-righteous, calloused heart turned away from the Cross, boasting: "At least I'd never have done a thing like that!"

We will hear Him say "Here I am" when we cry, if we are completely open to His voice. One way to remain open is to let other people "off the hook of your critical disposition."

Be still, and know that I am God . . . .

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

Dancing Leaves

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and will give thanks to him in song."

Another gray, dreary day. Wind, rain, sleet, snow. Ah, the variety of ways the weather can dampen my spirits. The overcast skies rob the color from my world and I feel alone. Gray days feel like Mondays - days full of too much to do and too little time. Days with responsibilities crowding in and joy crowded out. Grey days.

Yet in the road are dancing leaves. Leaves swirling in circular patterns across the street. Dancing leaves, you dance in circles, going nowhere in particular. Don't you know today is bitter and cold? Don't you realize the wind is making your world an unfriendly place? Under gray skies and nasty weather, today is a day of overcoats pulled tight and hats pulled low.

Still you dance. Crusty brown leaves, winkled and lifeless, you dance. Yet this dance is not your own. Left to your own volition, you'd be sitting in the nearest compost pile. No, this dance of yours comes from a source completely other than your ring of swirling leaves. This dance of yours is a defiant one, a dance with laughs at the melancholy gray.

Dancing leaves, your defiance is contagious.

Spirit of the living God,
Surround my dreary world today
And set my feet to dancing.
The silent song of days gone gray,
A heart that's heavy laden,
Won't have the last, the final say.
I know a song of dancing leaves,
They swril and twirl despite the gray.
Spirit of the living God,
Set my feet to dancing.

By Debra Klingsporn, taken from "Women's Daily Devotional 2"

Repentance

"On the day I called you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave." Psalm 138:3

No one is happier than the one who has sincerely repented of wrong. Repentance is the decision to turn from selfish desires and seek God. It is a genuine, sincere regret that creates sorrow and moves us to admit wrong and desire to do better.

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

Our Dependency on Christ

"We are troubled on every side" (2 Cor. 7:5).

Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to be so hard and constant? Well, in the first place, it shows His all-sufficient strength and grace much better than if we were exempt from pressure and trial. "The treasure is in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

It makes us more conscious of our dependence upon Him. God is constantly trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us absolutely in His hand and hanging upon His care.

This was the place where Jesus Himself stood and where He wants us to stand, not with self-constituted strength, but with a hand ever leaning upon His, and a trust that dare not take one step alone. It teaches us trust.

There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust God than to enjoy life.

The lesson of faith once learned, is an everlasting acquisition and an eternal fortune made; and without trust even riches will leave us poor. --Days of Heaven upon Earth

"Why must I weep when others sing?
'To test the deeps of suffering.'
Why must I work while others rest?
'To spend my strength at God's request.'
Why must I lose while others gain?
'To understand defeat's sharp pain.'
Why must this lot of life be mine
When that which fairer seems is thine?
'Because God knows what plans for me
Shall blossom in eternity.'"

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

Worthy Walk

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called." Ephesians 4:1

I remember when both my sons took their first steps. We so desperately wanted to see our kids take them. We were so excited. Then once they started walking, we wished we never would have taught them how to do it. We had to constantly keep an eye on them.

My youngest son Jonathan fell so many times when he was taking his first steps that he had a permanent bruise on his forehead. He would fall. The bruise would start to heal. He would fall again. We didn’t recognize him without that bruise in the middle of his forehead.

Walking spiritually can be like that, especially when you take your first steps as a new believer. You stumble and fall. You get up again. You stumble and fall. It is all part of growing spiritually.

In Ephesians 4, we are encouraged to walk forward spiritually. Walking speaks of effort, of having direction with a destination in mind. And the first thing we are told is “to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (verse 1).

The word “worthy” used in verse 1 could be translated, “balance the scales.” This means that what is on one side of the scale should be equal in weight to what is on the other side. This word could be applied to anything that was expected to correspond to something else. Paul was saying there needs to be a balance between our belief and our practice. In other words, our doctrine and belief should affect us in the way we live.

We need the balance of having both these areas working together in our lives. That is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord.

By Greg Laurie

Hold on Until the End

"We are made partaker of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end" (Heb. 3:14).

It is the last step that wins; and there is no place in the pilgrim's progress where so many dangers lurk as the region that lies hard by the portals of the Celestial City. It was there that Doubting Castle stood. It was there that the enchanted ground lured the tired traveler to fatal slumber. It is when Heaven's heights are full in view that hell's gate is most persistent and full of deadly peril. "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." "So run, that ye may obtain."

In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.

And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him--and I will wait.
--Washington Gladden

The problem of getting great things from God is being able to hold on for the last half hour. --Selected

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

Tempered and Tried

"Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12).

They (heroes of faith) are calling to us from the heights that they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by discouragement or doubt.

"There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.

"When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first beat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water. I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw it on the scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junk man comes around.

"So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am not willing to stand the test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me on the scrap heap."

When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a blessed "afterward"; and with Job we may be able to say, "When he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." --Selected

Sainthood springs out of suffering. It takes eleven tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. God will tune you to harmonize with Heaven's key-note if you can stand the strain.

"Things that hurt and things that mar
Shape the man for perfect praise;
Shock and strain and ruin are
Friendlier than the smiling days."

Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Dessert"

Condition of the Battle

"Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the battle which man that is born upon the earth shall fight; that, if he be overcome, he shall suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victory, he shall receive the thing that I say." Ephesians 6:12

One holy Church, one army strong,
One steadfast high intent,
One working band, one harvest-song,
One King omnipotent.

