TODAY COUNTS

365 Guidelines for

a Meaningful Life

Harold J. Sala

OMF LITERATURE INC.

Manila, Philippines
Today Counts: 365 Guidelines for a Meaningful Life
Copyright © 2006 by Dr. Harold Sala
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy
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Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All
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Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation®. 2nd edition. NLT®. Copyright © 1996,
2004 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. TM. Copyright ©
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by
permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible. TLB. Copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Amor Aurelio B. Alvarez

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Published (2006) in the Philippines by

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 Affectionately dedicated to my
sweetheart and wife,

Darlene,
who is not only my best friend,
but is also my constant encourager, companion,
prayer partner and soul mate.
Preface

TODAY COUNTS! It’s a gift from God. It’s the only part of
your life that you can do something about. Yesterday is past.
Tomorrow is unknown, but today counts! Have you consid-
ered the fact that today is the smallest division of God-given
time? Seconds, minutes, and even hours are man-made time
divisions, but the period of time from one day to the next—
today—is the shortest division on God’s clock.
What you do, what you dream about, what you think,
what you talk about today is important. Begin your day
with a fresh perspective and ponder on what God wants
you to accomplish, and how you can do it, and then take
on the day.
Every single day is a gift from God that must be grasped;
otherwise, this golden opportunity to make a difference, to
touch someone’s life, to tell someone, “I love you,” to be
more than you were yesterday is lost. Today has to be em-
braced or else the minutes slip by and today is lost in the
abyss of yesterday.
My friend Wayne Pederson used to sign his letters and
e-mails with the words, “Focus forward!” No more. He’s
changed the complimentary close to read, “Seize Today!”
He discovered that when he was always focused forward,
pushing to reach goals and objectives, he missed a lot of the
view on the journey. Wayne discovered that he was so fo-
cused on what he wanted to see happen in the future that he
was missing what was happening today. He confessed: “When
I go running,” he said, “instead of enjoying the fresh air, the
sights and the exercise, I find myself thinking, ‘I can’t wait
until this is over.’”
 Waiting for a flight, he picked up a book at the airport
entitled The Present by Spencer Johnson. Says this popular
business-oriented author, “When you receive the present,
you no longer spend your time dreaming about being some-
where else. You’re intent only on what’s happening at that
moment. Being in the present means focusing on what is
happening right now.”
And when all of this came together, Wayne began to re-
alize that it was time to make some personal adjustments
and change his focus from forward to today! You can do the
same. Today counts—seize it!
My prayer is that God will use this to make a difference
in your life because today really matters!
I want to thank Luisa Ampil, my administrative assis-
tant, for her help in editing materials for this book, along
with Casey Anderson, Julie Field, and Bonnie Craddick.
Once more I am grateful to OMF Literature of our partner-
ship now spanning three decades of publishing.
A Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to live today as though it were the last day of

my life, as though all the other days that I have ever experi-
enced and all the days that I hope to experience, didn’t even
exist in my thinking.
Help me to put into practice this day what I really be-
lieve—that You are alive and You are there when I need Your
help, that You know me for what I really am yet love me,
forgive me and accept me. Help me to give up on having to
solve everybody’s problems—my own included—and live
worry free, at least for today.
Open my eyes today so that I can see the smile of a baby
and notice the beauty and freshness of a flower. Help me to
see the blue of the sky and the green of the grass, the splen-
dor of Your world as Your hand paints the sky both morning
and evening a thousand colors and shades.
Give me the perspective of eternity, to make me realize
that the trivial concerns that consume my time and energy,
things that I think are so important now, will not really count
five minutes after I die. Today help me to focus on what
really counts—my spouse, my children, my family, my
friends, my calling in life. Today, Lord, just let me be what I
am and nothing else—transparent, open, free from guile and
hypocrisy.
Help me to see others, too—not the veneer, the outside—
but let me look beyond their idiosyncrasies and personalities
to see the good that is in them because Your hand has
touched them.
Help me to set aside my agenda and consider how Your
agenda might be different from mine. Today, help me to
think of interruptions and difficulties as special challenges
that You have allowed because You have something special
to teach me.
Lord, help me to be thankful for what I have as well as
what I don’t have. Help me to see Your copious hand of
blessing and focus on the many, many things You have given
me rather than be discontent with what I think I need which
I may not really need after all.
This sounds like a pretty tall order, Lord, but in reality it
is what I need to do every day. It’s what You did day after
day, giving us an example so that we can follow in Your foot-
steps. And one more thing, Lord, please forgive me of my
failures, my shortcomings, my wrongdoing. Yes, forgive me
of my sin as I forgive those who sin against me. That’s it,
Lord, my prayer for today.
 January
PSALM 95:6-8
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us
kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is
our God and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. Today, if you hear
his voice, do not harden your hearts. . . .
 January
1
Tomorrow Starts Today

Focusing on several guidelines can make Do not be anxious

today and this year better than previous about anything,
ones. Here’s how: but in everything,
GUIDELINE 1: Live today. Some live in the by prayer and
past; others in the future. A paraphrase petition, with
of Matthew 6:34 puts it like this: thanksgiving,
present your
“Give your entire attention to what
requests to God.
God is doing right now, and don’t get
worked up about what may or may PHILIPPIANS 4:6
not happen tomorrow”(TM). Live
today.
GUIDELINE 2: Say it today. Some folks, though they care, miss
saying encouraging words. Make it a daily practice to
tell people—say it, write it—words of encouragement.
GUIDELINE 3: Pray about it today. “O what peace we often
forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do
not carry everything to God in prayer,” wrote hymn writer
Joseph Scriven.
GUIDELINE 4: Refuse to worry about it today. Pray about what
worries you, reminding yourself that God is far greater
than your problem, and He can do what you can’t. Let
God engineer your life.
GUIDELINE 5: Smell the flowers today. This helps you put life
in perspective and live to a ripe old age.
GUIDELINE 6: Trust God today. Tomorrow isn’t as important
as today. Can you say, “God, just for today, I’m going to
trust You with all my heart! I refuse to live tomorrow
until it comes”? “Therefore,” said Jesus, “do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself ”
(Matthew 6:34).
GUIDELINE 7: Have a blessed day today. And I am confident
you will when you follow these simple but effective
guidelines because God blesses the one who puts Him
first and walks in the light of His Word.
January
2
A Legacy of Peace

“Peace I leave Six days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus

with you; my peace and His disciples came to Jerusalem. At
I give you. the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet
I do not give to you of the disciples then opened His heart and
as the world gives. talked with them.
Do not let your hearts Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My
be troubled and
peace I give to you; not as the world gives
do not be afraid.”
do I give to you. Let not your heart be
JOHN 14:27 troubled, neither let it be afraid”(John
14:27 NKJV ). Knowing that His time was
short, He gave them a legacy of peace.
Jesus emphasized “My peace” and contrasted it with the
kind the world offers. Jesus was the picture of tranquility
even though He knew the storm was about to break. The
day before Jesus met with the disciples, He had driven the
money changers out of the temple, making enemies who
wanted to kill Him.
He also knew that the disciples would flee in the face of
danger and confrontation and that Judas would betray Him.
Yet Jesus remained steadfast and resolute, displaying the
opposite of panic—peace. And He stands with arms out-
stretched today with the same message to His own. “My
peace,” He says, “I give to you.”
As we begin a new year, if there is one answered prayer
that I might have, it would be for God to give our troubled
world lasting peace, and for you as His child to know His
peace—the kind that Scripture describes as going beyond
human understanding (see Philippians 4:7).
In the Upper Room, Jesus gave you a legacy of peace.
Find out about it. Discover this answer to your troubled
heart that will help you survive any storm.
 January
3
Peace and the New Year

Is it because we are uncertain of what’s And the peace of God,

out there that’s why we are always appre- which transcends
hensive at the beginning of a new year? all understanding,
As the cross was looming on the horizon, will guard your hearts
Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper and your minds
Room and said, “Peace I leave with you, in Christ Jesus.
My peace I give to you. . . Let not your PHILIPPIANS 4:7
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”
(John 14:27 NKJV ).
The Greek word that Jesus used, which we translate “to
be troubled,” also means to be disturbed, upset, bothered or
thrown into confusion. It was used of water that had been
roiled by a strong wind. Now, you might say, “Hey, that’s a
picture of my life.”
It isn’t simply the issue of terrorism that causes our hearts
to be troubled. There are also issues about the economy,
environment, global warming, our health, our water. . . . If
you want to worry, there’s plenty to keep you busy.
But there’s a better way—hold on to Jesus’ promise. He
spoke the word, and the raging storm stopped and the
waters stilled. He’s the one who healed the sick and raised
the dead.
You can have peace because of the power of Him who
bestowed the great legacy on you. He rose from the tomb
and said, “Because I live; you shall live also!” That takes away
the fear of death. The second reason you can have peace is
because of His great promises. He said, “I will never leave
you or forsake you”(Hebrews 13:5). The third reason you
can have peace is that God, not fate or chance or evil, is in
control.
This is no make-believe story but a reality. And with that
assurance you will walk into peaceful new year filled with
the goodness, grace and blessing of God.
January
4
God Who Causes Us
to Triumph

For we are to God Certain smells trigger memories—

the aroma of Christ whether it is a perfume that makes you
among those who are think of a certain romance or the smell of
being saved and those an oven baking oatmeal cookies, which
who are perishing. makes you think of your grandmother.
2 CORINTHIANS 2:15 Think with me of the moral charac-
ter of those to whom Paul’s second
Corinthian letter was addressed. Among them were immoral
men and women, which Paul mentions when he wrote to
the Corinthians in his first letter. He said, “And that is what
some of you were. But you were washed, you were sancti-
fied, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
What they had been pales in the light of what they be-
came, their lives having been forever changed through an
encounter with Jesus Christ. Then Paul pictures them as
following Christ in a victory procession.
Paul alluded to the Roman conquerors who came back
victorious after their battles and paraded through streets of
Rome or Pompeii, leading their prisoners of warfare in chains.
He also mentioned the smell of incense from a pot swung
back and forth by a pagan priest who led the procession.
But Paul is reminding these frail citizens of the Kingdom
that it has been God who delivered them from the bondage
that characterized their lives, and that He has given them
victory over their failures.
Paul says that the redeemed have taken on a certain fra-
grance, a sweet fragrance to those who are being saved and a
stench to those who are being lost. Paul referred to it as “the
aroma of Christ.”
 January
5
The Fragrance of Life

The smell of Old Spice after-shave cologne Instead of fragrance

will always remind me of my father. No there will be a stench;
matter how many years have passed since instead of a sash,
Dad went home to the Lord, whenever I a rope; instead of
smell that fragrance, I will always think well-dressed hair,
of him. baldness; instead of
fine clothing,
Interestingly enough, when Paul wrote
sackcloth; instead of
to the Corinthians he alluded to them as
beauty, branding.
a pleasant fragrance, the result of having
encountered Jesus Christ. He wrote, “We ISAIAH 3:24
are to God the aroma of Christ among
those who are being saved and those who are perishing”
(2 Corinthians 2:15). But some Christians bring the stench
of death. No wonder Christianity is divisive! Many never
get beyond their first perception of what Christianity is all
about, having sensed in some Christians less than the fra-
grance of Jesus Christ.
I am not always proud of the scent that comes from our
side. Instead of a fragrance, we emit a stench that brings
shame to the cause of Christ and gives the enemies of the
Cross grounds for saying, “Aha, see there! They aren’t any
different from everyone else!” Yes, I know that the believer
who has stumbled and fallen is but human, but I also know
that the world remembers us not by our most noble, lofty
deeds but by our most miserable failure, and by this, we are
judged in the eyes of the world.
Your life can cause people to say, “Being in your presence
brings the fragrance of heaven!” But if they reject what your
life reflects, remember it is Christ—not you—who is rejected.
Strive to ensure that your witness is unaffected, sincere, and
untainted. Ask God to make your life a sweet fragrance be-
cause He has touched you with His nail-scarred hand.
January
6
How God Does It
is Up to Him
This is the
confidence we have In this great promise that John gives, he
in approaching God: links confidence in asking with a knowl-
that if we ask any- edge of the will of God. He is saying that
thing according to when you ask God for something, which
his will, he hears us. He has already told you is His will, you
And if we know
can ask with confidence.
that he hears us—
Praying with confidence is not some-
whatever we ask—
thing reserved for the spiritual
we know that we
heavyweights. When you as God’s child
have what we
know what He wants, you can ask Him
asked of him.
with the expectation that He will hear and
1 JOHN 5:14-15 answer you.
When you pray for your daily needs,
you can pray with confidence, for God has already prom-
ised to meet them.
When you pray for your spouse, your child, your friend
or neighbor to come to Jesus Christ, you can pray with con-
fidence, for God has already told us that this is His will.
When you pray for God’s grace, that it will be sufficient
for you at your greatest need, you can pray with confidence,
for God promised that His grace would be sufficient.
When you pray for strength, that God will enable you to
resist temptation, you can pray with confidence, for God
has promised that you will never face temptation so great
that you cannot bear up under it.
Prayer is not a matter of wishful thinking. It is asking
and receiving. It is because of your spiritual position in Jesus
Christ that you can ask God with confidence, expecting God
to do what only He can accomplish. It’s based on your rela-
tionship with the Father as His child.
Ask and then be patient because God will send the an-
swer His way, in His time, and according to His purpose.
 January
7
The Curse of Busyness

Do you ever get the feeling that if you The fruit of

could cross everything off of your “things righteousness will
to do” list, return every phone call, at- be peace; the effect
tend every meeting, and get everything of righteousness will
done at home, that God would be very be quietness and
pleased with you? Would you, then, ex- confidence forever.
pect Him to sit back and say, “Good job!” ISAIAH 32:17
much like you do when your son brings
home a report card with straight A’s on it?
The fact is, we transfer our “hurry up and get things done”
mentality to our relationship with God. We think that He is
pleased when we attend more meetings, get to more places,
and do more things. Strangely enough, when Jesus was in
the midst of the busiest time of his life, He withdrew for
solitude, prayer, and contemplation. Jesus believed that He
could maximize His effectiveness by doing less publicly.
The solitude that we need rarely comes in chunks of un-
divided days when you can withdraw to a mountain retreat
somewhere. It can be found in one-hour snatches when you
take the telephone off the hook, refuse to answer the door,
and silence the radio and TV. It’s then that you can open
your Bible and quietly meditate and listen to the voice of
God saying, “This is the way, walk here.”
We have to walk away from the mentality that the more
we do, the more God is pleased, and understand that what
we are is far more important than what we do.
Isaiah chided the people of his day, saying, “This is what
the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repen-
tance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is
your strength. . . .’”(Isaiah 30:15).
January
8
Seeking Quietness

Make it your ambition Long before the age of jets, the

to lead a quiet life, Internet, or television, theologian
to mind your own Arthur Pink wrote the following:
business and to work “What man despises, God esteems;
with your hands, and what man admires, He abomi-
just as we told you. nates. The world is mad, and speed is
1 THESSALONIANS 4:11 one of the ‘gods’ which is now wor-
shipped by the multitudes. And
living as we yet are in the world, God’s own people are
infected with its evil spirit. Much need has each of us to
beg the Lord to lay His cooling and calming hand upon
the feverish ‘flesh’ in us.”
Do you ever ask yourself what Jesus would do if He were
living among us here today? Would He jam more and more
into His schedule, or would He walk away from the frenetic
activity of life today and find a quiet place for solitude?
Would He leave His computer and mobile phone behind to
listen to the wind as it blows through the trees or ponder the
awesome, sometimes ferocious sound of silence?
Isaiah told us that “in quietness and trust is your strength”
but then added, “but you would have none of it”(Isaiah
30:15). Were he alive today, he could say the same thing.
Whose fault is it that life is so busy? Obviously, it is our own
doing. Therefore the undoing of our busyness is also our
obligation and should be one of the first orders of business.
When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he told them to
study to be quiet (1 Thessalonians 4:11 KJV )—something
which was commanded. The word “quiet” means “to cease
from labor, to hold your peace, to be still.” As God tells us
in Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
 January
9
Complaining not Tolerated

When Paul wrote to the Philippians he Do everything

dealt with the subject pointedly, saying, without
“Do everything without complaining or complaining
arguing”(Philippians 2:14). It’s a com- or arguing.
mand, not a suggestion. What’s wrong PHILIPPIANS 2:14
with complaining?
First, the habit of complaining is highly contagious. The
more you mutter and complain, the more others follow your
negative attitude. Strange as it may seem, while a joyful,
positive attitude is also contagious, it seems that negative
attitudes transmit faster than positive ones.
Second, complaining is a reflection on the provision of
God. If you believe that God provides for you and orders
the circumstances of your life, then why spend your time
criticizing everything that He sends your way?
Third, complaining bores people. They don’t want a daily
recital of how bad you feel, or how poorly you slept, or how
you think you are overworked or neglected. Grumbling and
complaining all of the time reduces your credibility to zero
minus. When an issue needs to be confronted, deal with it
graciously, tactfully and in the spirit of confrontation, which
Jesus said we should follow (Matthew 18:15).
Fourth, complaining is sin in the sight of God. Remem-
ber, Paul says, “Do everything [not just a few things] without
murmuring and complaining.”
How do you break the habit when it has become so much
a part of your life you don’t realize it is there? First, disci-
pline yourself, determining not to grumble and complain.
Next, focus on something positive. Attitude is everything.
Count your blessings. Then confront issues that need to be
addressed. And finally, ask God’s forgiveness for having
allowed yourself to fall into the habit of complaining.
January
10
Attitude is Everything

Because of the LORD’s Attitude is everything. When you

great love we are grumble and complain, people may be
not consumed, for his polite and not say, “Knock it off. You
compassions never fail. recite the same litany of aches and pains
They are new every everyday. We’re tired of hearing it!” But
morning; great is they would like to. God doesn’t much
your faithfulness.
care for the habit, either!
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23 When Israel came out of Egypt,
they began to grumble and complain
that they didn’t have the vegetables they had in Egypt. So
God, in His mercy, gave them manna, which came special-
delivery from heaven.
God asked, “How long will this wicked community
grumble against me?”(Numbers 14:27). It wasn’t just the
food. They grumbled about Moses’ leadership, the hardships,
and everything that happened.
In His ministry, Jesus rebuked both the Pharisees and
His disciples for grumbling and complaining, using the same
word that Paul used when he said, “Do everything without
complaining or arguing”(Philippians 2:14).
Negative attitudes are contagious, debilitating, and sin-
ful. But they can be broken. The answer isn’t simply saying,
“There are lots of people worse off than I.” It is about redi-
recting your focus and concentrating on the positive.
Attitude is everything! It can be bright and cheerful
regardless of your landscape, your health, or your circum-
stances. Yes, there are times when we feel less than jubilant
and joyful, yet we can focus on the nature and character of
the Almighty who has abundantly blessed us. As Jeremiah
wrote, “Because of the LORD’S great love we are not con-
sumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness”(Lamentation 3:22-23).
Do an attitude check today.
 January
11
Tribulation

Do we at times buy into Christianity I have told you

without reading the fine print? We are told these things, so that
that knowing Christ brings personal hap- in me you may
piness, joy, contentment, peace, and have peace. In this
spiritual excitement. That’s the large print. world you will
And it is quite enticing. But the fine print have trouble.
But take heart!
reads like, “If anyone would come after
I have overcome
me, he must deny himself and take up
the world.
his cross daily and follow me”(Luke 9:23).
In the Upper Room, with the cross JOHN 16:33
looming on the horizon, Jesus talked
about the fine print with the disciples. He knew that they
were focusing on the large print, thinking they would be to
rule the world with Jesus as Lord and Master. Jesus said some-
thing that brings the whole issue into focus when we
understand what He meant. Here it is: “In the world you
will have tribulation”(John 16:33 NKJV ). Did Jesus really
mean, “tribulation” otherwise translated trouble, hardship,
difficulty, distress, and pressure? Exactly!
Our generation doesn’t like the fine print. Newer trans-
lations render the word tribulation as difficulty, trouble or
hardship. True, tribulation conjures images of the end of the
age, but this is what confronts men and women today. They
are the ones whose marriages are in trouble, whose children
are struggling with drugs, and whose finances are in shambles.
This is part of living in a broken world, but you must
also hold onto the promises of Jesus that allow you to walk
through the darkness. “I will never leave you nor forsake
you,” He promised. He will walk with you through the val-
ley to the door of His eternal home in heaven.
January
12
Trusting with
All Your Heart
Trust in the LORD Solomon understood that there is a cause-
with all thine heart; and-effect relationship between the
and lean not unto promises of God and their fulfillment. He
thine own knew that with almost every promise there
understanding. is a condition attached to it.
In all thy ways Picture a little child who is learning
acknowledge him, to walk. His father reaches out a hand and
and he shall says, “Come to Daddy. I won’t let you
direct thy paths.
down. I’ll catch you before you fall.” The
PROVERBS 3:5-6 KJV term used for this picture is the same word
used in Proverbs 3:5-6. It means “to rely
upon, to have confidence in someone, to lean upon another.”
When missionary John Patton was translating the New
Testament in the New Hebrides, he sought for a word that
was the equivalent of this word for trust that Solomon used.
One day a native came into his hut and, for the first time in
his life, saw a chair that the missionary had built. “What is
that?” he asked Patton. Patton then replied, “A chair—you
can put your weight on it; it won’t let you down,” and ever
so cautiously the native followed Patton’s example and placed
his full weight on the chair.
“Ah,” thought Patton, “that concept is what Solomon
was saying,” and thus he translated the text of Proverbs, “You
can put your full weight on God and not attempt to under-
stand everything. Acknowledge God in everything you do,
and God will direct your steps.”
Today, as in Solomon’s day, our own understanding is
often the hindrance to trusting Him, yet if we are convinced
that God won’t lie to us, and that the promises of His Word
become the key that opens the door to His presence, then
we can rely upon His goodness to meet our needs.
 January
13
When a Family Member
Suffers
When Stephen, described by Luke as “a There is neither
man full of God’s grace and power,” did Jew nor Greek,
great wonders and miracles in Jerusalem slave nor free,
shortly after Christ’s ascension to heaven, male nor female,
he was taken before the Sanhedrin. When for you are all
the high priest asked him if the charges one in Christ Jesus.
were true, Stephen proceeded to preach GALATIANS 3:28
to the crowd. “When they heard this,”
says Luke, “they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.”
Eventually, they “dragged him out of the city and began to
stone him.”
Today, more Christians than at any time in history (with
the possible exception of the first century) are on the receiv-
ing end of persecution. Do you hurt with Christians who
are in pain somewhere else in the world—people you have
never met nor probably ever will meet? Is it your business
when a Christian father somewhere in the world knows that
living out his faith will mean his son can never get a univer-
sity education?
You can’t fight every injustice in the world but when you
realize that we are one body, that we have one Father, that
we have one faith, then all of us who have been redeemed by
the blood of Jesus Christ lose our ethnic identity, our gen-
der, and our culture to become brothers and sisters, belonging
to each other. We are family.
In His prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that His
own—His children—might be one, even as He and the
Father were one. Persecution helps forge that bond, a pain-
ful yet persuasive way of helping us to understand that what
binds us together is more powerful than what separates us.
January
14
When “His Problem”
Becomes Your Problem
The King will reply, A fellow who worked in your division is
“I tell you the truth,a rather radical, extroverted Christian.
whatever you did You are more of an intellectual and quiet
for one of the least person. What you dislike, however, is the
of these brothers way he presses the attack. He’s a What-
of mine, Would-Jesus-Do (WWJD) sort of guy.
you did for me.” He buttonholes people and asks them if
MATTHEW 25:40 they are ready to meet God. He keeps a
Bible on his desk, and his car bumper is
covered with stickers, displaying messages like “NO GOD,
NO PEACE.”
Then the man I’m describing gets fired and he’s out of
the office in record time. His boss fabricates a story about
the company’s having to cut back but you know it is untrue.
You know the real reason he got the axe is because the boss is
an atheist and he disliked the man’s overt Christianity. His
work is not the issue. It’s not your problem—or is it? Is there
a responsibility that comes through a shared, common faith
in Jesus Christ?
Writing to the Corinthians, Paul likened the Church,
the body of Christ, to the human body. It is an apt analogy
because when one part of your body hurts, the whole body
is affected. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says that Christ is
the head of the Church. Then he says that “the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows
and builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).
Fifty-eight times the New Testament uses the words one
another in stressing our responsibilities to each other. Un-
derstanding the importance of our relationship to each other
as fellow Christians breaks down the barriers of race, cul-
ture, even doctrine, culture, and whatever else separates us.
 January
15
Who is My Brother?

