He will teach and instruct you

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)

If deep searching of these "blue stone" verses is to deepen our faith, read this one at least five or six times and read it slowly and confidently. Hear God say it to you. Each time you read it, you will be strengthened in the depths of your being.

This is God speaking to us.

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

Each one of us in each one of our sometimes confused "ways"? Yes. Each one of us can claim this amazing promise from the One who cannot lie!

God will instruct us. god will teach us. He will guide us with His own eye in the way He knows is the very best way for each one of us to go. This is too high for me. I cannot grasp it, but I can somehow understand it with my heart when I am willing to follow Him. When I am willing not only to know that He will guide me, but when I am willing to be guided. When I am willing to "be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. . ."

As I obey, I understand.

And the more I learn of the very character of Jesus Christ, the more I am willing to obey.

God has not only promised to instruct and teach us in the way we should go, he became the way in Jesus Christ. Oneness with Christ will keep me on the way. He is the way. When I am one with Him, I am already there.

. . . I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

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

Listen to the Burning Bush

This morning I began reading about one of my favorite Bible Characters - Moses. Ah, Moses, how I relate to him! He's wasn't like Abraham who set out into an unknown land because God called him to do so. Moses questioned God. His, "Suppose I go and . . . ." I'm an "and" kind of person. God calls me to something and I say "But", "What if", "and" because I can't see into the future and it frightens me. Therefore I have to question God's judgement as to what He thinks He's doing. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

Like Moses, we are being called by God to serve Him in any way He asks. I find it interesting that that Moses' name means, "draw out" because he was literally drawn out of the water by Pharaoh's daughter. God protected Moses so he could save the Israelites. But would Moses have done what God had chosen for him to do had he not been "drawn out" of the life of luxury? It took a trial in his life to start in motion God's plans. God used this trial, the killing of the Egyptian, to bring Moses to where he needed to be which was before the burning bush. I often think of the trials I've been through and how God used those times for His glory and to call me out of a life that was comfortable to finally seek the Lord with all my heart. What would have happened if I had not going through those things? Would I be who I am? Would I be ready to do what the Lord is calling me to do? The Scotch preacher, George Matheson said, "There is a time coming in which your glory shall consist in the very thing which now constitutes your pain." God will bring about His glory within the pain/trial you're going through. You have two choices: Either turn away from Him and wallow in your pain and suffering. Or turn to Him and allow Him to grow you through it. Strengthening you for His service. And when that old burning bush comes knocking at your door, answer it and say with a willing heart, "Yes Lord!" Then take Prov. 3:5-6 to heart and trust in the direction the Lord is leading you to go.

I also enjoyed a tid-bit from last night. It comes from a well known passage that again, I've glossed over and have even memorized. Ps. 23:2 says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leas me beside quiet waters." It was the "quiet waters" that caught my attention. I remember hiking around Mt. Rainier with Eric the first year we were married. We came across a green pasture after hiking up a long way, across a glacier and descending back down towards Paradise Lodge. Within this green pasture was a stream. It's this stream that I think of when I read this verse. It wasn't a raging river but a gentle stream. A place where we could sit and rest. A place to soak up all of God's glory as we sat at the base of a magnificent mountain. God was there! "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water." Rev. 7:17. If we're going through a difficult time, let's remember that God is with us. To turn to Him and sit beside the quiet waters and drink of the springs of living water.

Krista Jones
1.18.08

How do we approach Him?

"I love the Lord, because He listens to my prayers for help. He paid attention to me, so I will call to Him for help as long as I live." Psalm 116:1-2

God is an exalted friend, a holy Father, and an elevated King. How do we approach Him - as King, as father, or as friend? The answer is: yes!

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

What is a Saint?

. . . called to be saints: . . . (Romans 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2)

Why were the Saints, Saints?

It is quite simple.

Because they were "Cheerful" when it was difficult to be Cheerful.

Because they were "Patient" when it was difficult to be Patient.

Because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still.

Because they kept silent when they wanted to talk.

Because they were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable.

That was all! - Selected.

What is a Saint?

A Jewel in disguise

A Prince in peasant's garbs.

An immortal Life in dying flesh.

An Ambassador of the King Eternal, detained on foreign soil.

A Monarch at the foot of the throne, waiting for his crown.

A Royal Slave in a prison of clay, preparing for a mansion.

A Traveler on a rocky road, bound for the streets of gold.

A Watchman on the midnight hills, to greet the everlasting Day.

A Diamond in the rough, being polished to shine as the stars.

A Nugget of gold in the crucible, to be refined from its dross.

A Pearl in the oyster, to be delivered from the body of flesh.

A Lamp in a dark, dark night, soon to blaze forth with everlasting light.

A Stranger in the midst of enemies, hurrying on to live in everlasting fellowship.

A Flower in a garden, soon to unfold its petals where the Rose of Sharon blooms.

- Unknown

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

Amazing Act of Obedience

I have read the story about God calling Abraham to sacrifice his only son several times. Yet, this last time I read it something new jumped out at me.

In Genesis 22 God called Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Being a parent I've always identified with what Abraham was going through. How can he be so willing to sacrifice his only son? Would I be as willing to do the sam with my children? And yet, being the man of faith Abraham was, he obeyed God knowing that God would provide the sacrifice.

This time, I was impacted by Isaac's obedience. We know that this time that he was not a young child but a young man. In Genesis 22:7 He brings up the question I would have been hounding my father about and asked as to where the sacrifice was. Abraham reassured him, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." (Gen. 22:8) and continued onward in his preparations. If I placed myself in Isaac's shoes, would I have gone as far as allowing myself to be bound and laid upon the alter? And yet, he was obedient to his father as well as to the God he served. Just like Christ was obedient to death. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" Phil. 2:5-8

In the end, we know that God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and provided a ram instead. But I'm still struck by Isaac's obedience as I'm pretty sure I would have gone to the alter kicking and screaming making the whole situation more difficult then it could have been. I've been fighting authority not wanting to obey because I think there's a better way. All the time not learning what the Lord has been trying to teach me. I yearn to be like Isaac and keep on the path God has called me too and not fight the whole way. Sometimes I feel like I just don't get it. That it's taking forever for me to figure it out. I know that learning takes time. F.B. Meyer says, "The life of fellowship with God cannot be built up in a day. It begins with the habitual reference of all to Him, hour by hour. It then moves on to more and longer periods of communion; and it finds its consummation and bliss in days and nights of intercession and waiting."

Onward I press on towards the goal, learning to communion daily with my Savior so that my heart beats with the beat of His heart. And thus knowing the blessing of full obedience to the One I serve.

Krista Jones
1.7.08

Tid-Bits

This morning I finished reading the book of Genesis. Jacob passed away and his sons were fearful that Joseph was still holding a grudge and would act upon it now that their father was dead. Again, the message of forgiveness continues to be played into my heart. Joseph responds to his brother's fears in Gen. 50:19-20, "But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." There is no hint of a grudge, anger or anything in what Joseph said. His brothers did a horrible thing to him that set off a series of trials Joseph endured. Yet, because Joseph followed a loving God and rose above his trials, God was able to set in motion His plan. I continue to think of I hold grudges and am not willing to forgive. I pray that I may continue to extend grace and forgiveness and one day I can truly respond like Joseph.

Another tid-bit I discovered but have yet to unpack was Ps. 18:19, "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." I liked the last part of this verse where it says, "He rescued me because He delighted in me." The Lord delights in His children. He delights in you and me. What great comfort I get from a verse I've glossed over for many years.

And lastly, a tid-bit from my devotional: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." - Emerson

Krista Jones
1.17.08

Perfect Simplicity

"The Lord preserveth the simple." Psalm 116:6

Thy home is with the humble, Lord!
The simple are Thy rest;
Thy lodging is in childlike hearts;
Thou makest there Thy nest.