S. JOHNSON

We listened to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and
strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in
our little world. It was not the cold clear voice of one giving advice and
warning from serene heights to those who were struggling and sinning below,
but the warm living voice of one who was fighting for us and by our sides,
and calling on us to help him and ourselves and one another. And so,
wearily and little by little, but surely and steadily on the whole, was
brought home to the young boy, for the first time, the meaning of his life;
that it was no fool's or sluggard's paradise into which he had wandered
by chance, but a battle-field ordained from of old, where there are no
spectators, but the youngest must take his side, and the stakes are life
and death.

THOMAS HUGHES

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

Second Chances

"Lord, you are kind and forgiving and have great love for those who call to you." Psalm 86:5

It's never too late to get a second chance with God. It's ever too late! Think about Paul - he had been a murderer and a blasphemer. He had to look into the faces of people whose fathers he had persecuted, whose children he had killed. He could have spent his life looking at yesterday, but he didn't do that. He started life over again in the confidence of God's forgiveness.

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

More than Mere Words

"I wilt give you the sure mercies of David" (Acts 13:34).

Nothing of man is sure; but everything of God is so. Especially are covenant mercies sure mercies, even as David said "an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure."

We are sure that the Loci meant His mercy. He did not speak mere wards: there is substance and truth in every one of His promises. His mercies are mercies indeed. Even if a promise seems as if it must drop through by reason of death, yet it never shall, for the good LORD will make good His word.

We are sure that the LORD will bestow promised mercies on all His covenanted ones. They shall come in due course to all the chosen of the LORD. They are sure to all the seed, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. We are sure that the LORD will continue His mercies to His own people. He does not give and take. What He has granted us is the token of much more. That which we have not yet received is as sure as that which has already come; therefore, let us wait before the LORD and be still. There is no justifiable reason for the least doubt. God's love, and word, and faithfulness are sure. Many things are questionable, but of the LORD we sing --

For his mercies shall endure
Ever faithful, ever sure.

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

Sitting Down Without Fear

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

As a child, I learned from the Bible to trust in God and not be afraid. I have always felt comforted by reading the Psalms, especially Psalm 23 and 27.

I saw and heard so much as a child growing up with hate and injustice against black people. I learned to put my trust in God and to seek him as my strength. Long ago I set my mind to be a free person and not to give in to fear. I always felt that it was my right to defend myself if I could.

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. When I sat down on the bus the day I was arrested, I was thinking of going home. I had made up my mind quickly about what it was that I had to do, what I felt was right to do. I did not think of being physically tired or fearful. After so many years of oppression and being a victim of the mistreatment that my people had suffered, not giving up my seat - and whatever I had to face after not giving it up - was not important. I did not feel any fear at sitting in the seat I was sitting in. All I felt was tired. Tired of being pushed around. Tired of seeing the bad treatment and disrespect of children, women and men just because of the color of their skin. Tired of the Jim Crow laws. Tired of being oppressed. I was just plain tired.

I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face. god did away with all my fear. It was time for someone to stand up - or in my case, sit down. I refused to move.

By Rosa Parks, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Continue in Prayer

"And there was Anna, a prophetess... which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" Luke 2:36,37

No doubt by praying we learn to pray, and the more we pray the oftener we can pray, and the better we can pray. He who prays in fits and starts is never likely to attain to that effectual, fervent prayer which availeth much. Great power in prayer is within our reach, but we must go to work to obtain it. Let us never imagine that Abraham could have interceded so successfully for Sodom if he had not been all his lifetime in the practice of communion with God. Jacob's all-night at Peniel was not the first occasion upon which he had met his God. We may even look upon our Lord's most choice and wonderful prayer with his disciples before His Passion as the flower and fruit of His many nights of devotion, and of His often rising up a great while before day to pray.

If a man dreams that he can become mighty in prayer just as he pleases, he labors under a great mistake. The prayer of Elias which shut up heaven and afterwards opened its floodgates, was one of long series of mighty prevailings with God. Oh, that Christian men would remember this! Perseverance in prayer is necessary to prevalence in prayer.

Those great intercessors, who are not so often mentioned as they ought to be in connection with confessors and martyrs, were nevertheless the grandest benefactors of the Church; but it was only by abiding at the mercy-seat that they attained to be such channels of mercy to men. We must pray to pray, and continue in prayer that our prayers may continue. --G. H. Spurgeon

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

Feeling Weak

"In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:3

It is not that I feel less weak, but Thou
Wilt be my strength; it is not that I see
Less sin; but more of pardoning love with Thee,
And all-sufficient grace. Enough! And now
All fluttering thought is stilled; I only rest,
And feel that Thou art near, and know that I am blest.

F. R. HAVERGAL

Yea, though thou canst not believe, yet be not dismayed thereat; only do
thou sink into, or at least pant after the hidden measure of life, which is
not in that which distresseth, disturbeth, and filleth thee with thoughts,
fears, troubles, anguish, darknesses, terrors, and the like; no, no! but in
that which inclines to the patience, to the stillness, to the hope, to the
waiting, to the silence before the Father.

I. PENINGTON

We have only to be patient, to pray, and to do His will, according to our
present light and strength, and the growth of the soul will go on. The
plant grows in the mist and under clouds as truly as under sunshine. So
does the heavenly principle within.

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

Anger

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Proverbs 16:32

Purge from our hearts the stains so deep and foul,
Of wrath and pride and care;
Send Thine own holy calm upon the soul,
And bid it settle there!

ANON

Let this truth be present to thee in the excitement of anger,--that to be moved by passion is not manly, but that mildness and gentleness, as they are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly. For in the same degree in which a man's mind is nearer to freedom from all passion, in the same degree also is it nearer to strength.

MARCUS ANTONINUS

It is no great matter to associate with the good and gentle, for this is naturally pleasing to all, and every one willingly enjoyeth peace, and loveth those best that agree with him. But to be able to live peaceably with hard and perverse persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as go contrary to us, is a great grace, and a most commendable and manly thing.