One particularly vivid scene in the Gospel I pray also for those
according to John is that of Jesus praying who will believe in
in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Gar- me through their
den of Gethsemane was actually an olive message, that all of
grove where a wine-press squeezed the them may be one,
sweet juice from the grapes. A place of soli- Father, just as you
are in me and
tude, this was where Jesus and the disciples
I am in you.
could come and pray without interruption.
In the prayer recorded in John 17, JOHN 17:20-21
Jesus focuses on the Church, His body.
Jesus said: “I have given them your word and the world has
hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I
am of the world.” He added, “My prayer is not that you
take them out of the world but that you protect them from
the evil one.” Jesus then prayed that they might be one,
even as He and the Father were one.
Who is my brother? Brothers and sisters have a common
parentage. In the household of faith, this means we are born
again of the Spirit of God, recognizing Jesus Christ as Lord
and the Savior of the world. We know that by grace through
faith we have received the gift of eternal life and that it is by
the grace of God that we came to Christ and were adopted
into His family.
Strange yet true is the fact that when the fire of perse-
cution burns, the shackles that have tied us to our
backgrounds—and, yes, churches—are consumed, and we
find a freedom to laugh, to cry, to pray, to rejoice, and to
praise the Almighty in ways we have never before known.
January
16
Keep Watch

Therefore keep Jesus and the twelve were sitting on the

watch because you Mount of Olives. He knew that His hour
do not know when had come. He chose His words carefully
the owner of the as He answered the disciples’ questions
house will come about the destruction of Jerusalem and
back—whether in His return to Earth.
the evening, or at
He began talking about the fall of
midnight, or when
Jerusalem, which happened some forty
the rooster crows,
years later as the Romans invaded Pales-
or at dawn.
tine under Titus Adronicus. Then He
MARK 13:35 switched topics and answered the ques-
tion, “What will be the sign of Your
coming and of the end of the age?”
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Therefore, keep
watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord
will come”? When a wife is almost to deliver a child, a car-
ing, thoughtful husband asks, “How do you feel this
morning? Could this be the day?” He takes note of his wife’s
complexion and her disposition, and when he sees the baby
bump drop lower, he knows he had better stay close to home
or else he’s going to miss the event.
The word Jesus used for “keep watch” is an interesting
word. Used of a sentry on guard who must sound the alarm
in the event of attack, it was also used in the Old Testament
when someone’s life was in danger. It is also translated, “Keep
your eyes open, be on the alert, be wide-awake about [a given
situation]” and so forth.
When Jesus said we who belong to Him are to “be watch-
ful” He meant exactly what the word implies. Keep your
eyes wide open, be alert, be knowledgeable and live every
day as though Jesus’ Second Coming could happen before
sunset. The hands on the doomsday clock must be within
seconds of the midnight hour. Yes, who knows?
 January
17
The Lessons of Patience

“Do something,” we think, because doing I waited

something is better than the inactivity of patiently for
just waiting. David, the shepherd boy of the LORD;
Israel, learned to be patient the hard way. he turned to me
“I waited patiently for the LORD,” he says, and heard my cry.
adding, “he turned to me and heard my PSALM 40:1
cry.” What taught David to be patient?
After Samuel anointed him to be king, things started
going the wrong way. Instead of making him an understudy,
Saul sought to kill him. For seven years David had to flee for
his life. Twice he had opportunities to kill Saul but he re-
fused, saying he would not touch the Lord’s anointed.
What might have happened if David had not been pa-
tient? Who knows? But as the result of his patience, three
things happened: First, he heard from God. In no uncertain
terms, he knew that God—not chance, not a government
program, not good luck—had been the answer to his need.
Then God brought deliverance. “He lifted me out of the
slimy pit, out of the mud and mire,” contended David. Then,
said David, “He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm
place to stand.”
And last, David said God did an internal work in his
heart. He put a new song in his heart, a hymn of praise and
thanksgiving.
God’s timing is different from ours. We want instant fixes,
immediate deliverance and help following a phone call or
quick prayer, but God doesn’t do it our way. He chooses to
answer His way. Thank God that He spares us from what we
often ask for. Overcome impatience by the strength of
knowing that waiting is worth the effort.
January
18
The Kingdom of Light

The people walking In the text often quoted at Christmas,

in darkness have Isaiah said, “The people walking in dark-
seen a great light; ness have seen a great light; on those living
on those living in in the land of the shadow of death a light
the land of the has dawned”(Isaiah 9:2); and that light
shadow of death was the coming of God’s Son to our world,
a light has dawned.
a world of heartache and pain, an imper-
ISAIAH 9:2 fect broken world.
John, part of Jesus’ inner circle, described it, saying, “In
him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood
it”(John 1:4-5).
You don’t have to be overwhelmed by the evil that lurks
without and strives to penetrate our lives. It can be driven
out as God takes possession your heart and life. Paul said
that believers are rescued from the dominion of darkness
and are brought into the kingdom of His dear Son
(Colossians 1:13).
When Jesus walked the earth for thirty-three years, He
was convinced that the battle was light versus darkness and
all the darkness isn’t “out there” somewhere. There’s dark-
ness deep in the hearts of men as well. Jesus taught that out
of the depraved and darkened heart comes thefts, murders,
lies, sexual sin and violence.
There is but one answer to the culture of darkness: Ex-
pose it to the light. The least amount of light drives back the
greatest amount of darkness. The culture of darkness is com-
posed of a fabric that disintegrates when it encounters light.
Paul says that conversion brings cleansing and renewal.
“A new person” is the expression he used to describe how
complete and thorough is the spiritual renewal that comes
through an encounter with the living Savior.
 January
19
Love, Acceptance and
Forgiveness

Often missing in the proclamation of the For I take no

Gospel today is the element of repentance. pleasure in the
“I thought all you have to do is to believe death of anyone,
in the Lord,” one fellow said. Yes, you declares the
need to do that but it’s not that simple. Sovereign LORD.
The Bible says that even the devil him- Repent and live!
self believes that Christ is the Son of God. EZEKIEL 18:32
James said that demons believe and
tremble (James 2:19), but don’t expect to meet any of them
at the feet of Jesus in heaven.
Why has the message of repentance been so neglected if
it is so important? Repentance is tough. It’s unpopular. The
message of repentance has a way of repelling people, of mak-
ing them think, “Giving up my wrongdoing is too difficult.”
Sometimes we enjoy sinning, doing what we know is wrong,
and would prefer to think that God knows we’re human and
forgives us just the same. So we ask ourselves, “Why is re-
pentance necessary, anyway?
The sad truth is that without the element of repentance,
a person may believe he is OK when he is still in his sin. The
popular message of “love, acceptance and forgiveness,” makes
people feel secure and comfortable. But Jesus Himself said,
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons
and perform many miracles?’ “Then I will tell them plainly,
‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”(Matthew
7:22-23).
Repentance isn’t what you do. That’s restitution. It’s how
you feel about what you have done. And it’s vital if God is to
accept and forgive you.
January
20
The Missing Element Today

Or do you show On the day when the Holy Spirit empow-

contempt for the ered the early Church, Peter stood up and
riches of his said, “Repent and be baptized, every one
kindness, tolerance of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for
and patience, the forgiveness of your sins.” The follow-
not realizing that ing day, Peter was on his way to the temple
God’s kindness with John and saw a beggar sitting there.
leads you toward In God’s power, he healed him. Then he
repentance? challenged the people who were there,
ROMANS 2:4 saying, “Repent, then, and turn to God,
so that your sins may be wiped out, that
times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he
may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—
even Jesus”(Acts 3:19).
Did you notice how Peter prefaced his short but power-
ful messages? “Repent!” he cried out. They knew what he
meant and didn’t like it. Did Peter know something that we
have forgotten or neglected, that repentance is an element
in the transaction of rebirth?
Do we understand what Peter was talking about? First,
repentance is not confession to someone, outlining your
human failure. It is more than that. Neither is it penance—
doing something to atone for what you have done. Neither
is it shame over what you have done.
Additionally, repentance isn’t just sorrow that you were
discovered. A person can really be sorry that he or she did
something, yet feel neither ashamed nor repentant.
When Jesus and the disciples talked about repentance,
they meant a change of mind, a sorrow for the consequences
of your sin and a determination, with God’s help, to be a
no-repeat offender.
It is this attitude that allows the Holy Spirit to help you
understand that God will receive and forgive you that re-
sults in forgiveness, restoration and spiritual healing.
 January
21
Spiritual Preparation for
What God Wants to Do

After forty years, God finally told His Joshua told the people,
people it was time to cross the Jordan “Consecrate yourselves,
and take the land He had promised their for tomorrow the
fathers. Joshua—the one who had suc- LORD will do
ceeded Moses—told them, “Now then, amazing things
you and all these people, get ready to among you.”
cross the Jordan River.” Three days later, JOSHUA 3:5
the hour of march came. On the eve of
that momentous day, Joshua gave them further directions:
“Consecrate yourselves,” he said, “for tomorrow the LORD
will do amazing things among you”(Joshua 3:5).
With the passing of time a language changes. Catch
words, idioms, and certain phrases seem to lose their mean-
ing. It is also true that with the passing of time, some great
spiritual truths are lost. Perhaps that is what contributes to
our ignorance today of what Joshua meant when he said,
“Consecrate yourselves. . . . ”
Consecration is preparing yourself spiritually for some-
thing that God wants to do. It’s like transferring ownership
of your property to God Himself, realizing that He already
owns it and wants to use it for a joyous celebration.
There is value in stopping what you are doing for spiri-
tual reflection, inward purification and moral house cleaning.
There is no way of knowing whether any of the Israelites
regretted the decision to march across the Jordan, but for
those who did consecrate themselves to what was before
them, it was a joyful experience. They had transferred re-
sponsibility for what was ahead to Him who rolled back the
waters of the Jordan and went before them. Consecration
still precedes the awesome, wonderful things that God in-
tends for your tomorrow.
January
22
Entering into His Rest

There remains, then, There comes a point when you realize you
a Sabbath-rest are not in control, that the difficulties are
for the people more than you can handle, and that God
of God. is the only one who can handle your situ-
HEBREWS 4:9 ation. Only when you come to this point
are you a candidate for God’s grace and
help. Only then can you experience God’s rest—something
reserved only for God’s children.
Take the word rest, and form an acrostic with these
guidelines.
The R stands for relax. Cease from your own striving
and turn things over to the Lord.
The E stands for enter into His peace. Commit yourself
to what God tells you about yourself, about the circumstances
facing you, and about the future. Have the attitude of the
psalmist who said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.”
The S stands for step out in faith. Settle the issue of
whether or not you believe God is enough—big, powerful
and compassionate enough to do what He has promised in
His Word. What you do after that is either take a step of
faith, or turn and head back towards the Egypt of the world.
The T stands for trust. Realize that God is in control.
Faith has two components: belief, which is intellectual; and
trust, which is personal, experiential, and appropriational.
It’s turning off the light at night as you say, “Lord, please
take over the night shift. There’s no sense in both of us stay-
ing awake worrying about this.”
 January
23
One of Those Days

When something goes wrong, you say, My grace

“It would have been better to stay in bed is sufficient for you,
today.” But then again, you don’t have for my power
that option. Where is God when you is made perfect
have one of those days? In spite of what in weakness.
some say, God never promised to deliver 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9
you from the difficulties of living in a
broken, imperfect, sinful world. But He did promise three
things you should not forget when things go wrong:
First—remember God promised you His continual pres-
ence. Twice we have the promise: “I will never leave you or
forsake you”(Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). In Hebrews
13 we have even stronger words as Christ said, “Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you.” And the force of the
Greek words says, “Never—not even for a moment—will I
leave you.” When difficulties come, it is not because your
guardian angel has taken a nap or God has forgotten you.
It’s because we live in a broken world.
Second, you must remember that Christ promised you
His peace. In the upper room Jesus told the disciples, “Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you”(John 14:27).
Finally, remember that He promised you His power, as-
suring us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9). The word
power is the Greek word dunamis from which we get our
word dynamite. And that speaks for itself. When you are
weak you can become strong.
Thank God that when you have one of those days,
there are three things that will help you get through the
day: His presence, His peace, and His power.
January
24
Steadfast . . . Immovable

Therefore, my beloved brethren, I’ve been thinking about the ad-

be steadfast, immovable, vice that Paul wrote to a group
always abounding in the of people who were not espe-
work of the Lord. . . . cially noted for their strength of
1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 NASB character or moral fortitude—
the Corinthians. In the book we
call First Corinthians, Paul wrote to them about the return
of Jesus Christ and the certainty of the resurrection. Con-
cluding the discussion, he told them to be “steadfast,
immovable.”
The first word, steadfast, means firmly established—not
subject to doubt, with issues completely settled. It came from
the root of a word that described a house which was sitting
on the foundation, or was used to describe something that
rested securely on a large rock.
The second word which is translated immovable was used
just once in the New Testament—in this passage. This word
describes exactly what it implies: Nothing can move you.
Steadfast, immovable. Would you say that these words
describe you or would you admit that there are days when
your faith is shaky? Things happen and you ask yourself,
“Where is God when I’m hurting?” or “Why did He allow
this to happen to me?”
How is it possible to have a faith that is steadfast? Rest
on the foundation of the Word, with Christ as your Rock.
Settle any doubts. Go to Scripture and settle the issue once
and for all that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again, that
God has revealed Himself through the pages of His Word,
and come hell or high water, you can trust Him. Then, and
only then, can you be immovable.
Steadfast is your response to God’s great faithfulness and
goodness; immovable is your position. You can be both in a
world that is neither.
 January
25
Finding God

Where do you find God? Some search for You will seek me
Him in nature, but that’s akin to study- and find me
ing the footprints of someone who walked when you seek me
in the snow or sand. Others look within with all your heart.
themselves, thinking that by solitude or JEREMIAH 29:13
reflection, they will discover His presence
within. But there is a better way.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with
all your heart” was the promise that God gave through
Jeremiah a long time ago (Jeremiah 29:12). But where is the
best place to start if you are serious about knowing God?
STEP 1: Go to the record. Read what God has revealed
about Himself in His Word, the Bible. Don’t just rely on
what you hear others tell about Him.
STEP 2: Converse with God through prayer. At the begin-
ning of your search, say something like, “God, reveal Yourself
to me and open my eyes so that I may see You. Open my
ears so that I may hear Your voice—not the voice of some-
one else telling me who You are.”
STEP 3: Get acquainted with those who really know God.
Godly men and women who have walked with the Lord can
enrich your life through their personal experience.
God wants a relationship with you far more than you
want a relationship with Him. He has proven that by send-
ing His Son to introduce us to Him. God’s promise is still
true. Remember that He said, “And you will seek me and
find me, when you search for me with all your heart.”
January
26
When You Rebel
Against the Lord

Where can I go When the British pastor, Joseph Parker,

from your Spirit? saw the suffering his wife endured as she
Where can I flee lay dying with cancer, he was perplexed.
from your presence? Even after he prayed and cried out to the
PSALM 139:7 Lord, still her suffering increased day by
day. Finally she died. Parker wallowed in
the dark despair of atheism. He said that if he had had a dog
who suffered as did the one he loved, he would have put the
animal out of its misery.
When you feel as Parker did, you have choices: You can
turn to God for refuge and comfort, or you can turn can on
God in anger and defiance.
First, you must note that the silence of God does not
shut out the presence of God. Yes, you would see God step
in and miraculously eliminate the suffering in your life. But
God’s silence does not mean His absence as you go through
the dark valley.
Second, realize that running from God is an exercise in
futility. It didn’t work for Jonah nor will it work for you.
David asked, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can
I flee from your presence?” There’s no escaping from God
no matter how far you run or how much you hide.
Rebellion against the Lord only results in an interrup-
tion of the flow of grace and blessing that comes from the
Father’s hand. Ignoring God or rebelling against Him never
thwarts His purpose or will but it is a painful, lonely, dark
detour through the night.
If we could but see as God sees, how quickly we would
turn to Him.
 January
27
Praying Hands and Hearts

Praying hands speak for themselves. Many When Solomon had

passages in the Bible speak of hands that finished all these
were raised in prayer. Isaiah recorded God’s prayers and
words which apparently reflect the fact that supplications to the
it takes more to impress God than hands L ORD, he rose from

upraised or folded in prayer, for God said, before the altar of

the LORD, where he
“When you spread out your hands in
had been kneeling
prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even
with his hands
if you offer many prayers, I will not listen”
spread out
(Isaiah 1:15).
toward heaven.
Paul said, “I want men everywhere to
lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger 1 KINGS 8:54
or disputing”(1 Timothy 2:8). What about
clasping hands in prayer? Actually, there is not a single refer-
ence in Scripture to clasping the hands reverently, as Albrecht
Dürer so beautifully portrayed them.
The Bible tells us that different people prayed in differ-
ent positions. Some prayed standing up with their hands
raised towards heaven, probably the posture that Jesus most
often used, which Jews still use today. At times people prayed
prostrated, their faces to the ground. Others prayed sitting
or kneeling. The priest who recorded Solomon’s prayer at
the dedication of the temple he built put it like this: “When
Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to
the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where
he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward
heaven”(1 Kings 8:54).
James 5:16 says simply, “The prayer of a righteous man
is powerful and effective.” Does God honor your prayers
more when you fold your hands, kneel, prostrate yourself
on your face, or do something else? No, but He does see
your heart.
January
28
The Legacy Jesus Left
to the Church

Again, I tell you When the disciples came to Jesus with the
that if two of you request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” they ut-
on earth agree about tered one of the deepest and most
anything you ask for, significant cries. But, for most of us who
it will be done for consider ourselves to be God’s children,
you by my Father
prayer is little more than token recogni-
in heaven.
tion of God. It is like sending SOS signals
MATTHEW 18:19 when we are in trouble, or a heart cry let-
ting God know that we would like Him
to rescue us or give us what we think we deserve.
One fundamental failure is that when people are sup-
posed to come together for prayer, they talk . . . and talk
some more. They talk about what they need to pray about;
but watch the hour pass by quickly and notice that prayer is
usually a postscript to the meeting!
Yes, you can pray alone, and there are some things that
need to be settled just between you and God. Jesus had times
of solitude for personal prayer, yet there is something pow-
erful, energizing, and homogenizing about praying together
with others. Jesus recognized this because He said, “For where
two or three come together in my name, there am I with
them”(Matthew 18:20).
Nothing brings people together more than does prayer,
or causes them to lose sight of their own personal agenda or
forget petty differences. You might not have a prayer meet-
ing in your church but why not have one in your home? Lay
some ground rules on what you will talk about, but focus on
prayer, not conversation. Meet with a group of other women,
or start a group for men who meet early in the morning. But
whatever you do, realize that where there are two or three,
the very presence of Jesus Christ Himself is in your midst.
 January
29
A God Who Says “NO”
When You Want a “YES”
Answer

“O God, our help in ages past, our hope Though he slay me,
for years to come” so sang generations of yet will I hope
men and women who endured all kinds in him; I will
of tough times. Today, however, our gen- surely defend my
eration is not so confident that God is ways to his face.
our hope for years to come. When they JOB 13:15
expect God to say “Yes” and He says “No,”
they are thrown into deep distress. They quickly lose hope.
The Bible speaks of hope for some 158 times. Women
who were barren talked about the hope of having children.
Men and women in prison talked about the hope of deliver-
ance. The Apostle Paul talked about Abraham, whom God
promised will have an heir born to his wife, even while she
was long past the age of childbearing. Others, facing death,
talked of the hope of deliverance.
But the hope that this book offers is linked to the reality
of a God who is there. He is a God who cares and loves you
enough to say “No!” when you want a “Yes” answer shouted
loudly from heaven. The lesson we can learn from these
people who have been in difficult situations is that there is
hope, and there is an antidote to the despair which drives so
many of our contemporaries to drugs, alcohol, depression,
and even suicide.
Sometimes you have to tell your emotions and feelings
where to get off and hold on to what you know to be true—
that God is a good God and that He hasn’t forsaken you or
forgotten you, or singled you out for punishment simply
because He said “No!” Realize that God is the source of our
hope, and that He alone can drive back the despair and hope-
lessness of a broken, imperfect world.
January
30
When You are
Running Out of Gas

Therefore, since we When people experience spiritual dryness

have such a hope, and hope begins to wither, they almost
we are very bold. always withdraw. They withdraw from
2 CORINTHIANS 3:12 church, from their spouse, from family
and friends, and—though they don’t re-
alize it—they withdraw from God as well.
That accounted for Elijah’s taking that long trip through
the wilderness when God had to turn him around and send
him back to work. It was the reason Jonah went AWOL,
wanting to take a vacation on the Spanish Riviera instead of
going to desolate Nineveh. That’s also why many people to-
day have all but given up hope.
What do you do during times of hopelessness? In the
flyleaf of my Bible I’ve written the words of Andrew Murray,
which help restore hope. He wrote, “In times of trouble,
God’s trusting child may say: First, He brought me here; it
is by His will I am in this difficult place; in that will I rest.
Next: He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in
this trial to behave as His child. Then: He will make the trial
a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn,
and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last: In
His good time He can bring me out again—how and when,
He knows. Say: I am here (1) by God’s appointment, (2) in
His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time.” And
then under these words is a verse he often quoted: “And call
upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify Me (Psalm 50:15).”
When the despair of hope has set, remind yourself of
what you already know to be true, and keep on keeping on
for the Lord.
 January
31
The Envelope of
Presumption

I call it the sin of presumption—a widely Then the

believed myth today that goes like this: LORD said,
“God will always be there, and no matter “My Spirit will not
what I do, I can count on Him to bail me contend with
man forever, for he
out.” But the question that has to be an-
is mortal; his days
swered is this: “Can I disregard God and
will be a hundred
His plan for my life and assume that He’ll
and twenty years.”
be there when I play my trump card and
ask Him to save or deliver me?” GENESIS 6:3
Samson was strong. The record tells
how he seized the gates of a Philistine city and carried them
a considerable distance. Reading Judges 13 through 16, which
chronicles his life, you repeatedly find the phrase, “Then
the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power,” and what
follows was an extraordinary feat of physical strength. Samson
was sure God would always be there when he needed Him.
And that was true until he crossed the line of no return.
Then, says the record, “He awoke from his sleep and thought,
‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not
know that the LORD had left him”(Judges 16:20).
How do you know when you are pushing the envelope
of safety? When you deliberately do wrong and you know
clearly in your heart that what you are doing is contrary to
God’s Word and purpose in your life, you are committing
the sin of presumption.
When God told Noah, “My Spirit will not contend with
man forever, for he is mortal,” He was drawing a line. When
you cross that line, you are gambling that God will be
there to bail you out. It’s a dangerous presumption you can’t
afford to be mistaken about.
 February
LUKE 19:9-10
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come
to this house, because this man, too, is a son
of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost.”
 February
1
The God Difference

A highly respected professional and the Only a fool would

head of a hospital psychiatric unit told say to himself,
me, “When people won’t let God help “There is no God.”
them, we’re the only ones left.” When a And why does he
person shuts out God from life, he or she say it? Because of
denies a fundamental part of life that his wicked heart,
his dark and evil
brings purpose to existence. St. August-
deeds. His life is
ine wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself,
corroded with sin.
O God, and our heart is restless until it
finds its rest in thee.” PSALM 53:1 TLB
Acknowledging God is there puts you
on the side of the majority; but if you go beyond acknowl-
edging Him, you allow Him to touch your life, to invade
your space with His presence, and to guide and direct your
life. That’s the difference between having gas in the tank
and starting the engine so you can go somewhere.
An eight-year-old boy put it like this: “If you don’t be-
lieve in God, you will be very lonely, because your parents
can’t go everywhere with you, like camp, but God can. It is
good to know He’s around you when you’re scared in the
dark or when you can’t swim very good and you get thrown
into the real deep water by the big kids.”
God never forces Himself on you. “You will seek me and
find me when you seek me with all your heart,” were the
words of the Almighty recorded by the prophet Jeremiah
(29:13). God is far more interested in you than you are in
Him. He created you and put within your heart a void that
only He can fill.
Today ask Him to go before you, to walk with you, and
to let you sense He is there. He will. He makes a difference.
February
2
The Corinthians and Love

Now about brotherly Paul was writing to a group of imma-

love we do not need ture Christians in the ancient city of
to write to you, Corinth—about forty miles from Ath-
for you yourselves ens. The Corinthians were people who
have been taught had been cut loose from their own heri-
by God to love tage. In 149 BC the Romans had
each other.
overthrown Corinth and sacked the
1 THESSALONIANS 4:9 city. Then nearly a hundred years later
the descendants of those who had been
carried away in chains came back and rebuilt the city.
The city of Corinth was cut out for success. It was a port
city that faced the Ionian Sea to the west, which provided
access to Rome, and the Aegean Sea to the east, which led to
Asia and the Middle East. In only a few years the money
began to flow and the Corinthians began to lead shallow
lives dominated by wine, sex, and song.
The Temple of Apollo stood as a sentinel a few hundred
meters from the public forum where Paul was brought to
give an account for what he was teaching. On the crest of
the city, the Acropolis, stood the Temple of Aphrodite, the
goddess of sex and love where 1,000 priestess-prostitutes
ply their trade in the name of religion.
When Paul came to Corinth and preached, many were
converted but still had the sensual culture of their environ-
ment in their hearts. The Corinthians talked about love,
much as we do today, but it is questionable that their under-
standing of love was any better than ours today. In a time
when sex is confused with love and pressures seem to tear
families apart, we need to rediscover what love really is. How
better than to turn to those time-proven words of Paul and
apply them to our lives today?
 February
3
Agape Love