F. W. FABER

This deliverance of the soul from all useless and selfish and unquiet cares, brings to it an unspeakable peace and freedom; this is true simplicity. This state of entire resignation and perpetual acquiescence produces true liberty; and this liberty brings perfect simplicity. The soul which knows no self-seeking, no interested ends, is thoroughly candid; it goes straight forward without hindrance; its path opens daily more and more to "perfect day," in proportion as its self-renunciation and its self-forgetfulness increase; and its peace, amid whatever troubles beset it, will be as boundless as the depths of the sea.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON

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

Our High Priest

"Our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When He lived on earth, He was tempted in every way that we are, but He did not sin." Hebrews 4:15

Read how J. B. Phillips translates Hebrews 4:15: For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible - He Himself has shared fully in al our experience of temptation, except He never sinned.

It's as if he knows that we will say to God . . . : "God, it's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." So he boldly proclaims Jesus' ability to understand. Look at the wording again.

He Himself. Not an angel. Not an ambassador. Not an emissary, but Jesus Himself.

Shared fully. Not partially. Not nearly. Not to a large degree. Entirely! Jesus shared fully.

In all our experience. Every hurt. Each ache. All the stresses and all the strains. No exceptions. No substitutes. Why? So he could sympathize with our weaknesses.

From "In the Eye of the Storm"

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

The Flawless Words of God

This morning I read about how Jacob moved his whole family to Egypt where he was reunited with his son Joseph. Throughout the book of Genesis, God had moved each person through their trials and wove an intricate web to bring about His plans of preserving His chosen people. Over the weekend one of my studies started out as a word search on "trumpet". I discovered that trumpets were used in the O.T. to call the community together, signal battle, used to warn, used for celebrating, praising and worshiping. In the N.T. it was a sound that went before the Lord and/or announced His return. And it is said in Revelation 4:1 that His voice is like a trumpet, "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said . . . "

That got me to thinking what the voice of the Lord sounded like. My word search on "voice" was cut short as I ran out of time but what I did learn was that His voice was heard in many different ways - like a trumpet blast, fire, wind, thunder and a gentle whisper. I believe He uses any means to speak to us as the situation calls for. Last night in my discipleship reading I came across a great verse I'm sure I glossed over many times. Psalm 12:6, "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like sliver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times." Silver becomes more pure the more you refine it which means that the Lord's words being flawless means that they're perfect. As I look up the word flawless I discovered that shield is connected to it in many passages. "As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30. Which says the same thing as 2 Samuel 22:31, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." and Psalm 30:5, "Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."

Throughout the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph I see that God's words have been flawless, perfect in timing and protecting like a shield. These men went through the fire but remained faithful in listening to the words of their one true Father. I pray that we will be still and listen to our Father's voice. To be guided by Him and Him alone. I know it's hard in the word we live in that muddles our brain with noise. Stay in the Word and fine tune your spiritual ears to be able to ignore the useless sounds of our world and be able to listen to the gentle whisper of our Lord.

Krista Jones
1.26.08

One Act of Kindness

"I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Psalm 116:10

God, help me in my own small way
To somehow do something each day
To show You that I love You best
And that my faith will stand each test.

Today's Prayer
Today accomplish at least one act of kindness no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

By Helen Steiner Rice

Am I Looking To God?

"Look to Me, and be saved . . ." Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. "Look to Me . . . ."

Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, "Look to Me and you are saved," not "You will be saved someday." We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, "Look to Me, and be saved . . . ." Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.

Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. "Look to Me . . . ." Salvation is yours the moment you look.

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

How long do you have to wait?

How long do we have to wait for the Lord to show us His plans for our lives? Or how long do we have to endure hardships and trials?

As I continue to read through the Bible I have come across the story of Joseph. Joseph was someone who endured many ups and downs. And through it all I am deeply impressed with how patient he was. He was disliked by his brothers who eventually sold him. He was bought as a slave but given a high position in the home where he served. Yet, that good living didn't last long as he was imprisoned because his master's wife lusted after him. While in prison he was again lifted to a high position but it's not to say it was a position of luxury.

I'm thinking, can this guy ever get a break? What is God doing to him? And yet, as the story continues we see that God was in control the whole time. His plans for Joseph to save the Israelites was in place. Had his brother's not sold him or his master's wife not lusted after him, he would not have meet the chief cup bearer in prison. Had the chief cup bearer not made Pharaoh angry he wouldn't have been placed into a position to meet Joseph. Had he not been restored to his position he would not have suggested to Pharaoh to ask Joseph to interpret his dreams. In which case, the dreams were interpreted, Joseph was placed in charge of the famine situation (which was the highest position anyone could have outside of being Pharaoh himself), food was stored and people were able to survive. And who should be needing food but Joseph's family (the Israelites).

It took years for God's plan to unfold and Joseph remained steady. I wrote in the margin of my Bible next to his story, "Trusting God can transform a trail into a treasure." The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. Joseph trusted God with all his heart as he went through one trial after another.

If you are going through a trial I encourage you to stay the course. Hold on to the hope and remain faithful to the Lord who loves and cares for you. Trust Him in the good times as well as the bad. DON'T GIVE UP. You never know what your testimony will do for someone else. How you react to your situation can change the course of history or what the eternal consequences will be. God has a plan and He will guide you through the rough patches for you to reach it. Never give up but run the race and reach out for the goal set before you.

Krista Jones
1.15.08

True Simplicity

"The Lord preserveth the simple." Psalm 116:6

Thy home is with the humble, Lord!
The simple are Thy rest;
Thy lodging is in childlike hearts;
Thou makest there Thy nest.

F. W. FABER

This deliverance of the soul from all useless and selfish and unquiet cares, brings to it an unspeakable peace and freedom; this is true simplicity. This state of entire resignation and perpetual acquiescence produces true liberty; and this liberty brings perfect simplicity. The soul which knows no self-seeking, no interested ends, is thoroughly candid; it goes straight forward without hindrance; its path opens daily more and more to "perfect day," in proportion as its self-renunciation and its self-forgetfulness increase; and its peace, amid whatever troubles beset it, will be as boundless as the depths of the sea.

FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON

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

Slow me down, Lord!

"The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him . . ." (Lam. 3:25)

"Wait on the Lord: . . . He shall strengthen thine heart." (Psalm 27:14)

"Wait on the Lord . . . and He shall exalt thee . . . " (Psalm 37:34)

Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the smoothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations . . . of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise that I may know that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to live than increasing its speed. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. In Jesus' name, Amen." - Unknown

We must learn to wait. When we do not know what to do we must simply do nothing. Wait till the fog clears away. Do not force a half-open door; a closed door may be providential. Ability to hold steady under pressure gives god unlimited sway. A hurried spirit is always from beneath (and out of breath.) "He that believeth shall not make haste."

There is grace supplied for the one who waits. The Psalmist knew this secret. He experienced this grace. "I wait for the Lord," he declared in Psalm 130:5. Waiting is a great part of life's discipline and therefore God often exercises the grace of waiting in the anxious hurrying person. "Waiting has four purposes," says Dr. james Vaughan. "It practices the patience of faith. It gives time for preparation for the coming gift. It makes the blessing the sweeter when it arrives. It shows the sovereignty of God - to give just when and as He pleases."

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"

Calling Upon the Lord

This morning I read about how Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away because Sarah didn't want Ishmael to share in Isaac's inheritance. Through their journey into the desert they ran out of water, faith and hope. At this point Hagar placed Ishmael under a bush and walked some distance away from him so she didn't have to watch him die. It says that they both began to cry. God heard their cries and called out to Hagar from heaven. "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there . . . Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water." Genesis 21:17-19a.

I am touched by the fact that God heard Hagar and Ishmael in their desperate hour of need. He not only heard them but He responded. Psalm 9:9 reminds us that "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Mrs. Charles E. Cowman wrote, "The Father cares when He sees His children in the teeth of a blinding storm, but He knows that faith grows in the tempest. He will hold our hand bidding us not to try to see the next step we are to take. He knows the paths of a hundred million stars, knows the way through the whirlwind and the storm, and has promised, "I will never, never let go of your hand!"

