God's Handiwork

"O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day, darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand when I awake, I am still with You." Psalm 139:1-18

Last night I came across Psalm 139. I LOVE this Psalm and how it speaks of how intimately God knows us. God know our every thought, word and deed. We cannot hide from Him. Yet, here despite knowing all that the psalmist is still asking the Lord to examine his life and soul. I also love how the Lord has known us from the moment we were conceived. I saw on a PBS show once that we are who we are from the moment the cells form. It's an amazing thought!!!

Another amazing thought is creation. Yesterday I took the kids to North Creek Park. It has a boardwalk that snakes around wetlands where you see wildlife. We had so much fun listening to and seeing all the different birds. You felt God's handiwork in it all. Even down to the sun warming up the grass and having it crackle and pop under it's warmth. God is our creator and we are blessed to have been created and live in a beautiful world He created for us.

It always saddens me to think that people see the same things I do and yet still say there is no God. The wetlands we walked through is literally a life cycle for the earth, animals and plants. It's plain to see that someone had to create it. This morning my devotional touched upon this very thing.

"For I know whom I have believed . . ." II Tim 1:12

A most unusual incident occurred in colorful Mexico City a few years ago. A famous artist has painted a beautiful picture, and it was being displayed upon the walls of a new, ultramodern hotel. The scene was of one of the charming beautify spots of the country landscape. It depicted with lucid clarity the rolling country landscape, quiet fields, purling streams and a touch of virgin forest, carpeted with gorgeous flowers.

"Across the top of the canvas four words were painted which stood out in bold outline. They were these: 'God Does Not Exist.' A strange bit of lettering to be found on such a famous work of art!

"Spellbound visitors surged past the painting every day.

"One evening a large group of young men entered the lobby of the hotel and made their way down the corridor to the room that housed the painting. They quietly calmly removed paint cans and brushes from kits strapped to their shoulders and were soon busily at work. No one but those in the room could see what was going on; the air was freighted with suspense. Suddenly they stepped back and again the throng pressing against the doorway caught a glimpse of the masterpiece. At first they could see no change, but continued scrutiny revealed that the words in the caption had been brushed completely from the canvass and what were the words? 'Does Not Exist.' One word remained - 'God.'

"The group quietly but with the stride of conquerors, left the hotel. The onlookers stared in awe. Under the soft lights which were thrown upon the picture, that one glorious word was emblazoned - it shone like a brilliant in a monarch's crown.

"More than anything else that may be needed - more than changed conditions, more than release from pressure, is a vigorous faith in God - a rediscovery of Him who knows the paths of a hundred million stars and knows the way through every valley or difficulty and over every mountain of trial. Renew confidence in God; rediscover God, the mighty God - a match for mighty needs!" - Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, "Streams in the Desert Volume 2"

I pray that we will rediscover our Lord and Savior. That we will look with new eyes upon the earth He created and all the beauty within it. That we will see each person as a treasure created by a loving God. That we may desire to serve them and show them that the God who created them loves them.

Krista Jones
3.9.08

Class Participation

"The entrance of Your words gives light." Psalm 119:130

As a high school teacher and college professor, I have observed that learning is a cooperative effort between the student and the instructor. That’s why educators try to get the student involved in class participation. The teacher does some work; the student does some work. Together progress is made. Education happens.

In Psalm 119, the writer suggests a similar pattern in verses 129-136. God is the teacher; we are the students.

Let’s look at God’s role in our education. He shows us mercy (v.132). He guides our steps (v.133). And He redeems us from outside trouble (v.134).

But first we must be eager students, ready to accept God’s teaching, guidance, and help. We should enter His classroom with anticipation: “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. . . . I longed for Your commandments” (vv.130-131). In our role as students of God’s Word, we should fulfill three requirements: (1) examine God’s words for what they are teaching, (2) gain understanding from those words, and (3) obey His statutes.

It’s time to enter God’s classroom and listen and learn from Him. When we do, we’ll look at God with renewed love and at the world with renewed concern (v.136). — Dave Branon

Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there. —Hodder

Careful meditation on the Scriptures makes for a closer walk with the Savior.

Taken from, "Our Daily Bread"

Obedience or Independence?

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15

Our Lord never insists obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an "If," meaning, "You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so." "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . ." ( Luke 9:23 ). In other words, "To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me." Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26 ). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them.

The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny. My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed. When God’s redemption brings a human soul to the point of obedience, it always produces. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.

By Oswald Chamber, taken from, "My Utmost for High Highest"

The Power of a Strong Relationship

"God's power protects you through your faith until Salvation is shown to you at the end of time." I Peter 1:5

The power of a strong relationship sustains us and gives us strength - it's that power in knowing, "If I fail, my friend is still there," or, "If I fail, I have a wife who still loves me." It's the power in knowing that - no matter what - we have a Father who still loves us."

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

Trusting God

"Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his Mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me." Psalm 131:2

My study notes say, "A child of four or five who walks trustingly beside his mother."

I think back to when I had my babies. As infants they are so dependent on you to care for them that it can be frightening. I felt so much compassion for my babies as I knew they were in a big cold world not knowing anything but Eric and I. I also remember feeling like McMama and that as soon as they wanted to nurse it was like they pulled up to the dive thru ordering a big tall glass of milk 24/7. As difficult as it was to nurse at times I knew it was my milk that continued to sustain their little lives.

My oldest was an independent one and weaned herself at 7 months old. I could have kept her going for another few months only nursing her at night but I was as ready to stop as ready as she was to be on her own. From that point on she started to explore the world around her more and more. Yet, her security and trust was still within us, her parents. She still looked up to us with those trusting eyes knowing we'd tenderly care for her.

It's the same way with our Heavenly Father. As spiritual infants we are depended upon Him and we drink all the milk we can growing into a toddler. As spiritual toddlers we begin eating solid food and exploring the world around us. Yet all the time holding the Lord's hand because we trust Him to care for us. We trust Him because we know that He has held nothing from us. Even His one and only Son was given to us as a Savior so that we could have eternal life with Him. As parents we know we'll sacrifice anything for the protection of our children just like God sacrificed His Son for our protection.

This morning I read a story in my devotional about a Father's sacrificial love for his daughter.

"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. (II Cor. 5:19)

There is on record a story of how a tribe of North American Indians who roamed in the neighborhood of Niagara offered year by year a young virgin as a sacrifice to the Spirit of the Mighty River.

"She was called 'The Bride of the Falls.'

"The lot fell one year on a beautiful girl who was the only daughter of an old chieftain. The news was carried to him while he was still in his tent; but on hearing it, the old man went o smoking his pipe, and said nothing of what he felt.

"On the day fixed for the sacrifice a white canoe, full of ripe fruits, and decked with beautiful flowers, was ready, waiting to receive The Bride.'

"At the appointed hour she took her place in the frail bark which was pushed out into mid-stream, where it would e carried swiftly toward the mighty cataract.

"Then, to the amazement of the crowd which had assembled to watch the sacrifice, a second canoe was seen to dart out from the rivers bank a little lower down the stream.

"In it was seated the old chieftain.

"With swift strokes he paddled towards the canoe in which was his beloved child, and, on reaching it, he gripped it firmly, and held it fast.

"The eyes of both met in one last long look of love; and then, close together, father and daughter were carried by the racing current until they plunged over the thundering cataract and perished side by side.

"In their death they were not divided.

"The father was 'in it' with his child!

"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,' He did not have to. Nobody forced Him. The only force behind that sacrifice was the force of His seeking love for His lost world." - Selected.