When Drummond Henry was twenty- A new command

three, he sat down with a group of friends I give you:
before a glowing fireplace one Sunday Love one another.
evening and began to share thoughts As I have loved you,
about 1 Corinthians 13—the great love so you must
chapter of the New Testament. Eventu- love one another.
ally his thoughts were published in a little JOHN 13:34
book, The Greatest Thing in the World.
The Apostle Paul writes, using 194 Greek words, of the
transforming power of love. His words were addressed to
people who grossly confused love and sex. Eventually, his
words became a benchmark that helps us understand what
love really is.
Paul had a choice of using three different words, all of
which are translated as love. The first word eros was some-
thing the Corinthians knew a lot about—a sensual love, the
kind driven by lust that feeds the multi-billion dollar por-
nography market all over the world. But this word was used
by neither Paul nor any other New Testament writer.
A second word was the Greek word phileo—a kind of
brotherly love; and God knows we need a lot of this today.
Yet this was not Paul’s word of choice.
He took a word which had been commonly used by Greek
writers, agapao, and put a new spin on it. He defined it in a
different context, linking you to God and giving you the
transforming strength to love your enemies, the unlovable,
and allowing you to reach across the distance that separates
you from them. The power of agape love makes you a stron-
ger person. A song put it, “What the world needs is
love”—this kind of love. Is it the kind you have? If not, ask
God to pour it in your heart starting today.
February
4
The Real Thing

After this, To call something a Corinthian in Paul’s

Paul left Athens day was a stinging insult. It implied you
and went to Corinth. were a playboy who didn’t take your mar-
ACTS 18:1 riage vows seriously. Paul began his
confrontation with the culture in the Jew-
ish synagogue but soon turned to the Gentiles and began to
proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified by the
Romans, placed in a tomb for three days, but rose again!
After addressing some of the abuses which were tolerated
in the church at Corinth, Paul turned to the issue of what
love is. He began, “If I speak in the tongues of men and
angels but have not love,” he wrote, “I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging cymbal”(1 Corinthians 13:1). Greeks
prided themselves on their great orators. Demosthenes, Plato,
Socrates and Aristotle were among the greatest. Yet Paul says
without love, even if you can speak eloquently, you are only
making a lot of noise, like a wind chime in a storm—loud
but no melody.
“If I have the gift of prophecy,” he wrote, “and can fathom
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can
move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” The
Corinthians were enamored with the supernatural, yet, con-
tended Paul, without love they were nothing. Then Paul
spoke of the futility of what you may sacrifice without love.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to
the flames but have not love,” he said, “I gain nothing” (13:2).
Love, the agape kind which comes from God, is the most
powerful force in the world. Best of all, it is the kind God
gives to His children.
 February
5
Without Love

There are only a few people in the If I give everything

world who are willing to give away I own to the poor
what they have. But even if you’re one and even go to the stake
of the few who would do so, without to be burned as a martyr,
love your act of sacrifice wouldn’t but I don’t love,
count. The Apostle Paul, writing to I’ve gotten nowhere.
the Corinthians, talked about the 1 CORINTHIANS 13:3 TM
tough kind of commitment that
would lead to a martyr’s death. Even so, he contended, with-
out love, it would be futile.
John Huss was the greatly loved pastor of the Bethlehem
Chapel in Prague. People would wait for hours to hear him
preach and his message radically changed the city. He
preached in his native Bohemian tongue and the masses loved
him. The message of Huss was “Every saint is a priest but
every priest is not a saint.”
John Huss’s enemies came together for a common cause.
“Get rid of him,” they cried. The king, wanting to be on the
good side of the two power brokers, agreed to give John
Huss safe passage from Prague to Constance where the
church wanted to try him as a heretic. The king reneged on
his promise and Huss was sentenced to death. His crime?
Preaching to the masses.
Huss gave his body to be burned rather than recant what
he had said and done. As the flames licked at his body, Huss
said, “I have saith the truth according to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, so I’ll choose to die—and gladly.” The bottom line
is that agape love is tough, the kind that is unrelenting,
visceral, and uncompromising. But even if you would die
for someone you love, says Paul, without love you would die
in vain. A contemporary version puts it, “So, no matter what
I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without
love” (1 Corinthians 13:3 TM).
February
6
Love is Patient, Kind and
Does Not Envy

Love is patient, When Paul wrote to the Corinthians and

love is kind. stressed the importance of love, he made
It does not envy…. fifteen statements where he said, “Love
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4 is . . .” Frankly, when you synthesize those
statements and put them together, you
come up with something vastly different from today’s cul-
tural concept of love. Paul’s love is tough, sensitive, and
durable yet is fragile and costly.
First, says, Paul, love is patient. I am thinking of a teen-
age couple who came to me, hoping that I would disagree
with their parents who told them they were too young to
marry. Clutching the hand of the girl as though she might
escape from him, he told me he just couldn’t wait. “I’ve got
to have her,” he said, becoming angry when I told him that
I agreed with the parents.
Then, says Paul, love is kind. Kindness is often interpreted
as weakness, and the macho image that we strive to attain
leaves little room for kindness. But the kindness of love is
tempered by the rule of treating the other person as you
would like him to treat you.
Kindness breaks the “eye for an eye” mentality of our day
that lives for vengeance and retaliation. It allows you to love
your enemies and to do good to those who mistreat you.
The third picture of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is Paul’s
statement that love does not envy or is not jealous. “Jealousy
is as cruel as the grave,” wrote Solomon, referring to that
green-eyed monster that causes a woman to scorn another’s
beauty or a man to resent the physique of his competitor.
Agape love is the power that makes friends out of enemies.
 February
7
Agape Love Neither Boasts
Nor is Proud
Love. . .
does not boast,
When Apostle Paul spoke of love when
It is not proud.
he wrote to the Corinthians, his first chal-
lenge was expressing the agape love that 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4
comes through the grace of God. Sensual
love was the understanding which the Corinthians had. Paul,
in using the term agape, elevated their understanding, stress-
ing that agape love deals more with their behavior than their
emotions, more their actions than their feelings.
In this passage Paul makes fifteen statements defining
agape love. First, he says, love is patient. Then, says Paul,
agape love is not boastful. Have you ever heard someone say
of another, “The older he got, the better he was!”? What did
he mean? Simply put, every time the old-timer told the story,
the better he was—the bigger was his fish, the greater was
his accomplishment.
There are some individuals who major in one-upmanship.
Seemingly, they just can’t let anyone get ahead of them. In-
dividuals who major in one-upmanship have no
compunction about lying to prove their point. But, says Paul,
that’s not what agape love is about.
Agape love is not proud. The Bible uniformly condemns
pride and arrogance. Why? Because your abilities are a gift
from God, and what you have came from the Father’s hand
so why should you boast and be proud?
Peter wrote, “Young men, in the same way be submissive
to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with
humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble’”(1 Peter 5:5).
Agape love, the kind Paul described, is neither boastful nor
proud. Check your motive when you chaff wanting to top
someone’s story or achievement. Love lets it go. You can too.
February
8
What Agape Love is Not

It is not rude, When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he

it is not self-seeking, said that love is not rude. “Love does not
it is not easily angered, behave itself unseemly” is the way the
it keeps no record King James version puts it. This kind of
of wrongs. love separates itself from the in-your-face
1 CORINTHIANS 13:5 rudeness often displayed today. We are
living in a time when civility seems to take a back seat to
brashness—in our speech, in advertising, in the way we treat
each other.
Ask yourself, “How would I feel if I were on the receiv-
ing end of my humor or my comments?” Any act that makes
another feel inferior, embarrassed or offended falls into the
category of rudeness. Agape love shows the restraint that
keeps you from hurting another, no matter how funny you
think what you want to say is.
The seventh characteristic of agape love that Paul lists is
that love is not self-seeking. One word summarizes this nega-
tive. It is selfishness, as opposed to generosity or being
self-sacrificing.
The selflessness of agape love insists the other has the
larger piece of steak, the last piece of chocolate and the soft-
est side of the bed.
The eighth characteristic of agape love in this list of de-
scriptions found in 1 Corinthians 13 is that love is not easily
angered. Paul doesn’t say that agape love never yields to an-
ger, because there is a time and a place for anger. Paul then
says agape love keeps no record of wrongdoing. It thinks no
evil. I never cease to be amazed at the instant recall some
people have for the faults and failures of another. Agape love,
says Paul, is forgetful. It forgives and forgets. It refuses to
fight fire with fire. It returns wrongdoing with acts of kind-
ness. It’s the kind that turns enemies into friends.
 February
9
What Agape Love Does Well

Paul, writing to the Corinthians, Love . . . bears all things,

made four powerful statements, believes all things,
which give us guidelines for loving hopes all things,
today: endures all things.
Love bears all things. The Greek 1 CORINTHIANS 13:7, NASB
word Paul used means “to cover, to
pass over in silence, to keep confidential.” Another transla-
tion puts it, “Love throws a cloak of silence over what is
displeasing in another person”(Arndt-Gingerich Greek Lexi-
con). Florence Alshorn learned this when she was sent to
Uganda by the Church Mission Society in 1920 to work
with a senior missionary. The missionary was a very moody
old woman, the only one who knew the language. Instead of
quitting, Florence was changed by God after reading 1
Corinthians 13 and praying for the missionary every day.
Love believes all things. This explains why the mother of a
criminal almost always says, “I can’t believe this about my
son. He’s such a good boy!”
Love hopes all things. In the face of the greatest odds, love
hopes that everything will turn out all right. Love hopes
that the cancer will respond to the chemotherapy, that your
lost child will be found, and that the one you love will be
waiting for you when you return.
Love endures all things. Paul uses a military word which
means “to sustain the assault of an enemy” or “to remain
instead of fleeing . . . to stand one’s ground, hold out, en-
dure” in trouble, affliction, or persecution. It was used of an
outpost under enemy attack, but those defending the out-
post dug in and withstood the attack instead of retreating.
This agape love isn’t just the warm, make-you-feel-good
emotion but raw, sinewy, strong kind of love that makes a
big difference in our world.
February
10
Agape Love Never Fails

Love never fails. Agape love never fails, writes Paul to the
But where there Corinthians. And when Paul said that, he
are prophecies, used a word that triggered an image to
they will cease; the Corinthians. Corinth was a Greek city
where there are
with an open air amphitheater that had
tongues, they will
remarkable acoustics. It was the center for
be stilled; where there
entertainment.
is knowledge,
In ancient days, the actor memorized
it will pass away.
his lines—several hours’ worth of them.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:8 Sometimes an actor would forget his lines

or stumble badly. The crowd would know and begin to hiss

and boo. In shame the actor would leave the stage disgraced
and embarrassed.
When Paul says love never fails, he used the same word
that would be used of the actor who fails or forgets his lines.
Agape love, says Paul, is never booed off the stage of life.
Every individual is born with three emotional needs: 1)
To give and receive love; 2) To feel worthwhile to one’s self
and to others; and 3) To have a sense of security. When an
individual is loved, he’s emotionally secure and his anchor is
strong enough to withstand any storm.
When it is all said and done, the great need of the world
is for people to love each other with a love that puts the
welfare of the other first—whether that other person is a
family member or the most insignificant person in the society.
“Without love,” wrote Pitirim Sorokin, “no armament,
no war, no diplomatic machinations, no coercive police force,
no school education, no economic or political measures, not
even hydrogen bombs can prevent the pending catastrophe.
Only love can accomplish this miracle, providing, however,
we know well the nature of love and the efficient ways of its
production, accumulation and use.”
 February
11
The How-To-Do-It
of Agape Love

Everybody knows we ought to love, but A new command

some people honestly make a stab at it and I give you:
think, “This is easier said than done.” And Love one another.
so they are faced with a dilemma. They As I have loved you,
know they should but unsure how to go so you must love one
about it. If you find yourself in the group, another. By this
the following guidelines will help: all men will know
that you are my
GUIDELINE 1: Get to know God who is love.
disciples, if you
Like filling an empty cup, God then
love one another.
fills you with Himself, and His love
begins to flow out of you, touching JOHN 13:34-35
those around you, making you a more
caring person.
GUIDELINE 2: Confess your lovelessness. Look up and say, “God,
I need Your forgiveness for my lack of love. Please help
me learn how to love.”
GUIDELINE 3: Understand that agape love is about how you
act—not how you feel. The biblical concept of agape love
is active, not passive. It includes tasks such as making the
coffee, taking out the garbage, keeping a clean house,
seeing that your children do their studies, putting your
spouse first. Agape love demonstrates forgiveness for
harshness and kindness for meanness.
GUIDELINE 4: Start loving. When you understand agape love
is how you behave, not how you feel, you begin treating
someone with love, and as you do so, you find yourself
“disliking him less” as C. S. Lewis put it.
When you decide to love, you step across the threshold
into a world you control, one in which you choose to act
instead of react. Ask God to fill you with His love, and then
by faith start loving, and loving, and loving some more.
February
12
“Dr. Sala,
Convert My Husband”

Treat others When my wife and I were in Kiev,

as you want them Ukraine, Valentina invited us to their flat
to treat you. so we could meet her husband. After the
LUKE 6:31TLB meal she turned to me and said, “OK,
now please convert my husband.” As
clearly as possible, I told the story of how God sent His Son
who died in our stead, and that salvation through Jesus is
God’s free gift that we receive by faith. When I invited him
to make the same decision that had changed Valentina’s life,
he politely declined.
Later Valentina asked, “What can I do to convert my
husband?” I began by saying, “Valentina, you need to stay at
home and be a companion to your husband. You’re gone all
the time—at church, at the hospital, doing good things but
you aren’t a companion to your husband anymore. First,
model the message. Live it out in front of him. Let him see
the difference that Jesus has made in your own life.” That’s
what Peter had in mind when he confronted the same issue
long ago by saying, “Wives, fit in with your husbands’ plans;
for then if they refuse to listen when you talk to them about
the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behav-
ior”(1 Peter 3:1-2 TLB).
On my next trip to Kiev, a smiling, vibrant Valentina
accosted us and blurted out, “Your advice worked! My hus-
band is now a believer! He comes to church with me, too!”
If your mate is not a believer, one of the most convincing
things you can do is what I suggested she do: Model the
message, be there when he needs you and make yourself
attractive—so that he would see and maybe then like the
new you. Less preaching, more practicing becomes a mes-
sage that cannot be ignored.
 February
13
The Wife-Lovers Club

I once read of an interesting fact in Husbands, love your

Guagua, Pampanga. For you who may be wives and do not be
living outside the Philippines, Pampanga harsh with them.
is a province in Luzon, the largest of the COLOSSIANS 3:19
7,100 islands in the Philippines. In
Guagua there are “male only” clubs—one of which is known
as Aguman Da Ding Malugud Asawa or “The Wife Lovers
Club.”
There’s another known as Ding E Malugud Asawa, or
“Those who don’t love their wives—but somebody else!” The
stark reality is that many men, were they only honest, would
qualify for membership in this group.
Why do we men fall out of love with our wives? We for-
get we made a “till-death-do-us-part” commitment. We take
our wives for granted and refuse to listen to them. We starve
them emotionally when we flop down in front of the TV
instead of talking with our wives and esteem our male friends
more. We no longer spend money on flowers and forget that
saying “I love you” is important.
So how do you fall back in love with your wife? Court
her; look her in the eye and say, “I love you with all my
heart.” Try listening to her even if you can’t fix her problem.
Ask her out for a date. Surprise her with flowers or candy, or
suggest that she go shopping for that new dress. Take out
the trash without being asked; fix the leaky faucet that has
been dripping for a year; volunteer to babysit the kids Sat-
urday afternoon while she gets her hair done; and kiss her
goodbye in the morning.
It’s not too late to let your spouse know how much you
care. And don’t forget Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.
February
14
Keeping Love Alive

Husbands, love In Papua New Guinea, when a young man

your wives. . . . wants to marry, his family will arrange a
EPHESIANS 5:25 marriage with a young woman who has
promise of making an adequate wife. Pool-
ing the family resources, the groom pays fifteen to twenty
pigs for the bride. Forget love and romance. This is the work-
ing arrangement.
“How can people learn to love?” I am often asked. First,
while romance is important, it’s of short duration compared
to the impact of love, which is a commitment, not simply
an emotional high. Love and romance are often considered
to be two sides of the same coin. They are different. But if a
marriage is to survive as a vibrant, meaningful, long-term
relationship, a love between two people has to develop,
whether it begins in courtship or after the marriage.
Approaching the bottom line, we have to ask, “What is
love?” In tennis love means “nothing”; in marriage, it means
everything.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “When you are behaving as if you
loved someone, you will presently come to love them. If you
injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking
him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself
disliking him less.”1 So the way to fall in love is… to love, to
treat the other as you want to be treated, to realize that with
God’s command to love comes the enabling of the Holy
Spirit, who brings us into a relationship with God’s Son who
is love—the purest love the world has ever seen.
Love is a decision, a commitment to care, and the heart
can love regardless of the emotional temperature that rises
and falls with the emotional bumps and grinds of life.
 February
15
Turning on the Lights

When ignorance is demolished by truth, If anyone chooses

it can be alarming, perhaps devastating. to do God’s will,
Knowing that the lump on your neck is he will find out
cancer may shake you up but then again, whether my teaching
that knowledge can save your life. No one comes from God
likes thinking of the surgeon’s knife or or whether I speak
chemotherapy or radiation, yet losing your on my own.
hair or your appetite is widely preferred JOHN 7:17
to losing your life.
How do you know what is truth or prejudice? Do you
take someone else’s word for it or can you know for yourself?
When Paul did a speaking tour in Greece, he came to a place
identified today as Berea. The Bereans quickly accepted what
Paul said, right? Not exactly. Dr. Luke says that they received
the message with great eagerness but examined the Scrip-
tures every day to see if what Paul said was truth.
They had settled the issue, however, as to what is truth.
They were fully persuaded that the Scriptures were true. Do
you have that kind of assurance? You may answer, “Yes! No
problem,” but chances are, you are not sure. Many intelli-
gent individuals today have never gone much beyond the
cover of the Bible. They turned the lights off a long time
ago, and ceased to think for themselves, accepting the mindset
of teachers or professors, our culture and our society.
Ignorance is not comforting and faith is not blind. Turn-
ing on the lights may require some thinking, doing some
investigation, asking some hard questions about your per-
sonal life and being willing to accept the truth that God will
reveal to you. But through His Son, God gave a promise.
Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free”(John 8:32). Punch holes in your darkness
and let the light in.
February
16
Jesus? Yes! Christianity? No!

“What is truth?” How can you be sure that the original

Pilate asked. message Jesus brought hasn’t been tam-
With this he went
pered with by some well-meaning but
out again to the Jews
deceived individual who wants to pro-
and said, “I find
mote his own agenda?
no basis for a charge
ISSUE 1: The authenticity of the records,
against him.”
including their reliability and purity.
JOHN 18:38 Scholars have spent their lives studying
this issue, and the deeper they dig, the more convinced they
are that the record is trustworthy. More than forty manu-
scripts of the Gospels exist that are 1,000 years or older,
with the finest including both the Old and New Testaments
dating between 325 AD and 500 AD.
ISSUE 2: The moral character of the eyewitnesses. In any
court of law, an issue of prime importance is the credibility
of the witnesses. A judge wants to know, “Did they have any
motive which would have led to distorting the truth?” Mat-
thew was a tax collector. Mark was a young man, a close
friend of Peter, in whose home the early church met. Luke
was a Syrian physician, and the companion of Paul on some
of his missionary journeys. John, the fourth biographer, was
probably the youngest of the twelve who were closest to Jesus.
On the cross, Jesus asked John to take care of his mother.
ISSUE 3: Changed lives. These four biographers paid for their
faiths in the currency of suffering and a martyr’s death with the
possible exception of John. Following the resurrection, every-
where they went, they proclaimed what they had seen.
ISSUE 4: The testimony of archaeology that includes document-
ing many of the places and events referred to in the Gospels.
Knowing the truth brings assurance that the record is
trustworthy and that what Jesus Christ promised is valid.
Faith is your response to the truth, and it’s the part no one
can do but yourself.
 February
17
Does Archaeology Prove
the Bible?
Many scientists believe that archaeology All Scripture is
has contributed more to substantiating the God-breathed and
authenticity of Scripture than most people is useful for teaching,
know about. Consider the following: rebuking, correcting
It credits historical statements. Cities, and training in
names, places, events and beliefs have been righteousness.
documented by archaeology. Typical was 2 TIMOTHY 3:16
the blatant denial of the existence of a
people known as Hittites (mentioned 38 times in the Old
Testament) until a scholar demonstrated that not only did
they exist but their language was the key to Indo-European
languages.
It sheds much light on the language of Scripture. For in-
stance, Peter wrote, telling his readers to “make your calling
and election sure . . .” (2 Peter 1:10). The word “sure,” ar-
chaeologists have discovered, was used in legal documents
of the Roman era. In a contract it meant the stipulations
could not be changed. “Make your calling and election sure”
takes on new meaning.
It gives insights to culture. Abraham needed a place to
bury Sarah at her death. Ephron, a Hittite, says, “It’s yours—
my gift to you!” But he really didn’t mean that. He said it
because it was cultural. Finally, he says, “It’s worth 400 shek-
els of silver.” The deal was struck. God made covenants with
His people following the structure of ancient legal covenants.
It provides us with a better understanding of biblical times.
The Bible was written in a world of flesh and blood, of com-
merce, of intrigue, of love and death. The more archaeologists
have unearthed, the greater is our understanding of the times
in which the Word was given.
Archaeology reveals much about the people of the Bible. It’s
a valuable ally that encourages and enlightens us today. It
helps you read the Word with confidence.
February
18
Your Body is God’s Temple

Do you not know When Paul wrote to the Corinthians and

that your body is a brought up the subject of temples, he
temple of the Holy wasn’t writing anything totally new or
Spirit, who is in you, completely sensational. The great temple
whom you have of Apollo stood overlooking the blue
received from God? Aegean, and its ruins are still standing
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 there today. The temple of Aphrodite, the
sex goddess, stood on the acropolis over-
looking the city, and more than 1,000 priestess-prostitutes
catered to the Corinthian men—all under the guise of reli-
gion. Besides, many of the Corinthians had been to Athens,
a day’s journey away, where there were literally hundreds of
temples—one for about every god or goddess you could con-
ceptualize.
But what Paul taught was revolutionary and striking. He
talked about a living God in a living body—that was com-
pletely different from anything the Corinthians had ever
heard before.
Sexual purity was the issue that Paul was addressing, and
He drew a distinct line between the culture and the cross.
It’s always been that way, from Paul’s day to the present, and
it will be that way until God’s Son returns the second time.
To understand that God’s Holy Spirit dwells within when
you are a Christian is a rather humbling and sobering truth.
It’s humbling to think that God cares enough about you to
actually make you His dwelling place, and sobering to real-
ize that our outward lives need to match the value of that
which dwells within.
 February
19
Reconciliation—God’s Answer

During the Korean conflict in the early We are therefore

1950s, a North Korean teenage soldier, Christ’s ambassadors,
in a fit of rage and anger, took another as though God were
Korean youth and executed him in front making his appeal
of his family. Later the same youth was through us.
captured by South Korean soldiers and We implore you
on Christ’s behalf:
the mother and father of the boy who
Be reconciled to God.
had been killed were called upon to
identify the young man. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:20
Yes, this was the boy who had held
them captive. Yes, it was the boy who had pulled the trigger.
But surprisingly the parents pleaded for his life. “He was
angry and he didn’t know what he was doing. Let us have
the boy and raise him in place of our son.”
A surprised and somewhat befuddled military tribunal
gave them their request, and the offending youth was sent
home with the parents of the boy who lost his life. Today,
almost unbelievably, that person is a Korean pastor. In that
home, he found forgiveness and he found God.
Forgiving is important; but it is restoration that brings
great dividends, whether it is one who has wronged you, your
husband or wife, your son or daughter, or your parents.
Going beyond forgiveness is always costly in terms of
exercising humility, in terms of relinquishing our hatred and
our desire to hurt the one who has hurt us.
I think of restoration as opening the door to your hus-
band or wife who has wronged you, as allowing the teenage
son who disappointed you to eat at your table, forgiven and
restored to a place in the family.
February
20
Radical Christianity

Then Jesus said to hisWhen Jesus assembled the twelve along

disciples, ‘If anyone with an audience of several thousand in-
would come after me, dividuals, He delivered His manifesto. We
he must deny himself call it “The Sermon on the Mount,” but
and take up his cross actually, it wasn’t a sermon. It was a state-
and follow me. ment. He began by challenging logic and
MATTHEW 16:24 popular wisdom. Repeatedly He said,
“You have heard it said…” but then chal-
lenged the status quo with, “But I say unto you . . .” Yes,
that’s radical—pretty radical.
“I say unto you,” said Jesus, challenging their views on
murder, adultery, divorce, taking oaths, doing the same thing
to the other person that he has done to them, and loving
their enemies. Yes, His whole thinking was radical.
Are authentic Christians just as radical as Jesus was? Yes,
unquestionably. They are out of sync with their culture that
says, “More is better; if it works, do it; as long as you don’t
get caught, it’s OK—everybody else is doing it” and so forth.
Radical Christianity causes people to actually take a tenth
of their income and put it into God’s work. It causes men
and women to walk away from high-paying jobs and serve
overseas in hospitals, orphanages, schools, outstations, and
a hundred other locations. Radical Christianity touches the
untouchables, and chooses to believe the impossible.
Jesus challenged, “If anyone would come after me, he
must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”
(Matthew 16:24). He invites you to join the elite who dare
to be different, to go for it.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how radical is your Christianity?
 February
21
The Distraction of a Cross