I don't know how Hagar and Ishmael went from their time at the well to becoming a great nation. But they trusted and had faith that God would bring about what He promised. Somehow she got off the desert floor, drank deeply from the well and pushed forward not giving up. The water God provided was life giving for them like it is for us today. He (Jesus) says, "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. In deed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

When we call upon the Lord He listens and responds. He doesn't fix our situation but He leads us through it that we might learn and grow. May we never give up in the middle of the storm. We may not see the Lord but we can always feel His hand closed around ours. If you've never turned to Him I strongly urge you to do so. Turn to Him like Hagar did and He will respond to you - I GUARANTEE it. Do you want to be satisfied, feel safe and loved? Then drink of the living water He talks about in John 4:14.

Krista Jones
1.6.08

Wait to be Guided

"My times are in Thy hand." Psalm 31:15

"Every purpose of the Lord shall be performed." Jeremiah 51:29

I am so glad! It is such rest to know
That Thou hast ordered and appointed all,
And wilt yet order and appoint my lot.
For though so much I cannot understand,
And would not choose, has been, and yet may be,
Thou choosest, Thou performest, THOU, my Lord.
This is enough for me.

F. R. HAVERGAL

"We mustn't be in a hurry to fix and choose our own lot; we must wait to be guided. We are led on, like the little children, by a way that we know not. It is a vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing to our own souls; as if we could choose for ourselves where we shall find the fulness of the Divine Presence, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found, in loving obedience."

GEORGE ELIOT

Everywhere and at all times it is in thy power piously to acquiesce in thy present condition, and to behave justly to those who are about thee.

MARCUS ANTONINUS

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

Lord, I am no Hero

"Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth
it off." I Kings 20:11

"Put on the whole armor of God." Ephesians 6:11

Was I not girded for the battle-field?
Bore I not helm of pride and glittering sword?
Behold the fragments of my broken shield,
And lend to me Thy heavenly armor, Lord!

ANON

Oh, be at least able to say in that day,--Lord, I am no hero. I have been careless, cowardly, sometimes all but mutinous. Punishment I have deserved, I deny it not. But a traitor I have never been; a deserter I have never been. I have tried to fight on Thy side in Thy battle against evil. I have tried to do the duty which lay nearest me; and to leave whatever Thou didst commit to my charge a little better than I found it. I have not been good, but I have at least tried to be good. Take the will for the deed, good Lord. Strike not my unworthy name off the roll-call of the noble and victorious army, which is the blessed company of all faithful people; and let me, too, be found written in the Book of Life; even though I stand the lowest and last upon its list. Amen.

C. KINGSLEY

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

The Water of the Servant

"He poured water into a bowl and began to wash the follower's feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him." John 13:5

To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into His hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest part of your life.

If you let Him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. Only when we confess that we are caked with filth, that we have walked forbidden trails and followed the wrong paths . . .

We will never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty. We will never be pure until we admit we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash ours. - A Gentle Thunder

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

The Precious Words of Promise

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; For my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . II Cor. 12:9a

. . . Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." II Cor. 12:9B

God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.

But God hath promised
Strength for the day
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for all trails,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.

Annie Johnson Flint

We never prize the precious words of promise," said Mr. Spurgeon, " 'til we are placed in condition in which their suitability and sweetness are manifested." We all of us value those golden words: "When thou walkest through fire thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee," but few, if any of us, have read them with the delight of Martyr Binney. To him this passage was a stay while he was in prison awaiting burning at the stake. His Bible, still preserved in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, has the passage marked with a pen in the margin.

Doubtless if all were known, every promise in the Bible has borne a special message to some one Christian, and so the whole volume might be scored in the margin with momentoes of Christian experience, every one appropriate to the very letter.

Every promise in the Book is mine;
Every chapter, every verse, every line.

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises." II Peter 1:14

"The promises of God are certain, but they do not all mature in ninety days." - A. J. Gordon

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

Our Best Defense

"Be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me." Psalm 31:2

In late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him. So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. . . . The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. . . . I can’t face it alone.”

Dr. King later wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”

The rest is history. Dr. King wanted to see people of all colors free of the damage done by racism and prejudice.

If we face opposition when we’re trying to do what’s right, we too must cry out to the Lord. He alone is our “rock of refuge, a fortress of defense” (Ps. 31:2). He is our reliable source of strength and protection. —David C. Egner

Lord, help me stand upon Your rock of Truth
And never trust myself to sinking sand;
Whenever I am faced with evil powers,
I’ll call upon Your strong and mighty hand. —Hess

When we trust the power of God, we experience peace, not panic.

When the Moon Doesn't Shine

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1

Usually the moon shines bright on clear May nights in eastern Pennsylvania. But tonight the moon is missing. All is dark. I notice brown circles under the lamp in the hall when mother welcomes our 2:00 a.m. arrival from Illinois. I also notice brown circles under her eyes. Tired skin under gentle folds.

But here she stands, my mother for forty years. I sense an accumulation of nights waiting up for home-coming children, as though the years have cast shadows from the lamp onto her face. I see the years in the black and blue veins that have just this week felt the heart specialist's probe. I hear the years - like the ocean ringing in seashell - in the doctor's diagnosis: "Enlarged Heart . . . . slow the pace . . . ." I stare into uncertainty. Tomorrow has been an assumed promise - a grand procession of weddings, births, celebrations. Time has been an event, not a sequence.

As I look at Mother, I sense that someone has wound the clock. years have become increments. History has a beginning and an end. I shiver in the early morning chill. But then Mother's arms wrap me in warmth, and I am home. A forty-year-old child reassured by her mother's touch. There is no time to touch.

I hear the tea kettle whistling. Mother's chocolate chip cookies on Grandma Hollinger's ironstone plate pull me back into timelessness. Our laughter drowns out the clock. There is no time in laughter. Mother laughs the hardest of all. Dark circles. Tired circles of joy. Her children are home.

For a moment I forget bruised veins and ticking clocks. I am held together by things that do not change - a mother's early morning welcome, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, and ironstone plate and laughter. I am held together by a God who does no change. I know the God of time who is yet above time. I see tonight in my mother's face the strange paradox of time and timelessness. A rare glimpse of the divine.

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

Coming before the King

"Then I heard all creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea saying: "To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever." Revelation 5:13

The whole purpose of coming before the King is to praise Him, to live in recognition of his splendor. Praise - lifting up our heart and hands, exulting with our voices, singing His praises - is the occupation of those who dwell in the kingdom.

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

Got Water?

I recently went to a Study Retreat and discovered that I need to have a deeper thirst for the Word and my Lord. During this study I learned some interesting facts about water and what it meant to people during Biblical times. Water was not easy to come by and wells were often located outside the city walls where it had to be brought in one jar at a time. Some cities were fortunate enough to have wells inside their city walls and at least 2 cities, including Jerusalem, were known for bring their water into the city through an underground tunnel.

It didn't rain for six months out of the year which often caused the wells to dry up. Water carriers would peddle water they got at the wells and went through the market place calling out, "Ho, ye thirsty ones, come ye and drink." There were times when philanthropic persons paid the water carrier for all his supply of water and offer it to people free of charge. He would call forth, "Ho, ye thirsty ones, come and drink today for nothing, for nothing!" Such words remind us of the prophetic invitation of Isaiah: "Ho, every one who thirsty, come to the water. And you who have no money come buy and eat, by wine and milk. Without money and without cost." Isa. 55:1. The water from the well of Bethlehem was different and highly desired. It collected it's water from the hillsides and vineyards around the city which kept it delightfully cool in the summer months. It was this water that David yearned for in 2 Sam. 23:15 and the water his three mighty men risked their lives for when they went through enemy lines to get for him.