Let us ponder, believe, and gladly follow, in His steps, into sacrificial service." - Streams in the Desert Volume 2

We are like weaned children resting against Him. We take His hand and walk forward trusting that He will care for us. Psalm 56:11 says, "In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid."

Krista Jones
3.8.08

Fade as a Leaf

. . . and we all do fade as a leaf; . . ." Isaiah 64:6

The air is full of hints of grief,
Strange voices touched with pain,
the pathos of the falling leaf,
The rustling of the rain. - Anonymous

the burden of every sound we hear, the moral of every sight we see, is the old, old truth, which finds a ready response in every human bosom. Numerous have been the times we have heard these words quoted from the pulpit, but from one with a doleful tone in his voice, leaving us with a feeling of sadness when the leaves begin to fall and the summer roses fade. "We all do fade as a leaf."

That is the great commonplace of the world. It is so trite and true that it has lost in a great measure the power of truth; and therefore God is annually illuminating it to us by the many colored lights of autumn, and investing it, by the aid of Nature's touching pictures, with new power and impressiveness. Every year, at the fall of the leaf, He is spreading before us a great parable, in which our decay and death are represented." - Hugh Macmillan (from Thoughts for the Thoughtful).

But how does the leave in autumn fade? It is true that certain trees renew in their autumn foliage the same color that marked them in their budding time of spring, but with fuller, brighter hues. Nature does not die drably! She puts on her most gorgeous roes in autumn and dies gloriously. She goes down with her gay banners waving, smiles back at us as she leaves us. God speaks to His own comforting messages at all season and at all times.

Why should we have a dread of the transition? God has made the "valley of the shadow" as beautiful as the daybreak. In Charles Kingsley's last hour he was heard to whisper, "How beautiful is God."

If peace be in the heart
The wildest winter storm is filled with beauty
The very trees and stones, all catch a ray of glory
If peace be in the heart.

He gave us the secret of victory. It is the peace of God passing all understanding that makes all the way long a good journey. "My peace I give to you." - Mrs. Charles E Cowman

Compiled by Mrs. Charles E Cowman, taken from, "Springs in the Valley Volume 2"

November's Memory Verse

2 Timothy 2:15

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB - New American Standard Bible)


October's Memory Verse: Proverbs 16:1-3

September's Memory Verse: Proverbs 17:9

Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse.

Pruning

"And every branch that bringeth forth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." John 15:2

Every purpose regarding our lives will be fulfilled. Every flower will be crowned with blossoms. Every vine will bear fruit. "His Calvary blossomed out into fertility." We shall have a calvary also, and it too shall blossom. There will be an abundant fruitage out of agony. There will be life out of death. This is the law of the universe.

Dr. Vincent relates an incident while viewing the luscious clusters of grapes hanging on the wall inside a great hothouse. The owner said, "When my new gardner came, he said he would have nothing to do with these vines unless he could cut them clear down to the stalk! And he did so, until there was seemingly nothing left! There were no grapes for two years, but this is the result!"

"God has challenging futures for us, and will go miracle-lengths to get us to pay attention."

The pruning knife is clasped by the Hand and Love Divine. At the most tender touch it cuts and breaks. Lives which have borne some fruit will now bear "much fruit." Those God wants to use to any significant degree will have to be pruned. Sorrow came more to Joseph than to his brethren, and the result was a great blessing to many nations. The Holy Spirit reported of him as "a fruitful bough . . . by a well; whose branches run over the wall" (Gen. 49:22). Human history projects the shadows of suffering in the great paintings, the great philosophies, and the great civilizations. They all have come into the light out of the shadows of torment. Do not fear the knife in the Pruner's hand.

Taken from "Streams in the Dessert"

Two are better then One

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friends can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Climbing a steep hill, I was pleased to meet a friend who stopped for a while to talk. Not only was the conversation good, but it also gave me a chance to rest before continuing the hard climb.

The road of life is sometimes steep too. It is a beautiful thing to have friends to encourage me by stopping to talk. It is also beautiful when I can provide a rest stop and brighten someone else's climb.

Direct me, O great encourager, in paths that cross with other', so we may refresh each other. Amen.

By Sandra Drescher-Lehman

The Greenhouse of the Heart

"People harvest only what they plant." Galatians 6:7

Think for a moment of your heart as a greenhouse . . . And your heart, like a greenhouse, has to be managed.

Consider for a moment your thoughts as seed. Some thoughts become flowers. Others become weeds. Sow seeds of hope and enjoy optimism. Sow seeds of doubt and expect insecurity . . . .

The proof is everywhere you look. Ever wonder why some people have the Teflon capacity to resist negativism and remain patient, optimistic, and forgiving? Could it be that they have diligently sown seeds of goodness and are enjoying the harvest?

Ever wonder why others have such a sour outlook? Such a gloomy attitude? You would, too, if your heart were a greenhouse of weeds and thorns. - Just Like Jesus

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

Springs in the Valley

Last night I came across a wonderful verse tucked in the middle of the book of Psalms. "He sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains." Psalm 104:10

Isn't it refreshing to drink a tall cool glass of crystal clear water on a hot summer day? How wonderful it is when the water quenches your thirst and gives your body the life force it needs? Often when we are in the valley of trials we need that spiritual water to quench our spiritual thirst. The valley can be so hard and painful. When you are wondering within it you can look up to the tall beautiful snow capped mountains and remember the mountain top experiences. They are what sustains you as you know your time in the valley will end and you'll once again be breathing in the fresh air on the mountain. But it's only when we are at the end of our rope and look up to Him that we receive the life giving water to sustain us through the remainder of our time in the valley.

Can you see it? Can you see that water cascading down in a long beautiful waterfall? Can you see it flowing through the river and into the valley just when you need it? Can you feel it sooth your sore spiritual throat? At times I'm not sure I can see it but I know it'll come. I know that God "will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water." Isaiah 41:18

If you are in the valley don't continue to look down but turn your face upwards to the mountains where the Lord is waiting for you to return to. Take a drink from the water He provides from the mountain top. Learn what you need to learn in the valley and allow that water to give you strength to begin climbing. He will always send forth springs in the valley.

Krista Jones
4.8.08

Ready to Move

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

The owner of the tenement which I have occupied for many years has given notice that he will furnish but little or nothing more for repairs. I am advised to be ready to move.

At first this was not a very welcome notice. The surroundings here are in many respects very pleasant, and were it not for the evidence of decay, I should consider the house good enough. But even a light wind causes it to tremble and totter, and all the braces are not sufficient to make it secure. So I am getting ready to move.

It is strange how quickly one's interest is transferred to the prospective home. I have been consulting maps of the new country and reading descriptions of its inhabitants. One who visited it has returned, and from him I learn that it is beautiful beyond description; language breaks down in attempting to tell of what he heard while there. He says that, in order to make an investment there, he has suffered the loss of all things that he owned here, and even rejoices in what others would call making a sacrifice. Another, whose love to me has been proven by the greatest possible test, is now there. He has sent me several clusters of the most delicious fruits. After tasting them, all food here seems insipid.

Two or three times I have been down by the border of the river that forms the boundary, and have wished myself among the company of those who were singing praises to the King on the other side. Many of my friends have moved there. Before leaving they spoke of my coming later. I have seen the smile upon their faces as they passed out of sight. Often I am asked to make some new investments here, but my answer in every case is, "I am getting ready to move." --Selected

The words often on Jesus' lips in His last days express vividly the idea, "going to the Father." We, too, who are Christ's people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. We are journeying towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of life. We, too, are "going to the Father." Much is dim concerning our home-country, but two things are clear. It is home, "the Father's House." It is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts it. He is a traveller, not a settler. --R. C. Gillie

The little birds trust God, for they go singing
From northern woods where autumn winds have blown,
With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging
To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown.

Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing:
Since we are sure our times are in His hand,
Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?
'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land.
--Selected

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

Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . . " Jude 20

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land ( Mark 14:54 ). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.

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

Give Out The Blessing

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his inner being shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

Some of us are shivering and wondering why the Holy Spirit does not fill us. We have plenty coming in, but we do not give it out. Give out the blessing that you have, start larger plans for service and blessing, and you will soon find that the Holy Ghost is before you, and He will present you with blessings for service, and give you all that He can trust you to give away to others.

There is a beautiful fact in nature which has its spiritual parallels. There is no music so heavenly as an Aeolian harp, and the Aeolian harp is nothing but a set of musical chords arranged in harmony, and then left to be touched by the unseen fingers of the wandering winds. And as the breath of heaven floats over the chords, it is said that notes almost Divine float out upon the air, as if a choir of angels were wandering around and touching the strings.

And so it is possible to keep our hearts so open to the touch of the Holy Spirit that He can play upon them at will, as we quietly wait in the pathway of His service.--Days of Heaven upon Earth

When the apostles received the baptism with the Holy Ghost they did not rent the upper room and stay there to hold holiness meetings, but went everywhere preaching the gospel. --Will Huff

"If I have eaten my morsel alone,"
The patriarch spoke with scorn;
What would he think of the Church were he shown
Heathendom-huge, forlorn,
Godless, Christless, with soul unfed,
While the Church's ailment is fullness of bread,
Eating her morsel alone?

"Freely ye have received, so give,"
He bade, who hath given us all.
How shall the soul in us longer live
Deaf to their starving call,
For whom the blood of the Lord was shed,
And His body broken to give them. bread,
If we eat our morsel alone!"
--Archbishop Alexander

"Where is Abel thy brother?" (Gen. 4:9).

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

The Awareness of the Call

". . . for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" 1 Corinthians 9:16

We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God. If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called. The call of God does not come like that; it is much more supernatural. The realization of the call in a person’s life may come like a clap of thunder or it may dawn gradually. But however quickly or slowly this awareness comes, it is always accompanied with an undercurrent of the supernatural— something that is inexpressible and produces a "glow." At any moment the sudden awareness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life may break through— "I chose you . . ." ( John 15:16 ). The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. You are not called to preach the gospel because you are sanctified; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a compulsion that was placed upon him.

If you have ignored, and thereby removed, the great supernatural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances. See where you have put your own ideas of service or your particular abilities ahead of the call of God. Paul said, ". . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" He had become aware of the call of God, and his compulsion to "preach the gospel" was so strong that nothing else was any longer even a competitor for his strength.

If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony.

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

Ask Me Now

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

Whether you need a weather forecast for Singapore or driving directions to a restaurant in Chicago, the answer may be just a cell-phone call away. A California-based mobile service called AskMeNow utilizes Internet content sources to send text-message replies to queries from registered users on just about any subject. In many cases, a text-message reply may be received within minutes of submitting a question.

In a sense, the invitation to ask anything, anytime, anywhere mirrors God’s call to all who follow Jesus: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach” (James 1:5). But this is more than a mobile information service. It is our heavenly Father’s promise to provide the guidance we need, especially during trying times.

All we need is a sincere desire to follow God’s direction and faith that His way is best. Because the Lord “gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty,” we can ask in faith without doubting (vv.5-6 Phillips).

The Internet is a great place to find helpful information, but there is only one source of divine wisdom to direct our steps each day. The Father invites our sincere requests anytime, anywhere. — David C. McCasland

My Lord is ever with me
Along life’s busy way;
I trust in Him completely
For guidance day by day. —Anon

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Controlling our Tongues

Controlling the tongue was the topic of my evening Bible reading. And I might say that there are times when my tongue has been unleashed it has been so destructive that I am ashamed about it. Proverbs 21:23 says, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles." Ok, now isn't that the truth?! Off of this verse I was lead to Proverbs 13:3 which says, "The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin." In my study notes on this verse it says that the ability to control the tongue is one of the clearest marks of wisdom. YIKES! If this is the truth then I've got a longer way to go then I had previously thought.

Last summer Eric and I went to his step-grandfather's funeral. Donny was such a quiet man that I never really got to know him. Eric worked for him while in high school and knew him pretty well but we were unable to get in good visits with that side of the family while Donny was alive. I was deeply touched by the testimony of his life and how much he ministered and touched the community in which he lived and worked in. One thing that was repeated by many was that Donny never had a bad thing to say about anyone. No matter what he went through or what was done to him he seemed to always find the good out of any situation. He was an encourager, servant and lover of Jesus who allowed Jesus to shine brightly through his life. WOW! What a legacy to leave behind for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live by.

There was a time in my life where I guarded my tongue better. It may be because I was shy and afraid to talk. I had more control and kept things to myself. Then, I found my voice and have been forming opinions ever since. If I feel I'm right I will let my tongue have it's way just to prove my point. And along the way I have hurt many not realizing that my words could be very damaging. James 3:8 says, "But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." I have watched my words cut people down and I have watched my words build them up. There is much power in our words and if we're not careful we can abuse a gift that God has given to us all. The gift of speech is a beautiful thing if used properly.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." Humm, interesting quote to ponder . . . . .

I walked away from Donny's funeral deeply saddened because I never took the time to get to know the man so many called their friend. Donny's life was cut short in my eyes but it was apparent that he was called home. His purpose was complete. And yet, it still lives on and can only live on by those of us who will teach our children to live like their Grandpa Donny. To aspire to be a person who will be known as a servant, loving all and never saying anything bad about anyone.

I pray that we can be, "quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger." (James 1:19).

Krista Jones
3.3.08

A True Know-It-All

"Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?" Isaiah 40:13

If your grade school was anything like mind, you had a "know-it-all" in your class. On any subject, Mister or Miss Know-it-all could expound at length. Nothing made you madder than to see some kid who acted like he new everything, because you knew he didn't know half of it.

There's only one who knows it all in the universe, and it isn't that kid. It is the great God whose perfections we have been studying. One of the attributes of our God is His omniscience, a word made up of two words; omni, which means all, and science, which has to do with knowledge.

So when we talk about the omniscience of God, we are referring to His "all-knowingness,' what God knows. This is one of a trilogy of God's "omni" attributes we will consider the next few days. A simple definition is that god's omniscience refers to His perfect knowledge of all things both actual and potential.

Let's make sure we get it down straight. The omniscience of god means that there is absolutely nothing He doesn't know - that there is no information system or set of data that exists anywhere outside of God's knowledge - nothing. He depends on no one outside of Himself for any knowledge about anything.

I like the story of the wealthy grandfather who was getting up in age. He was going deaf, but he went to the doctor and was fitted with a unique hearing aid. It not only overcame the old man's deafness, but it allowed him to hear perfectly. When he went back to the doctor for a checkup, the doctor commented, "Well, your family must be extremely happy to know that you can now hear."

The grandfather said, "No, I haven't told them about my hearing aid. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've already changed my will twice."

When folk don't think you know, it will greatly affect what they say and do! Are you living in light of the fact that God hears and sees everything you say and do? I hope so, because He does.

Think About It: God knows you intimately, every cell in your body, and He loves you!