THOMAS À KEMPIS

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

Reaching Perfection

"Perfect through suffering" Hebrews 2:10

Steel is iron plus fire. Soil is rock, plus heat, or glacier crushing. Linen is flax plus the bath that cleans, the comb that separates, and the flail that pounds, and the shuttle that weaves. Human character must have a plus attached to it. The world does not forget great characters. But great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made by suffering.

I heard of a mother who brought into her home as a companion to her own son, a crippled boy who was also a hunchback. She had warned her boy to be very careful in his relations to him, and not to touch the sensitive part of his life but go right on playing with him as if he were an ordinary boy. She listened to her son as they were playing; and after a few minutes he said to his companion: "Do you know what you have got on your back?" The little hunchback was embarrassed, and he hesitated a moment. The boy said: "It is the box in which your wings are; and some day God is going to cut it open, and then you will fly away and be an angel."

Some day, God is going to reveal the fact to every Christian, that the very principles they now rebel against, have been the instruments which He used in perfecting their characters and moulding them into perfection, polished stones for His great building yonder. --Cortland Myers

Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer to the roots of character. The great object of this life is character. This is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity... To gain the most of it and the best of it is the object of probation. --Austin Phelps

"By the thorn road and no other is the mount of vision won."

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

A Shield Around Me

"But you are a shield around me, O Lord: you bestow glory on me and lift up my head." Psalm 3:3

"You know I'm not very intuitive,' my friend Dee said, breaking the silent prayer of the women's bible study. "I don't see visions or anything, but just now I saw the Lord standing guard over you. Behind him were shadowy figures of things like anger and depression. His arms were outspread, holding them back and protecting you so nothing could harm you."

It was the week after Richard's funeral and I was on shaky, newborn legs. I was really too raw and unsteady to be out but had always enjoyed the common sense and strength of these women. I knew Dee's words were true. I felt that protection.

I had done what was necessary: contacted a lawyer, begun hundreds of thank-you notes, applied for Social Security. Now there was just pain and all of life ahead. Pain, fierce and cleansing in its intensity, still without anger, built or depression - all that would come later.

The grace I felt didn't blunt the pain, didn't even keep the difficulties at bay. The cars still ran out of oil, fuses still blew, the grass needed mowing and our machine was too cantankerous for the job. These daily irritations were drips in an overflowing cup.

Grace was a sense of presence, of stillness, that was always there just below the surface. Perhaps grace had always been there, but my life had been too hurried, my mind too cluttered, to notice it. perhaps a feeling of unworthiness had blocked the presence of God. All that fell away now. God was my Father, giving me each day the ticket for the journey, and I clung to that grace like a child.

By Kate Convissor, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Suddenly Mine

"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth." Job 19:25

O Lord, May I believe in the darkness
When all hope has vanished
When waves beat with fury
And no star lights my sky.
May I believe without
Feeling or knowing or proving
Till one shining moment when
You shatter the darkness
And all I believe for
Is suddenly mine.

By Ruth Harms Calkin, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Love's Secret

"Who hath despised the day of small things?" Zechariah 4:10

On little wings
Bear little souls to heaven.

ANON

An occasional effort even of an ordinary holiness may accomplish great acts of sacrifice, or bear severe pressure of unwonted trial, specially if it be the subject of observation. But constant discipline in unnoticed ways, and the spirit's silent unselfishness, becoming the hidden habit of the life, give to it its true saintly beauty, and this is the result of care and lowly love in little things. Perfection is attained most readily by this constancy of religious faithfulness in all minor details of life, consecrating the daily efforts of self-forgetting love.

T. T. CARTER

Love's secret is to be always doing things for God, and not to mind because they are such very little ones.

F. W. FABER

There may be living and habitual conversation in heaven, under the aspect of the most simple, ordinary life. Let us always remember that holiness does not consist in doing uncommon things, but in doing everything with purity of heart.

H. E. MANNING

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

Where Jesus Begins

"But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done." I John 1:9

We don't like to recognize our ruin, but that's where Jesus begins. Once we're honest with ourselves about who we are, then God can begin to remold our hearts . . . total surrender."

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

Creation

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

We have only to look around us at the beauties God wrought in the creation of our world to know that here is one of impeccable taste, our world's finest connoisseur. Anywhere we turn in nature we see the demonstration of (perfection) - from the lowliest roadside buttercup to the intricately engineered iridescence of seashells like th chambered nautilus or the Pacific triton's trumpet; from the proud beauty of the preening male cardinal to the flashing brilliance of the tiny hummingbirds; in every foaming, curling wave of the ocean and every star in the sky.

True, in ourselves we are not quite ready for such perfection. At points each of us wants to drag along in the mud of mediocrity. Our taste has to be educated upwards . . . But we have nothing to fear in the process.

By Catherine Marshall, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Are you Thirsty?

"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. he that believeth on Me, . . . from within him (his innermost being) shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:37, 38

While there is in my heart an unsatisfied longing, there is available to a corresponding "fullness." As long as my innermost being is not an effervescent spring, I have not received all that God has for me.

"But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive." Thank God, then, there is a way! There is an ocean of god's fullness into which I may "launch out!" There is a new venture, an experience more revolutionizing and satisfying than any I have ever known! - Anna J. Lindgren

Ho! ev'ry one that is thirsty in spirit,
Ho! ev'ry one that is weary and sad,
Come to the fountain, there's fullness in Jesus,
All that you're longing for, come and be glad.

Child of the world, are you tired of your bondage?
Weary of earth-joys, so false, so untrue;
Thirsting for God, and His fullness of blessing?
List to the promise - a message for you.