We don't have to think about our water because it's in great supply and easy to come by. Therefore, we've taken our thirst elsewhere and have filled ourselves up with things of this world. Kind of like my Mountain Dew habit. It's not good for me yet I desire to drink it. It's full of nothing but bad things, fills me up, makes me feel yucky and unsatisfied. Oh that we would desire to thirst and fill ourselves up with God and His Word. To yearn for Him like David yearned for the cool water from the well of Bethlehem. The Psalmist said, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go meet with God?" WOW! "When can I go meet with God?" He thirst so much that he was WANTING to spend time with the Lord.

Since water is free for the taking, we don't really realize the impact of what the Water of Life being free meant back in Biblical times. I can see why people wanted to know where they could get this free water because the availability of water was scarce. Rev. 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." The Bible also says, "if any is thirsty let him come to me (Jesus) and drink." John 7:37. Whoever accepts it will be filled and satisfied. John 4:14 says, "But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to the eternal life." Psalms 107:9 also says, "for He satisfies the thirsty."

When I drink lots of water I notice that when my body needs it it tells me right away. I feel the thirst and can be only satisfied by drinking water. I want to get to the point where I thirst deeply for the Lord. That if I'm not getting my daily intake of it I "feel" the yearning of being filled by the Lord alone. "Blessed are those who huger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matt. 5:6.

What do you thirst for? Does what you fill your life with satisfy you? Or are you left feeling like you have a Mountain Dew yucky empty feeling? Jesus is the one and only true way to fill your emptiness. Do you want to drink from the cool water He's offering?

Krista Jones
1.14.08

God's Mountain

""the Lord shall guide thee continually . . ." Isaiah 58:11
". . . and He will make my feet like hind's feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places." Hab. 3:19

Advance into this new year on your knees. Faith does not concern itself with the entire journey. One step is enough. That fist step is all that is needed. Breathe a prayer for courage to fill your legs as well as your heart as you face the unknown, the unexpected. What matters that you know not your destination? Put your hand into the hand of God. he gives the calmness and serenity of heart and soul. As He endures, you too, can endure and climb over sharp rocks and crags. Climb with Him to the end of the year - yea, even to the end of life's trial. "The peak that is nearest the storm-cloud is nearer the stars of light." He gives the courage for which you pray to rise above the valley. Heed the Master's voice and press bravely on to the fulfillment of your task. You have a whole year to scale.

"A Voice said 'CLIMB.' And he said, 'How shall I climb?
The mountains are so steep that I cannot climb.'
"The Voice said, 'CLIMB' or DIE.'
"He said, 'But how? I see no way up those steep ascents.
This that is asked of me is too hard for me.'
"The Voice said, 'CLIMB or PERISH, soul and body of thee,
mind and spirit of thee. There is no second choice for
any son of man. CLIMB or DIE.'"

Some of the bravest of mountaineers have related incredible tales of concerning their climbs up the hills of earth. Sometimes they were aware of the presence of a Companion who was not among the earthly party of climbers on the mountains.

How much more positive is the presence of the Heavenly Guide as God's mountaineers climb the high places of the Spirit!

God's mountain climbers are created to walk in precarious places, not on the easy levels of life.

Do not limit the Limitless God! With Him face the new trail and follow on unafraid, for you walk not alone!

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"

God's Promise

I just got done reading about the flood and God's promise to never destroy the earth and all living upon it by a flood again. I often forget about this promise when I see a rainbow. That the rainbow is a constant reminder of the covenant God made with us (Genesis 9:12-17). How often I forget to fulfill my promises? Every time a rainbow appears God is reminded not to destroy us by flood ever again. I'm quite sure that our society is very much like the society of Noah's time. I'm sure God has been torn up and angry over what we're doing today. Yet, as much as we anger Him with our sin, He has kept his promise. "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

Spurgeon said, "We never prize the precious words of promise till we are placed in conditions in which their suitability and sweetness are manifested." As I look in the concordance of my Bible I see that there are many instances where God promises us something. It means that there is a promise in the Bible that speaks to each one of us. Let us remember the precious promises God has sprinkled through the Word and "rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil." Psalm 119:162.

Krista Jones
1.5.08

Ballerina

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?" Psalm 121:1

When television coverage of the Winter Olympics brought visions of twirling, whirling ice skaters into our home, we had two diminutive skaters in our living room. Spin after spin catapulted them into tangled heaps of arms and legs on the floor. Finally, my five-year-old asked in exasperation, "Mommy, how do they spin so fast?"

I tried to explain a technique learned many years ago when I was the ballerina-to-be - the technique of spotting. Start by focusing your sight on a fixed spot and with each rapid turn of the head, return your gaze to the same place. No dramatic improvement resulted form my little ballerina's initial efforts as she began trying this technique. Spotting does not come naturally at any age. She and her sister continued to look like they were playing a musical game of Twister, ending in the same heap on the floor. But slowly, ever so slowly, spotting took effect. Her turns were more controlled, she retained her balance and before long she was trying to explain spotting to her little sister.

Spotting takes practice, but it works. And it's no different from grownups. On what do we set our sights? Are we spotting on career moves, relationships, things? What occupies our minds as we wake in the morning or creeps in unsolicited to our thoughts as we close our eyes at the end of the day? Our uninvited thoughts and recurring worries are probably a good indicator of what we're using to spot.

The psalmist wrote, "I lift up my eyes . . ." (vs 1). He knew about spotting, even if He didn't call it that. He knew where to set His sights. Only one thing sis worthy of our practiced focus, and only one thing will enable us to maintain balance. When my head is spinning and my world is turning too fast, I can spot on One whose power is greater than mine, One who never loses his balance.

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

The Foundation of Courage

"I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:12

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

"(God) justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26)

For those in Christ, theses promises are not only a source of joy. They are also the foundations of true courage. You are guaranteed that your sins will be filtered through, hidden in, and screened out by the sacrifice of Jesus. When God looks at you, He doesn't see you; He sees the One who surrounds you. That means that failure is not a concern for you. Your victory is secure. How could you not be courage?

The Applause of Heaven

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

The New Year

"Forgetting the past . . . I press onward." Phil. 3:13-14

One of god's glorious gifts to mankind is to bestow upon him the dawn of a new year. New opportunities and challenges are before him. A chance to try again, to make another endeavor to successfully accomplish the ambitions which were perhaps cast aside with discouragement in the year past. Life is full of beginnings. As one stands at the gate and with doubtful hand draws aside the curtain and peers into the unknown, he begins today by taking his first step across the threshold of the new year. It is already a beautiful year because it is another year of Our Lord.

Gazing at the far horizons and half wondering what the coming months will bring, pause but a moment to reflect over the old volume of three hundred and sixty-five days just ended. The pages may have been marred by mistakes and torn by intentions, but a few more miles have been covered on the upward climb, pressing toward the mark.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
We have already come,
'Twas grace that brought us safe thus far,
And grace will lead us Home.

It has not been our own achievement. Great has been our Father's faithfulness; new every morning have been His mercies. He faileth never!

It is part of our nature to want to live in the yesterdays of life, in "the days that come not back again." We would rather relive the strifes, the bad habits, the heartaches, and stumbling steps than to face the uncertain. With tenacity the past does cling, and like barnacles, would hinder us from pushing out from the shore and launching into the deep.

Old Past, let go, and drop in the sea!
Till fathomless waters cover thee;
For I am living, but thou art dead;
Thou drawest back, I strive ahead
The Day to find.
Thy shells unbind! Night comes behind,
I needs must hurry with the wind
And trim me best for sailing.

Standing at the parting of the ways, there is a choice to make, some road to take, we much consider which. How is it that we intend to live? Will it be repetitious of the past?

"I do not see my way: I do not care to; but I know that He sees His way, and that I see Him." Shining destinies are ahead! We must keep our eyes upon Jesus as we now face the Dawn.

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"

At Home with God

"If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:23

God wants to be your dwelling place. He has no interest in being a weekend getaway or a Sunday bungalow or a summer cottage. Don't consider using God as a vacation cabin or an eventual retirement home. He wants you under His roof now and always. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference; He wants to be your home . . .