When Jesus called people, He interrupted I have been

their goals, their plans, their life works crucified with Christ
and their consciences. They came to un- and I no longer live,
derstand that following Jesus was not a but Christ lives
part-time vocation but an absolute, all- in me. The life
encompassing commitment. This explains I live in the body,
I live by faith
why on a few occasions, some turned away
in the Son of God,
and ceased to follow Him.
who loved me and
Couldn’t have Christ rallied the troops
gave himself for me.
around something more attractive than a
Roman gibbet where losers ended up? GALATIANS 2:20
Could His teachings not have been more
esoteric? More talk about love and life and less about death
and dying? God apparently thought not, because He gave
His Son, and from the cloths that became baby blankets to
Golgotha where Jesus was crucified, the cross loomed on
the horizon.
“And,” said Jesus, “if you are to follow me, you, too must
take up your cross.” There is one difference, however, be-
tween what Jesus did and what He expects us to do. It’s all
found in the one word that Luke included. It is the word
daily, which shifts the location from a hill outside of Jerusa-
lem to the front room of my house. It becomes planted in
the office where less-than-nice people annoy me, where I
am forced to decide if something is immoral or just “good
business.”
In a very real and practical sense, taking your cross means
you are no longer free to decide some issues. You have no
personal agenda but to follow Jesus Christ. Your morality is
at stake, the way you do business is an issue, and your lan-
guage, your politics, your leisure, your money and your time
all become cross-related.
February
22
Growing in Grace

Grow in the grace When Peter came to the end of the second
and knowledge of book that bears his name, he gave some prac-
our Lord and tical advice. “Be on your guard… grow in
Savior Jesus the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Christ. Savior Jesus Christ.” That was the advice of
2 PETER 3:18 a fisherman who knew that he had to de-
fend his fishing grounds yet he couldn’t
spend all of his time keeping others out of what he felt be-
longed to him.
Some folks spend so much time guarding things, they
never have time to grow anything. How do you know that
you are growing in grace as opposed to just getting on with
your life? Growth in grace is reflected in the following:
You accept circumstances, understanding that God can bring
order out of chaos. No, it doesn’t mean you like these circum-
stances but you refuse to fight fire with fire, preferring to let
God deal with some issues.
You come to understand that God is sufficient to meet your
needs. You will never test the resources and grace of God
unless you hit the bottom. “My grace is sufficient for you,”
God told Paul.
You cultivate a voice of praise instead of profaning the cir-
cumstances. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:18).
You have a desire to do the will of God, no matter what
others do. When you say, “Lord, I put this in Your hands;
You deal with it,” you are growing in God’s grace.
Finally, growth in grace is characterized by a willingness
to wait on the Lord, knowing that His timetable is different
from yours.
 February
23
Wisdom Cries in the Streets

A text from Proverbs says that wisdom Every young man

cries aloud in the streets (Proverbs 1:20). who listens to me and
Frankly, that’s where you need wisdom, obeys my instructions
because the streets contain the crossroads will be given wisdom
that lead to life or death. If God would and good sense.
not dispense wisdom and give you guid- PROVERBS 2:1 TLB
ance and direction in the streets, you
would be in deep distress.
Daniel, in the seventh century before Christ, said that in
the last days mankind would grow in knowledge yet become
weaker. That day is upon us now. While it’s easy to point a
finger at society in general, we need wisdom when it comes
to our personal relationships. Do you walk out of a relation-
ship saying, “I’ve been abused—at least, verbally!” or do you
lean on the Lord, think of your three kids, and learn to fight
fire with a fire extinguisher called love?
It is in the streets of life, the crossroads of decisions, where
we need God’s wisdom. Wisdom is there for the asking. “If
any of you lacks wisdom,” wrote James, “he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will
be given to him”(James 1:5). Seeking the advice and counsel
of God through prayer makes sense. He knows the end from
the beginning. You don’t. He knows the implications of each
option and choice. You don’t. He knows how your decision
will affect others. You don’t.
Look beyond your immediate feelings, your frustration,
your ego and your pride, and ask God for wisdom. It may
well be that wisdom means taking your time, thinking
through the issue, and most important of all, pondering the
consequences of hasty action.
February
24
The Impact of the Word

For the word of God Genya Gvozdenko lived in the Russian vil-
is living and active. lage of Chuguyevka where he taught school
Sharper than any and spent his spare time working in his
double-edged sword, garden. Shortly after Perestroika began to
it penetrates even to change the face of Communism, Genya
dividing soul and went to market one day to find a salesman
spirit, joints and with Bibles. Although he had heard about
marrow; it judges the Bible, he had never seen or held one.
the thoughts and Curiously he picked up the book and
attitudes of
leafed through it.
the heart.
Seeing that he was interested in it, the un-
HEBREWS 4:12 known missionary who had set up a display
agreed to let the schoolteacher take it home
and return it the next day. Genya showed the book to his
wife, then sat down and started reading. He read all night,
and by the time daylight had pierced the eastern sky, the light
of God’s love had penetrated his heart. He decided then that
he wanted to know more about God.
Returning the book, Genya asked where he could learn
more about this book and the God who says He loves us.
The missionary told him about a fledgling new Christian
school in Donetsk, Ukraine, some thirty kilometers west of
the Russian border.
Making the decision to go to the school, Genya gave up
his job, sold his cow, and bought train tickets for the long
journey that took eight days and nights. Finally, arriving in
Donetsk, he made his way to the school that had not ex-
pected the schoolteacher and his family. Three years later,
Genya and Lena have returned to the village from whence
they came and have planted an evangelical church.
 February
25
When I’m Too Weak To Walk

As Moses neared the end of his life, he As a father

knew he had to prepare God’s people for has compassion
what was ahead. He reminded them of on his children,
the time he sent twelve spies into the land so the LORD has
and most of them came back with reports compassion on those
of great difficulty ahead. “Where can we who fear him;
for he knows
go?” they cried, adding, “Our brothers
how we are formed,
have made us lose heart.” He reminded
he remembers that
them that in the wilderness God had been
we are dust.
their strength. “There,” he said, “you saw
how the LORD your God carried you, as a PSALM 103:13-14
father carries his son, all the way you went
until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:29).
At the time, did the people realize that God was leading
them, undergirding them, even carrying them over the rough
spots? No, for they grumbled and complained. They wanted
to go back to Egypt. But Moses said, “No, God was carrying
you all along, even when you did not know it or feel it.”
In Psalm 28:9 there is the picture of a shepherd who car-
ries a sheep, and the Psalmist applies this to us in times when
we are too weak and too discouraged to go on. Do you re-
member the beautiful story of the footprints, and the one
questioning God asks how He could have walked with him
when there was only one set of footprints? God replied,
“When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I
carried you.”
Someday you will look back and see His hand when you
felt nothing and know that indeed He did walk with you
through the dark valley. That’s the truth that you have to
hold on to when your emotions are telling you to quit. Then
you will know He carried you, just as a father does his son.
February
26
If I Were the Devil

Be self-controlled Have you ever wondered how you would

and alert. Your strive to defeat people if you were the
enemy the devil devil? First, if I were the devil I would
prowls around like strive to convince Christians that God
a roaring lion doesn’t mean what He says in His Word,
looking for someone the Bible. I would convince people that
to devour. Resist
it’s poetic but not practical in the world
him, standing firm
of the 21st century.
in the faith, because
When Satan first confronted Eve in
you know that your
the garden, he followed the same line of
brothers throughout
logic. Today the widespread belief that
the world are
undergoing the same
happiness is more important than holi-
kind of sufferings. ness is behind the plague of broken homes
that confront us.
1 PETER 5:8-9
Second, I would infiltrate the Church
and stress emotions over truth, creating
the illusion that the most important thing is to feel good
about ourselves.
Third, I would strive to create a non-offensive sort of
religious expression, a gospel that requires no change, that
makes no demands, and that is inclusive enough that every-
one goes to heaven.
Fourth, I would strive to convince Christians that God is
not a good God when He doesn’t give us everything we want.
I would make them think that if God has the ability to keep
bad things from happening and yet He allows them, then
He cannot be loving.
What I’ve described isn’t unique or original. It’s the same
old line the devil has used for a long time. Peter warned,
“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in
the faith . . .” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
 February
27
You Can Count on God

“You can’t be sure of anything except Because of the LORD’s

death and taxes,” goes the popular great love we are not
aphorism, but that is not really true. consumed, for his
You can count on God! compassions never fail.
First, three times the Bible says that They are new every
God will keep His covenant or His morning; great is your
faithfulness.
promise of love to a thousand genera-
tions. As Moses reviewed what God LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23
had promised, He told Israel, “Know
therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful
God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand genera-
tions of those who love him and keep his commands”
(Deuteronomy 7:9).
Notice, that Moses begins with a reassuring premise: God
is God! He needs no qualification. He is not God only when
there are no storms and no world conflicts. He is God who
presides over the rise and fall of nations, the flow of history,
and the passing of centuries—a good reminder as we face an
unknown future.
He also says that this God is a faithful God. Jeremiah
lived in a time of great international turmoil. With Babylon
pounding on the door and Jerusalem about to fall, Jeremiah
wrote, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not con-
sumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness”(Lamentations 3:22-23).
Called a traitor, Jeremiah was renounced by his king and
government. Thrown in a slime pit and left to die, his life
was saved by a kind eunuch in the court who risked his neck
to save him. Yet even after undergoing such difficulties,
Jeremiah contends that faithful is the God Almighty.
You can prove for yourself that God is faithful and will
honor His word. Trust Him and walk with Him.
February
28
Learning from Your Mistakes

Then Saul said, “I Charles Schultz, the creator of the comic

have sinned. Return, strip “Peanuts” had a grasp of human na-
my son David. For I ture as only a few do. Who can’t identify
will harm you no with the series of cartoons where Lucy is
more, because my life
trying to console Charlie Brown? She says,
was precious in your
“Remember, Charlie Brown, you learn
eyes this day. Indeed I
more from your defeats than you do from
have played the fool
your victories.” And Charlie Brown re-
and erred exceedingly.
plies, “That makes me the smartest man
1 SAMUEL 26:21 NKJV in the world!”

Strange how some do learn from their mistakes, and oth-

ers never seem to grasp the lessons of their failures. Some
find themselves knocked down by circumstances, complain-
ing that they became victims. Others find themselves knocked
down but learn to rise to new heights.
Those who learn from failure have several qualities in
common:
QUALITY 1: They accept responsibility for their failure.
Excuses are not part of their vocabulary. Instead of blaming
others, they say, “It was my fault!”
QUALITY 2: They analyze the causes of their failure and
strive to correct the flaws. Only those who do nothing make
no mistakes. They learn from their failure. They believe fail-
ure need never be fatal and success is never final.
QUALITY 3: They have an unflagging spirit of determina-
tion to succeed. They use failure as a stepping stone to
accomplishment.
QUALITY 4: They learn dependence upon God for what
they lack.
God honors the man who acknowledges Him in times of
failure, and gives grace to overcome. You can learn that fail-
ures can become the stepping-stones to reaching your goals.
 March
MATTHEW 6:9-11
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
your name, your kingdom come, your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.”
 March
1
Followership

What we need today is more leaders! Anyone who wants to

Right? Wrong, says Dr. Joe Stowell. He follow me must put
believes we need followers. In his book aside his own desires
Following Christ, he wrote, “That follow- and conveniences and
ing is what we were originally designed carry his cross with
for is almost self-evident in the fact that him every day and
every one can follow but very few have keep close to me!
either the talent or the opportunity to LUKE 9:23 TLB
lead.”2
Coining a word for what he believes we need, Stowell
calls it followership, the habit of learning to follow implicitly
Him who challenged the disciples, saying, “Anyone who
wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and con-
veniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep
close to me!”(Luke 9:23 TLB).
In dealing with the issue of what he calls followership,
Joe Stowell meets head-on the greatest flaw of Christianity
today: Fearful of losing control over their lives and desti-
nies, many name the name of Jesus Christ without making
a commitment to follow Him.
Making this personal, do you ever struggle with the is-
sue of commitment to Jesus? Do you think that if you
followed Him, you will be mocked, thought of as a fanatic,
and deprived of your independence?
Realize also that following is a step by step walk. When
you follow Him, you will get to know Him, and when you
really know Him—not the image you may have grown up
with—you will love Him, and when you love Him, you will
obey Him.
What we need today is not more leaders but followers
of Jesus Christ.
March
2
Worrying about What
You Cannot Change

But when they “Worry,” said E. Stanley Jones, “is the in-
arrest you, do not terest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles.” But
worry about what to it is more than that. Worry begins as a
say or how to say it. trickle, then erodes your energy and pro-
At that time you will
ductivity, draining you of all creative
be given what to say.
abilities and possibilities.
MATTHEW 10:19 In some cases, part of the solution is
revamping your lifestyle, but in other situ-
ations like raising five kids without a husband—you can’t
quit or walk out. You’ve got to move on.
Most of our worries cluster around two major fears:
What could happen and what has happened. In the days
when he was a circuit-riding lawyer, Abraham Lincoln,
accompanied by several colleagues, crossed several rivers
swollen by spring rains. Ahead, though, was the big one—
the Fox River, and it worried them. “If we are having trouble
getting across these, how are we going to get across that
one?” they reasoned.
That evening they stopped at the log cabin of a settler.
The man had crossed the dangerous Fox River many times.
Learning this, Lincoln’s group probed the man about the river.
“I know all about the Fox River,” he told them, adding,
“I have crossed it often and understand it well. But I have
one fixed rule with regard to the Fox River: I never cross it till
I reach it.”
When you are where God wants you to be and you know
that He is your Shepherd who will take you across the river
and through the dark valley, you can let Him take the night
shift, and go to sleep. Make it a practice to never cross the
river until you get there.
 March
3
Surrender

Laura Doyle’s marriage was on the verge Wives, submit to

of collapse when she met a friend at a gym. your husbands as
She had been to a seminar that had helped to the Lord. . . .
change her life. As they talked, Laura Husbands, love your
knew that if something didn’t happen wives, just as Christ
soon, her marriage was history. loved the church
and gave himself
The issue was control, two people both
up for her.
wanted to be boss. She wanted to control
his life—where he went, what he wore, EPHESIANS 5:22, 25
what he did and so forth.
Laura’s husband didn’t like it but neither was he ready to
quit the marriage. What did happen is now the subject of
Laura’s book entitled The Surrendered Wife. She eventually
allowed him to provide leadership, understanding that she
didn’t need to argue every point or tell him how to drive or
where to park or what to wear.
Scores of women are afraid of losing equality in a mar-
riage, afraid that if they don’t stand their ground and argue
every point, they won’t get their share.
Paul gave two powerful dictums about marriage: a hus-
band is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and a wife
is to submit to her husband’s leadership while both of them
submit [same word] to each other in love, being sensitive to
the needs and circumstances of the other.
God says, “I want men to love and lead.” And when we
understand that the two verbs, love and lead, go together,
we put the other first in the kind of relationship that gives
each what he or she wants in far greater measure than ever
happens when you are fighting over who is in control.
March
4
“How Would You Define God?”

Let him who boasts “How would you define God?” was the
boast about this: question a middle-aged businesswoman
that he understands asked. Her lips were quivering as she asked
and knows me . . . the question that told me a volcano of
declares the LORD. emotions was the driving force of her ques-
JEREMIAH 9:24 tion. “She’s been through a lot,” her friends
later explained without providing details.
“I wouldn’t want to attempt to define
God,” I explained, adding, “You experience God.” The mo-
ment you say, “God is . . . ” and finish the sentence, you
have drawn a box around God and your definition attempts
to confine Him to what you have said.
The Bible, which tells us more about God than any book
in the world, doesn’t make a single attempt to define God.
It begins assuming His existence and also says that we are
dependent upon Him just as a newborn is upon his mother.
The first verse of our English Bibles reads, “In the begin-
ning, God . . .” but actually the Hebrew text says more
precisely, “In beginning, God. . . . ”
The good news is that you can experience God because He
is a person with every attribute of personality. He hears, He
feels, He speaks, He loves, He understands, and He cares.
He cares for you far more than you realize. “Taste and see
that the LORD is good,” is the invitation of the psalmist (Psalm
34:8). Long ago God spoke through Isaiah and said, “You
will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your
heart”(Jeremiah 29:13).
Where is the place to begin when you want to find God?
Start where you are and turn to the pages of His Word, the
Bible.
 March
5
Knowing God

Trouble and difficulty are catalysts that Jesus answered:

force you to seek God. When troublesome “Don’t you know
words such as, “I want out of this mar- me, Philip,
riage,” or “I am sorry to tell you this, but even after I have
the laboratory report says that your prob- been among you
lem will require surgery” cause your home such a long time?
Anyone who has
and dreams to collapse, you need God.
seen me has seen
Whether God allows the circumstances
the Father. . . .”
to drive you to Himself or simply uses
them isn’t important. Man’s extremity is JOHN 14:9
God’s opportunity. He’s there to meet you
in the dark night of your soul.
When Job’s world fell apart piece by piece, his friends
came to console him. One of them advised, “Submit to God
and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come
to you”(Job 22:21).
In other words, he says, “Job, get to know God and your
troubles will be over. You will then have peace.” But Job did
know God, far better than those who wanted to explain why
his world had fallen apart.
God is there in the dark night, but He is also there when
the sun rises the next morning. Knowing God, however, is
the most important thing you can ever experience.
Is your relationship with Him strong enough that when
the clouds obscure the sun and your peace is threatened,
your faith in Him will be an anchor, a strength that will
hold you?
In times of trial, He is the only one really worth know-
ing, the only One who will walk with you through the valley
of the shadow of death and take you up the other side.
March
6
What Would You Do?

Teach slaves to be After several years of commuting back

subject to their and forth to the office and dropping your
masters in everything, child off at a day care center, you are
to try to please them, given the opportunity of working at
not to talk back to home. Your employer provides the com-
them, and not to steal puter and pays for your Internet
from them, but to connection. No longer do you punch in
show that they can be and out. No one is watching to see if you
fully trusted, so that are working, or shopping or talking with
in every way they a friend on the phone.
will make the How, then, would you handle the
teaching about God following situations?
our Savior attractive. SCENARIO 1: Your phone rings and
TITUS 2:9-10 an old friend whom you have not seen
for a long time wants to meet you for
lunch or to have coffee. If anyone calls, you can field the
contact using your cell phone. Nobody would know that
you took off three hours. Is this ethical or unethical?
SCENARIO 2: On days when you finish your work early, is
it OK to do housework or head to the gym or do grocery
shopping as long as you are available for phone calls? Is it
ethical or unethical?
SCENARIO 3: Your daughter needs to do a report and use
the Internet for research. Your computer is sitting there.
Nobody from your office logs your time on the Internet,
and, besides, no one will ever know what you do evenings or
how the equipment is used. Is this ethical or unethical?
Scripture clearly teaches right and wrong that is not de-
pendent on “getting the job done” or whether you can get
away with something. Paul wrote, “Provide things honest in
the sight of all men”(Romans 12:17 KJV ). That’s still what
God requires.
 March
7
Is the Bible Really True?

Is the Bible really true? The issue is not so The grass withers
much whether the Bible is true, but and the flowers fall,
whether or not we are willing to accept but the word
the implication of what it says. In simple of our God
terms, it is a lot easier to hide behind an stands forever.
intellectual smokescreen than recognize ISAIAH 40:8
there are personal implications attached
to what the Bible says.
First, the Bible doesn’t mince words regarding what is
moral or immoral, what is ethical or unethical. God gave
Moses Ten Commandments, not ten suggestions. He said you
have no right to another man’s wife. You have no right to
take another man’s life. God says, don’t lie; tell the truth.
Don’t steal, and neither have you any business lusting after
what belongs to your neighbor. It says the family is the basis
of society and civilization, that homosexuality is an offense
to God, and that wrongdoing will be punished. The Bible
tells us not only what not to do but what to do!
There is also the issue of accountability. “All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all”(Isaiah
53:6 NKJV ). But the Bible also says there is a Shepherd
who not only lovingly seeks the lost sheep, striving to bring
him back to the fold, but ultimately becomes his judge if
His love and mercy are spurned.
Friend, have you settled that question, “Is the Bible re-
ally true?” It’s not a matter of intellectual curiosity; it’s a
matter of life and death. When you are convinced, you will
far more readily follow its guidelines for living. As Jesus said,
“Your Word is truth”(John 17:17).
March
8
Maximizing Your Strengths

Brothers, I do not The day of being a jack-of-all-trades and

consider myself yet to master of none is over! It’s the age of spe-
have taken hold of it. cialization that requires that we know
But one thing I do: more and more about less and less until
Forgetting what is we know practically everything about
behind and straining nothing. Well, perhaps it isn’t quite that
toward what is
bad yet, believed Peter Drucker. He says
ahead, I press on
it is wise to focus on what you do well
toward the goal to
and not spend all your time striving to
win the prize for
improve what you do poorly.
which God has called
Peter Drucker was one of the most
me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.
outstanding management experts of the
last half of the 20th century. Drucker be-
PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 lieved that in golf you need to work on
your weakness, but this is not so in business. One of the reasons
many fail in both business and their personal lives is that they
are spread too thin.
Drucker’s advice is actually grounded in a New Testa-
ment principle. Paul contended that God gives spiritual gifts
to His children to equip them, to build them up so that they
may accomplish His purpose in their lives. This means that
you as a believer have spiritual gifts that enable you to excel
at certain things. Do you know what they are?
Drucker says that a businessman should match his strengths
to his tasks. The same principle should apply in your service
for God. Put yourself in situations whereby you are strong
and can make a unique contribution. If you are a teacher,
then teach. If you are an encourager, then encourage.
Since you can’t do everything, you’ve got to decide what
you can do, what God has gifted you with, and where you
are strong.
 March
9
When Endurance Fails

In his book, Endurance, Alfred Lansing You were running

tells of the incredible journey of Sir Ernest a good race.
Shackelton in 1915 across 800 miles of Who cut in on you
an ice-filled ocean. It was bitterly cold and and kept you from
his safety was constantly threatened by obeying the truth?
gale-force winds. No one had ever made GALATIANS 5:7
that exceedingly difficult journey before;
and it was not until 1957 that an expedition with heated,
tracked vehicles and radio communication attempted what
he did. His journey has been called one of the most heroic
sea journeys of all time.
The world isn’t full of Shackeltons. Common ordinary
people—the Peters, Andrews, James and Johns of the every-
day world—inhabit it, the moms who have to get their kids
off to school and the dads who work two shifts to cover the
expenses of a sick child.
But there is one thing for sure: At the end of your strength
and your resources is the helping hand of God who takes
you beyond yourself.
Paul wrote to Christians in Central Asia Minor and chided
them because they started out in their Christian lives in a
burst of glory, but then became discouraged, listened to dis-
senting voices, and gave up. “You were running a good race.
Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
(Galatians 5:7).
Nothing of value is ever accomplished by giving up.
When you are tempted to give up, pray, “God help me!”
Take one more step and then one more, and that will be
enough. Quitting is not an option when you have a passion
for success.
March
10
When the Arm of Flesh
Fails You

My flesh and my Winning in life is not always a matter of

heart may fail, gritting your teeth and trouncing your op-
but God is the position. At times it is a matter of taking
strength of my heart one more step by faith, realizing that the
and my portion whole situation is beyond your control
forever. and that, if God is willing, He can reverse
PSALM 73:26 almost certain failure.
Think of Daniel in the lion’s den. If
he thought, “Look what I got myself into; now how do I get
myself out of here?” there is no record of it. Or ponder Esther,
a Jewish girl, whose uncle had engineered her into appealing
for the lives of the Jews in Babylon. “If I perish, I perish,”
she cried, pushed forward and saved the lives of thousands.
God honors the determined spirit that presses on, but
then all the determination and courage in the world aren’t
enough to overcome some obstacles and situations. That’s
when God makes the difference. As the psalmist put it: “My
flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my
heart and my portion forever”(Psalm 73:26).
That phrase “but God” speaks of His reversing a situa-
tion, turning it around, changing everything. When Paul
was on his second missionary journey, his friend
Epaphroditus fell sick unto death. “Indeed,” says Paul, “he
was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and
not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon
sorrow”(Philippians 2:27). Underline these words but God
in your Bible.
Is there anything too hard for God to do? Not if you
believe what the Bible says. At the end of what you can
do, there is the strong hand of the God.
 March
11
Lord, Revive Thy People

It was an ordinary, cold winter day at Will you not

Asbury College. The calendar read Feb- revive us again,
ruary 3, 1970. At chapel that morning, that your people
students assembled as they normally did. may rejoice in you?
Then a speaker shared some thoughts— PSALM 85:6
nothing out of the ordinary. He ended his
message inviting any one who wished to do so to share what-
ever was on their hearts. After one or two spoke, a young
man stood and began to confess that he felt like he had been
a phony. Tears streamed down his face as he told how he had
been faking it all. He asked fellow students to forgive him.
Students came to the front and knelt in prayer as tears
of repentance filled their eyes and streamed down their
cheeks. The bell rang for classes to begin; it was ignored.
God’s Spirit was beginning a mighty work that would go
unbroken for eight days and nights—185 consecutive hours
without stopping.
Jeff Blake, one of the students who participated, wrote
these words in his diary: “I sit in the middle of a contempo-
rary Pentecost. A few moments ago there came a spontaneous
movement of the Holy Spirit . . . The scene is unbelievable
. . .Witness is abundant. Release—Freedom—Tears—Joy
unspeakable—Embracing—Applause when a soul celebrates.
A thousand hearts lifted in songs of praise and adoration to
a mighty God.”3 It was called The Asbury Revival.
Can we expect that God will once again revive His people
before we face the end of the age? Can ordinary people be
the catalyst that brings this mighty move of God? Begin by
asking God to forgive you and pour out your heart just as
the Asbury student did. Discover that the smallest spark can
ignite a huge fire.
March
12
Am I a Candidate
for Revival?