Child of the kingdom, be filled with the Spirit,
Nothing but fullness thy longing can meet,
'Tis the enduement for life and for service;
Thine is the promise, so certain, so sweet.

"I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your heart for the gift I am bringing,
While ye are seeking me, I will be found."

Lucy J. Rider

By Charles E. Fuller & J. Elwin Wright, taken from "Manna in the Morning"

The Heart that Trusts

"The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in Him." Psalm 64:10

"Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20

The heart that trusts forever sings,
And feels as light as it had wings,
A well of peace within it springs,--
Come good or ill,
Whatever to-day, to-morrow brings,
It is His will.

I. WILLIAMS

He will weave no longer a spotted life of shreds and patches, but he will live with a divine unity. He will cease from what is base and frivolous in his life, and be content with all places, and with any service he can render. He will calmly front the morrow, in the negligency of that trust which carries God with it, and so hath already the whole future in the bottom of the heart.

R. W. EMERSON

He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved, as in sleep." They must work and watch, yet never be careful or anxious, but commit all to Him, and live in serene tranquillity; with a quiet heart, as one who sleeps safely and quietly.

MARTIN LUTHER

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

No Shortcuts to Being Faithful

"He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil." Job 36:10

Last spring, my husband and I had our income tax returns done. I was extremely busy with all of the usual activities of life at the time, and hurriedly ran and about pulling open drawers, looking for records and receipts, all about an hour before I was supposed to have the information gathered together. I guesstimated how much we had donated for charities and how much we had (spent) for medical expenses. Maurie, our good-natured accountant, made a few jokes about my haphazard record keeping. I began to feel uncomfortable, but silently reasoned that I had done all I was able to under the circumstances.

The next morning, as I left the house for my bible study, I murmured a quick prayer, "Lord, I feel uneasy about yesterday. If you want me to go back through all my records and do it right, I will. Just let me know."

On the way to the bible study, the woman who was driving began to talk about being a Christian and being obedient to the Lord even in small things. She spoke about how her mother laughs at her for returning change at the market when she has received too much. And then she said her mother laughs at her for being so scrupulously honest on her income tax!

I squirmed in my seat, my face flushing red. I knew what I had to do. Although it was slightly embarrassing to call our accountant back with the correct figures, I felt better once I had. And I felt a whole lot better knowing that I had been obedient to the Lord's voice.

By Nicole Hill, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Speak Lord

"Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth." I Samuel 3:9

Though heralded with nought of fear,
Or outward sign or show:
Though only to the inward ear
It whispers soft and low;
Though dropping, as the manna fell,
Unseen, yet from above,
Noiseless as dew-fall, heed it well, —
Thy Father's call of love.

J. G. WHITTIER

This is one result of the attitude into which we are put by humility, by disinterestedness, by purity, by calmness, that we have the opportunity, the disengagement, the silence, in which we may watch what is the will of God concerning us. If we think no more of ourselves than we ought to think, if we seek not our own but others' welfare, if we are prepared to take all things as God's dealings with us, then we may have a chance of catching from time to time what God has to tell us. In the Mussulman devotions, one constant gesture is to put the hands to the ears, as if to listen for the messages from the other world. This is the attitude, the posture which our minds assume, if we have a standing-place above and beyond the stir and confusion and dissipation of this mortal world.

A. P. STANLEY

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

A New Heart

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." Ezekiel 36:26

"Behold," says Christ, "I will make all things new." What a wonder it is that a man should ever have a new heart! You know if a lobster loses its claw in a fight it can get a new claw, and that is thought to be very marvelous. It would be very wonderful if men should be able to grow new arms and new legs, but who ever heard of a creature that grew a new heart? You may have seen a bough lopped off a tree, and you may have thought that perhaps the tree will sprout again and there will be a new limb, but who ever heard of old trees getting new sap and a new core? but my Lord and Master, the crucified and exalted Savior, has given new hearts and new cores; he has put a vital substance into man afresh and made new creatures of them. I am glad to notice the tear in your eye when you think on the past, but wipe it away now, and look up to the cross and say -

"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Your blood was shed for me,
And that You bid'st me come to You,
O Lamb, O God, I come."

"Make me a new creature!" If you have said that from your heart, you are a new creature, dear brother, and we will rejoice together in this regenerating Savior.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Strengthen My Spirit"

Dealing with our Mistakes

"Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say. Take away my desire to do evil or to join others in doing wrong." Psalm 141:3-4

When we avoid dealing with our mistakes and pretend they don't exist, they usually express themselves in ways that we would not anticipate: anger at someone else, frustration at something else, lack of control.

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

What Motivates You?

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul." Psalm 108:1

When I was younger I danced in two regional Ballet companies (regional considered not professional). The first company I joined while I was in Jr High and just old enough to qualify for a company position. That first year I was selected to be in a two year apprenticeship as the directors, Steve and Jan, thought I needed more time before I moved into a full fledged position. In other words, I wasn't quite good enough.

As time went on, Jan left and shortly after the company folded. I ended up at her school and eventually became a principal in her company. By the time I was in High School Steve had a new school. Some time later he had composed music and wanted to choreograph a ballet to it. His school consisted of very young students so he asked if he could use one of our company members. A week before the performance the person he chose backed out and I was asked to fill in. This was my chance to show Steve what I was made of, how much I had improved and what he didn't see while I was under his direction. In 7 days I consumed his ballet like I've never done before.

It was frightening to know that Steve counted on me and I really didn't have adequate enough time to properly learn his ballet. As the music began I allowed myself to surrendered to it completely forgetting that I was in front of an audience. I became the breath of the music. At the end I was on the ground with my face down on the stage so I couldn't see the audience. It was then that I realized that it was silent. No one coughed, rustled the programs, shifted nor clapped. As the curtain closed I thought I had failed and was mortified that I had to give a curtain call. Before the curtain opened I was greeted with loud clapping, bravos and a standing ovation.