For many this is a new thought. We think of God as a deity to discuss, not a place to dwell. We think of God as a mysterious miracle worker, not a house to live in. We think of God as a creator to call on, not a home to reside in. But our Father wants to be much more. He wants to be the one in whom "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment""

Faith like Abraham

Abraham was an amazing man. I love him because he faith to step out into the unknown and into the loving hands of a loving God. God told him to leave his family and country to set out for a land that He would show him. He promised Abraham that he would "make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:2-3). He had faith in God and in His promises enough to just set out into the unknown.

Gen. 15:6 says, "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." We know that man is without righteousness and that God must reckon His own righteousness to man's account through man's trust in Him. We also know that as Christians we live by faith and faith "Is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1) Abraham did not see what lay ahead. In fact, he had no references like the Word (Bible) to guide him like we do today. He was truly a faithful man (Heb. 11:8-12; Gal. 3:6; & Rom. 4:3).

Another thing Abraham had was patience. He waited for the fulfillment of God's promises and never lived to see it happen. God says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Ps. 27:14). "Waiting has four purposes. It practices the patience of faith. It gives time for preparation for the coming gift. It makes the blessing the sweeter when it arrives. It shows the sovereignty of God - to give just WHEN and AS He pleases." Dr. James Vaughan. May we have faith like Abraham!

Krista Jones
1.04.08

Worshiping all Week Long

"Come into His city with songs of thanksgiving and into His courts with songs of praise. Thank Him and praise His name." Psalm 100:4

Our biblical act of worship is not what we do on Sunday mornings in ties and dresses, but our act of worship is a lifelong, seven-days-a-week process of placing ourselves upon an alter of sacrifice. Worship is living the principles of Christ in everything we do. You're worshiping God by what you do all week long.

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

My Prayer for You

"May God help us be a people that will embrace not only the message about Him that delights our hearts, but also the ones that grip us and shake us to the core of our soul." James MacDonald taken from "Gripped by the Greatness of God"

Don't Miss God's Answer

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? No!" Genesis 18:14

The God of surprises strikes again . . . God does that for the faithful. Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarai gets pregnant. Just when the failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned . . .
The lesson? Three words. Don't give up . . .
Is the road long? Don't stop.
Is the night black? Don't quit.
God is watching. For all you know right at this moment . . . the check may be in the mail.
The apology may be in the making.
The job contract may be on the desk.
Don't quit. For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers.

(He Still Moves Stones)

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

A. W. Tozer Quote

"One characteristic that marks the average church today is lack of anticipation. Christians when they meet do not expect anything unusual to happen; consequently only the usual happens, and that usual is as predictable as the setting of the sun...
We need today a fresh spirit of anticipation that springs out of the promises of God. We must declare war on the mood of nonexpectation, and come together with childlike faith. Only then can we know again the beauty and wonder of the Lord's presence among us."

God Tells the Man Who Cares, 168,170.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." Romans 12:11

Too Old?

"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14

God has limitless ways of reaching people. So if you feel that you don’t have the ability to reach others for Christ, think about 76-year-old Ethel Hatfield. Desiring to serve her Lord, she asked her pastor if she could teach a Sunday school class. He informed her that he thought she was too old! She went home heavy-hearted and disappointed.

Then one day as Ethel was tending her rose garden, a Chinese student from the nearby university stopped to comment on the beauty of her flowers. She invited him in for a cup of tea. As they talked together, she had the opportunity to tell him about Jesus and His love. He returned the next day with another student, and that was the beginning of Ethel’s ministry.

Ethel was delighted to share the gospel of Christ with these students, because she knew He has the power to change lives. His gospel “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

Precisely because of Ethel’s age, Chinese students listened to her with respect and appreciation. When she died, a group of 70 Chinese believers sat together at her funeral. They had been won to Christ by a woman who was thought to be too old to teach a Sunday school class! —Vernon C Grounds

In the strength of the Lord let me labor and pray,
Let me watch as a winner of souls,
That bright stars may be mine in the glorious day
When His praise like the sea-billow rolls. —Hewitt

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Rise with Christ

"The Child is set for the . . . rising again of many." Luke 2:34

You can rise with Christ, particularly when your hopes are lowest and when you understand His ways, though not your ways, are always the best. Sir Henry M. Stanley, searching for Livingstone in the heart of Africa, had to be led through a siege of tropical fevers that kept his temperature constantly at 105 degrees before his hardened attitude toward life turned to the joy of his salvation. His sick-bed became his school for Christ, and having read the warnings and promises of Scripture, he wrote: "I flung myself on my knees and poured out my soul utterly in secret prayer to Him from whom I had been so long estranged, to Him who had led me here mysteriously into Africa, there to reveal Himself and His will." Perhaps God has been leading some of you through the jungles of life, through the wastes of illness and loneliness, to have you find Christ with Him this uplifting grace which Simeon proclaimed as his voice rang through the Temple, "This Child is set for the . . . rising again of many." - Walter A. Maier

Lonely! The very word can start the tears
And chill the heart as with the sun's eclipse;
It uses to fall so sadly from my lips,
It used to sound so mournful to my ears.

Then, like Naomi in an alien land,
I found the One who loved and guided her;
And, like Elijah by the juniper,
I tasted meat and drink from God's own hand.

Lonely? The knell fades on the brightening air,
And melts into a happy carillon.
Is the road rough? I have a Friend to share
Its brave adventure till the journey's done.
Come, lonely heart, will you not join us there?
Who walk with Christ can never walk alone.

Ruby Weyburn Tobias

Step by Step

"The unfolding of your words gies light; it gives understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:130

When our children were born, my husband and I lovingly cared for them daily. We held them close, rocked them to sleep nd fed them. As they were able, we encouraged them to learn to walk, dress themselves and communicte. We watched excitedly as they grew.

Likewsie, our heavenly Father is actively involved in our growth; He encourages us according to our capabilities and understanding at the time. He does not push us; He waits until we are ready. If God told us everything about ourselves and life all at once, we would be confused and crushed. Instead He teaches us based on our spiritual and emotional age level. God's gentle unfolding plan increases our insight and encourages our consistent growth.

Lord, you are a compassionate and caring Father. Thank you for nurturing my development step by step and giving me understanding just as I need it. Help me to be as patient as you are with my simple and imperfect attempts at gaining maturity.

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

A Complete Restoration

"You will know that God's power is very great for us who believe." Ephesians 1:19

God loves to decorate. god has to decorate. Let Him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child's tear untouched . . .

This might explain some of the discomfort in your life. Remodeling of the heart is not always pleasant. We don't object when the Carpenter adds a few shelves, but He's been known to gut the entire west wing. He has such high aspirations for you. God envisions a complete restoration. He won't stop until He has finished . . . He wants you to be just like Jesus.

(Just Like Jesus)

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment'

The Kingdom of God

"The kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21

Oh, take this heart that I would give
Forever to be all Thine own;
I to myself no more would live,--
Come, Lord, be Thou my King alone.

G. TERSTEEGEN

Herein is the work assigned to the individual soul, to have life in itself, to make our sphere, whatever it is, sufficient for a reign of God within ourselves, for a true and full reign of our Father's abounding spirit,--thankful, unutterably thankful, if with the place and the companionship assigned to us we are permitted to build an earthly tabernacle of grace and goodness and holy love, a home like a temple; but, should this be denied us, resolved for our own souls that God shall reign there, for ourselves at least that we will not, by sin or disobedience or impious distrust, break with our own wills, our filial connection with our Father,--that whether joyful or sorrowing, struggling with the perplexity and foulness of circumstance, or in an atmosphere of peace, whether in dear fellowship or alone, our desire and prayer shall be that God may have in us a realm where His will is law, and where obedience and submission spring, not from calculating prudence or ungodly fear, but from communion of spirit, ever humble aspiration, and ever loving trust.

J. H. THOM

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

How to Eat an Elephant

"The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, He saved me." Psalm 116:6

There is only one way to eat and elephant: a bite at a time. Maybe you know that already. I didn't - until Beverly JOhnson told the world after she, the first woman to do so alone, reached the top of thirty-six hundred feet high El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.