By Tony Evans, taken from "Time To Get Serious"

The Lord Is Peace

"God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

The Lord came to Gideon and told him he was to lead his people in victory over the Midianites. That's like God telling a housewife to stand up to her abusive husband or a hight school student to take on drug peddlers or a preacher to preach the truth to a congregation of Pharisees. "Y-y-you-b-b-better get someone else," we stammer. But then god reminds us that He can, and to prove us that He knows we can't, but He can, and to prove it He gives a wonderful gift. He brings a spirit of peace. A peace before the storm. A peace beyond logic . . . He gave it to David after He showed HIm goliath; He gave it to Saul after He showed him the gospel; He gave it to Jesus after He showed HIm the cross. and He gave it to Gideon. So Gideon, in turn, gave the name to God. He built an alter and named it Jehovah-shalom, the Lord is peace (Judges 65:24).

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

Healing

Healing means "to restore to health or soundness; cure. To set right; repair. To restore (a person) to spiritual wholeness and to become whole and sound; return to health."

I came across a verse that the Lord led me to on October 13, 2001 shortly after my first Women's Retreat with New Hope Christian Church. The guest speaker was not someone I really cared for but something out of that weekend brought peace to my life after my ordeal with NHL. That August I had come up to the first year after I was diagnosed. I was still recovering from treatment but I felt great because I had won a major battle. Eric was unemployed but hopeful that he'd find another design job. We had just started going to New Hope Christian Church and felt like we found a church family we could be a part of. The girls were happy and healthy. And, we were discussing having another baby. I was so happy at the thought that we could have another child and maybe make up for the fact that I lost out on Emily's first year. I have no idea when she started to crawl, talk, walk or any other major milestone because it's all a blur.

Then came the oncology appointment that fell around the anniversary of when I was diagnosed. After finding out all was well we discussed our desire to have another baby. To that he said, "I would strongly recommend you don't. If you should choose to have another baby you would have to wait 2 years for your body to be fully rid of the toxins of chemotherapy. The nature of your type of cancer is that by then it will have returned and will no longer be treatable through traditional treatments. If you do become pregnant and we discover your cancer has returned, you will have two choices. One, terminate the pregnancy and get treated immediately. Or two, carry the pregnancy to full term risking the chances of the cancer spreading to the point where it can't be treated. Thus, you'd be leaving Eric with 3 young children to take care of."

I felt like I hit a wall the size of the Great Wall of China. Reality set in and my high was over. I was a mess after that appointment. My dreams of having another baby were shattered and I mourned that loss. I mourned the loss of my previous cancer free life full of hopes and dreams. I mourned the loss of forever having to be reminded that my life wasn't my own and that I had to live with the threat of my cancer returning. That October Eric forced me to go to the Women's Retreat. I didn't want to go because I wasn't settling in at as he was. But went I did and out of it came a life changing moment.

Psalm 103:1-3 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases." Next to this verse I wrote "Another reminder of God's healing power over NHL. Note: Jeremiah 30:17" I turned to Jeremiah 30:17 and it says, "For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds; declares the Lord." I was wounded and in need of the Lord's healing both physically and spiritually. I turned to Him that day and began to release all that I mourned over into His hands. I took on the promise in Jeremiah 30:6, "Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth."

That day began my journey of healing and living the life of a cancer survivor. I had crossed over from cancer victim to cancer fighter the year before. What I didn't realize was that I had to cross over from cancer fighter to cancer survivor and that is where I was struggling. I could no longer live upon the fact that I had won my first battle with it. That fact couldn't keep me alive for the long haul. I had to somehow come to terms that I had been healed but the healing may not last for a life time. Living the life of a survivor in the beginning is not easy. In fact, it's mentally harder then going through treatment. I honestly think this is true for any major trial you're dealing with. It's a difficult process to get through but once on the other side life will be different. The fact that the trial took place may have lasting consequences and reminders that you can never escape from. But that doesn't mean you can't gain healing and peace out of it. You have to be willing to acknowledge the fact that it's part of your history and can't be changed. That you're a different person because of it but that's OK. God can bring healing through it and give you freedom and peace. Turn it all over to Him and "Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recover will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 58:8).

Krista Jones
3.2.08

To Glorify Christ Jesus

"He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you" (John 16:14).

The Holy Ghost Himself cannot better glorify the LORD Jesus than by showing to us Christ's own things. Jesus is His own best commendation. There is no adorning Him except with his own gold. The Comforter shows us that which He has received of our LORD Jesus. We never see anything aright till He reveals it. He has a way of opening our minds and of opening the Scriptures, and by this double process He sets forth our LORD to us. There is much art in setting forth a matter, and that art belongs in the highest degree to the Spirit of truth. He shows us the things themselves. This is a great privilege, as those know who have enjoyed the hallowed vision. Let us seek the illumination of the Spirit; not to gratify our curiosity, nor even to bring us personal comfort, so much as to glorify the LORD Jesus. Oh, to have worthy ideas of Him! Groveling notions dishonor our precious LORD. Oh, to have such vivid impressions of His person, and work, and glory that we may with heart and soul cry out to His praise! Where there is a heart enriched by the Holy Ghost's teaching there will be a Savior glorified beyond expression. Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly light, and show us Jesus our LORD!

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

My Anxious Thoughts

Anxious means, "Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried." I have often been anxious throughout my whole life. As a child I remember worrying about EVERYTHING. I use to stay up worrying at night over silly things. One worried thought would lead to the next until I was piling them up like the twenty mattresses and and feather beds the Princes in the Pea slept upon. I'd literally feel heart pounding anxiety. Over the years the Lord has freed me from that deep anxiety but I do find myself falling into the worry trap easily.

Last night I came across a good verse. Psalm 94:19, "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul." Here is a verse that speaks directly of who I have been and still can be today. It's not often that I'm that Princesses on top of those mattresses of worry. But there are times I do wake up and the thoughts start coming and I can no longer fall asleep. It is at those times that I repeat, Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

When we pray this verse and give God what we're worrying about it gives Him the control. Or more likely, it helps us realize we were never in control over the situation in the first place . . . :-). I Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your anxiety to Him, because He cares for you." I like what Henry Ford had to say about worrying. "I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about."

When you feel those anxious thoughts creep in, repeat Philippians 4:6-7 and say to yourself, "so what is there to worry about?"

Memo from God
Author: Unknown
To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: THE BOSS
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

I am God.
Today I will be handling all of your problems.
Please remember that I do not need your help.
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.
Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box.
All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.
Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don't despair.
There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work;
Think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad;
Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;
Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance;
Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose?
Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Should you decide to send this to a friend;
Thank you, you may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Krista Jones
2.29.08

Do Not Forecast Grief

Sitting one still and sunny afternoon in a tiny chapel on an island in the South, I thought I heard someone enter. A young woman was weeping quietly. After a little time I asked if I could help. She confided her fears for the future--what if her husband should die? Or one of her children? What if money ran out?

All our fears represent in some form, I believe, the fear of death, common to all of us. But is it our business to pry into what may happen tomorrow? It is a difficult and painful exercise which saps the strength and uses up the time given us today. Once we give ourselves up to God, shall we attempt to get hold of what can never belong to us--tomorrow? Our lives are His, our times in His hand, He is Lord over what wil1 happen, never mind what may happen. When we prayed "Thy will be done," did we suppose He did not hear us? He heard indeed, and daily makes our business His and partakes of our lives. If my life is once surrendered, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!

Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.

"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"--and the work thereof. The evil is not a part of the yoke Jesus asks us to take. Our work is, and He takes that yoke with us. I will overextend myself if I assume anything more.

God chains the dog till night; wilt loose the chain
And wake thy sorrow?
Wilt thou forestall it, and now grieve tomorrow,
And then again
Grieve over freshly all thy pain?
Either grief will not come, or if it must,
Do not forecast;
And while it cometh, it is almost past.
Away, distrust;
My God hath promis'd; He is just.
-George Herbert, "The Discharge"

By Elisabeth Elliot

Long Hours

"I will give myself unto prayer." Psalm 109:4

We are often in a religious hurry in our devotions. How much time do we spend in them daily? Can it not be easily reckoned in minutes? Who ever knew an eminently holy man who did not spend much of his time in prayer? Did ever a man exhibit much of the spirit of prayer, who did not devote much time in his closet?