Revive us, Long ago the psalmist prayed, “Will you not
and we will call revive us again, that your people may rejoice
on your name. in you?”(Psalm 85:6). But what are we re-
PSALM 80:18 ally talking about when we use the term
“revival”? In a spiritual sense, revival means
coming to life, a spiritual awakening, as the mighty Spirit of
God brings new life to His Body the Church and to us as
individuals.
When Jesus sent out the twelve He gave them authority
over the spirit world and the physical world as well. He said,
“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is
near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have
leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely
give”(Matthew 10:7-8). When the twelve hit the streets,
people knew something important was happening. They
didn’t have to put on a show to get a crowd.
Today, though, almost every advance of the church can
be explained in human terms: good promotion; great mu-
sic; terrific entertainment; exciting, feel-good motivational
messages (once called sermons), dynamic personalities and
expansive buildings (sometimes with gyms, bookstores, and
restaurants). The result: a rather spiritually impotent church
whose growth comes from within.
Instead of pointing your finger at your church, ask your-
self, “Do I personally need to be revived? Has my spiritual
life become mechanical, routine and humdrum? Do I desire
a deeper, more intimate relationship with God’s Son?” And
when you answer in the affirmative, you have declared your-
self to be a candidate for spiritual renewal that is the key to
coming alive once again.
 March
13
Revivals Happen

Ezekiel was a priest who had been carried If my people, who are
away by King Nebuchadnezzar and forced called by my name,
to settle in Babylon. As this man grew will humble
older, he grew both hungry for God and themselves and pray
longing for his homeland. and seek my face and
God revealed Himself to Ezekiel and turn from their
wicked ways, then
told Him of great things that were in the
will I hear from
future for Israel. Ezekiel had a vision in
heaven and will
which he visualized Israel as a valley of dead
forgive their sin and
bones. Then God asked, “Son of man, can
will heal their land.
these bones live?”(Ezekiel 37:3). Talk about
having to answer the Teacher! What do you 2 CHRONICLES 7:14
say when God asks you a question? Ezekiel
answered, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know!”
Then God told him to prophesy that breath would enter
them, tendons would be attached, then flesh, then life. Re-
creation! It was a picture of Israel’s restoration. It is also a
picture of what God does individually and corporately when
He chooses to revive His people.
“My spiritual life is like that!” you may complain. But do
you hear the still voice of God asking, “Can these bones live?”
Churches are people who have deep needs. Some are “old-
timers” while others are a younger crowd. Many are “The
walking wounded” who come hoping for life. At times those
of us who have been there for a long time are more like the
valley of dry bones—the “used-to-be-on-fire” crowd, criti-
cal of the young prone to give advice than help.
When fire comes, everything feels the flame. So why not
ask God to start the revival of dry bones with you? “Yes,
Lord, send a work of Your Spirit starting with me.”
March
14
Steps to Spiritual Renewal

In speaking of the Want God to revive your spiritual life?

angels he says, Here are the steps on the path to renewal:
“He makes his angels STEP 1: An awareness of your need for
winds, his servants revival. It is an acknowledgment of your
flames of fire.” lukewarmness, accompanied by cries from
HEBREWS 1:7 your heart that says, “Lord, I want to be
free of this phony stuff I’ve lived with.
I’m tired of faking it; I want reality.”
STEP 2: Repentance and confession, which are two sides of
the same coin. It’s humbling to acknowledge indifference,
coldness and sin in your life.
STEP 3: Prayer of humility. It is this that restores the
warmth of God’s presence. When God set the conditions
for revival, He began by saying, “If my people who are called
by my name shall humble themselves and pray. . . .”
When revival came to Wales in 1904, a man came, seek-
ing the secret to this awakening. “I have journeyed into
Wales,” he said, “with the hope that I may glean the secret
of the Welsh revival.” The shy, introverted Evan Roberts who
largely played a part in this movement replied, “My brother,
there is no secret: Ask and ye shall receive!”
STEP 4: Simple obedience to God. This sometimes means
making things right with others, giving up anger and bitter-
ness and following the dictates of Scripture.
STEP 5: A commitment to holy living. When God gave the
conditions of spiritual renewal, He included “turning from
your wicked ways” as part of the price we must pay to find
renewal in our spiritual life.
If your heart cries out for the reality that comes through
knowing God, stop playing games and tell God, “Yes, that is
how I feel. I want to know You, Lord.”
 March
15
A Time to Remain Silent

Knowing when to offer advice and coun- There is a time

sel and when to listen without comment for everything,
is a talent that only the wisest possess. God and a season
gave us the gift of listening as well as the for every activity
gift of speaking. There is a time to speak under heaven.
and a time to remain silent. ECCLESIASTES 3:1
A letter penned by a friend who spoke
for so many reads: “I cannot control myself when it comes
to saying what is true to a person. There are times that I am
brutally frank. I know the truth is bitter, but my greatest
defect is to tell the person what wrong he has done which he
ought not to do. Is this unchristian?”
If you find that it is easy to give unsolicited advice, ask
yourself a few questions: Do you know when you are wrong?
Or do you have to be told by others? Do you appreciate
advice or counsel when you do not ask for it? How do you
respond when others tell you what you already know?
To the Ephesians Paul wrote, “Speak the truth in love,”
and it is the last phrase, “in love,” that demands we learn
when to remain silent. All that you say may be true, but
when it is not spoken in love, save your breath and the feel-
ings of another. Before you speak, you are the master of your
words; but once you have spoken, they become master over
you. “By your words,” said Christ, “you will be acquitted
and by your words you will be condemned”(Matthew 12:37).
Yes, Lord, help us to learn that there is a time to speak
and a time to remain silent, and to know when to do each.
March
16
“You’ve Got Fifteen Years”

For dead men Your doctor tells you, “Put your house in
cannot praise you. order; you’re going to die!” Then some-
They cannot be one says, “Hold it! You’ve got fifteen years
filled with hope to go!” How would you feel? Joyful! Sud-
and joy. The living, denly your life would take on new
only the living, meaning. You would focus—not on your
can praise you
past—but how you want to use your re-
as I do today.
maining years, right?
One generation
That’s essentially what happened to
makes known
Hezekiah whose story of sickness and re-
your faithfulness
covery is told in Isaiah 38. He went
to the next.
home, turned his face to the wall, and
ISAIAH 38:18-19 TLB wept bitterly.
He also prayed, pointing out that he had faithfully served
God. Then God said, “I have heard your prayers and seen
your tears.” Thus God gave Hezekiah another fifteen years.
In gratitude Hezekiah made some vows.
First, he vowed to walk humbly before God.
Then he also vowed to focus on praise and thanksgiving.
He said, “The living, the living—they praise you, as I am
doing today; fathers tell their children about your
faithfulness”(Isaiah 38:19). He also intended to spend the
rest of his life glorifying God.
God kept His end of the bargain and the king lived for
fifteen years. But when the crisis passed and life assumed a
normal pattern of things, what the king intended to do was
soon forgotten. According to Isaiah, pride in his accomplish-
ments soon pushed aside the vow of humility and the desire
to praise and glorify God for what He had done.
How much time do you have? Only today is the correct
answer. Who knows what tomorrow may hold? Today is the
day to put your house in order.
 March
17
When You are Confronted
with a Catch-22 Situation

It’s a catch-22 situation, one where you From the end of the
can’t win. That expression “catch-22” was earth will I cry unto
made famous by the book, Catch-22. This thee, when my heart
novel was inspired by the war experiences is overwhelmed:
of Joseph Heller who was flying over lead me to the rock
France in World War II when shrapnel that is higher
hit his B-25 bomber plane. Up to that than I.
time, he had been fearless, but no longer. PSALM 61:2 KJV
He wanted out.
In the 1961 novel, the main character John Yossarian
decides he doesn’t want to fly any more dangerous missions
so he invents a mysterious liver ailment, sabotages his plane,
and tries to get himself declared insane.
Here’s the predicament: Yossarian learns that in the mili-
tary, anyone who is insane has to be excused from flying
dangerous missions, but the catch is that he must ask to be
excused. But “anyone who is smart enough to show ‘rational
fear in the face of clear and present danger’ obviously is not
insane and must continue to fly.”
Catch-22 situations are grim apart from the one who
can eliminate the hopeless future. It is God. When
Jehoshaphat faced a catch-22 situation, he cried out, “We
have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you”
(2 Chronicles 20:12). God is always enough.
There were lots of times when David faced catch-22 situ-
ations, but he learned that God makes a difference. He cried
out, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when
my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher
than I”(Psalm 61:2 KJV ).
March
18
Whatever You Do

Commit to the LORD Four times in the Bible you find the
whatever you do, phrase “whatever you do” and what fol-
and your plans lows emphasizes a relationship between
will succeed. you and God. The first is “Commit to
PROVERBS 16:3 the LORD whatever you do and your plans
will succeed”(Proverbs 16:3). In this same
context, the writer says that you may have a plan but God
determines what happens. That first “whatever you do” forges
a link between your efforts, God and success.
The second whatever you do is found in Paul’s letter to
the Corinthians where he wrote, “So whether you eat or
drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1
Corinthians 10:31). Paul’s advice to these new converts who
had grown up in a morally perverse society: Whatever you
do, whether it is what you say or what your actions are, strive
to glorify God—not yourself. When you live a life of integ-
rity, your example is going to run counter to your culture.
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, whose city was an
old but fading commercial center, he used that whatever you
do expression twice(Colossians 3:17; 3:23). He first urged
them to do whatever they did in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and to give thanks to Him no matter what the result.
Then he reminded them that they were really working for
God—not an employer.
Whatever you do includes everything you do—nothing
excepted. Sloppy work is no credit to those who claim to be
followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that what-
ever you do is a reflection on Him who called you to serve
Him, and when you do less than your best, you dishonor
your Father in Heaven.
 March
19
Answering the
Forces of Culture

Against the backdrop of a pagan, immoral So when God

culture of Sodom, Lot had tried to raise destroyed the cities
his family to know and serve God. How of the plain,
successful was he? Not very. His wife, not he remembered
believing the severity of the angels’ in- Abraham, and he
structions to leave the city and not look brought Lot out of
back, ignored their warning and lost her the catastrophe that
life. His two virgin daughters, who were overthrew the cities
more concerned with “preserving the where Lot had lived.
family line,” got him drunk and conceived GENESIS 19:29
his sons.
God took Lot out of Sodom, but the cultural influence
couldn’t be so easily removed. OK, here we are today, down-
stream by hundreds of years, yet the battle between our
culture and righteous living is not much different.
How do you survive spiritual living in a pagan culture?
Answer the following questions:
ISSUE 1: Is your concern simply cultural or biblical? Once
you decide to let the Bible be your guide, you must believe
that God is a good God, not a killjoy wanting to keep you
miserable. Jesus told the disciples, “If you love me, you will
obey what I command” (John 14:15).
ISSUE 2: How does this affect your family, your personal
reputation, and the Lord whom you serve? Everything you do
affects others, and though some things may be innocent in
themselves, the long-term effects on others determine which
side you are on.
ISSUE 3: Does your decision glorify God in its consequences?
Everything you do has secondary consequences that you must
think through. Only then can your faith survive a culture
that is hostile to God’s purpose.
March
20
Momma and Conflict

Can two walk Only a few weeks before her death at the
together, unless age of ninety-two, Audrey Duffield, my
they are agreed? mother-in-law, sat down and, with no par-
AMOS 3:3 NKJV ticular audience in mind, wrote the
following:
“Would you like to hear how one minister and his wife
settled problems peacefully and happily? We made one deci-
sion in our marriage that we followed for sixty-three years.
Guy and I decided that we would never make an important
decision regarding our life work until we were united in that
decision.
“The test came early in our ministry. A change of pastor-
ate was presented. Down to our knees we went in prayer.
And we came up divided. But there was no argument. I felt
Guy leaning one way and me the other. But I never said a
word. And I didn’t go around crying or pouting either. I just
felt the answer down in my heart and left it there.
“Weeks went by. Guy wavered, but for once, not me.
Finally one day Guy expressed his decision, ‘I feel the Lord
wants us to remain where we are.’ What did I say? ‘I could
have told you that three months ago!’ Never did we fail in
this lesson. Friends, you must be united in your decisions in
life, and God will bless.”
Years before, Amos asked the question, “Can two walk
together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3 NKJV ). The
answer is obvious. Waiting and praying until God brought a
kindred witness to their hearts was the way Guy and Audrey
Duffield handled disagreements for over six decades of mar-
riage. The principle still works for those who will follow it.
 March
21
Unconventional Wisdom

Unconventional wisdom cuts across the There is a way

grain of our culture. Conventional wis- that seems right
dom says, “It’s OK if it’s legal.” to a man, but in the
Unconventional wisdom asks not whether end it leads to death.
it is legal but if it is moral. Conventional PROVERBS 14:12
wisdom says, “Treat the other guy like he
treats you.” Unconventional wisdom says treat the other
person as you would like him to treat you.
Conventional wisdom says, “Keep it for yourself ” and
considers generosity to be a weakness. Unconventional wis-
dom sees a need and gives generously to meet that need.
Conventional wisdom says if you don’t want to raise a child,
then abort it. But unconventional wisdom recognizes that
every child is a gift from the Lord.
Conventional wisdom is that which Paul wrote of when
he asked, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the
world?”(1 Corinthians 1:20). Conventional wisdom takes
advantage of the loophole in the contract, the weakness of
your opponent, and the strength of your ability.
Unconventional wisdom is what causes God to love you.
It is what brought His Son to the world long ago, where He
lived among us and taught us that there is a way that seems
right to a man but ends in death. Unconventional wisdom
is a choice. It is what gives you a fork in the road and the
courage to take the less traveled path.
Jesus put it so clearly, “Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to de-
struction, and many enter through it”(Matthew 7:13). That’s
unconventional wisdom at its best.
March
22
Practicing Unconventional
Wisdom
But I tell you: When Jesus confronted the crowds that
Love your enemies came to hear him, they went away say-
and pray for those ing, “Never did anyone speak as does
who persecute you, He!” In the message we call “The Ser-
that you may be mon on the Mount,” ten times Jesus said,
sons of your Father
“You have heard it said to the people long
in heaven. He causes
ago . . .” and then “But I say unto you!”
his sun to rise on the
Talk about someone specializing in un-
evil and the good,
conventional wisdom!
and sends rain on the
In one of those departures from con-
righteous and the
unrighteous.
ventional wisdom, Jesus said, “You have
heard that it was said, ‘Love your neigh-
MATTHEW 5:44-45
bor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you:
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you”(Matthew 5:43-44). Do you pray for your enemies? It’s
unconventional wisdom, but so is most of what we do when
we follow the example and teaching of God’s Son.
Praying for your enemy changes your hatred to pity. Even-
tually you see someone who is weak, just as you are. Take
time to read Matthew 5 where Jesus talked about an “eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” giving to the one who takes
from you, and even praying for those who persecute you
and abuse you.
Those who practice unconventional wisdom are wise in
a way that most people never understand, but they are the
ones who profit from it. They are the ones who eventually
will hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” De-
ciding to practice unconventional wisdom in your life and
to walk in the path Jesus walked is the best thing you could
ever do. Start today and see the difference.
 March
23
Those Dry Old Creeds

After the resurrection, the followers of For what I received

Jesus were left without an organization, I passed on to you
without a financial base, and without as of first importance:
an organized plan for growth. They had that Christ died for our
no buildings, no leader, and no game sins according to the
plan. It was almost fifteen years before Scriptures, that he was
Saul—known to history as the Apostle buried, that he was
Paul—came on the scene. What held raised on the third day
the believers together? What gave them according to the
cohesiveness? Scriptures.
Simply put, two things were the 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-4
basis of agreement and fellowship: what
they had seen and what they had heard, which began to be
passed from generation to generation.
Shortly after the resurrection of Christ, men and women
began asking, “What do we believe?” and “Do believers hold
to the same truths everywhere?” The answers to those ques-
tions are contained in what are called the creeds of the
Church. In the early years of my Christian experience I
considered creeds and statements of faith to be rather dry,
boring historical data, not knowing how important they were.
In an age of diversity and fragmentation, we need to know
what is important and why. This means taking a look at
what has been believed from the days of the Early Church to
the present time. The earliest creed or statement of faith was
included in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians during 56 AD.
He wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures”(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
How about you? What do you believe? You need to know.
March
24
Touching

Jesus reached out Long ago Isaiah wrote, “Surely the arm of
his hand and the LORD is not too short to save, nor his
touched the man. ear too dull to hear”(Isaiah 59:1). When
“I am willing,” someone reaches out with his hand to
he said. “Be clean!” touch you, how do you respond? Do you
And immediately pull back or respond to the warmth of a
the leprosy left him.
person’s hand? How you answer that ques-
LUKE 5:13 tion reveals a lot about your culture, but
more than that, about you as a person.
It reveals your security or your insecurity. How so? Well,
for starters, individuals who are paranoid don’t want to touch
or be touched. I remember once staying in the home of a
pastor whose wife had a phobia of germs. She would not
shake hands with anyone. How different is the reaction of
two young people in love whose hands seem to be joined in
a perpetual clasp.
Michelangelo’s image of God’s hand reaching for man is
comforting—to know that it was He who initiated the search,
sending His Son to touch our lives, to bring us back into
harmony with His plan and purpose. A study of those whom
Jesus touched reveals He freely touched the rejects of soci-
ety, and there was no thought of being defiled by reaching
out and touching someone. He was secure; He knew who
He was.
There is healing in a touch, so said the renowned author
and psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger. So let God touch your
life, and with His touch will come emotional and spiritual
healing, and the freedom that lets you reach out and touch
someone else. “Reach out and touch someone” was the ad-
vertising slogan of a phone company. That’s what you do
when God first touches you.
 March
25
Understanding What
the Will of God is

How do you find the mind of God when it Therefore do not

comes to decisions? Is it through coincidence, be foolish,
through dreams or visions, through a combi- but understand
nation of circumstances or events, or by what the Lord’s
flipping a coin? Others, however, are not at will is.
all certain that God really cares when they EPHESIANS 5:17
have a decision to make or when they come
to the fork in the road.
Each of us has a will of our own. We are born with it, and
it takes only a few days—sometimes even hours—after we’ve
made our entrance in the world to start exercising our will.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he instructed them
not to be ignorant of God’s will but rather to understand
what it is. Two concepts stand in opposition to each other:
an ignorance of what God wants contrasting an understand-
ing of God’s will. The word Paul used to describe a lack of
understanding is a strong one. It means ignorance, or a state
of confusion. It’s like ignoring a road map because you are
too proud to admit you don’t know where you are going. It’s
refusing to look at a compass thinking that you can figure
out where to go and what to do without any help.
God’s will is better than yours because He knows the end
from the beginning. He also knows what’s around the cor-
ner, the hidden hazards you can’t see, and He’s far more
interested in revealing His will to you than even you are
wanting to know it.
In His Word, God has given us a blueprint, a game plan
for life. You can find His will when you seek it, and you can
be sure that when you do, you will know what He wants.
March
26
Letting Loose of Your Net

At once they left Walking away from your nets when Jesus
their nets and calls you is never easy! Many people hear
followed him. His voice but their hands seem to be glued
MATTHEW 4:20 to their nets.
Matthew and Mark both describe the
day when Jesus Christ walked on the eastern shore of Gali-
lee and encountered Simon and Andrew. At that time, they
were preparing their nets for another day’s catch. But unlike
other casual meetings, an invisible line was drawn in the
sand of their lives. The invitation He extended demanded a
decision.
In describing the fishermen’s reaction, both Matthew and
Mark used a Greek word that means their hands “immedi-
ately” dropped the nets and followed Him. Do you have
trouble letting loose of the net, or more specifically, what it
represents—whatever it is that you hold onto that you know
you must release to follow Him?
Letting loose of your net is a decision and it isn’t your
gene pool or your biology that makes the decision. It is your
heart! The disciples gave up what had been their primary
concern in life for something far better.
Letting loose of the net is scary if you are not sure that
you can trust Him who calls you. But once you have taken
that step, you will never regret saying goodbye to what it
represents. If He who called you could take five loaves and a
few fish and feed a multitude, you need have no concern
about keeping the few fish your own nets would take. Never
look back, once you have dropped your net and taken the
first step.
 March
27
What God Most Desires

I’ve been thinking about our lives in During the fourth

relationship to God. Often we don’t want watch of the night
to be too far away from Him, but neither Jesus went out
do we want to get so close that He can to them, walking
easily get to us. A comfort zone is OK. on the lake.
After all, it’s good to be on the side of MATTHEW 14:25
God but just don’t get too carried away
with this business of religion.
Why are we afraid of getting too close to God, or letting
Him get too close to us? There are three clusters of fear that
keep us on the spiritual beltway—neither too close nor too
far away.
FEAR 1: You can never really please God, so why try? A lot
of folks—especially those who have had parents whose ex-
pectations were difficult to meet—think they can never be
good enough or spiritual enough for God to receive them
and fully love them.
FEAR 2: You will lose control of your life if you allow God to
get close to you. The issue of “who is in charge” keeps lots of
people on a spiritual beltway. Yes, they want to be close
enough to get God’s attention when things get desperate
but not so close that they can’t make a spiritual detour.
FEAR 3: You will be asked to do something you don’t like
and to stop doing something you like but God dislikes. But
most of our fears are irrational and without foundation. God
is a loving Father who wants the best for us.
When you understand who God is and how compelling
is His desire to have fellowship with you, you quickly aban-
don the beltway of your comfort and strive to move towards
the presence of the Almighty.
March
28
Make a Deal with God

Call to me and I will “Make a covenant with God” urged the

answer you and tell TV evangelist. “Call 1-800 . . . and give
you great and the amount you want to give.” The
unsearchable things speaker talked about how God wants you
you do not know. to be the beneficiary of the promises He
JEREMIAH 33:3 made to Abraham including wealth,
health and prosperity. I have no way of
knowing how many people called but I do know that mak-
ing covenants with God is serious business.
In ancient days there were two types of covenants—
beriths, as the Hebrews called them. One was made among
equals and could be negotiated by both parties. That was
the kind made in business, say in purchasing a piece of prop-
erty or negotiating for merchandise.
Another kind was made between someone of greater rank
and power, and an inferior who had nothing with which to
leverage the contract—say between a wealthy landowner and
a poor man. This was the kind of covenant that God made
with humankind. In mercy and compassion beyond human
understanding, God reached down and made promises and
covenants with us mortals whose righteousness is “as filthy
rags,” as Isaiah described it (Isaiah 64:6 KJV).
To apply the benefits and blessings of the covenants that
God made with Israel is like being the beneficiary of what
was promised to another person. But to understand that God
has given many promises to us as His children, and that He
will honor those, is good news!
Simply put, you can stand on the promises of God’s Word.
Long ago Moses said, “God is not a man, that he should lie,
not a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he
speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
(Numbers 23:19).
 March
29
Knowing the Lord or
the Language
“Tell me about how you came to faith in Many will say to me
Christ,” I asked an elderly gentleman in on that day, “Lord,
his 80s. At this question, his eyes fell to Lord, did we not
the ground. He softly said, “I hate to ad- prophesy in your
mit this, but I’ve never really become a name, and in your
Christian. I joined the church and served name drive out
on every board and committee there is but demons and perform
I could never bring myself to admit that I many miracles?”
was a sinner and needed to be saved.” This Then I will tell
man knew the language, he knew the them plainly,
songs, he also knew the workings of a “I never knew you.
church but he didn’t know Him who told Away from me,
Peter that upon the confession that He you evildoers!”
was Lord, He would build His church. MATTHEW 7:22-23
If you don’t want to come to the end
knowing about Jesus Christ but not know Him personally,
then you need to learn what you need to do to become God’s
child and make peace with God.
Three simple steps will bring you to His open arms.
STEP 1: Realize that you need to be saved.
STEP 2: Believe that Jesus Christ is God’s provision to pay
the penalty of your sins, and that He died for you. Paul puts it,
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God”(2
Corinthians 5:21).
STEP 3: Believe that God will honor His promise of forgive-
ness. John 1:12 says, “To all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children
of God.”
Make sure, friend, that you are not among those who
know a lot about churches but don’t know Him who gave
birth to the Church.
March
30
He is Able