"That's what I kept saying, 'A bite at a time, a bite at a time . . .'," the smiling Beverly said of her ten-day struggle up the gigantic granite mass that rises unbroken from the Yosemite Valley.

She was weary and afraid up there all alone, strapped with a hundred pounds of hear . . . climbing . . . climbing. Day after day she rose higher and higher, clutching to rocks and ropes self-hammered into the rock - praying that they would hold. What sleep she had was in slings on the sheer granite wall. "I often thought if I could magically leave, I would - "but there was no way but up.

She kept climbing, saying to herself, "I'll climb here today." You can't do it, she told reporters, if you count the days. "just a step at a time . . . a day at a time." she laughed victoriously, "and a bite at a time!"

We can all "eat elephants" by Beverly's formula, cant' we? It makes little difference whether it's all the things we have to accomplish, a test we have to take, a physical condition we have to live with, a broken heart that needs healing. Her reasoning works.

Haven't you often wished, as she did, that you could magically leave your problems? Most of us feel that way, but the world doesn't stop for us to get off. we dig in with whatever equipment we have; we work our way up slowly; and, remember this; we have the solid Rock to lean upon! God is always there.

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

The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

"Why should not I?"

"Always bearing about in the body of the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:10

The emergency that the whole world is in through sin calls for sacrifices that bring great pain of spirit. A young man in a small church college in the Middle West was stirred by the needs of the foreign mission fields. He determined to offer his life and service to help meet that need. But before committing himself actively with his church authorities he wrote to her who had given him life, telling her of the burning desire in his heart, and asking her consent. By and by the answering letter came. It was blotted with tears. Its pages brought up a vivid picture of that mother's face and heart. She replied, in effect giving her consent, and then writing down these words: "I never knew until now how much it cost God to give His Son." S. D. Gordon

Some feet must bleed,
Bruised and torn by rocks and thorns
Which in their path unbidden lie.
If any mortal can with grace endure
Those things for which earth has no cure,
Why should not I?

Some backs are bent
'Neath loads of never-ending care,
Yet all is fair as they go by.
If others then can bear their load
And smile and sing alone life's road,
Why should not I?

Some eyes are dim -
Each tear speaks silently of pain
Known only to their God on high.
If weeping ones can still be bold
And carry sorrows never told,
Why should not I?

Some souls are large -
They have for grief but little heed;
Brave souls are they; souls that are high;
If they can pass 'neath chastening rod,
Keep hope undimmed, and faith in God,
Why should not I?

Through strength divine,
Come gain or loss, each one may win,
For will not God His help supply?
'Tis written, Grace for every need
Sufficient IS - you then may plead.
Why should not I?

Grand Colfax Tullar

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

The Importance of Forgiving

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:25-26

'Tis not enough to weep my sins,
'Tis but one step to heaven:--
When I am kind to others,--then
I know myself forgiven.

F. W. FABER

Every relation to mankind, of hate or scorn or neglect, is full of vexation and torment. There is nothing to do with men but to love them; to contemplate their virtues with admiration, their faults with pity and forbearance, and their injuries with forgiveness. Task all the ingenuity of your mind to devise some other thing, but you never can find it. To hate your adversary will not help you; to kill him will not help you; nothing within the compass of the universe can help you, but to love him. But let that love flow out upon all around you, and what could harm you? How many a knot of mystery and misunderstanding would be untied by one word spoken in simple and confiding truth of heart! How many a solitary place would be made glad if love were there; and how many a dark dwelling would be filled with light!

ORVILLE DEWEY

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

Worthless Worry

"I was young, and now I am old, but I have never seen good people left helpless or their children begging for food." Psalm 37:25

We worry. We worry about the IRS and the SAT and the FBI . . . We worry that we won't have enough money, and when we have money we worry that we won't manage it well. we worry that the world will end before the parking meter expires. We worry what the dog thinks if he sees us step out of the shower. We worry that someday we'll learn that fat-free yogurt was fattening.

Honestly, now. Did God save you so you would fret? Would He teach you to walk just to watch you fall? Would He be nailed to the cross for your sins and then disregard your prayers? come on. Is Scripture teasing us when it reads, "He has put His angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go?" (Ps. 91:11).

I don't think so either.

"In the Grip of Grace"

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

The Wipe Board

This morning as I was writing my grocery list on our wipe board I realized it needed a good scrubbing. Not just with the eraser but a good wash. Besides our grocery list and daily notes we have three points we like to remember that are always written on it.

1. Live with nothing to hide, prove and lose - Jim Kress
2. Do what is right regardless! - David Ladd
3. "Do all thing without complaining and disputing." Phil. 2:14

A thought came to me as I was re-writing them back on the cleaner wipe board. I realized that as time slowly erased those three points I so wanted to remember that it was slowly being erased from my mind as well. I've become inward focused instead of outward focused and on what God wants me to do. I don't live with nothing to hide, prove or lose. In fact, I've been so intent and bullheaded about things that proving my point has gotten in the way of life. Doing what is right regardless is also something I've let slide. While talking with a friend I hedged on speaking the truth because I didn't want a fight to result from what I should have said.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing," has been the number one thing I've forgotten. How often have I found myself becoming so frustrated and stressed out that I just open my mouth and let my words fly? Or, more likely letting my fingers fly over the keyboard through complaining e-mails. I have chosen to forget this verse and allowed my emotions to run how I feel. I feel like the person James describes in James 1:22-24, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." I really need to be like the person in verse 25, "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."

If you've become like me you're not alone. I know we all make mistakes and do things we wish we hadn't. Know that we have a loving Father who wants us to repent and turn towards Him for guidance. We will fall but He will always be there to pick us up when we turn and ask for help. One good source for guidance is from His Word. It never changes and applies to our lives here and now. I challenge you to pick out a verse a week to memorize. Put your verse on a note card and tape it to your mirror. Don't just memorize and forget it. Take the Word with you throughout your day. Put it to the test and use it in every situation you go through. When you memorize, don't water it down with your own words. Maintain a high standard for what you're memorizing by remembering it word for word. In time it will flow through your head and out of your mouth. When you're struggling it'll come to your mind to guide you to Jesus and how you should respond. Above all hide it in your heart.

Lastly, I am sorry to those that I've complained to throughout this year.

Krista Jones
12.18.07

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ

"He will glorify Me . . ." John 16:14

The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous. It did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with "the blood of the Lamb" ( Revelation 12:11 ). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as being genuine, and it has no visual sign that causes people to exclaim with awe and wonder, "That is the work of God Almighty!" Yet the New Testament is about the work of God and nothing else.

The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ. Every other kind of so-called Christian experience is detached from the Person of Jesus. There is no regeneration— no being born again into the kingdom in which Christ lives and reigns supreme. There is only the idea that He is our pattern. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the Savior long before He is the pattern. Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion— a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God!

Jesus said, ". . . when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, . . . He will glorify Me . . ." (John 16:13-14 ). When I commit myself to the revealed truth of the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then begins interpreting to me what Jesus did. The Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me externally.

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

"He is our peace."

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)

This tells me that anything can happen and the Lord will not only remain with us, but He will remain kind. We tend to think of the "mountains" and the "hills" as perhaps trouble from outside ourselves. But to me, at least, my world has never shaken more violently than under the impact of my own willful disobedience to Jesus Christ. After I have disobeyed Him, my grief is intense. My remorse and shame could destroy me, and the devil could have the time of his evil life feeding my black discouragement if I weren't absolutely sure that the Lord's kindness would not depart from me.

Actually His kindness leads me to repentance.

And even as I cry out for forgiveness, deep at the center is the assurance, not only that peace will return, but that it has never really departed from me. I have merely lost my awareness of it. It is His peace which He left me and it is a part of Himself. He has said He will never leave me nor forsake me and so, of course, His peace will not leave either. It cannot. "He is our peace." The covenant of His peace shall not be removed, because the Lord "hath mercy on thee." He knows that without Him we are bereft. "His mercy endureth forever."