Whitefield says, "Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground, in silent or vocal prayer." "Fall upon your knees and grow there," is the language of another, who knew whereof he affirmed.

It has been said that no great work in literature or science was ever wrought by a man who did not love solitude. We may lay it down as an elemental principle of religion, that no large growth in holiness was ever gained by one who did not take time to be often, and long, alone with God. - The Still Hour

"'Come, come,' He saith, 'O soul oppressed and weary,
Come to the shadows of my desert rest;
Come walk with Me far from life's babbling discords,
And peace shall breathe like music in thy breast.'"

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

Laying Your Cares at His Feet

"Give your worries to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will never let good people down." Psalm 55:22

Only you can surrender your concerns to the Father. No one else can take those away and give them to God. Only you can cast all your anxieties on the one who cares for you. What better way to start the day than by laying your cares at His feet?

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

The Waiting Game

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11

Impatient people are like cats petted backwards - apt to yowl over the discomfort of things not done right or not done at all. But Proverbs 19:11 spells out the divine imperative: "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."

Unlike jigsaw puzzles, people don't always fit together perfectly. Everyone's personality has unique ins and outs. Some are busy, get-it-done types, for whom people are a means to an end. Others are more laid-back; they talk about getting something done, but never quite get to it. To them, people and relationships are the end.

When these two types get together, they can despair over the other's failures, blind to their own. Or they can see those conflicts as opportunities for their own growth.

Single until her mid-thirties, Dora had numerous roommates who stretched her comfort zone.

"I like the dishes always done and the floor vacuumed," she says. "But the Lord needed to expose my inflexibility. The roommates he sent were my opposites. They lived on the telephone and were blind to dust. But they also drew me out of myself and taught me how to care for people."

In (my) family, cartoons help us celebrate our differences and be patient with one another. Any comic strip that hits home is clipped and posted on the refrigerator for laughs. Then I paste it in a notebook, kept with the family photo albums, for repeat laughs and long-term reminders of how human we are really are.

By Jeanne Zornes, taken from "Women's Daily Devotional Bible 1"

Are you your own worst enemy?

Psalm 86:11 says, "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name."

My Bible study notes say that David's dependance on God here is complete as well as his devotion to God. What he is saying is that he still needs to be saved from his enemies from the outside but also from his frailty within. He knows he is his worse enemy and seeks to be united with his God. God wants us to watch over our hearts as He tells us in Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." It is important to guard my heart from the world with all diligence so that it doesn't become separated from our God. How are people to know the Lord if we are united with the world? How are our children to learn about Him if we united with the world? I think of how I want to break the chains of horrible things that have bound my family for generations so that the generations after me will not have to suffer the same way. What I would like to do is start a chain of God that future generations can attach themselves to. A glorious chain of love, obedience and sharing the Good News. God says, "And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them." (Jer. 32:39)

Let us not forget to seek our God diligently. By doing so we continue to become fully united with Him and separated from the world. He tells us in Deuteronomy 4:29 & 31, "There you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul . . . . . For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them." WOW, by seeking the Lord with all our heart and soul we are guaranteed the promises He has given to us.

Oh that it would be so easy!!! I still feel like the Israelites who have seen with their own eyes the miracles and power of God and yet, cannot seem to keep His commandments. It seems like such a simple thing to do. Follow God's commandments and prosper in the promised land protected by Him. Hello! easy peasy. Yet, I read and understand what I need to do but fail to follow it just like the Israelites did. I can be my worse enemy and need protection from what my sinful nature desires. I pray that we will yearn to have a united heart that fears the Lord. That we will not only hear what the Word has to say but apply it in our daily living. I understand that it doesn't guarantee an easy life but it does guarantee an eternal life filled with joy. It guarantees that you are never alone in your struggles, pain and suffering. That you have a loving Father in heaven who will gently guide you through your life if only you seek to unite your heart with Him.

Krista Jones
2.28.08

No water is too deep for our God!

Last night during my reading I came across Psalm 81:7, "You called in trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribath."

I know I might be taking this out of context but I was stuck by the awesomeness of our God. How powerful and mighty He is. How He is in control of all things great and small. That out of His mighty thunder He reaches down to us with a gentle hand to rescue us. Psalm 18:15 talks about how powerful God is, "Then the channels of water appeared, and the fountains of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils." I pretty sure this is referring to when the Israelites walked across the sea floor while God kept the waters parted. "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing waters stood up like a heap; the deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea." (Exodus 15:8).

And even as powerful and great as God is, He is still concerned with the small details of our lives. "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1).

Here's a tid-bit from my devotional reading this morning: "God is great in great things, but very great in little things," says Henry Dyer. "A party stood on the Matterhorn admiring the sublimity of the scene, when a gentleman produced a pocket microscope, and having caught a fly, placed it under the glass. He reminded us that the legs of the household fly in England were naked, then called attention to the legs of this little fly, which were thickly covered with hair, thus showing that the same God who made the lofty Swiss mountains had also attended to the comfort of His tiniest creatures, even producing socks and mittens for the little fly whose home these mountains were. This God is our God!" (taken from Streams in the Desert Volume 2).

I can see that when the trials come into my life and I wonder if God really cares about what I'm going through that He does care. If He cares enough to cloth the little Matterhorn fly then He cares enough to cloth me with His love. That when my trials are as deep as the deepest waters He is still deeper. I sometimes feel like the Israelites standing at the water's edge with the Egyptian army behind me wondering which way to turn. And here God provides a way of escape by parting the deep waters for me. Out of his great thunder He rescues. No water is too deep for our God!

Krista Jones
2.27.08

October's Memory Verse

Last night my family read the devotion below. I thought it perfect for today.

Don't Be A Baby

"You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right." Hebrews 5:12-14

It was devotion time at the Ryan home. "Tonight," began Dad, "let's each quote a Bible verse. Choose one that has had special meaning to you recently."

Uh-oh, thought Andy. I haven't learned any new verses in weeks.

Andy listened to his big sister, Angela. "Psalm 119:97; 'Oh, how I love thy low! It is my meditation all the day,' " she quoted, "This verse reminds me to think about God's Word during the day."

"A good lesson for us all," said Dad. "How about you, Andy?"

"I like John 3:16," Andy replied. " 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.' "

"You always say the same verse," fussed Angela, rolling her eyes. "Don't you ever learn any new ones?"

"It's an important verse," Mom assured him, "and I'm glad you like it. But it's also important to add new verses to our memory."

"Think of it this way," said Dad. "Mom gives Sarah baby food, right? But what if she gave all of us strained food?"

"Yuck!" Andy wrinkled his nose. "Baby food is for babies. We nee solid food so we can grow."

"Right," said Dad. "John 3:16 is an important verse - just like baby food is important for Sarah. But as we grow in our Christian lives, we need to add solid foods to our spiritual diet so we won't be spiritual weaklings."

"In that case," said Andy, "please pass the Bible. I don't want to be a baby."

How about you?: Have you learned any new verses lately? Are you adding new truths from the Bible to your spiritual life? It's important to remember verses we learned when we first became Christians, but we also should be learning new things so we can keep on growing.

Key: Learn a new verse.

Taken from Family Devotions, Volume 1


MEMORY VERSE FOR OCTOBER:

Proverbs 16:1-3

"The plans of the heart belong to man. But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established."