Today I ask myself why could I give myself fully to please Steve and hold back when it comes to pleasing Jesus? I wanted to wow Steve so much that I literally gave myself to his ballet. Steve wasn't my savior. In fact, he passed away a few years ago from taking one too many drinks. He was talent and his music was amazing. But in the end, he didn't do anything for me. He didn't sacrifice himself for me. In fact, he overlooked me as not being good enough.

Unlike Steve, Jesus gave up His life so that we may have eternal life. He doesn't overlook anyone and wants us to know Him. If we truly believe in Jesus then we need to start acting like we do. We need to start giving ourselves over to the music of His Heart. We need to fully surrender ourselves to Him in everything we do. Let us be His ballet and show others what He did for them.

Whose music are you surrendering to? Is it the music of nature, self, someone whom you want to please? Or is it Jesus? Dance your heart out to His Music and live your life for Him.

Krista Jones
7.15.07

Beware of Criticizing Others

"Judge not, that you be not judged." Matthew 7:1

Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, "Don’t." The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.

There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5 ). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24 ). Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

The Beginning of Healing

"God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my nervous thoughts." Psalm 139:23

Revealing our feelings is the beginning of healing. Articulating what's on our heart, confessing our mistakes, is the first step in seeing that God can forgive those mistakes and all others.

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

The Art of the Heart

"But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief." Job 16:5

Encouragement is one of God's most joyous art forms. He supplies us with the raw materials and invites us to create, build and shape his hope in lives of those around us.

Some people combine a helping hand with a word of praise and produce a grateful heart. Others, by mixing laughter and love, are able to paint new sparkle in dulling eyes. Belief and support build self-esteem. Persistent prayer composes a song of hope; and tenderness and warm embraces fashion a friend.

However we combine the elements of encouragement, one thing we're sure to crate is joy - for others, for ourselves and for our Lord.

By Susan Lenzkes, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Can't Be Fixed?

"At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail." Job 14:7

Can't be fixed: a child's face stares bleakly up at me over the plastic shards of a shattered toy.

Can't be fixed: the giant oak lies among the hurricane's debris, it's roots upended helplessly.

Can't be fixed: the man and the woman stare across the distance between them, shocked into silence by brutal words finally uttered.

Some things in life can be patched up, shored up, repaired or redone. But some wounds are too grievous, some blows too shattering, some rifts too wide to be pulled back together. Some experiences - a divorce, a betrayal, abuse, neglect - leave us permanently wounded, our psyches disfigured. We live, we go on, but we're not really fixed.

Yet I believe there is an alternate plan for things that can't be fixed. It won't work for shattered plastic, but this plan can make an astonishing difference in living, growing things like trees and people. I've seen it in a new shoot growing from a shattered stump, in the faces of a couple whose counseling sessions are finally showing some progress. I've seen it in people who have hit bottom and admitted their own helplessness, only to begin growing again from there.

As far as I can see, God's strategy for broken trees and limbs and lives and souls is not repair but growth; not being patched up but being granted the gift to start over:

Can't be fixed - but can be reborn.
Can't be fixed - but can be made new.

By Anne Christian Buchanan, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Live in Hope

"Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:12

Where now with pain thou treadest, trod
The whitest of the saints of God!
To show thee where their feet were set,
The light which led them shineth yet.

J. G. WHITTIER

LET us learn from this communion of saints to live in hope. Those who are now at rest were once like ourselves. They were once weak, faulty, sinful; they had their burdens and hindrances, their slumbering and weariness, their failures and their falls. But now they have overcome. Their life was once homely and common-place. Their day ran out as ours. Morning and noon and night came and went to them as to us. Their life, too, was as lonely and sad as yours. Little fretful circumstances and frequent disturbing changes wasted away their hours as yours. There is nothing in your life that was not in theirs; there was nothing in theirs but may be also in your own. They have overcome, each one, and one by one; each in his turn, when the day came, and God called him to the trial. And so shall you likewise.

H. E. MANNING

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

What do you want to look like?

"A man was asked to speak to a rather large church congregation. After he strode to the pulpit he said, "There are three points to my sermon." Most people yawned at that point. They'd heard that many times before.

But he went on. "My first point is this. At this time there are approximately 2 billion people starving to death in the world."

The reaction through the congregation was about the same, since they'd heard that sort of statement many times before, too. And then he said, "My second point . . ."

Everybody sat up. Only ten or fifteen seconds had passed, and he was already on his second point?

He paused, then said, "My second point is that most of you don't give a damn!"

He paused again as gasps and rumblings flowed across the congregation, and then said:

"And my third point is that the real tragedy among Christians today is that many of you are now more concerned that I said 'damn' than you are that I said that 2 billion people are starving to death." Then he sat down.

The whole sermon took less than a minute, but it is in many ways one of the most powerful ones ever given. In no uncertain terms, he was reminding those of us stuck in our pews that we are called not to mere piety but to genuine morality. We are called to action, not to fancy words. We are members of the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of niceness." - Story in, "Holy Sweat" by Tim Hansel

What kind of Christian are you? What do you want to look like?

Krista Jones
4.26.07

Accepting Consolation

"None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate." Psalms 34:22

"That ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope." I Thessalonians 4:13

"Are the consolations of God too small for thee?" Job 15:11 (R. V.)

WHAT shall make trouble? Not the holy thought
Of the departed; that will be a part
Of those undying things His peace hath wrought
Into a world of beauty in the heart.