. . . Without me, ye can do nothing. (But) . . . Lo, I am with you alway.

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

Heavenly Alchemy

"Your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20).

Their particular sorrow was the death and absence of their LORD, and it was turned into joy when He rose from the dead and showed Himself in their midst. All the sorrows of saints shall be thus transmuted, even the worst of them, which look as if they must forever remain fountains of bitterness. Then the more sorrow, the more joy. If we have loads of sorrow, then the LORD's power will turn them into tons of joy. Then the bitterer the trouble the sweeter the pleasure: the swinging of the pendulum far to the left will cause it to go all the farther to the right. The remembrance of the grief shall heighten the flavor of the delight: we shall set the one in contrast with the other, and the brilliance of the diamond shall be the more clearly seen because of the black foil behind it. Come, my heart, cheer up! In a little while I shall be as glad as I am now gloomy. Jesus tells me that by a heavenly alchemy my sorrow shall be turned into joy. I do not see how it is to be, but I believe it, and I begin to sing by way of anticipation. This depression of spirit is not for long; I shall soon be up among the happy ones who praise the LORD day and night, and there I shall sing of the mercy which delivered me out of great afflictions.

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

Laughter

"You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 118:28-29

All of us face times when we wonder if we will ever laugh again . . . I have known these moments and wondered where laughter has gone, only to discover that laughter cloaks itself disguise and springs out from its hiding place to surprise us when we are most garroted with the enormity of life; it shouts, Olly, Olly, oxen free! It invites us to rush to life's game again, to cast aside for a moment the weights of labor and responsibility, and to roll down the greening hillside, over and over, tumbling faster, bumping, plummeting, strangling for air between chortled shouts and gasps.

Laughter is God's good friend!

By Karen Burton Mains, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

A Chosen People

"You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession." I Peter 2:9

Do you ever feel unnoticed? New clothes and styles may help for a while. But if you want permanent change, learn to see yourself as God sees you: "He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels." (Isaiah 61:10).

Does your self-esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth. "You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb" (I Peter 1:18-19).

The challenge is to remember that. To meditate on it. To focus on it. To allow His love to change the way you look at you.

(When Christ Comes)

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

Simple Life?

"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Isreal will be your reward. (Isaiah 52:12)

Here are many things which are easily missed without careful seeing into the very depths of this deep "blue stone" verse. Many things which increase our faith. Which cause us to be willing to enter into the very rhythm of God's life.

And once we have entered into this oneness with Him, we begin to see how simple life becomes. Not easy, but simple. It is only when we stumble back into our own rhythm that we begin to grab wildly for "more faith." Faith is being one with god. Then we know about Him. Then whatever He does is all right.

"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor by flight . . ." How is this possible? What keeps us from running ahead of God? What prevents our "going out by flight"? What causes us not to try to escape? The answer to all of these questions is simply that God has already gone before us. "The Lord will go before thee."

He knows what's up ahead. He's been there. And if we are obedient and with Him in fellowship each step of the way, it is more ridiculous to think that we would run ahead than to think we would not. He knows. He knows about the causes of our thinking we need to escape. He knows about the enemies of our soul's peace. >We have no need to escape. No need to try any way other than the way of just being with Christ. He Himself "will be your reward." No need to flee to the edge of the world for peace or protection..

. . . Your life is hid with Christ in God.

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

Show Love

"Put on as the elect of God, kindness" (Col. 3:12).

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him.
People called him eccentric, queer, and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling his can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

There are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness. Have you your own can of oil with you? Be ready with your oil of helpfulness in the early morning to the one nearest you. It may lubricate the whole day for him. The oil, of good cheer to the downhearted one--Oh, how much it may mean! The word of courage to the despairing. Speak it.
Our lives touch others but once, perhaps, on the road of life; and then, mayhap, our ways diverge, never to meet again, The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Saviour.

A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, "Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest."
"We cannot know the grief
That men may borrow;
We cannot see the souls
Storm-swept by sorrow;
But love can shine upon the way
Today, tomorrow;
Let us be kind.
Upon the wheel of pain so many weary lives are broken,
We live in vain who give no tender token.
Let us be kind."

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love" (Rom. 12:10).

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

God of the Little Things

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13

Is God concerned about the details of your life? Does He care about the "little things?"

Piles of dishes need to be done. The washer leaks a big soapy puddle on the floor - and you've got people coming in an hour. Little things.

Nobody else seems to notice or pay that much mind . . . so why should God? After all, isn't He the God of the BIG things? Isn't He the one who spoke swirling galaxies into the vast frontiers of space, who measured the waters in the hallow of His hand and calculated the dust of the earth (Isaiah 40:12)?

Why should this great, awesome God notice the tears that come to my eyes this morning at breakfast - when no one else noticed? Why should the Creator of the universe care about the worries that kept me awake until two in the morning? Why should the mighty Sovereign of eternity be concerned about the fact that I'm late for an appointment and can't find a parking place?

Sure, the Bible says He has compassion for His people. But isn't that sort of a "general" compassion for humankind? Isn't that an arms-length kind of compassion? Just how intimately is God involved in our small, petty problems? David says He has the compassion of a father.

I remember my father having a kind of intimate, heartfelt compassion with me. Often when my dad would be busy at his easel, I'd sit on the floor at his side with my crayons and coloring book. Sometimes he'd set his brushes aside, reach down and lift me into his lap. Then he'd fix my hand on one of his brushes and enfold his larger, stronger hand around mine. Ever so gently, he would guide my hand and the brush, and I would watch in amazement as, together, we'd made something beautiful.

This is the kind of love our god has for us. Fatherlove. The kind, gentle compassion of a dad who deeply cares for his sons and daughters. Maybe you never had a dad like that . . . but you do have such a Father.

Let God's big hand close gently over yours. With His help, even the discouraging scribbles of your life can become a masterpiece. Nothing would delight a father's heart more.

By Joni Eareckson Tada, taken from, "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

My Will

"Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight." Matthew 11:26

Let nothing make thee sad or fretful,
Or too regretful;
Be still;
What God hath ordered must be right,
Then find in it thine own delight,
My will.

P. FLEMMING

If we listen to our self-love, we shall estimate our lot less by what it is, than by what it is not; shall dwell on its hindrances, and be blind to its possibilities; and, comparing it only with imaginary lives, shall indulge in flattering dreams of what we should do, if we had but power; and give, if we had but wealth; and be, if we had no temptations. We shall be forever querulously pleading our difficulties and privations as excuses for our unloving temper and unfruitful life; and fancying ourselves injured beings, virtually frowning at the dear Providence that loves us, and chafing with a self-torture which invites no pity. If we yield ourselves unto God, and sincerely accept our lot as assigned by Him, we shall count up its contents, and disregard its omissions; and be it as feeble as a cripple's, and as narrow as a child's, shall find in it resources of good surpassing our best economy, and sacred claims that may keep awake our highest will.

J. MARTINEAU

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

God Listens

"I cry out to the LORD; I pray to the LORD for mercy." Psalm 142:1

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter His presence, he turns to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and He listens. he listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel. God listens.

Intently. Carefully.

(The Great House of God)

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace For The Moment"

Handicrafts and Creativity

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - Yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

Handicrafts serve as a means of communication among people who are afraid, shy or sick, or even people who speak different languages. There is something reassuring, homey, pleasant and relaxing to see someone embroidering or knitting n an airport or on a train. One feels a trust and confidence about such a person. If one has some similar work at hand, one becomes friends almost without words. Or one might ask what the other is doing; and a bond of friendship, gentle and warm, is established with ths person who only a short time ago was a stranger. The handicraft is a bridge.

All creative effort is from God, and people who do handicrafts create. To create is to be at peace, for in creating one s joined with the Creator. Creativeness is one of the needs of our humanity and one of the gifts of God to us. Handicrafts also are one more way of restoring us to wholeness in the natural and psychological order so as to better restore us to Christ. The loneliness of modern people has almost reached a point of no return; but in a common effort of creativity, men and women may find someone else who is interested in similar crafts, and become friends through their craftsmanship. Friendship is still the most precious possession that a human being can share. So handicrafts open the door to both friendship and creativity. These aspects go together, for friendship both creates and demands creativity to grow.