Proverbs 16:1-3 (NASB - New American Standard Bible)


September's Memory Verse: Proverbs 17:9

Remember the key is to review review review. Always review the verses you've already memorized along with learning this month's verse. If you'd like, post a comment and let me know how it's going.

The Missionary’s Goal

"He . . . said to them, ’Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem . . . ’" Luke 18:31

In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him?". . . till we all come . . . to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . ." ( Ephesians 4:13 ), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God’s will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord.

In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go "up to Jerusalem."

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" ( Matthew 10:24 ). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our "Jerusalem." There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going "up to [our] Jerusalem."

". . . there they crucified Him . . ." ( Luke 23:33 ). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, "I too go ’up to Jerusalem.’ "

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

He Watches Over Us

"From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth." Psalm 33:14

In the early 1960s, I read the novel 1984 by George Orwell, which made famous the phrase “Big Brother is watching you.” In this imaginary society, all aspects of life are under surveillance.

Today, there are an estimated 4.2 million closed-circuit video cameras in the UK alone! London is saturated with them. These cameras watch lobbies and sidewalks for security reasons. They even monitor traffic.

Psalm 33 tells us that God is also watching from on high (v.14). He sees not just images and activities but discerns thoughts and motives. As Creator God, when He speaks, it will be done (v.9). His eternal purposes march on unhindered (vv.10-11). Earthly obstacles are mere steppingstones to Him. Though many may depend on military strength for deliverance and safety, their hope is in vain (vv.16-17).

Yet we who fear the Lord need not flee from this awesome God. The psalmist affirms, “The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy . . . . He is our help and our shield” (vv.18,20).

The eye of the Lord may be fearsome, but we who trust in Him rejoice. He is not an intrusive “Big Brother” but our loving heavenly Father who watches over us. — Albert Lee

The Rock of Ages stands secure,
He always will be there;
He watches over all His own
To calm their anxious care. —Keith

Keep your eyes on the Lord; He never takes His eyes off you.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Spiritual Growth of Children

I am becoming more amazed at the depth of parenting the older my children get and for the awesome responsibility we have towards their spiritual growth. Psalm 78:5-8 says, "For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children. That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but to keep His commandments. And not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God." What a great reminder of what we as parents need to be doing. We need to be teaching our children about God and what He's done for us. To train them up to know Him so that they may one day take what they've learned and impart it upon their children.

I think it's also important to break whatever chain that has bound past generations in your family. I pray daily that my children can be freed from the chain of divorce, alcoholism, drugs and so forth that have kept past generations bound in our family. I pray that the link stops with us. Deuteronomy 4:9 says, "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of you life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." This means that we too need to keep our selves in good spiritual shape. To be diligent in our walk with the Lord so our children can learn by our example to walk with the same diligence not forgetting what God has done for them. By this we hope to help keep our children faithful to the Lord.

Krista Jones
2.26.08

Best Seller or Bread of Life?

''How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!'' Psalm 119:103

Of the millions of Bibles bought during the last few years there is no certain way to discover how many are being read. But there is a pretty sure way to discover how many readers obey them. Total committal of a few hundred thousand persons to the message of the Bible anywhere in the world would work a moral revolution that would affect for good every facet of modern life. Since no such revolution has occurred we can only conclude that the Best Seller is not being read, or at least not being obeyed.

In a time of disaster such as earthquake or flood first-aid information and the instructions of the medical authorities are often matters of life or death. What would we think of a man if we found him at such a time comfortably reclined reading this material for its literary beauty? He might feel an aesthetic thrill at the terse, concise language and still die of typhoid, for his life depends not upon his admiration of the words of the official directives but upon his obedience to them.

As preposterous as such conduct would be, yet something like it is practiced constantly in a sphere where the consequences are far more weighty. Men who have but a little while to prepare themselves for the eternal world read the only book that can tell them how--not to learn how, but to enjoy the literary beauty of the book. Only the blindness of heart occasioned by sin would permit men so to do.

By A.W. Tozer, taken from "The Set of the Sail" - Chapter #45 (The Proper Use of the Bible)

Memory Verse Challenge

I'm going to throw out a challenge for you. I try to memorize a verse a month and will share those with you at the beginning of each month so you can join me if you'd like.
 
The key is to review review review. Don't just memorize and let it go. Keep building upon what you've already memorized by reviewing each verse everyday. It takes time but it's well worth it. Another key is to repeat the verse address before and after the verse. This month is almost over but the verse I just started working on is easy. 
 
Proverbs 17:9 
 
"He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends." 
 
Proverbs 17:9 (NASB - New American Standard Bible) 


Next month's verse will be posted on Oct. 1st. Good luck with your memory work. 

Missionary Weapons (2)

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." John 13:14

Ministering in Everyday Opportunities. Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.

The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.

Jesus said, "I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (13:15). Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now He says we should exhibit to those around us exactly what He has exhibited to us.

Do you find yourself responding by saying, "Oh, I will do all that once I’m out on the mission field"? Talking in this way is like trying to produce the weapons of war while in the trenches of the battlefield--you will be killed while trying to do it.

We have to go the "second mile" with God (see Matthew 5:41 ). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, "Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life." But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes.

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

Hear Their Cry

"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry." Exodus 22:22-23

CNN recently reported that there are approximately 40 million widows in India. Fifteen thousand of them live on the streets of the northern city of Vrindavan. Unfortunately, many of their families do not hear their cries. A 70-year-old widow says, “My son tells me: ‘You have grown old. Now who is going to feed you? Go away.’?” She cries, “What do I do? My pain has no limit.”

When God gave His people instructions in the desert, He told them they had a responsibility to care for widows and fatherless children in the land (Ex. 22:22-23). They were to leave some of the harvest in the field for them, and every third year they took up a special tithe for the needy. God expected His people to hear the cries of the powerless, defend their rights, and care for them.

The Israelites were commanded to care for others as a remembrance of their experience in Egypt. When they were in trouble and cried out to God, He heard their cries and helped them. So their memory of oppression and release was intended to mold their values, attitudes, and actions toward the powerless in the land (Deut. 24:18-22).

Let us imitate our Father by hearing the cries of the needy in our world. — Marvin Williams

To love your neighbor as yourself
Is not an easy task,
But God will show His love through you
If only you will ask. —Sper

The closer you are to God, the more you’ll have a heart for others.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

God Heals Our Hurts

"He had compassion on them." Matthew 14:14

The Greek word for compassion is splanchnizomai, which won't mean much to you unless you are in the health professions and studies "splanchnology" in school. If so, you remember that "splanchnology" is a study of . . . the gut.

When Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the people, He is not saying that Jesus felt casual pity for them. No, the term is far more graphic. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in His gut:

He felt the limp of the crippled.

He felt the hurt of the diseased.

He felt the loneliness of the leper.

He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.

And once He felt their hurts, He couldn't help but heal their hurts. - In the Eye of the Storm

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

God is the Strength of Your Heart

Psalms 73:25-26 says, "Whom have I in heave but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

This Psalmist was a Levite and knew the meaning of the Lord being his portion forever. A Levite lived by the tithes of the people and didn't have a portion of the promised land. In fact, God was their portion. He is saying here that the Lord is his life forever.

In my margin next to Ps. 73:26 it says, "When we feel the stress of the storm we learn the strength of the anchor." I'm feeling like this is my motto for the year. Right now I'm feeling discouraged, tried, uncertain and not liking myself for who I am. I know I feel this way because of what I put into myself. My portion has been coming from the world and seeping into the portion I get from God. I still do my daily devotional time but it's not as effective as keeping me spiritually fit because I still eat the junk food of the world. I yearn to be like this Levite Psalmist who's life is all about literally knowing his livelihood comes from God. That nothing He desires on earth compares to God.