SARAH J. WILLIAMS

SHE spoke of those who had walked with her long ago in her garden, and for whose sake, now that they had all gone into the world of light, every flower was doubly dear. Would it be a true proof of loyalty to them if she lived gloomily or despondently because they were away? She spoke of the duty of being ready to welcome happiness as well as to endure pain, and of the strength that endurance wins by being grateful for small daily joys, like the evening light, and the smell of roses, and the singing of birds. She spoke of the faith that rests on the Unseen Wisdom and Love like a child on its mother's breast, and the melting away of doubts in the warmth of an effort to do some good in the world.

HENRY VAN DYKE

By Mary Wilder Tileston, taken from "Joy and Strength"

Letting down of the Wings

"And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings" (Ezek. 1:25).

That is the letting down of the wings? People so often say, "How do you get the voice of the Lord?" Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.

Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.

A dear one told me several days ago of a certain thing she prayed about, "But," said she, "I did not wait until the answer came."

She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.

Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait In His presence until we hear from Him!

Then, ah then, we can go like lightning, and turn not as we go but go straight forward whithersoever the Spirit goes. (Ezek. 1:1, 20)

"Be still! Just now be still!
Something thy soul hath never heard,
Something unknown to any song of bird,
Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,
A message from the Fatherland afar,
That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,
Cometh to thee if thou canst but be still.

"Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mild and sweet;
White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.
The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.
If thou would'st hear His message,
Dear soul, be still!"

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

What We Are and What We Can Be

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Galatians 5:16

Remember, we are compared with what we could be, not just what we should be. God being who He is, and Jesus Christ being His risen and all-powerful Son, anything we ought to be we can be. Anything that God has declared that we should be we can be. In the wonderful book of Romans, perhaps the greatest and most profound book in the Bible, 7 tells us of a man who is struggling and wanting to be something that he feels he cannot be. Finally he gives up and says, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (verse 24). Immediately, Paul says, "Thanks be to God! . . . because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (25; 8:2). In Galatians 5:22-23 we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." That is what we ought to be and what we can be. Now compare that with what we are.


Thought
As we walk step-by-step by means of the Spirit, he produces in us the product of His control--the fruit of the Spirit. If we walk out of His control the acts of the sinful nature result.

By A. W. Tozer "Rut, Rot or Revival" - Chapter # Two Errors in Thinking

External Beauty

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4

Thy beauty, O my Father! All is Thine;
But there is beauty in Thyself, from whence
The beauty Thou hast made doth ever flow
In streams of never-failing affluence.

Thou art the Temple! and though I am lame,--
Lame from my birth, and shall be till I die,--
I enter through the Gate called Beautiful,
And am alone with Thee, O Thou Most High!

J. W. CHADWICK

Consider that all which appears beautiful outwardly, is solely derived from the invisible Spirit which is the source of that external beauty, and say joyfully, "Behold, these are streamlets from the uncreated Fountain; behold, these are drops from the infinite Ocean of all good! Oh! how does my inmost heart rejoice at the thought of that eternal, infinite Beauty, which is the source and origin of all created beauty!"

L. SCUPOLI

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

Intercessing in Prayer

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men." I Timothy 2:1

Our prayer for spiritual awakening will without question be most effective if we take up the work of interceding for certain individuals in particular.

We find that most of us who have been converted have had some one praying for us, some one who carried us personally to the throne of God while we were unconverted. It seems to me that no one is so poor as he for whom not a single soul is praying, he who has no one who takes him personally and persistently to god in prayer.

We should enter into this work and become personal and regular interceders for certain definite individuals. Ask the Spirit of prayer to assign to you the individuals for whom you should pray. If every believer would do this, the Spirit would distribute the unconverted in every community among the believing men and women of prayer, and ultimately there would not be a single soul but what some consecrated and faithful believe would be p raying for him.

Then it would not be easy for the unconverted to continue to live in sin! Holy spiritual explosive materials would be planted into their souls daily, and the ground blasted from beneath their unrepentant lives. - O. Hallesby

There is a place where thou canset touch the eyes
Of blinded men to instant, perfect sight;
There is a place where thou canst say "Arise!"
To dying captive, bound in chains of night.
There is a place where thou canst reach the store
Of hoarded gold, and free it for the Lord;
There is a place here, or on a distant shore,
Where thou canst send the worker and the Word.
There is a place where Heaven's resistless power
Responsive moves to thine insistent plea;
There is a place, a slight holy hour,
Where God Himself descends and works for thee.
Where is that secret place? - dost thou ask "where?"
O soul, it is the secret place of prayer!

A. A. Polard

By Charles E. Fuller & J. Elwin Wright, taken from " Manna in the Morning"

Mistakes

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Sometimes we try to deal with a mistake by covering it up with more mistakes, or by repressing it, nor by justifying it. That's like walking around with a pebble in our shoe - it causes us so much frustration that our whole body compensates for its presence, when all we have to do is take it out and toss it away.

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

The Age of Chivalry

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

Though Love repine, and Reason chafe,
There came a voice without reply,--
'Tis man's perdition to be safe,
When for the truth he ought to die.

R. W. EMERSON

Some say that the age of chivalry is past. The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth, or a man or woman left to say, "I will redress that wrong, or spend my life in the attempt." The age of chivalry is never past, so long as we have faith enough to say, "God will help me to redress that wrong; or, if not me, He will help those that come after me, for His eternal Will is to overcome evil with good."

C. KINGSLEY

Thus man is made equal to every event. He can face danger for the right. A poor, tender, painful body, he can run into flame or bullets or pestilence, with duty for his guide.

R. W. EMERSON

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

Commune with your own Heart

"Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." Psalm 4:4

We cannot "encourage ourselves in the Lord our God" unless we are in fellowship with Him. Hope springs from oneness with God. Faith springs from oneness with God.

If you are having trouble "whipping up faith," perhaps a moment of self-examination will be valuable. Can you "commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still?" In that moment between you and your pillow, is there any shadow of disobedience which robs you of sleep?