Now to him who “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”
is able to do Some three times, that question is asked
immeasurably more in Scripture. But how would you answer
than all we ask or it? Today we are faced with a quandary.
imagine, according Either we nod our heads and say, “Yes!
to his power that is God can do anything,” unsure of whether
at work within us.
we really believe this, or else we are con-
EPHESIANS 3:20 fronted with empty hands and hearts,
wondering why God didn’t step in and
reverse some troublesome situations confronting us.
For a moment, let’s look at God through the eyes of Paul.
He said first that God is able. At first glance, the verb is able
seems incomplete. You have to follow it with something.
You say, “My company is able to compete” or “That person
is able to make good on his word.” It is always followed by
something that qualifies the ability of someone or some-
thing to perform or do something.
Yet Paul was stressing the all-sufficiency of God Himself.
Unlike ourselves, God isn’t limited or restricted by time, space
and human limitations. That’s why He is God and we are
finite. We are limited by geography and space but God knows
no such limits. And certainly there is a limit to what the best
of us can do.
When Paul stressed God’s sufficiency, he said it is lim-
ited by only two things: what you ask for, and what you
envision or imagine, and that leaves out about nothing.
Yes, it’s true that the Bible gives us parameters of what to
pray for and how God answers but here He says, “Trust me.
See if I will not respond on your behalf. Reach out and ask
for a large measure, that your joy may be full.”
 March
31
The Power That Works
Within Us

When a group of Bible students were re- But you will receive
citing the words of a creed they had power when the
learned, one girl stood and said, “I be- Holy Spirit comes
lieve in God the Father, Maker of heaven on you; and you
will be my witnesses
and Earth.” Another followed, “I believe
in Jerusalem, and in
in Jesus Christ, God’s Son who was cru-
all Judea and
cified, buried and rose again the third
Samaria, and to the
day.” There was a pause, then a girl’s voice
ends of the earth.
rang out, “I think the boy who believes
in the Holy Spirit is absent today!” ACTS 1:8
God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—we be-
lieve in all three, or so we say. Jesus told the disciples that if
He went to the Father, He would send the Spirit, who would
indwell and empower them, who would make their bodies
the temples of God, and who would be a force that gives
them inner strength and guides them into His will.
Writing to the Ephesians, Paul closed one of his prayers,
saying, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at
work within us”(Ephesians 3:20). If the Holy Spirit is God—
the power who works in us, using Paul’s terminology—why
are we so afraid of Him? That old King James term, “Holy
Ghost” conjured up images of spooks and goblins—an un-
fortunate translation. But then, there is also fear—stemming
from abuses that we have seen. The Holy Spirit is God—the
Third Person of the Trinity, and remind yourself of a great
truth that God never makes a fool of anyone. The Spirit of
God glorifies the Son as He quietly dwells within His chil-
dren, empowering, guiding and going beyond our human
limitation in accomplishing His will. Pray, “Come Holy Spirit
fill my heart with your overflowing presence today.”
 April
LUKE 23:43
Jesus answered him, “I tell you
the truth, today you will be
with me in paradise.”
 April
1
The Honeycomb Effect

Elijah is the classic example of a man who But Jesus answered,

learned the hard way that when one area “No more of this!”
of our lives is down, we are down straight And he touched
across the board. Remember when he the man’s ear and
prayed for fire to come down from heaven healed him.
on Mount Carmel and God gave him a LUKE 22:51
tremendous victory? Well the next day he
learned that Jezebel was out to get him, and Elijah, physi-
cally and emotionally exhausted, turned and ran for his life.
The fiery old prophet had taken all he could handle, and
the physical exhaustion affected his spiritual outlook as well.
When the level goes down in the honeycomb of your life, it
goes down in every area and compartment.
There is healing for all of your life—the physical, the
emotional, and the spiritual. So when one troubled area of
your life is made whole, your entire being is enriched.
Spiritual healing eliminates attitudes of bitterness, ha-
tred, envy, anger and resentment that disables. When those
negative attitudes are neutralized, the physical problems
that often tie us in knots are healed as well. When He
touches a person, He touches the whole being—body, soul,
and emotions.
Inversely, when you refuse to let God touch your life,
you refuse His presence in your heart. You also deprive
yourself of spiritual healing that produces harmony, physi-
cally and emotionally. It is high time to recognize that your
life is a whole. Though you may have never considered this,
realize God is interested in all there is of you—body, soul
and spirit.
April
2
The One Who Lifts You Up

Why are Karl Crowe tells the story: A missionary

you downcast, Bible translator came across a portion of
O my soul? Why so Scripture that had already been translated
disturbed within me? into the language she was working on. She
Put your hope noticed that the word idinide had been
in God, for I will used for the English word Savior. The
yet praise him,
word literally means “picker upper” or
my Savior and
“one who picks up something.” She
my God.
thought, “This is not the right word!”
PSALM 43:5 Then one day a woman gave birth to
a child in the tribe where she was minis-
tering. She was asked to visit the mother and the newborn
and be the idinide or the “picker upper.” She went and found
a newborn baby boy lying on the jungle floor and the mother
lying in a hammock above the tiny little infant.
The mother repeated the request that had already been
made, asking her to be the “picker upper.” “What am I sup-
posed to do?” she asked. The mother said, “You pick up and
wash the baby.” She got a can and went to a nearby stream
and brought water, cleaning the little dark-eyed baby, mak-
ing him as presentable as possible.
“Now what do I do?” asked the missionary. “Take the
baby to the village and present him to his father,” the mother
replied. She found the father and informed him that he had
a newborn son.
When the mission was completed, she began to under-
stand why the word idinide had been used for Savior. No
finer word picture could be used to show what Jesus does
when he finds you: picks you up, cleans you up, then cuts the
umbilical cord that binds you to your old sinful nature, and
finally brings you to the Father and says, “This is your newly
adopted son; I gave My life to bring him into our family!”4
 April
3
Do You Worry or are You
Just Concerned?

Are there situations that are so over- Do not be anxious

whelming that you just can’t help it but about anything,
worry? First, the Bible makes it clear that but in everything,
worrying is wrong because it shuts God by prayer and
out of the loop as though everything petition, with
depends on you. That’s why the New thanksgiving,
Testament almost always follows the present your
“don’t worry about this” with an injunc- requests to God.
tion to “instead, pray about this.” When PHILIPPIANS 4:6
you believe the God who laughs at the
difficult and scorns the word impossible can change the situ-
ation that distresses you, the meter on the scale shifts from
worry to concern.
The difference between worry and concern from a bibli-
cal perspective has to be framed in the context of how you
face trouble. Let me illustrate: If you took the time to do a
word study of concern and worry in the Bible, you would
discover that on a number of occasions God expressed con-
cern—strong concern—over a situation. Concern leads to
positive action, but worry doesn’t consider the fact that there
is no situation that God cannot reverse.
Jesus had a lot to say about worry: “Do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall
we wear?’” (Matthew 6:31) with a reminder that it was pa-
gans who did not understand that it is God who sustains us.
So what is the bottom line difference between worry and
concern? It is how you position God in relationship to your
trouble. Shut Him out of the loop, and you worry—and
you had better worry, too. But mentally put God between
you and your problem, and the hopeless factor dissipates.
And that means there is no need worry.
April
4
May God Protect Us from
the Wisdom of Ourselves
This is what the When you find yourself getting cynical,
LORD says: “Stand at go back and read the Old Testament book
the crossroads and of Jeremiah. He wrote two books, the one
look; ask for the that bears his name and the book of Lam-
ancient paths, ask entations. During his lifetime things were
where the good way coming apart at the seams. God told him
is, and walk in it, to prophesy against his own nation, de-
and you will find
nouncing them for turning their backs on
rest for your souls.”
God, informing them that they were go-
JEREMIAH 6:16 ing to Babylon in chains.
Literature critics call his writings
“jeremiads,” which now means prolonged complaints. Yet
Jeremiah was anything but a bitter, cynical old man. He
wrote, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to
the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the
salvation of the LORD”(Lamentations 3:25-26).
He also wrote, “Because of the LORD’S great love we are
not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new
every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself,
‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him’”
(Lamentations 3:22-24).
As did Jeremiah, remind yourself that God, not you, will
be the one who metes out punishment for wrongdoing. May
God preserve us from the wisdom of ourselves, and the feel-
ing that we are indispensable, and the failure to realize that
life will go on with or without us until God’s purpose has
been established in our world and in our lives. Yes, God,
help us to see life from your perspective! The view is radi-
cally different.
 April
5
Strongholds

Knowing that God is good is not some- The LORD is good,

thing that you readily proclaim when your a stronghold in the
world is collapsing unless you felt His day of trouble;
hand guiding you through the crisis. and He knows those
Nahum, a prophet of the 7th century who trust in Him.
BC, saw his world collapse, yet with suf- NAHUM 1:7 NKJV
fering all around him, he wrote, “The
LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he
knows those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:7). How do you
learn that God is good? There is only one way: By being in
a difficult situation and finding that God is all that you
need. Never will you fully taste His grace until you are at
the point of desperation and find the security of taking ref-
uge in Him.
Nahum says that God is a stronghold. To understand
that concept, we have to turn back to the days when cities
were primarily protected by walls. But even then military
leaders and VIPs would, on occasion, build a fortress—a
stronghold—which was virtually impossible to breach.
And Nahum adds a kind of disclaimer—one which gives
comfort to you who are sincere. He says, “He knows those
who trust in Him!”
Just as a father knows the cry of his child, so does God
know your voice and your heart cry. Nahum said, “He knows
those who trust in Him.” Find a secret place where you daily
reach out to the Father and say, “Lord, I need Your help
today. Please walk with me and help me to accomplish Your
will and purpose.”
Then when trouble comes, you can run quickly to that
place and take refuge in the goodness of a God who will
never fail you. He is your stronghold.
April
6
Learning from David

For when David In Psalm 37 there is a series of injunc-

had served God’s tions that can help you stay focused on
purpose in his what is really important. David begins by
own generation, saying, “Do not fret because of evil
he fell asleep; men”—people who get ahead of you by
he was buried dishonest and devious means. It doesn’t
with his fathers
mean, “Just don’t be annoyed with these
and his body
guys,” but rather it means, “Don’t let them
decayed.
make you angry,” or “Don’t get burned
ACTS 13:36 up with these people who cut corners and
laugh at fair play.”
First, he says, trust in the Lord and do good. David says
those who do this will have the resources of the land and be
fed. The goodness he speaks of is not that of an idealist but
of one whose proper and good conduct stems from the kind
of a person he or she is; one of integrity, not expedience.
Then David makes a strong statement with a blessing
attached: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you
the desires of your heart.” “Commit your way to Him,” he
then instructs. “Trust in Him, and He will bring to pass
what you really desire.” Then he finally goes back to the
initial theme—on the person whose success really annoys
you–saying, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because
of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
God will have His payday, someday. His timetable is dif-
ferent from yours, but eventually He will mete out true
justice. Take time to read Psalm 37 and realize the lesson
that can make you a better person.
 April
7
Why Forgiveness is
Necessary

Conflict can ultimately result in better If you forgive anyone,

I also forgive him.
relationships depending on whether it
And what I have
is resolved or if it escalates.
forgiven—if there was
Why is resolution important? It’s the
anything to forgive—
only way to neutralize the effect of
I have forgiven in the
wrongdoing. Jesus believed in confron-
sight of Christ
tation and resolution. He told the for your sake.
disciples that if someone wronged them,
2 CORINTHIANS 2:10
they were to go and tell the person one-
on-one what wrong had been done. The Greek word—the
one used in the New Testament that we translate “to for-
give”—means “to give up” or “to relinquish” something.
The Bible is clear that our forgiveness has to be patterned
after God’s forgiving us, and when we can’t forgive, our an-
ger and failure are overshadowed by the far greater debt we
owe to God. Jesus said we are to forgive so that our Father in
heaven may forgive us (Mark 11:25).
Closure is important. Acknowledging wrong and confess-
ing it—whether it is to God or the one you thoughtlessly
hurt—brings healing and closure.
It’s not simply an issue involving the mind, but the heart
and soul as well. If you grew up in a home where you were
never taught the importance of forgiveness, ask the Holy
Spirit to teach you something of God’s greater measure of
forgiveness and let that be your guide. Forgiveness may not
be cultural but it is biblical. It is God’s answer to what tears
us apart. As Paul wrote, “Bear with each other and forgive
whatever grievances you may have against one another. For-
give as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).
April
8
Dialing 911

The LORD is good, Emergency 911. At least that’s what you

a refuge in times dial in many places in the world, but
of trouble. He cares dialing the same combination elsewhere
for those who is apt to make you think you’re connected
trust in him. with a Star Wars communication center.
NAHUM 1:7 Do you ever stop to thank God that the
line to heaven is never busy and that God
is never too tired or too busy to hear your cry?
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong
tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” David, who used
that 911 number frequently, wrote, “For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the
shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock”(Psalm
27:5). In a time of world distress, Nahum wrote, “The LORD
is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who
trust in him”(Nahum 1:7).
The numbers 911 are supposed to be for real emergen-
cies—the house is on fire, or a burglar is breaking in. But try
bothering 911 when you can’t get the garden hose to work,
or you just feel down and blue. You’ll discover quickly that
the 911 operator doesn’t want to hear about it.
But God cares about your heart cries, your not-so-good
days and the times when you need to tell someone how you
feel. He knows, He hears, and He cares. God is not just a
911 source of comfort and help, to get you out of trouble.
He’s there for the whole trip.
Thank God, wherever you are, that He’s as close as your
heart cry and prayer.
 April
9
Deciding What is Important

What does it profit a man, if he shall gain What good is it

the company presidency yet loses his for a man to gain
family in the process? All of this is not the whole world,
disturbing when it applies to “the other yet forfeit his soul?
person”—the ones you see with their MARK 8:36
white knuckles grasping the briefcases as
they run for the commuter train or to the parking lot to race
to another appointment. But when you look in the mirror
and say, “You are losing everything that matters, it becomes
personal.”
Some folks wait until a crisis strikes before they back-
track and do what should have been done long ago. This is
like the one whom Jesus spoke about when He said that a
man would tear down his barn and build a larger one, not
knowing that he would drop dead in the process. “God said
to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for
yourself?’”(Luke 12:20).
When God calls someone a fool, it is a strong rejoinder;
but that’s exactly what you are when you allow what makes
you successful in business to destroy your family and per-
sonal relationships. The prodigal came to his senses and said,
“I will return to my father”; and wise is the person who says,
“It may be late, but not too late to come home.”
Deciding what is important may well be the most im-
portant decision you ever make in life. Don’t wait until you
are felled by a heart attack, or your wife takes the kids and
goes to her parents for an unscheduled visit, to look at your
priorities. Your decisions are reflections of your priorities, so
think through them and decide today what really counts.
April
10
Seeking First the Kingdom

“But seek first When God’s hand touches your life, no

his kingdom and matter who you are or where you are, it is
his righteousness, always earthshaking. It was true of the
and all these things disciples when Jesus taught them.
will be given to What Jesus stressed was about the op-
you as well.” posite of what everyone did, but what
MATTHEW 6:33 really seemed contrary to human logic was
His direction: “Seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well”(Matthew 6:33).
The disciples were fishermen, farmers, and small busi-
nessmen. They knew that unless you fish, you don’t catch.
Unless you plant and cultivate, you don’t harvest, and unless
you work, you don’t turn a profit. This was the law of the
harvest—sowing and reaping. It had been true from the days
of Adam and Eve to the present. But Jesus says, “Put God’s
kingdom first and there will be fish in your net, produce in
your barn, and enough profit to meet your needs.”
Is this still true in the 21st century? The reality is that
some things never change. Some principles rise above the
changes of time, and what Jesus stressed is just as true today
as it was when He taught the disciples long ago. Make God
first in your life and He will see that your needs are met.
The prerequisite: Prioritize your life, your time, your value
system, and your relationships. No, this does not mean you
neglect your family, running to church every third day, or
you neglect your business or your fields, as the case may be.
But you, in a conscious decision, make God your senior part-
ner, and you subject everything you have to the lordship of
Jesus Christ.
 April
11
Stripping Away the
Misconceptions about God

Do the old questions never go away? “Let not the wise man
Almost every time I talk with someone bask in his wisdom,
who has had a misfortune, I am asked, nor the mighty man in
“How could a loving God do this?” his might, nor the rich
Most of our misconceptions are the man in his riches.
result of not really knowing and under- Let them boast in
standing God, so when things you think this alone: That they
shouldn’t happen do happen, you either truly know me….”
blame Him for what He isn’t responsible JEREMIAH 9:23-24 TLB
for or else blame yourself because you
reason that you are not good enough to get God’s attention.
When you are confronted with difficulties, instead of
turning on God, turn to Him and get to know Him. Under-
stand that God doesn’t arbitrarily command, “Go down there
and get that person who just got out of line.”
Some things happen because we live in a broken, imper-
fect and sinful world. Sometimes things happen because of
our human failure. We reap what we sow—the cause and
effect of life; but there are other things that happen, and
even if God should tell you the reason, explaining in great
detail why, you still wouldn’t understand. How much better
it is to learn that He is compassionate and caring. As a father
who sympathizes with his child, God knows and understands
and cares infinitely more than you think.
At some point in life, you cross a line—an invisible mark
in your spiritual walk—where you say, “I will serve Him
because He is God whether I understand or not, and leave
to His disposition what is beyond my comprehension.” Then
instead of thinking He is the cause of your problem, you
learn He is the solution to your pain and suffering.
April
12
Getting to Know Him

“Anyone who has How do you get to know the real Jesus? It
seen me has seen won’t be by watching TV documentaries
the Father.” or listening to lectures on history.
JOHN 14:9 Dr. Diane Komp, chief of pediatric
oncology at Yale University’s School of
medicine for many years, got to know Him by seeing the
stamp of the Almighty in the faces and experiences of dying
children. C. S. Lewis overcame his skepticism by studying
the New Testament, finally concluding that it made more
sense and was more rational to accept and believe the New
Testament record than to doubt it. Dr. C. E. M. Joad, the
agnostic psychology professor at the University of London,
got to know Him by theorizing that man’s horrible baseness
and inhumanity to his fellow man has to have its antithesis
or its opposite.
The best way to discover God is by going to the New
Testament, starting with the Gospel of John. Immerse your-
self in it. Pray as you read. Ask Him to touch your life. And
what should you expect when you start your search for God?
Paul had a “Damascus road” encounter as Jesus literally re-
vealed Himself, but you are more likely to experience what I
did years ago.
As a high school boy, very early before sunrise, I would
make my way to St. John’s Cathedral, slip in through the
back door and practice playing the organ. Never shall I for-
get the experience of watching the dark stained glass windows
as the sun slowly rose and illuminated the scenes from the
life of Jesus. Slowly the light drove away the darkness and I
beheld the beauty created in stained glass.
That’s the way it often is as the darkness faces, eventually
the Son rises in your heart and you know!
 April
13
Overcoming Your
Fear of God

You have a genuine hunger for God. You Do not be afraid,

long to know Him, to walk with Him, to Abram. I am your
be used by Him, yet—and this is the shield, your very
quandary—you’re held back by fear, great reward.
hesitant to come to Him: You fear of be- GENESIS 15:1
ing rejected by God. You might feel that
you will be turned away at the door because you aren’t good
enough and unable to please Him. It might be your fear of
what God may expect of you, and your fear of embarking
on this journey to find God only to come away with empty
hands and heart.
Is the fear of rejection a real one? Will God ask more of
you than you can deliver? Or should you ask, More than I
want to deliver? In coping with that first fear, ask, “Have I
personally experienced disappointment with God?” You also
need to ask, “Have I unfairly blamed Him for what I or
others were responsible for?”
A study of the phrase “fear not” or “don’t be afraid” in
the Bible, almost always is connected to His presence, His
power or His acts. You find the words, “Fear not, for I will
. . .” or “Fear not for I have . . . ” or “Fear not for I am . . . ”
So ultimately the answer to your fear is confidence in the
integrity of God Himself.
April
14
The Double Cross

God made him I was walking through a Ukrainian grave-

who had no sin yard when I stopped to inspect a mound
to be sin for us, of fresh earth. Marking the grave was a
so that in him we cross made of new wood. One arm of the
might become the cross was horizontal, and beneath this was
righteousness of God. a second arm with one end tilted up, and
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 the corresponding end pointed down.
I asked a local friend what was the
significance of the second arm. “The horizontal arm,” he
explained, “reminds us of the cross upon which Christ died,
and the lower arm that has one end tilting upwards towards
heaven representing the thief who was crucified with Jesus
and who cried out, ‘Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom.’” “And the end that points toward hell,”
he said, “reminds us that the other thief mocked Jesus and
died without hope.”
Three men died on that day, long ago. One died for sin;
one died in sin, and one died to sin, but all three were there
because of sin. It is the force of the prepositions for, in or to
that makes all the difference. Jesus Christ died for sin. Paul
put it like this: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God”(2 Corinthians 5:21).
What happened on the first Good Friday brings a re-
sounding “Yes” for all who believe that Christ bore our sins
in His body when He died, and cried out, “Lord, remember
me when you come into your kingdom.”
To understand that there is a remedy to the disease that
fills graveyards takes away the sting of death. The message of
the double cross in a Ukrainian graveyard captures the very
essence of the Gospel.
 April
15
Your Choices Determine
Your Destiny

Egypt is a fascinating place. If it were not By faith Moses,

for the Nile, the longest river in the world, when he had grown
flowing some 4,160 miles from south to up, refused to be
north, the country would be an absolute known as the son of
desert. Flying from Cairo to Luxor, 600 Pharaoh’s daughter.
miles to the south, you look out the win- He chose to be
dow of an airplane and see where the green mistreated along with
fields, watered by the Nile, abruptly stop the people of God
and the burning sands of the desert begin. rather than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin
I’ve been thinking of Moses’ life in
for a short time.
Egypt, his time in exile and how his faith
affected the choices that shaped his des- HEBREWS 11:24-25
tiny. When the temperature on the
ground is 44 centigrade (about 115 Fahrenheit) and the wind
burns your face, you realize that for Moses to turn his back
on the luxuries of a palace to face the terrifying uncertain-
ties of being a nomad and fugitive in the desert was no small
decision.
Moses said “No!” to being called the son of a Pharoah’s
daughter—possibly Queen Hatshepsut, a powerful woman
who got what she wanted—but “Yes!” to being identified
with the people of God.
Moses said “No!” to the pleasures of sin for a season,
and he said “Yes” to God, and “Yes” to the suffering of
God’s people.
Twice the book of Proverbs carries a sober statement:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it
leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Surely God wanted
us to remember that. It’s still true in the 21st century no
matter where you live, no matter what you do.
April
16
The Mother of All Storms

When they had The Sea of Galilee in Israel is cradled in

rowed three or three the Jordan River Valley, just west of the
and a half miles, desolate Golan Heights. When the wind
they saw Jesus starts blowing at Galilee, anyone with ex-
approaching the boat, perience knows that it’s only going to get
walking on the worse. That’s the way it was when the
water; and they
disciples launched their little craft from
were terrified.
the eastern shores of Galilee and headed
JOHN 6:19 towards home in Capernaum. John says,
“A strong wind was blowing and the wa-
ters grew rough. When they had rowed three and a half miles,
they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water;
and they were terrified.”
On another occasion, Jesus came walking on the water
and invited Peter to step out of the boat and come to Him
(Matthew 14), but this time, Jesus wanted to board their
boat. “He said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they
were willing to take him into the boat”(John 6:20-21).
Their fear had to be overcome before they were willing
to let Him get into the boat. How do you know whether
you can really trust God in the storm? In a sense, the storm
is the laboratory of life, the proving ground where you put
your faith to the test. We prefer never having to face the
storm, as did the disciples; but apart from the storm you
could never be completely sure that God is enough.
You can overcome your fear the same way the disiciples
did theirs. By listening to His voice saying, “It is I; don’t be
afraid!” Jesus Christ doesn’t force Himself into your boat.
He comes in response to your invitation. Are you willing to
let Him aboard?
 April
17
The Invisible Kingdom

Jesus told the disciples that they were to But seek ye first
earnestly seek His Kingdom, and the the kingdom of God,
word He used translated “seek” is an in- and his righteousness;
teresting one. Two Greek words are both and all these things
translated as “to seek.” One word was shall be added
used, say of an athlete, who desperately unto you.
sought to win a race, or young person MATTHEW 6:33 KJV
who sought admission to a certain school.
The other word was used of a search for something that
at one time you possessed but for whatever reason you had
lost and badly wanted to regain. It was this word that Jesus
used. Was this a subtle reminder that God had created us for
fellowship, for intimacy with Himself—but with the pass-
ing of time we had turned our back on Him and gone our
own way? Perhaps.
Obviously, there can be no kingdom—visible or invis-
ible—unless there is a king, unless there is royalty. But the
kingdom that Jesus spoke of was God’s Kingdom, which He
had left to come to earth.
Paul said that eventually God would again send His Son
to establish His Kingdom on earth. He told Timothy “to
keep this command without spot or blame until the appear-
ing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in
his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of
kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who
lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can
see. To him be honor and might forever”(1 Timothy 6:14-16).
But meanwhile God rules and reigns in the hearts of His
subjects, who acknowledge the sovereign God who sent His
Son to our world to redeem us and to make us a part of the
Kingdom of God.
April
18
Grace and God’s Kingdom