When you're feeling like your heart and flesh are failing you, know that God is the strength of you heart and your portion forever. But if you continue to fill yourself up with things that are not of the Lord you will continue to feel like I have been. Turn to the Lord and soak up all He has to bless you with. Open the Bible find what treasures He has left for you to find. When you do that you will find that God is your strength.

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."

Krista Jones
2.25.08

Expectations Beyond Us

"But prayer" (Acts 12:5).

But prayer is the link that connects us with God. This is the bridge that spans every gulf and bears us over every abyss of danger or of need. How significant the picture of the Apostolic Church: Peter in prison, the Jews triumphant, Herod supreme, the arena of martyrdom awaiting the dawning of the morning to drink up the apostle's blood, and everything else against it. "But prayer was made unto God without ceasing." And what was the sequel? The prison open, the apostle free, the Jews baffled, the wicked king eaten of worms, a spectacle of hidden retribution, and the Word of God rolling on in greater victory.

Do we know the power of our supernatural weapon? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that commands as well as asks? God baptize us with holy audacity and Divine confidence! He is not wanting great men, but He is wanting men who will dare to prove the greatness of their God. But God! But prayer! - A. B. Simpson

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He delights to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things. --Andrew Murray

Our prayers are God's opportunities.

Are you in sorrow? Prayer can make your affliction sweet and strengthening. Are you in gladness? Prayer can add to your joy a celestial perfume. Are you in extreme danger from outward or inward enemies? Prayer can set at your right hand an angel whose touch could shatter a millstone into smaller dust than the flour it grinds, and whose glance could lay an army low. What will prayer do for you? I answer: All that God can do for you. "Ask what I shall give thee." --Farrar

"Wrestling prayer can wonders do,
Bring relief in deepest straits;
Prayer can force a passage through
Iron bars and brazen gates."

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

God Can Handle It

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God." Psalm 91:1

Do you ever do anything just because it makes you feel good? You don't have to do it. There's no need to do it, but you just enjoy doing it.

Well, that's how God feels about all of creation! He created the universe out of Hi own good pleasure. He didn't have to do it, because one of the attributes of our God is that He is self-sufficient. He doesn't need anything or anyone to complete Him.

Psalm 19 invites us to see, by looking at what God has created, how glorious and sufficient He is. If you really want to know how sufficient, how good, how complete something is, look at what it produces. If what it produces is glorious, then the person responsible for that production must be more glorious then the thing produced and must be sufficient to produce ti. Today's verse says we can look at nature and see God's fingerprints all over it.

That's why God does not spend time trying to prove His existence to atheists. Only a fool would reject the existence of God after looking at the creation as complex and orderly as this world. All of the things that make life what it is prove that we have an all-sufficient God and that there is none like Him.

The Bible declares that God is responsible for creation, which of necessity means that God precedes creation. The reason God precedes creation is that He 'has life within Himself" (John 5:26). God has self-generating power, His own internal battery, by which He crated everything.

And having created all things, God is more than sufficient to handle His creation. Referring to Jesus, Colossians 1:17 says that "in Him all things hold together." Jesus is the "cosmic glue" that keeps this universe from flying apart.

God's self-sufficiency is good news for us. Why? Because Ephesians 1:5-6 says that He saved us and adopted us as His children because it pleased Him to do so, not because we were worthy that's what grace is all about, and that's why we can call god our Father.

Think about it: The self-sufficient power that God exercised in creation and in our salvation is the same power by which He will keep us secure until He comes for us.

By Tony Evans, taken from "Time to Get Serious"

When God Withholds His Hand . . . .

I came across a chapter in Psalms that I held close to me shortly after I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in August 2000. My friend gave it to me because it was one that she clung to while her infant son was on life support.

Psalm 13

1How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4And my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Beside this chapter I have written, "When God withholds His hand, trust His heart." (Aug. 17, 2000). I find it interesting that the notes in my study Bible says of the verse 1-2, "An anguished complaint concerning a prolonged serious illness." I didn't know that 8 years ago. I think this goes for any trial we go through. And I think it's important to remember that no matter what we go through that we can still trust in God and rejoice because "He has dealt bountifully with me."

Note: My friends son survived and is a healthy 9-year-old today.

Krista Jones
2.13.08

A Heart at Peace

"The wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please." James 3:17

The heart of Jesus was pure. The Savior was adored by thousands, yet content to live a simple life. He was cared for by women (Luke 8:1-2), yet never accused of lustful thoughts; scorned by his own creation, but willing to forgive them before they even requested His mercy. Peter, who traveled with Jesus for three and a half years, described Him as a "lamb, unblemished and spotless" (I Peter 1:19).

After spending the same amount of time with Jesus, John concluded, "And in him is no sin" (I John 3:5).

Jesus' heart was peaceful. The disciples fretted over the need to feed the thousands, but not Jesus. He thanked God for the problem. The disciples shouted for fear in the storm, but not Jesus. He slept through it. Peter drew his sword to fight the soldier, but not Jesus. He lifted His hand to heal. His heart was a peace. - Just Like Jesus

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

Our Most Frequent Weapon

Proverbs 12:18 says, "There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

It is said that "the most frequent weapon used against the psalmist (which was in this case David) is the tongue." I agree. We can either bring love and joy into someone's life or cut them to the core by what we say.

James 3:8 says, "But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." I pray that we will remember how deadly our words can be before we speak out in frustration and anger. To give to the Lord our power of speech so that He can use it for lifting those around us up and speaking to them of His love. To remember that, "A soothing tongue is a tree of life. But perversion in it crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:4

Krista Jones
2.22.08

Grow in the Gloom

"I have all, and abound" (Phil. 4:18).

In one of my garden books there is a chapter with a very interesting heading, "Flowers that Grow in the Gloom." It deals with those patches in a garden which never catch the sunlight. And my guide tells me the sort of flowers which are not afraid of these dingy corners--may rather like them and flourish in them.

And there are similar things in the world of the spirit. They come out when material circumstances become stern and severe. They grow in the gloom. How can we otherwise explain some of the experiences of the Apostle Paul?

Here he is in captivity at Rome. The supreme mission of his life appears to be broken. But it is just in this besetting dinginess that flowers begin to show their faces in bright and fascinating glory. He may have seen them before, growing in the open road, but never as they now appeared in incomparable strength and beauty. Words of promise opened out their treasures as he had never seen them before.

Among those treasures were such wonderful things as the grace of Christ, the love of Christ, the joy and peace of Christ; and it seemed as though they needed an "encircling gloom" to draw out their secret and their inner glory. At any rate the realm of gloom became the home of revelation, and Paul began to realize as never before the range and wealth of his spiritual inheritance.
Who has not known men and women who, when they arrive at seasons of gloom and solitude, put on strength and hopefulness like a robe? You may imprison such folk where you please; but you shut up their treasure with them. You cannot shut it out. You may make their material lot a desert, but "the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."--Dr. Jowett

"Every flower, even the fairest, has its shadow beneath it as it swings in the sunlight."

Where there is much light there is much shade.

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

The Danger of Not Knowing God

We are meant to be witnesses for God--people who have seen and known Him and are willing to speak of what they see and know. Sometimes there is danger for such people--as in Russia, where it can mean forced labor, banishment, death.