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

An Act of Worship

"This is my prayer for you; that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; . . . that you will do many good things with the help of Christ to bring glory and praise to God." Philippians 1:9, 11

When you take food to the poor,
that's an act of worship.

When you give a word of kindness to someone who needs it,
that's an act of worship.

When you write someone a letter to encourage them or sit down
and open your Bible with someone to teach them,
that's an act of worship.

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

Look Ahead

"His glory covers the skies, and His praise fills the earth. He is like a bright light. Rays of light shine from His hand, and there He hides His power." Habakkuk 3:3-4

Father, you never promised us that this world would be easy. And yet, all of us can look ahead to the city that's set on a hill, to the lights that call us to eternity. And we take hope.

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

Problems That Confront You

"The Lord is the strength of his people, the saving refuge of his anointed." Psalm 28:8 NAB

The more we endure
With patience and grace,
The stronger we grow
And the more we can face.

Helen Steiner Rice


Today's Prayer
Today grow stronger as you adopt the policy of patiently addressing the problems that confront you.

Psalm 31:1-5

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Uncommon Beauty

"The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation." Psalm 149:4

For some folks, the word holiness conjures up images of stuffy prudes—people who are “good” in the worst sense of the word, with sullen and morose faces. They are full of self-righteousness and rigid duty, “on hold for the next life,” as a Washington Post writer put it.

Most people long for truth and goodness. Yet that desire can be frustrated by what they see in some Christians, whom they perceive as self-righteous and judgmental. To unbelievers, such “virtue” is far less interesting than vice, with the result that they cling to their vices even though they may hate them. Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, said, “One sanctimonious hypocrite makes a hundred unbelievers.”

Would that the world saw the real thing—that extraordinary quality of life of which Peter speaks—a life so winsome and attractive it will draw others to the Savior (1 Peter 2:12). “If only 10% of the world’s population had [holiness],” C. S. Lewis mused, “would not the whole world be converted and happy before year’s end?”

We can have it! As we yield our lives to God’s Spirit within, we can live lives of uncommon beauty before a watching world. Israel’s poet assures us, “The Lord . . . will beautify the humble” (Ps. 149:4). — David H. Roper

Beautiful faces are those that seem
With the very love of God to beam;
Beautiful forms are those that grace
With gentle service the lowliest place. —Anon.

Live so that others will want to know Jesus.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

God's Promises!

"He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4

She had stopped at a red light. Before she even realized the car door had opened, a man had a gun stuck in her side. He demanded, "Lady, just drive. Don't do anything dumb!"

she had just heard a message on Psalm 91. This psalm told her that god was her refuge, that He was her fortress, that He would deliver her from the snare of the flower, that He covered her with His feathers, that He was her shield and rampart. But in this instant, with a gun in her side and her mind in a whirl, she could not think of the exact words of the Scripture.

In desperation, all she could come up with and exclaim was, "Feathers! Feathers! Feathers!"

the hijacker panicked. He shouted, "Lady, you are crazy!" And as quick as he has appeared, he disappeared!

Oh, how precious to know that when we can't think of a promise word for word, or when we don't have time to quote a promise for the situation in which we find ourselves, God knows His promises and He knows our heart.

By Kay Arthur, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 2"

Psalm 30:11-12

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

We Are Thankful

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you made all things. Everything existed and was made, because you wanted it." Revelation 4:11

Father in heaven, hear our praise. Holy Father, we are thankful that we have more than enough clothes to wear, thankful that we have places to sleep and that we won't go to bed hungry. We're thankful that even if all of this were taken away from us, we'd still have our hope of eternity. You have been gracious to us.

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

I Look to Thee

"Why art than cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:11

Ah! why by passing clouds oppressed,
Should vexing thoughts distract thy breast?
Turn thou to Him in every pain,
Whom never suppliant sought in vain;
Thy strength in joy's ecstatic day,
Thy hope, when joy has passed away.

H. F. LYTE

Beware of letting your care degenerate into anxiety and unrest; tossed as you are amid the winds and waves of sundry troubles, keep your eyes fixed on the Lord, and say, "Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone; be Thou my guide, my pilot;" and then be comforted. When the shore is gained, who will heed the toil and the storm? And we shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. No indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving, forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets before us.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

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

Lie Still and Trust

"I had fainted unless…! Psalm 27:13

"FAINT NOT!"

How great is the temptation at this point! How the soul sinks, the heart grows sick, and the faith staggers under the keen trials and testings which come into our lives in times of special bereavement and suffering.

"I cannot bear up any longer, I am fainting under this providence. What shall I do? God tells me not to faint. But what can one do when he is fainting?"

What do you do when you are about to faint physically? You cannot do anything. You cease from your own doings. In your faintness, you fall upon the shoulder of some strong loved one. You lean hard. You rest. You lie still and trust.

It is so when we are tempted to faint under affliction. God's message to us is not, "Be strong and of good courage," for He knows our strength and courage have fled away. But it is that sweet word, "Be still, and know that I am God."

Hudson Taylor was so feeble in the closing months of his life that he wrote a dear friend: "I am so weak I cannot write; I cannot read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God's arms like a little child, and trust."

This wondrous man of God with all his spiritual power came to a place of physical suffering and weakness where he could only lie still and trust.

And that is all God asks of you, His dear child, when you grow faint in the fierce fires of affliction. Do not try to be strong. Just be still and know that He is God, and will sustain you, and bring you through.

"God keeps His choicest cordials for our deepest faintings."

"Stay firm and let thine heart take courage" Psalm 27:14 (After Osterwald)

Stay firm, He has not failed thee
In all the past,
And will He go and leave thee
To sink at last?
Nay, He said He will hide thee
Beneath His wing;
And sweetly there in safety
Thou mayest sing.

–Selected

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

He Is There

"Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not . . . For I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." Isaiah 44:2a, 3

THose of us who are commissioned to be an active part of the great reconciliation of God - and everyone who belongs to Hm is to be a part of this reconciliation - should look long and deeply at this "blue stone" verse.

First of all, f you feel discouraged in your Christian service, this promise is from "the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb . . ." No doubt, He is not at all surprised at this seeming failure. At your present discouragement. And this same Lord "which will help thee" also commands that you "Fear not . . ."

In all things, even this present trial, He is there.

"It is I; be not afraid."

He is in this thing with you. If those whom you are sent to guide and watch over n their spiritual infancy seem to be ill unto death; if they are stumbling and making alibis and showing the deceitfulness of every human heart, "Fear not . . ." the Lord is saying right now, "For I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy offspring."

Those whom God uses to reach others for Himself know the travail of watching silently and praying for those babes "until Christ be formed in them." It s an agony not expressible in words. But the Lord reminds us that we are not to be afraid for them. We are just to go on belonging to Him ourselves. In one sense they are our "children". In the ultimate sense they are His children. And His responsibility. Just as we too, are His responsibility. We can simply rest and belong because "Thus saith the Lord that made the . . .":

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

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

By Nature to Bear It

"There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." I Corinthians 10:13

Not so, not so, no load of woe
Need bring despairing frown;
For while we bear it, we can bear,
Past that, we lay it down.

SARAH WILLIAMS

Everything which happens, either happens in such wise that them art formed by nature to bear it, or that thou art not formed by nature to bear it. If then, it happens to thee in such way that thou art formed by nature to bear it, do not complain, but bear it as thou art formed by nature to bear it. But, if it happens in such wise that thou art not able to bear it, do not complain; for it will perish after it has consumed thee. Remember, however, that thou art formed by nature to bear everything, with respect to which it depends on thy own opinion to make it endurable and tolerable, by thinking that it is either thy interest or thy duty to do this.

MARCUS ANTONINUS

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