For it is by grace When Jesus told the disciples that they

you have been saved, were to seek first God’s kingdom and His
through faith— righteousness, He used a word that means
and this not from to earnestly seek something. Jesus was
yourselves, it is saying, “You can seek and find God’s
the gift of God— Kingdom, and when you do, all the things
not by works,
that you spend your time pursuing will
so that no one
be yours along with spiritual resources
can boast.
you will never have when earning a liv-
EPHESIANS 2:8-9 ing is your only goal.”
Some forget that there are things that
money will not do. Sir Ernest Shackleton discovered that in
1914 when his ship, Endurance, was crushed by the Arctic
icepack. The ship’s designer intended that the freezing ice
would simply push it up so it would rest on the ice pack.
But it didn’t work. When the ice crushed the ship, Shackleton
called his men and said that survival was paramount. A thou-
sand miles of cold Arctic ice stood between them and
Elephant Island. He told his men that they could take with
them only two pounds of personal gear, only what was es-
sential to survival. To prove his point, he took his gold
cigarette lighter, and several gold coins and threw them on
the ground, burying them into the ice with his foot. Gold
coins are worthless on artic ice just as they are at the en-
trance to God’s kingdom.
Grace—not gold—ultimately opens heaven’s door. Paul
explained, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast”(Ephesians 2:8-9).
Yes, you have to work and earn a living, but keep in mind
that there is more to life than climbing the corporate ladder
or reaching the top of your profession.
 April
19
Joy—The First Characteristic
of the Invisible Kingdom
Herod the Tetrarch, a Jew by birth who For the kingdom
was hated for his relationship with Rome, of God is not a
ruled Galilee during Jesus’ ministry. So matter of eating and
when people came to hear Jesus as He drinking, but of
spoke of establishing the Kingdom of righteousness, peace
God, the Jews were nervous as it could and joy in the
be considered sedition. But He was help- Holy Spirit.
ing men and women know that the ROMANS 14:17
invisible Kingdom of which He spoke
was within their hearts. “The Kingdom of God is within
you”(Luke 17:21).
They didn’t believe Him, nor did they understand. So how
was Jesus’ Kingdom different from the kingdoms of the world?
The first is that God’s kingdom is a kingdom of joy. In his letter
to Roman Christians, Paul explained, “For the kingdom of
God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteous-
ness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”(Romans 14:17).
Long ago the psalmist said, “In your presence [speaking
of God’s presence] is fullness of joy”(Psalm 16:11 NASB).
When David’s relationship with God was broken by his sin
with Bathsheba, he cried out, “Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation”(Psalm 51:12 KJV ).
When Jesus was here—even in the week prior to His cru-
cifixion—He spoke to the disciples of having joy in the face
of adversity. He said, “I have told you this [what is to hap-
pen] so that my joy may be in you . . . ”(John 15:11).
Surprisingly the word joy is mentioned over 200 times in
some forty references found in the Bible. The blessing of
God in the lives of those who are citizens of God’s kingdom
produces a deep-seated joy that isn’t dependent on health,
wealth or circumstances. It’s based on one’s relationship with
God who Himself has touched a person’s life for the better.
April
20
Peace and Order Mark the
Invisible Kingdom

Let all things be done After He had prayed all night, Jesus
decently and in order. called twelve men to follow Him.
1 CORINTHIANS 14:40 NKJV Then as the crowd pressed upon
them, Jesus had them sit down and
He taught them. He spoke of an invisible kingdom that God
Himself presided over, “The Kingdom of God.” As the people
listened, they weighed His words against the world they
knew—one ruled by the Romans assisted by the Jews whom
they considered to be traitors.
But Jesus soon made it clear that His kingdom was one
in the hearts of God’s children—one ruled by a different set
of rules than they knew. This is the Kingdom where you
treated enemies as friends, where you prayed for those who
persecute you, and where you gave your coat to a brother.
Not everyone, then or now, would be comfortable in such a
kingdom.
God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of peace. Five times the New
Testament describes God as the “God of peace.” Twice, writ-
ing to Roman Christians, Paul calls Him the “God of peace”
and then adds who “will soon crush Satan under his feet.”
Jesus, however, was telling those who came to hear Him
that in this world—one torn by hatred, strife, and bitter
rivalry—you can have an inner peace dwelling in your heart,
that you don’t have to render an eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth.
How else is this invisible kingdom different? It’s not only
a kingdom of joy and peace, but it is also a kingdom of
harmony and order. Simply put, when you let God put the
broken, disordered pieces of your life back together, a pat-
tern of harmony emerges and a song of joyfulness resonates.
That’s what living in God’s Kingdom is about.
 April
21
Righteousness and Love in
the Invisible Kingdom

Jesus told the crowd to seek first God’s On his robe and
Kingdom and His righteousness. He on his thigh he has
spoke of an invisible kingdom. God’s this name written:
Kingdom is a place of righteousness as op- KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OR
posed to a world where evil is present.
LORDS.
We’re not there yet. The battle for decency
goes on every day. REVELATION 19:16
Jesus taught that the problems of so-
ciety are really the problems of the heart. “For out of the
heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immoral-
ity, theft, false testimony, slander”(Matthew 15:19), said
Jesus.
“OK, we know it’s out there,” you say, “but how can we
disengage ourselves from it? How can we keep ourselves and
our kids from the moral pollution?”
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!” explained Paul in 2
Corinthians 5:17. God brings an internal transformation in
the lives of those who are citizens of God’s Kingdom. We
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord and King of our lives
and that we are controlled not by our old natures that war
within, but by the Spirit of God who dwells within us.
The invisible kingdom is also a kingdom of love and that
those whose lives are touched by God are changed. It en-
ables them to love, whereas they would have hated, or at
least been indifferent to others.
Have you as a spiritual affirmation said, “Lord Jesus, I
want You to rule and reign in my heart and life. I crown You
as my King and place you over the kingdom of my life?”
When you do that, you indeed become a citizen of the invis-
ible kingdom, the Kingdom of God.
April
22
RAGE

A fool gives full vent “Rage” is the name of a card game, a foot-
to his anger, but a ball team, a rock group, a beverage but it
wise man keeps is also the term that we use to describe
himself under people who are out of control. People in
control. rage lose their equilibrium and, driven by
PROVERBS 29:11 an uncontrollable anger, do crazy and
often violent things that they would never
do if they thought twice. These acts of rage can put them in
prison for the rest of their lives.
Rage is uncontrolled anger. You find it on the road, in
the office, standing in line at the post office, in the gym or
hockey arena, and—sadly enough—also at home.
Psychologists are not certain why people are so angry to-
day. It might be because of living too close to each other;
too much violence on TV; changes in the way we think and
live; too much stress that elevates our blood pressure and
diminishes our patience.
Behavior can no more be legislated that we can pass laws
to have sunshine and blue sky, healthy bodies, and children
who laugh and play with each other. The reality is that indi-
viduals who allow themselves to get out of control can’t
manage themselves.
A child psychologist observed a father in a department
store who would turn to his five-year-old boy and say things
such as, “Easy, Albert, don’t let that get to you.” Or, “Take a
deep breath, old buddy.” Or, “Just relax. Don’t sweat it.”
Approaching the man, the child psychologist said, “I’m
impressed with the way you handle your son, Albert.” Where-
upon, the man turns to him and says, “Hey, Albert’s not his
name; it’s mine.”
That kind of restraint is the first step to handling the
problem of rage.
 April
23
Road Rage

When my father died and we opened the Better a patient man

glove compartment of his car, we found than a warrior,
pieces of paper with license plate num- a man who controls
bers written on them. My brother and I his temper than one
laughed because when Dad encountered who takes a city.
a discourteous driver, he would say, PROVERBS 16:32
“Mother, write down that license num-
ber; I’m going to report him.” And that she dutifully did.
But by the time he had gotten home, he had forgotten the
incident so he died leaving behind a legacy of scraps of pa-
per with license plate numbers on them—a pretty innocent
way of handling irritation.
While the following may only certify the obvious, they
are worth remembering:
1 Don’t allow your stress to jeopardize your safety.
2 Don’t practice “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
3 As much as you would like to dip your lights or blast
your horn, don’t. It can trigger a contest with someone
whose hate-filled heart can make you a victim.
4 Avoid eye contact with people who irritate you, often
considered a challenge.
5 Never gesture. It escalates anger.
6 Don’t cut in front of the guy and slam on your brakes.
7 Practice the golden rule: Treat the other driver as you
would have him treat you.
8 Take time. Trying to make up for leaving the office late
by beating out the next driver may end up taking far
longer than you had any idea.
9 Drive like the redeemed. If you have a fish—an ixthus
symbol—on your bumper, don’t drive like the devil.
10 Exercise restraint. Tell yourself, “That guy isn’t worth my
risking everything to get even with him.”
April
24
Praise

I will praise The New Testament suggests that thanks-

the LORD, giving and praise are matters of your will,
who counsels me; not your emotions. When trouble leads to
even at night my discouragement and discouragement to de-
heart instructs me. pression, the last thing that you might feel
PSALM 16:7 like doing is to lift your face towards heaven
and praise the Lord for anything, right?
The first step in breaking through the gloom of your
difficulty is to understand that what you are doing is right,
not necessarily what makes you feel good. Do it in simple,
straightforward obedience to Scripture that says, “Give thanks
in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ
Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Second, you will never be so far removed from God that
you cannot focus your thoughts on the character of God
and say, “Thank You, Lord, for who You are and what You
are.” Far too much of our relationship with God is experi-
ence-oriented. We praise God when we feel happy and things
are going smoothly. But in prison, Paul and Silas sang praise
to God. David, the psalmist, knew what difficulty and trouble
are about, yet he said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His
praise shall continually be in my mouth”(Psalm 34:1 KJV ).
Faced with trouble, it is easy to forget that He loves you.
But if you have made the decision to give thanks, begin to
quietly do so, knowing His love is neither subject to change
nor increase. It isn’t necessary to thank God for those things
that you know clearly were not God’s will or purpose for
your life, yet you can thank Him that He can still take the
fractured, broken pieces and put them together again. He
knows your pain and hurt, and no matter what happens—
He is bigger than the need that confronts you.
 April
25
Jehovah Jireh
(God Our Provider)
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew name Abraham looked up
for God, Jehovah, is also compounded and there in a thicket
with other names giving us beautiful he saw a ram caught
pictures of God’s nature and character. He by its horns. He went
is called, Jehovah Elohim (Jehovah God), over and took the
Jehovah Jireh (God Our Provider), ram and sacrificed it
Jehovah Rapha (God Our Healer), as a burnt offering
Jehovah Shalom (God Our Peace), instead of his son.
Jehovah Ra-ah (God Our Shepherd), So Abraham called
Jehovah Shammah (God, the One that place The LORD
Present), among many other names. Will Provide.
Do you remember the story of a fa- GENESIS 22:13-14
ther who was asked by God to sacrifice
his son on Mount Moriah? His name was Abraham and his
son was Isaac. Abraham’s account reads, “then God said, ‘Take
your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and . . .
sacrifice him there as a burnt offering. . . . ’” (Genesis 22:2).
With trembling heart, Abraham obeyed, but God pro-
vided the sacrifice. “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket
he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the
ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide” (Gen-
esis 22:13-14). The phrase we translate “The Lord will
provide” is Jehovah Jireh or “God Our Provider.”
Have you discovered that God still provides for His chil-
dren? Have you learned that God’s provision is enough to
meet the needs of your life and that He will be with you
when you go through tough times?
The psalmist presented the challenge: “Taste and see that
the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in
him”(Psalm 34:8). You can prove for yourself that the same
One who provided a ram in the thicket for Abraham can
provide for you today.
April
26
Jehovah Rapha
(God Our Healer)

Then Peter said, After crossing the Red Sea, the people were
“Silver or gold I do without fresh water for three days and
not have, but what I then they came to a spring. “Wonderful!”
have I give you. In the people thought, but their elation soon
the name of Jesus turned to sorrow. They discovered the wa-
Christ of Nazareth, ter wasn’t fit to drink so they gave the
walk.” spring the name Marah, meaning “bitter”
ACTS 3:6 in Hebrew.
Then Moses prayed, and God told
him to cast a piece of wood into the water. “He threw it
into the water, and the water became sweet” reads Exodus
15:25. Then God spoke. He said, “If you listen carefully
to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in
his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all
his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I
brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals
you”(Exodus 15:26).
Did you notice that phrase, “I am the LORD who heals
you”? It says literally, I am Jehovah Rapha, meaning ‘God,
the one who heals you.’ When He was with us Jesus healed
the sick, the brokenhearted, the spiritual wrecks. He just
spoke the word and it happened. “Yes,” you say, “but He
was God.” The disciples also believed that God answered
prayer and healed the sick. Peter and John encountered a
cripple at the temple gate called Beautiful. Peter said, “Silver
or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”(Acts 3:6).
One of the first New Testament books written says, “The
prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the
Lord will raise him up”(James 5:15). Our God is still Jeho-
vah Rapha to those who look to Him.
 April
27
Jehovah Shalom
(God Our Peace)

A beautiful expression of God’s desire for For Christ himself

peace is found in the words of Gideon, is our way of peace.
one of Israel’s judges. He feared that he He has made peace
would be killed at the hands of his en- between us Jews and
emies, but God sent an angel with the you Gentiles by
good news, “You are not going to die.” making us all one
Gideon built an altar and called it Jeho- family, breaking
vah Shalom, which means “God is our down the wall of
peace.” Five times in the New Testament contempt that used
to separate us.
alone, the Almighty God is called “The
God of all peace.” EPHESIANS 2:14 TLB
“Peace,” wrote A.B. Simpson, “is the
most precious of all the gifts and graces of the Spirit; so
precious indeed is peace that it was the one legacy left us by
our departing Lord. Joy,” he said, “may be more exciting,
but peace is more sustaining.” No wonder Paul described
God’s peace as “a peace which passes all understanding.”
The only legacy that Jesus left to the ragtag band of men
He chose to walk with Him was that of peace. In the Upper
Room, only hours before He was seized in the Garden, He
said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not
give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid”(John 14:27).
And that is your inheritance as well, provided you make
the God of all Peace your Lord, the one whom you ask to
arbitrate your disputes and resolve your anger and pain.
“Grant to me above all things that can be desired,” prayed
Thomas á Kempis, “to rest in Thee, and in Thee to have my
heart at peace.” Life is too short to live with conflict and
anger when God can bring peace.
April
28
Jehovah Ra-ah
(God Our Shepherd)

May the God of “What I believe about God,” said A. W.

peace . . . , that greatTozer, “is the most important thing about
Shepherd of the me.” But the problem is that most of us
sheep, equip you with aren’t sure what we believe about Him.
everything good for
Most of our knowledge and images of
doing his will, and
God are leftovers from our parents or bad
may he work in us
experiences that we conclude are reflec-
what is pleasing to
tions of God.
him, through Jesus
None is more personal and comfort-
Christ, to whom
be glory for ever
ing than the one used by David in Psalm
and ever. 23 where he called God Jehovah Ra-ah,
or “God my shepherd.” David began,
HEBREWS 13:20-21
saying, “The Lord is my shepherd . . .”
Some animals can outrun their en-
emies. They are fleet of foot. But not sheep. Others have great
strength. They can defeat their enemies. But not sheep. Yet
others can hide from their enemies. Their markings blend
in camouflage. But not sheep. Sheep are completely depen-
dent on the shepherd for protection and guidance. Sheep
need help when they fall, strength when they are weak, and
direction when they are lost.
Is it any wonder that Jesus looked upon the multitude
who had come to hear Him speak, and seeing their needs,
was moved with compassion, describing them as “harassed
and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”(Matthew 9:36)?
Long ago the prophet Isaiah described us as sheep who
had gone astray. He said that “each of us has turned to his
own way,” and in those simple words, we have the dilemma
that confronts us. Having turned from the care of the shep-
herd, we have strayed far from the Kingdom of peace. Jesus
said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was
lost” (Luke 19:10).
 April
29
Jehovah Shammah
(God, the One Present)

In 1914 Sir Earnest Shackleton took The distance all

twenty-seven men and headed for the around will be
South Pole. Everything was put on hold, 18,000 cubits. And
however, when the merciless ice pack the name of the city
crushed his ship, Endurance. A long, diffi- from that time on
cult journey brought the group to Elephant will be: THE LORD
Island. Shackleton realized that if he did IS THERE.
not go for help, they would die. Taking EZEKIEL 48:35
Frank Worsley and Crean, Shackleton—
against all odds—took a small whaling boat and made it to
South Georgia. But having arrived, their problems were only
beginning.
They had to cross the island filled with 14,000-foot peaks
with glaciers and snow-pack to a whaling settlement. Three
routes were selected; three times they led to dead ends. Fi-
nally, they succeeded.
Describing their trek across South Georgia Island, Worsley
wrote, “Whenever I reviewed the incidents of that march I
had the subconscious feeling that there were four of us, in-
stead of three. Moreover, this impression was shared by both
Shackleton and Crean.” And who was the fourth? Worsley
never said. Was it an angel? Was it the presence of the Lord,
guiding, sustaining, and protecting? The fact is, they made it;
and Shackleton saved every man.5
Scores of individuals can testify that in difficult times God
sustained them. Of the beautiful names of God revealed in
the Scriptures, there is one that confirms this beautiful truth.
Ezekiel calls God Jehovah Shammah, meaning “The God who
is present.”
Jehovah Shammah, God who is present with us, can make
all the difference. As Frank Worsley put it, “there was no doubt
that Providence had been with us. It was “a thing that has
given me much food for thought, and which I have never
been able to explain.”
April
30
Jehovah Tsidkenu
(God Our Righteousness)
“The days are As Communism in Russia began to lift,
coming,” declares the thousands began to search for their spiri-
LORD, “when I will tual roots. The following letter was sent to
raise up to David a Jack Kozial, a fellow Christian broadcaster:
righteous Branch, a “I want to know definitely whether there
King who will reign is a God or if you are just deceiving the
wisely and do what is people. If you are as certain about God’s
just and right in the existence as you preach and sing about
land. In his days Him, then I straightaway would want to
Judah will be saved believe in Him the same way as you do.”
and Israel will live inThe listener then begged for a Bible so he
safety. This is the could read the record for himself.
name by which he Living without God under Commu-
will be called: The nism for seventy-three years reveals the
LORD Our darkness of the human soul that makes
Righteousness.” people cry out, “God, wherever You are,
JEREMIAH 23:5-6 whoever You are, we want to know You!”
Jeremiah used an expression for God, call-
ing Him Jehovah Tsidkenu or The Lord our Righteousness.
But what is righteousness?
Sometimes we better understand something by knowing
its opposite. And what is the opposite of righteousness? In a
word, depravity! In our world of baseness, we understand
that God, being righteous, is the very opposite of what we
describe as sin in the world.
Paul tells us forgiveness with God for our depravity is
“not because of righteous things we had done, but because
of his mercy”(Titus 3:5). When we become His children,
God replaces our depravity with Christ’s righteousness. Here’s
the record: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God”(2 Corinthians 5:21).
 May
DEUTERONOMY 30:16
For I command you today to love the
LORD your God, to walk in his ways,
and to keep his commands, decrees and
laws; then you will live and increase,
and the LORD your God will bless you in
the land you are entering to possess.
 May
1
Strength in the
Broken Place

Ernest Hemingway once said, “The world To all who mourn in

breaks everyone, and some get strong in Israel he will give:
the broken places.” In this, he was right. Beauty for ashes;
Ours is an imperfect world. Your wife tells Joy instead of
you that you are not the father of your mourning; Praise
son. A doctor says that you have an inop- instead of heaviness.
erable cancer and will lose your leg. Your For God has planted
them like strong and
son is arrested for shoplifting.
graceful oaks for
Everyone is broken eventually, but
his own glory.
only some mend stronger because of it.
“Out of the presses of pain,” wrote A. B. ISAIAH 61:3 TLB
Simpson, “Come the soul’s best wine./ The eyes that have
shed no rain,/ Can shed but little shine.” When Amy
Carmichael became an invalid because of a fall, she spent
the next ten years of her life bedridden. Instead of crying
out in anger, she ran to the Lord for strength and comfort.
Those years, which she spent immobile, were some of her
best as she wrote, counseled the unending stream of people
who came to her, and prayed for India and the world.
When sickness put him in bed, L.B. Cowman put a map
over his bed and prayed around the world. He also wrote of
his suffering and how God met him. His book, Streams in
the Desert, was so loved by Chiang Kai Shek, the Chinese
leader, that both this book and the Bible were placed in his
casket at his death.
“Some get strong in the broken places,” said Ernest
Hemingway, yet the broken places in his personal life,
unmended by the Great Physician, resulted in his suicide.
God gives strength in the broken place. He alone brings mean-
ing out of brokenness.
May
2
Reconstruction after
the Brokenness

The Spirit of the George Sweeting says, “An ordinary bar

Sovereign LORD is of steel costs only a few dollars. If it is
on me, because the hammered into horseshoes, its price
LORD has anointed doubles. Made into needles, its value es-
me . . . to give unto calates a hundred times. Fashioned into
them beauty for springs for fine watches, its worth be-
ashes, the oil of joy comes incalculable.”
for mourning . . . Sometimes God allows the breaking
that he might be that eventually produces something of
glorified. great value, having been in the fire, hav-
ISAIAH 61:1,3 KJV ing sustained the blows of life, having
grown strong in the broken places.
Who said that life is fair? Who are we to determine if life
is just or equitable?
When Jacob feared for his life as his brother Esau and
some 400 armed men approached him, he turned to the
Lord. That encounter was characterized by his struggle with
the Angel of the Lord. From that point on, he walked with a
limp—the sign of his broken body and spirit, but God gave
him a new name, Israel, and used him to birth a nation.
Remember that following the brokenness of an imper-
fect world, God gives strength in the broken place. He’s still
in the business of healing, sustaining, and remaking.
Nothing that life throws at you can carry you beyond
His grace and care. God doesn’t fix everything, but He gives
grace for everything, and that makes the difference that pro-
duces strength in the broken place.
When trouble knocks on your door, don’t waste the suf-
fering. Allow God to demonstrate that at the point of your
pain and helplessness comes His healing strength and sustain-
ing presence that allows the broken place to become stronger.
 May
3
There’s a Growing
Sound of Prayer

Today there is a growing thirst in the Watch and pray

hearts of people to connect with God, to so that you will not
know what His purpose is for their lives, fall into temptation.
and to find His direction and will. What The spirit is willing,
impresses me is that it is not necessarily but the body is weak.
an organized movement but a spontane- MATTHEW 26:41
ous heart cry. It is touching the lives of
people all over the world. An observer said, “It is evident in
schools, churches, offices, factories, homes—just about ev-
erywhere. People are agreeing to pray by phone; to pray by
day and by night; to march for prayer, praying for cities as
they go; to pray in churches, businesses, coffeehouses, at work
and wherever they meet.”
One of the misconceptions about prayer is that it can’t be
effective unless large groups of people are praying. I rejoice
when large groups of people come together and pray; but
Jesus promised to attend a prayer meeting involving as few
as two or three people. He said, “Again I tell you that if two
of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be
done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three
come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew
18:19-20).
Another misconception is that only spiritual giants get
answers to their prayers. Yet God hears the faintest cry of
any of His children.
Because I am His child and He is my father, I can come
into His presence anytime, anywhere, and share my heart
with Him. Thank God there is a growing prayer movement
among God’s people today. Be a part of it.
May
4
Who is in Charge of
Your Household?