In China in the early 1930s a missionary couple, John and Betty Stam, were captured by Chinese Communists and marched through the streets of the village to a chopping block where each was beheaded. If they had been willing to recant their Christian faith, their lives would have been spared. Given their commitment to Christ, such a choice was unthinkable. They placed not only their lives but the life of their baby, Helen Priscilla, in the hands of God, confident that God could protect them if He chose, and, if He chose not to, it was safer to be in those hands than anywhere else in the universe. Like thousands of Christians before them, they preferred the sword to disobedience, believing that the danger of not knowing God is infinitely greater than any other danger.

Lord, be our Sun and Shield. Shine on us, protect us as we seek to live and witness to your truth. Forgive us (especially those of us who have never faced lions, fire, or sword because of our faith) for our fears of petty loss. Remind us that it is in losing ourselves that we find You.

By Elisabeth Elliot

A Hunch and a Hope

"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:34

Maybe all you have (is) a crazy hunch and a high hope. You have nothing to give. But you are hurting. And all you have to offer Him is your hurt.

Maybe that has kept you from coming to God. Oh, you've taken a step or two in His direction. But then you saw the other people around Him. they seemed so clean, so neat, so trim and fit in their faith. And when you saw them, they blocked your view of Him. So you stepped back.

If that describes you, note carefully . . . one person (whom Christ) commended . . . for having faith. It wasn't a wealthy giver. It wasn't a loyal follower. It wasn't an acclaimed teacher. It was a shame-struck, penniless outcast - (a women who had been bleeding for twelve years) - who clutched onto her hunch that He could and her hope that He would.

Which, by the way, isn't a bad definition of faith. A conviction that He can and a hope that He will. - He Still Moves Stones

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment

The God Who Is Spirit

"God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24

During Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan women in John 4, He made a very important statement about God's essential nature. They were talking about worship when Jesus said, "An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." (vs. 23)

Please notice that the phrase in John 4:24 has no article. God is not "the" Spirit; God is spirit. That is, spirit is His essence. That's who He is. This phrase is put at the front of the sentence in Greek for emphasis, so what Jesus is saying is, "I want to emphasize why you must worship God in spirit and truth."

You can't get very far in the quest to know God without talking about worshiping Him. And you can't worship God the way He wants to be worshiped until you understand that "God is spirit."

What does it mean to say something is spirit? First of all, it means that God is non material. He does not have a body. Spirits don't have bodies (Luke 24:39). You say, "But Jesus is a body."

Yes, but that's because He became man, not because that's who He is in His eternal essence. In God's essence, He is immaterial. Now the Bible knows we have trouble with that because we are material beings in a material world.

So, the Bible speaks about God in human terms: "the hand for the Lord" or "the eyes of the Lord." These human descriptions are used to help us relate to a spirit being we could not relate to otherwise.

But when it comes to worship, God says, "You must worship Me in My essence" - that is, in spirit. That's why we don't make images of God and bow down to them. He forbids it, because nothing on earth could represent our awesome God properly.

That's also why worshiping God is a matter of what you do in your inner being, your spirit. What you do in your spirit is God's first concern, because everything else will flow out of that.

Think about it: The great God is spirit is actually looking for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth! Want to join up?

By Tony Evans, taken from "Time to Get Serious"

Hyssop

"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

Hyssop is a member of the mint family. The hairy stem of the much-branched plant is used as a sprinkling device because it retains water very well. In the O.T. it was used in ceremonial cleansing and purification rituals. It is thought that during the crucifixion the Hyssop was used to give Jesus the sour wine. "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of our wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth." John 19:28-29.

When Jesus was about to die it was like He was being cleansed with the hyssop just like the Psalmist was asking God to do for him. We who have placed our lives in Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him have have been cleansed and are whiter than snow. Jesus had to go through the dark valley of death so that we could be free from the bondage of sin and be cleansed as with hyssop.

Sometimes it's hard to go through difficult trials especially ones that can not be changed but have to be endured. I came across a devotional this morning that talked about this very thing. "My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my 'thorn'; I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as itself as present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my 'thorn.' Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow." George Matheson.

Lord, may we learn from our trials, sins and the 'thorn' that is often placed in our lives. Cleanse us with hyssop that we may be clean again. Clean as the whitest snow that is pure and untouched in the bright sunshine of the morning. May we come to a point of praise for the 'thorn' that we must endure. That it may teach us to glory the cross and that through that path of pain we may see that beautiful rainbow and feel your loving arms close around us in love. - Amen

God, pity those who can not say;
"Not mine, but Thing"; who can pray
"let this cup pass," and cannot see
The purpose in Gethsemane.

- Unknown

Krista Jones
2.21.08

The Spiritual Search

"What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Matthew 7:9

The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (seeMatthew 5:45 ). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a "good child" in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, "I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings"? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a "good child."

We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12 ).

I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I "walk in the light" ( 1 John 1:7 ). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, "Everyone who asks receives . . ." ( Matthew 7:8 ).

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

God’s Restraint

"Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself." Psalm 76:10

Augustine said that God “judged it better to bring good out of evil, than not to permit any evil to exist.” Thus God takes the worst evil that men and women can do to us and turns it into good. Even the wrath of ungodly men brings praise to Him (Ps. 76:10).

God has not promised that your life will be easy—indeed it may not be. But He has promised to sustain you in your struggle and uphold you with His mighty arm. If you trust Him, He will empower you to make your way bravely through extraordinary difficulty with faith, hope, and love. The trials God permits in your life will lead to His praise and glory, if only you will abide in Him.

Furthermore, there will be a restraint and a respite. The Hebrew text is somewhat obscure in Psalm 76:10. Literally it reads, “Surely the wrath of man will praise You; the remnant of wrath [God] will bind.” God will use men’s wrath to bring glory and praise to Himself, but when that purpose is fulfilled He will then restrain it.

God will not allow you to be pressed beyond endurance. That is His sure promise. When the lesson has been learned, when the revelation of God’s glory is complete and your soul has been tried and proven—then God will raise His hand and save you. He will say, “No more.” — David H. Roper

When He leads through some valley of trouble,
His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us
Are part of His lessons in grace. —Anon.

In every desert of trial, God has an oasis of comfort.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

God Above Human Philosophy

"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." 1 Corinthians 1:19

This verse is a threatening so far as the worldly wise are concerned, but to the simple believer it is a promise. The professedly learned are forever trying to bring to nothing the faith of the humble believer, but they fail in their attempts. Their arguments break down, their theories fall under their own weight, their deep-laid plots discover themselves before their purpose is accomplished. The old gospel is not extinct yet, nor will it be while the LORD liveth. If it could have been exterminated, it would have perished from off the earth long ago. We cannot destroy the wisdom of the wise, nor need we attempt it, for the work is in far better hands. The LORD Himself says, "I will," and He never resolves in vain. Twice does He in this verse declare His purpose, and we may rest assured that He will not turn aside from it. What clean work the LORD makes of philosophy and "modern thought" when He puts His hand to it! He brings the fine appearance down to nothing; He utterly destroys the wood, hay, and stubble. It is written that so it shall be, and so shall it be. LORD, make short work of it. Amen, and amen.

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

You're Something Special

"Nothing . . . in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God." Romans 8:39

We want to know how long God's love will endure . . . Not just on Easter Sunday when our shoes are shined and our hair is fixed . . . Not when I"m peppy and positive and ready to tackle world hunger. Not then. I know how He feels about me then. Even I like me then.

I want to know how He feels about me when I snap at anything that moves, when my thoughts are gutter-level, when my tongue is sharp enough to slice a rock. How does He feel about me then? . . .

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ has for us?

God answered our question before we asked it. So we'd see His answer, He lit the sky with a star. So we'd hear it, He filled the night with a choir; and so we'd believe it, He did what no man had ever dreamed. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

He placed His hand on the shoulder of humanity and said, "You're something special." - In the Grip of Grace

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