Can you face what you see in your own heart, knowing God sees it too? Can you face it and sleep? "Hope springs eternal" from the heart that is one with God. But if there is one single point on which we are not obeying His slightest whisper, we cannot "commune with our own hearts . . . and be still."

Most particularly we will not "be still." We cannot.

If something is blocking our oneness with Christ, we are noisy with excuses and alibis and explanations and dodges. And sometimes we are noisy with service! If something is there between you and Christ, you know it. So does He. And "if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." We do not need to go on with troubled hearts. With guilty consciences. God is great than your guilty conscience and actually it is an insult to God to keep a guilty conscience. He poured out His own blood on Calvary to free you from sin and the guilt that follows it. Give it to Him. He is "greater than our heart" Norman Grubb suggests keeping "short accounts with God."

If we do, hope will be a part of our daily peace. If there is "nothing between" we are confident of all things in God.

. . . . . Commune with your own heart . . . and be still. . . . . If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

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

A Deeper Desire for Christ

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Psalm 42:1

Now man is new in relationship. He was an heir to wrath; he is now a child of God. He was a bondslave; he is now a freeman. He rejoices in Christ Jesus and feats to the full. He was the citizen of the earth once; he is now a citizen of heaven. He once found his all beneath the clouds, but now his all is beyond the stars. He has new relationships. Christ is his brother, God is his father, the angels are his friends, and the despised people of God are his best and nearest kinsfolk. And hence the man has new aspirations. He now pants to glorify God. What did he care about the glory of God once? he now pants to see God; once he would have paid the fate - if it had cost his life - that he might escape from the presence of the Lord. Now he hungers and thirsts after the living God; if his soul had wings and he could break the fetters of this mortality, he would mount at once to dwell where Jesus is. Dear friends, are you new men? If you are, you understand what it is; if you are not, I know I cannot explain it to you. To be born again is a great mystery; blessed is the soul that comprehends it! But he who does not know it will never learn it by the lip; he can only know it by the Spirit of God causing him also to be made a new creature in Christ Jesus.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Daily Devotional Insights"

This Is Your Time

It was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take.
Faced with the choice to deny God to live,
For her, there was one choice to make.

This was her time. This was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

This was her time...

Though you are mourning and grieving with us,
Death died a long time ago;
Swallowed in life so that life carries on.
Still it's so hard to let go.

This was her time. This was her dance.
She lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
She swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.

What if tomorrow, and what if today,
Faced with the question,
Oh what would you say?

This is your time. This is your dance.
Live every moment. Leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. Drink of the deep.
Follow the mercy and hear yourself praying.

Won't you save me?
Won't you save me?

This is your time. This is your dance.
Live every moment. Leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. Drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is your time. This is your dance.
Live every moment. Leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. Drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.

This is your time...
(Won't you save me?)
(This is your time)
(Won't you save me?)

By Michael W. Smith

I like this song because it reminds me to live every day for Jesus. "Live every moment. Leave nothing to chance." What about you? Are you living every moment for Jesus? Don't let any moment big or small slip away. Listen to the Lord's leading and act upon what He is asking you to do. Leave nothing to chance.

Krista Jones
6.17.06

Listen

"Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?" Job 12:12

We live in a culture that reveres its youth and ignores its elders. Nearly every other culture does the opposite and is the richer for it. We are the poorer for having put our grandparents in retirement villages, far away from grandchildren who don't know the wisdom they are missing by not having Grandpa and Grandma around.

The things we can learn from our elders are limitless. They were born in a time that was very different from our own, and their perspective on life can be of great value as we struggle wit our daily lives in this fast-paced, unsettling era. Imagine for a moment: A person born at the end of the last century would have lived through the First World War, the Great Depression, yet another world war, and the suburbanization of America. A telephone would have been a rare thing in the home of their childhood; now their grandchildren can have phones in their cars, their purses and their pockets.

Life has changed at a speed never seen before in human history. More than ever, we need the sagacity of those who lived in a slower time.

Are the elders all gone from your life? Look around - people who have lived rich, full lives are sitting near you in a pew, at the train station, in a nursing home. Ask them questions. Listen, really listen, to their answers. Let them teach you with their stories.

By Bernie Sheahan, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Salvation is . . . .

"All things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him, I have lost all these things, and now I know they are worthless trash." Philippians 3:8

Salvation is the process that's done, that's secure, that no one can take away from you. Sanctification is the lifelong process of being changed from one degree of glory to the next, growing in Christ, putting away the old, taking on the new.

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

Look for the Proof

http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/572/Proof

Being Content

"Be content with such things as ye have." Hebrews 13:5

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content." Philippians 4:11

No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here.

J. G. WHITTIER

If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.

2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.

3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.

4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.

5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will provide."

- E. B. PUSEY

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

What Seeds Are in You?

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11

I cannot say,
Beneath the pressure of life's cares to-day,
I joy in these;
But I can say
That I had rather walk this rugged way,
If Him it please.

S. G. BROWNING

The particular annoyance which befell you this morning; the vexatious words which met your ear and "grieved" your spirit; the disappointment which was His appointment for today; the slight but hindering ailment; the presence of some one who is "a grief of mind" to you,--whatever this day seemeth not joyous, but grievous, is linked in "the good pleasure of His goodness" with a corresponding afterward of "peaceable fruit," the very seed from which, if you only do not choke it, this shall spring and ripen. - F. R. HAVERGAL.

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

God's Will

"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." Matthew 26:39

O Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will,--
I will lie still.
I will not stir, lest I forsake Thine arm,
And break the charm
Which lulls me, clinging to my Father's breast,
In perfect rest.

J. KEBLE

Resignation to the will of God is the whole of piety; it includes in it all that is good; and is a source of the most settled quiet and composure of mind. Our resignation to the will of God may be said to be perfect, when our will is lost and resolved up into His; when we rest in His will as our end, as being itself most just, and right, and good. And where is the impossibility of such an affection to what is just and right and good, such a loyalty of heart to the Governor of the universe, as shall prevail over all sinister indirect desires of our own? - JOSEPH BUTLER

There are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the will of God. - F. W. FABER

Lord, Thy will be done in father, mother, child, in everything and everywhere; without a reserve, without a BUT, an IF, or a limit. - ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

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

Remember

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

Those who go the way of the cross with Jesus are drawn into one of the great secrets of the heart of God: the pearl of great price, the hidden treasure, is found at the bottom of the cup of suffering. In suffering, the true and deepest love will be put to the test, for it will receive the key to God's own heart and love.

By Basilea Schlink, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

The more we are . . . .

"Christ gave each one of us the special gift of grace, showing how generous he is." Ephesians 4:7

The more we are loved by God, the more we are going to love. The more we are forgiven, the more we're willing to forgive. The more we're treated with patience, the more we are willing to treat others with patience. These area ll extensions of that gift of grace.

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

Our Wills Must Surrender

"His servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." Romans 6:16

The Christian doctrine of obedience to God and to His will is now largely neglected in modern religious circles, and many in our own congregations seem to feel that our obligation to obey has been discharged by the act of believing on Jesus Christ at the beginning of our Christian lives. We need to remember that "the will is the seat of true religion in the soul." Nothing genuine has been done in a man or woman's life until his or her will has been surrendered in active obedience. It was disobedience that brought about the ruin of the race. It is the obedience of faith that brings us back again into the divine favor! It needs to be said that a world of confusion results from trying to believe without obeying! A mere passive surrender may be no surrender at all. Any real submission to the will of God must include willingness to take orders from Him from that time on. I keep wondering whether the Lord's ministers will again give to obedience the place of prominence it occupies in the Scriptures.

Thought: It was disobedience that brought about the ruin of the race. It is the obedience of faith that brings us back again into the divine favor!

By A.W. Tozer, taken from "Renewed Day by Day Volume II"

The Battle

"Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said," Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem@ Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." 2 Chronicles 20:20

Lord, I'm losing ground.
The enemy hunts me. Haunts me.
I feel like I'm wielding a squirt gun against a
circle of slashing knives. How weary I am . . .
I FELT IT
The touch of your hand.
Hold mine tighter.
Help me feel your strength.
Fortify my weak armaments.
Lord, I'm gaining ground.

By Catherine DeVries, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

The Explanation For Our Difficulties

". . . that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . ." John 17:21

If you are going through a time of isolation, seemingly all alone, read John 17 . It will explain exactly why you are where you are— because Jesus has prayed that you "may be one" with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or do you have some other goal for your life? Since you became a disciple, you cannot be as independent as you used to be.

God reveals in John 17 that His purpose is not just to answer our prayers, but that through prayer we might come to discern His mind. Yet there is one prayer which God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus— ". . . that they may be one just as We are one . . ." (John 17:22 ). Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, "Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?" No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy. If we will pray, regarding our own lives, "Your will be done" ( Matthew 26:42 ), then we will be encouraged and comforted by John 17, knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom, accomplishing what is best. When we understand God’s purpose, we will not become small-minded and cynical. Jesus prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself, just as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far from this oneness; yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him— because Jesus prayed, ". . . that they all may be one . . . ."

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Highest"

Lighting Fire

"Your rules are wonderful. That is why I keep them. Learning your words gives wisdom and understanding for the foolish." Psalm 119:129-130

When you light somebody afire with the grace of God, you have a hard time putting him out. When you light people with legalism or with rules and regulations, they're going to burn out because they'll always live in fear. But a person set afire with the love of jesus Christ will live in gratitude - serving his Lord out of love and not out of fear.

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

Missing Music

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:3

It was a difficult sheet of music.
Laboriously she struggled -
Measure by measure.
Note by note.
Finally with ten-year-old exasperation
She pressed her fits into her cheeks:
"I know I'm playing the right notes
But I just don't hear the music."

Oh God, what a vivid portrait
Of our harassed and hectic lives;
We live in the right houses
Give to the right charities
And read the right books.
We sit in the right church pews
Speak to the right people
And smile the right smiles.
We buy the right clothes
And drive the right cars
And join the right clubs.
Yet, far too often
There's a mysterious emptiness -
A futility in the midst of activity.

The music is missing.
O God
You alone can create new songs
In the depths of our jangled hearts.
Take over.

Ruth Harms Calkin

Almost Home

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in heaven." 2 Corinthians 5:1

Heaven is indeed the only home of our souls, and we shall never feel that we have come to our rest until we have reached its mansions. One reason why we shall be able to rest in heaven is because we shall there be able perpetually to achieve the object of our creation. Am I nearer heaven? Then I will be doing more of the work that I shall do in heaven. I shall soon use the harp: Let me be carefully tuning it; let me rehearse the hymns which I shall sing before the throne, for if the words in heaven shall be sweeter and more rich than any that poets can put together here, yet the essential song of heaven shall be the same as that which we present to Jehovah here below.

My aged brethren, I congratulate you, for you are almost home; be yet more full of praise than ever. Quicken your footsteps as the glory land shines more brightly. You are close to the gate of pearl; sing on, dear brother, though infirmities increase, and let the song grow sweeter and louder until it melts into the infinite harmonies.

By Charles Spurgeon, taken from "Strengthen My Spirit"

Grace

"Because he was full of grace and truth, from him we all received one gift after another." John 1:16

Grace is a pleasant surprise.
Grace is a kind gesture.
Grace is something you did not expect.
It is something you certainly could never earn.
But grace is something you'd never turn down.

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