But if serving the “May I speak to the one in charge of this

LORD seems household?” It was an uninvited solicita-
undesirable to you, tion call to the Gaines household when
then choose for Buddy answered the phone. Buddy, who
yourselves this day served with Evangelism Explosion for
whom you will many years, responded, “Well, then you
serve…. But as for must speak with Jesus Christ.” The caller
me and my intoned, “Is Christ a man or woman?”
household, we will quickly adding, “I’m a Sikh!” Buddy knew
serve the LORD. who Sikhs are and what they believe. Some-
JOSHUA 24:15 time around 1500 AD, a Hindu under
Islamic influence founded the monotheis-
tic Indian religion, which do not acknowledge Jesus Christ.
Describing the conversation, Buddy said, “This man was
calling to sell me something. He never presented his product
yet learned that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins and
offers him the gift of eternal life.” He also learned that Buddy
and his wife Martie mean it when they say, “Jesus Christ is the
head of our house.”
Long ago Joshua said, “But if serving the LORD seems
undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will
serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
When God is at home in your house, you won’t have to
put up a sign that reads, “Jesus Christ lives here” but your
conversation, your attitudes, your words, and the way you
treat each other will reflect it. Jesus doesn’t take over your
residence or your heart as an invading army would. He gently
knocks, awaiting your invitation for Him to enter and take
His rightful place as Lord.
 May
5
The Cry of God’s Children

As the Mazurek family was having devo- They will pick up

tions, the six-year-old Bobby suddenly snakes with their
cried out, “Daddy! Daddy! Pray for the hands; and when they
people in the boat!” Immediately, the drink deadly poison,
father thought, What people? What boat? it will not hurt
Who are you talking about? Nevertheless them at all;
the family prayed for the people in the they will place their
boat, believing that if God had spoken hands on sick people,
through a child, someone, somewhere and they will get well.
was in trouble. Their earnest response was MARK 16:18
to pray for them.
What the family did not know was that two missionary
families, the Corrells and the Kingswriters were on the banks
of Lake Malawi in Tanzania when suddenly they were at-
tacked by killer bees. Every uncovered part of their bodies
was a target. Delmar Kingswriter struggled to get the boat
started, while Norm Correll started half-dragging, and half-
carrying the helpless women and children to the boat.
Then, suddenly and without explanation, the attack of
the bees stopped, and the bees disappeared as quickly as they
had come. A missionary doctor later told the group that even
one or two stings give enough of the poisonous venom to
kill a person.
At the very time the Mazurek family knelt for their
evening prayer, the missionaries in Tanzania were being at-
tacked by killer bees. How do you explain all of this? It’s
impossible apart from God and His Holy Spirit, who spoke
through the boy. These strange circumstances were confirmed
and documented—even to the hour the Mazurek family
prayed for the unknown needs.
More things are wrought by prayer than this world ever
dreams of. When God prompts you to pray, pray! Someone’s
life may depend on it.
May
6
Choices

For you have spent Your choices in life determine your des-
enough time in the tiny. Sometimes you can take your time
past doing what thinking about it; at other times, you must
pagans choose to decide immediately.
do—living in When Moses came to the fork in the
debauchery, lust, road, how did he decide? Why did he
drunkenness, orgies,
choose to take the less traveled path? We
carousing and
read from the New Testament, “By faith
detestable idolatry.
Moses, when he had grown up, refused
1 PETER 4:3 to be known as the son of Pharoah’s
daughter. He chose to be mistreated along
with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a short time.”
Moses, having been grounded in his faith by parents who
loved God, knew his was the hard path, the difficult but
right choice, which God would ultimately reward. When
you have settled some issues in your mind ahead of time,
making the decision wouldn’t be hard.
“If any of you lacks wisdom,” says James 1:5, “he should
ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.” That means pray, and as an
acknowledged condition, when you pray be willing to say,
“Yes, that’s what I will choose to do.” Courage and strength
come to the one who has made up his mind ahead of time
that he will do God’s will.
It’s the little everyday decisions to do right that give you
the strength that Esther had, laying her life on the line, say-
ing, “If I perish, I perish!” The good news is that victory is
on the side of those who cast their lot for God. Better to lose
in the cause that will ultimately win than to win in the cause
that will ultimately fail.
 May
7
The Pit You are in

Long ago David said that God had lifted He lifted me out of
him out of the slimy pit, out of the mud the slimy pit, out of
and mire, and set his feet on the solid rock. the mud and mire;
Was David using a figure of speech? We he set my feet on a
say, “This is the pits” or “she is in the pit rock and gave me a
of depression.” Or maybe something hap- firm place to stand.
pened, such as a car accident or a disaster. PSALM 40:2
Suddenly, you find yourself in deep pit.
Another category is the pit that we dig for ourselves and
then make ourselves prisoners in them—the muck and mire
that can lead to habits. Drugs, alcohol, sexual addictions and
other destructive habits become a prison that holds you as
any maximum security prison in the world.
When you are in a slimy pit, it doesn’t matter whether
you fell into it, were shoved into it, or dug it yourself. The
bottom line is you became ensnared in the muck.
Here’s what David said of his experience: “He lifted me
out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet
on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).
Sometimes God lets you wait just long enough when you
call on Him for deliverance so that you know it was He—
not your clever ingenuity, not your dad’s money or influence
or connections, not a government dole-out or inside pull—
that lifted you from the miry clay and plant your feet on the
solid rock! No dungeon is ever so deep that it shuts out the
presence of God.
May
8
I Believe

I declare to you, As the pastor led his congregation in the

brothers, that flesh recitation of the Apostles’ Creed, which
and blood cannot begins with the words “I believe . . .” one
inherit the kingdom man mumbled, “I used to believe . . .”
of God, nor does the and continued to say his adapted version
perishable inherit of the creed recited by Christians for cen-
the imperishable.
turies.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:50 Needed today is an understanding
of what you believe and why you be-
lieve it. “But that’s a matter for the church to decide—not
for me as an ordinary person,” some reason. “OK,” going
one step further, “do you know what the Church believes,
your own church?” Probably not.
Many Christians today are searching, striving to formu-
late a belief system. Interested in taking a challenge? Sit down,
take your Bible and a blank sheet of paper and write at the
top of that page, “I believe.” Then list what you believe and,
if you can, include the Scripture reference where your belief
is substantiated. Yours may be a short list, but at least it will
be a beginning. One of the earliest statements of belief was
written by Paul who said, “Christ died for our sins accord-
ing to the Scriptures. He was buried, and He rose again the
third day.”
Ours today is a world that is hostile to the Christian faith,
but when you affirm, “I believe,” you are driving an immov-
able stake into the ground. When you finish the statement
“I believe,” you are embarking on the life of faith that will
take you beyond the empty, unbelieving secularism of our
day. Knowing what you believe can well keep you from say-
ing “I used to believe . . . .”
 May
9
Restoration

When General James Edward Oglethorpe Leave your gift there

said to John Wesley, “I never forgive,” in front of the altar.
Wesley answered, “Then I hope, sir, that First go and be
you never sin.” But is forgiveness enough? reconciled to your
Does God want me to go beyond forgive- brother; then come
ness to restoration? and offer your gift.
Forgiveness means you give up your MATTHEW 5:24
bitterness and hatred for what someone
has done. Restoration means reconnecting and re-establish-
ing a relationship with the person who wronged you.
Forgiveness is a mental act; restoration is an emotional
one.
Forgiveness means ending the war; restoration means go-
ing back home.
Forgiveness means you cease hating your enemies; resto-
ration means you re-establish a relationship with them.
For many people, however, restoration is going too far.
God not only requires you to forgive, He also asks you to go
take the next step and to be reconciled with your enemy.
Three times the New Testament talks of restoration. In
the first, Jesus said that you should be reconciled with your
brother. The second says that a husband and wife who are
estranged should be reconciled to each other, and the third
says that you should be reconciled to God.
The story of the prodigal son illustrates the fact that for-
giveness is the first step in restoration. Consider how the
son returned to his father, who not only embraced him, but
threw a feast because the son who was once lost was found,
and the one who had been estranged had come home.
Restoration is coming home—to your spouse, to your
brother, to your God. It’s the end of the journey that God
wants you to take.
May
10
A Song

Then Moses and the The one who never sings is one who stifles
Israelites sang this the music of the soul. No language is
song to the LORD: more universal than that of music.
“I will sing to the Whether it is a cowboy with his guitar,
LORD, for he is highly the sheepherder who sits on the back of
exalted. . . . The the old pickup playing his harmonica, or
LORD is my strength
a great symphony that thunders the 1812
and my song; he has
Overture, music has a way of purging our
become my salvation.
emotions and expressing our hopes, fears
He is my God, and I
and loves.
will praise him,
Musicians who sang or played instru-
my father’s God,
and I will exalt him.”
ments always preceded the Ark of the
Covenant in ancient Israel. The Old Tes-
EXODUS 15:1-2
tament admonishes, “Sing to the LORD a
new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel
rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their
King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music
to him with tambourine and harp” (Psalm 149:1-3).
The book of James asks, “Is anyone happy? Let him sing
songs of praise” (James 5:13). Paul links singing with the
outworking of God’s Spirit in the believer’s life. He says, “Do
not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead,
be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your
heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19).
So you can’t carry a tune. That shouldn’t stop you from
letting a melody rise from your soul. No matter how you
sound, use your voice and breath to praise God in song and
to express the music He put in your soul. Yes, praise Him in
joyful song.
 May
11
Why has the Music Stopped?

Guy Duffield, my father-in-law, used to Do not get drunk on

tell the story of an old monastery in wine, which leads to
Europe where a small group of monks, debauchery. Instead,
met in the chapel for evening prayers. The be filled with the
organ was run-down, and frequently a Spirit. Speak to one
stop would freeze. But the malfunction- another with psalms,
hymns and spiritual
ing organ didn’t keep the men from
songs. Sing and make
singing heartily.
music in your heart
One afternoon a weary traveler
to the Lord.
knocked at the front gate seeking a place
to sleep and hospitality was extended to EPHESIANS 5:18, 19
him. He was later invited to join the group for evening
prayers. As the old hymn began, the monks quickly realized
that the voice of this stranger was crystal clear and had bril-
liant resonance. One by one they stopped singing to listen
to the stranger. The organist stopped playing and only the
visitor sang. And sing he did, hymn after hymn.
After he left, the men mumbled, “I wish I could sing like
the stranger did.” Then an angel appeared and asked why
there had been no singing that evening. “None of us will
ever feel like singing again,” the leader responded, adding,
“for we have heard what real singing is like.”
The angel shook his head and said, “You may not have the
greatest voices on earth, but you sang with your heart. Your
hymns rise to the very throne of God. Tonight He missed the
music and He sent me to find out why it had stopped.”
No one can ever replace the simple song of God’s child
who sings from his heart. On key or off key, what counts is
whether he has the heart to sing.
May
12
Music of the Soul

I will sing to the The psalmist wrote that when Israel went
LORD all my life; into captivity in Babylon, “There on the
I will sing praise poplars we hung our harps” (Psalm 137:2).
to my God as long In other words, the music stopped, but
as I live. when they returned to their land, the
PSALM 104:33 harps were brought down and the music
started again.
You don’t need a harp or a minus-one accompaniment
to sing but you do need to have a melody in your heart.
When you least feel like singing, God can bring a beautiful
melody out of the darkness that has filled your life.
So should you sing even when you don’t feel like it? I
would answer, “Yes. Through song your feelings reconnect
with God. You gradually realize that life is going to go on,
and when it ceases there will still be a melody in heaven.”
Jeremiah, who spent much of his time in prison or in
dismal circumstances, urged, “Sing to the LORD! Give praise
to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands
of the wicked” (Jeremiah 20:13). Not only does God urge us
to sing, He commands it. “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiv-
ing; make music to our God on the harp” (Psalm 147:7).
I’m not sure how strongly Paul and Barnabas felt like
singing after they had been beaten and thrown into prison,
but sing they did, and the joy of heaven drove back the gloom.
Sing a song in the night of your life, and let the music
flow out of your heart and soul. Don’t worry about how you
sound; worry if there is no sound. Music is the language of
your soul that God invented and understands.
 May
13
Once I was Young
David, the shepherd who became the King I was young and
of Israel, once wrote, “I was young and now now I am old,
I am old, yet I have never seen the righ- yet I have never seen
teous forsaken or their children begging the righteous forsaken
bread” (Psalm 37:25). Was David ever or their children
tempted to give up on the Lord? For seven begging bread.
long years he lived in exile, fearing that Saul PSALM 37:25
or one of his zealous soldiers would take
his life.
On one occasion, the enemy raided David’s camp, tak-
ing the wives and children of those who fought with him.
During this time, David had every right to be discouraged,
yet instead of turning away from the Lord, he turned to the
Lord as a refuge and help to whom he could run to in times
of trouble.
God operates on a different timetable than we do. In
our impatience, we sometimes think that God has ignored
us or is powerless to give us what we ask for when He is
fully aware and is working out the whole situation.
If you really believe that God has His payday, it relieves
you of the responsibility of exacting vengeance on your en-
emies, allowing God to deal with wrongdoing.
The perspective of the years can only be gained by not
quitting, by plodding on, by realizing that whether or not
you live to see it, you can be sure that God takes note of the
wrong people do and ultimately will deal with it.
May
14
Learning to Trust God

So in everything, The picture is vivid: A little girl stands at

do to others what the edge of the window in a burning
you would have them building. It’s the second floor, and to the
do to you, for this child the ground seems like a long way
sums up the Law down. Below is a fireman—a big guy,
and the Prophets. standing there in his yellow garb, big hat
MATTHEW 7:12 and black boots. With outstretched arms,
he reaches for the child and yells, “Jump!
I’ll catch you! Jump now!”
The child’s heart is fearful. She doesn’t know the fire-
man. If, however, that child’s father were there and said the
same thing, most children wouldn’t hesitate. This, in a mea-
sure, is the quandary that confronts anyone who is serious
about his relationship with God.
When Jesus was here and He called those men and women
who would in time turn the world upside down for His cause,
He asked but one thing: “Come and follow Me.”
Jesus knew that those who followed Him would get to
know Him, and when they got to really know Him, they
would love Him, and when they loved Him, they would
obey Him.
Do you want to develop a relationship with God? Spend
time with His Son. Get to know Him through prayer. Keep
a journal of what you pray for and what God does. As you
read the Word, write down your impressions and what you
feel God is saying to you. Getting to know God is not some-
thing reserved for only those who leave the real world and
become ascetics, but for those who live in our world with
the touch of heaven on their lives.
 May
15
Reaching for
the Invisible God

Philip Yancey, in his book Reaching for I rise before dawn

the Invisible God, tells how, following the and cry for help;
death of Princess Diana in an car acci- I have put my hope
dent, a TV producer challenged him. He in your word.
said: “We want you to explain how God My eyes stay open
could possibly allow such a terrible acci- through the watches
dent.” In his wry, penetrating sort of way, of the night that I
Yancey said, “Could it have had some- may meditate on
thing to do with a drunk driver going your promises.
ninety miles an hour in a narrow tunnel? PSALM 119:147-148
How exactly was God involved?”6
When winter snow had turned a pavement into black
ice, a school bus and a car drifted towards each other. The
two automobiles collided and the accident took the lives of
two of the four Yuill children. When friends suggested that
they get counseling to deal with their anger with God, they
were surprised. “Angry? How can we be angry?” Carl and
Brenda Yuill asked, adding, “Sure we don’t have our chil-
dren, but we’re not angry. For this we have Jesus!”7
What a contrast with the attitude of the TV producer
who demanded to know why God could have allowed the
accident taking the life of Princess Diana. How do some,
such as the Yuills, have such confidence in God in times of
difficulty when others are sure that God is responsible?
Simply put, when they are confident that the Bible is
true, they are also confident that God is a refuge, the One to
whom you turn in times of difficulty and heartache. They
are the ones who find refuge from the storm. They are also
the ones who emerge from the dark night of their soul with-
out deep wounds that refuse to heal.
May
16
Leaning on the Word

My comfort in my Lehman Strauss had preached the Word

suffering is this: for many years when his wife was felled
Your promise by a stroke. Elsie was an athlete and had
preserves my life. never faced anything more than an occa-
PSALM 119:50 sional cold or a round of flu.
The doctors told Lehman that he
needed to tell Elsie that they were going to be moving her.
With sadness in his heart, he held her hand and relayed what
the doctors said. Finally, he finished, adding, “But Elsie, God
is in control!” Then, overcome with emotion, tears filled his
eyes and he voiced the deep concern of his heart as he asked,
“Is God really in control?”
What deeply troubles me today is that most people have
neither studied God’s Word for themselves nor memorized
it, storing it in their hearts. Then when trouble or difficulty
strikes, they have nothing to serve as a bulwark, and the
waves of doubt shatter the fragile house of their faith.
Lehman Strauss would tell you it’s hard enough to face
struggles when you know what’s on the other side and who
is in control but for those who lack this great strength, it’s
near impossible.
A 19th century hymn with words written by Lidie H.
Edmunds puts it so well: “My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God,/ Salvation by my Saviour’s name,
Salvation through His blood./ I need no other argument, I
need no other plea;/ It is enough that Jesus died, And that
He died for me.”
If you have never made a serious study of this Book that
tells us how to connect with God, better get started. It can
help you when the dark winter of trouble comes.
 May
17
Can You Spare Just Five?

Five simple guidelines can help you develop Do your best to

a quiet time or a time of spiritual medita- present yourself to
tion and study. God as one approved
GUIDELINE 1: Make a commitment to take . . . who correctly
five minutes a day and spend this time handles the word
with the Lord. The longest journey of truth.
in the world begins with the first step, 2 TIMOTHY 2:15
and your commitment to enrich your
life by taking five minutes a day is the start that can
change your life.
GUIDELINE 2: Be definite, but flexible, in your plan to sched-
ule five minutes a day. Look at your schedule and
determine when you can take five minutes a day to spend
time with God and make it a habit.
GUIDELINE 3: Have a plan. Three ingredients should fit into
your plan. First, the Bible or God’s Word where we find
the strength of the ages, and through these pages God
speaks to us. Then, you need some moments of reflection
or meditation as you ask yourself, “How does this apply
to my life?” Then you need a few moments to talk to
God in prayer, and it is during this time when you con-
nect with Him by sharing your heart.
GUIDELINE 4: Stay focused. You can do this by reading aloud,
journaling or writing down your thoughts, and by mak-
ing the conscious decision to put your mind where your
body is.
GUIDELINE 5: Discipline yourself. If necessary, cut something
else out of your overfilled schedule. You don’t find time,
you must make it.
Discover for yourself the benefits of spending time—start-
ing with five minutes—with God today.
May
18
God’s Grace and tomorrow

Therefore do not When I was a kid in school, I found my-

worry about self constantly thinking about tomorrow—
tomorrow, for what I intended to do as soon as I could
tomorrow will worry get out of the classroom. The young often
about itself. Each day dream of tomorrow, thinking of what they
has enough trouble are going to do, and the old often focus on
of its own.
yesterday—what they have done.
MATTHEW 6:34 However, in between the poles of yes-
terday and tomorrow is today, which can
be lost, sandwiched between the two. James wrote, “Now
listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this
or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make
money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen to-
morrow.” Then he asks a serious question: “What is your
life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes” (James 4:13-14).
Hope that tomorrow can be different, though, is neither
presumptuous nor empty. The belief that God can and per-
haps will do tomorrow what I have asked Him to do today
isn’t wishful thinking. It simply takes into account that God’s
timetable is different from mine and that He is working while
I sleep and accomplishing what I hope He will do but doing
it His way, not mine.
Hope has an enemy that eats away tomorrow’s hope. It is
worry, which causes you to think that tomorrow will be no
different from today, or that yesterday’s failure will catch up
with you today and thus destroy tomorrow. Thank God for
His forgiveness that helps you through the minefield of hu-
man failure. It might not cancel out all of the results of your
failures but knowing that God has forgiven you will help
you take His hand and face tomorrow.
 May
19
Holding on to God When
Your Dream Dies

“Dear Dr. Sala, where was God when my Man born of woman
dream died? I thought I could trust Him. is of few days and
Now I’m not sure.” When your dream full of trouble.
dies, you can hold on to God and find He springs up like
Him a refuge and strength. Remember a flower and
these four guidelines: withers away; like a
GUIDELINE 1: The death of your dream fleeting shadow, he
doesn’t have to be the end of your life. does not endure.
Harsh words hurled in anger won’t re- JOB 14:1-2
store your loss.
GUIDELINE 2: Strive to hold on to what you know is true.
No, you didn’t plan on what happened. But even if God
allowed the bad thing to happen, you are still loved, es-
teemed and valued in His sight.
GUIDELINE 3: Turn to God instead of turning on God. “When
I am afraid, I will trust in you” said David. No, others
don’t know the depths of your pain or loss. But He does.
Remember the death of your dream is not the death of
God.
GUIDELINE 4: Focus on the future, looking beyond your
dream to the reality of heaven. OK, you missed that six-
weeks-on-the-road vacation you had talked about for
years. You won’t be able to buy that new car because your
stock collapsed. Your dream won’t be realized, but at some
point you have to look beyond that to the reality of spend-
ing eternity in the presence of God. You’ve got to put
your loss in perspective.
When your dream fades, God is there. You can find His
presence that sustains and strengthens and helps you to go
on. You can hold on to Him when your dream dies.
May
20
A Mandate from Heaven

Then I heard the When God called Jeremiah to be a

voice of the Lord spokesman, the young man—probably in
saying, “Whom shall his late teens or early 20s—must have
I send? And who will said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD,…I do not
go for us?” And I know how to speak; I am only a child.”
said, “Here am I. Hearing this, did God say, “I’m sorry,
Send me!”
Jeremiah, I must have chosen the wrong
ISAIAH 6:8 person”? Not so, but God did reach out
and touch his lips and gave him the mes-
sage He wanted delivered.
In that moving encounter with God, Isaiah saw His glory
and cried out, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of
unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD
Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). Then God sent a heavenly creature
with a live coal from the altar of heaven, and he touched his
mouth. Then God asked, “Whom shall I send? And who
will go for us?” Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me!”
What is the message, the mandate that God has sent you
to deliver? Before Jesus walked up the slopes of the Mount
of Olives and ascended to heaven, He gave His followers a
charge: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News
to every person!”
Let your neighborhood, your office, your home, your
city know the Good News—that God cares for us, that He
sent His Son to take us to heaven, that there is forgiveness
for our sins and failures, and that there is help for your de-
spair and hopelessness. Don’t wait until you hear the voice
of an angel before you think about the message God wants
you to deliver. You’re His spokesperson. He is still asking,
“Who will go for us?”
 May
21
Watch Out:
Be on Your Guard

P. T. Barnum, the circus magnate, built See to it that no one

a career on the assumption that people takes you captive
like to be fooled. He had a point. I’ve through hollow and
been thinking of the number of times deceptive philosophy,
when Jesus said, “Watch out!” or “Be on which depends on
guard,” and His comments covered a human tradition and
wide variety of situations and issues. For the basic principles of
example, He told the crowd that had this world rather
gathered to hear Him on the slopes of than on Christ.
Galilee to “watch out for false prophets. COLOSSIANS 2:8
They come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
God knew that we needed something by which we can
evaluate and measure movements, people and circumstances.
This is why He gave us an infallible guide for faith and prac-
tice. It’s the sixty-six books of the Bible. In the garden, shortly
before He went to the cross, Jesus said, “Thy word is truth!”
(John 17:17 KJV ).
If you really “watch out” as Jesus commanded, and you
are on your guard as Paul added, you don’t embrace every-
one and everything you hear. Yes, on occasion people might
say, “You are judging!” Judgment, believed Dan Krusich,
one of my seminary professors, is condemning what Scrip-
ture does not condemn whereas discernment is simply the
recognition that something or someone’s conduct doesn’t
conform to what God says in His Word.
Paul told Timothy that one of the signs of the lateness of
the hour is that people will be deceived, and surely that day
is upon us. If being alert and awake means you are thought
of as being bigoted or judgmental, then so be it. Only be
certain that you come down on the side of truth and not
merely your opinion that you take for the truth.
May
22
If I Only Had . . .
I Would be Happy

But if we have food The Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz tells the

and clothing, we will story of a down-trodden, poverty stricken
be content with that. man by the name of Bontsche who dies
1 TIMOTHY 6:8 and goes to heaven. As a reward for his
years of suffering an angel asks him what
is his most fervent wish. The man replies, “I should like to
have every morning, a hot roll with fresh butter.” That was
it—a warm piece of bread with butter. Forget the hunk of
cheese, the expensive car or the palatial home. He was sat-
isfied having what he wished for on earth but had often
been denied.
What would it take for you to be really satisfied? “If I
only had,” we often say, usually filling in the blanks with
material items, then we would be happy.
No one in his right mind would deny that having three
meals a day, adequate housing, clothing, friends and family
are important. But have we placed too much value on the
trappings of affluence as a prerequisite to being happy?
The phenomenal success of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven®
Life is a powerful demonstration of the fact that one of the
most affluent generations in history is also one of the most
poverty-stricken, spiritually speaking. “What’s life really
about?” people today cry in loneliness. “What’s missing that
I desperately need?”
In one of her songs, Britney Spears, who has had fame
and fortune, asks, “If there’s nothing missing in my life, why
do these tears come at night?”8 The one with the biggest pile
of toys is not the winner. It may well be the contented
Bontsche who has his roll and butter inside heaven’s gate.
 May
23
Living in Time for Eternity

“Everyone knows they’re going to die,” There is a time

writes Morrie Schwartz, adding, “but no- for everything, and
body believes it. If we did, we would do a season for every
things differently. . . .” We can consider activity under
following these guidelines: heaven, a time
GUIDELINE 1: Make peace with God. This to be born and
removes the sting of death and makes life a time to die.
worth living now. Accept the gift of eter- ECCLESIASTES 3:1-2
nal life that brought God’s Son to the world
and believe that He became sin for you that you might be
accepted in God’s heaven as God’s child.
GUIDELINE 2: Think through the legacy you will leave be-
hind. How do you want to be remembered? Will your
grandchildren remember you as a stingy old man, a hypo-
chondriac, or someone who is always complaining?
GUIDELINE 3: Get rid of stuff. Hearses don’t have U-Haul
trailers behind them. You can’t take stuff with you; so better
dispose of the junk. Decide what you can live without, and
you will be amazed at the freedom you have living without
the junk.
GUIDELINE 4: Talk about it. “I have gone to prepare a
place for you,” Jesus told His disciples. So why not talk about
going to heaven? I like how Torrey Johnson, founder of Youth
for Christ, put it as he knew time was running out. He com-
mented to a friend, “Going home isn’t all that bad!”
GUIDELINE 5: Live with the reality of heaven. Let people
know you love them. Give them gifts while they’re still alive.
Live at peace with everyone. Lay up treasures in heaven. Keep
heaven’s values in mind. Invest your time, resources and abili-
ties for eternity.
May
24
The Rarest Prayer Promise
in the Bible

“If you abide in Me, Armin Gesswein called it, “The rarest
and My words abide prayer promise in the Bible”—the words
in you, you will ask of Jesus spoken in the Upper Room: “If
what you desire, you abide in Me, and My words abide in
and it shall be you, ask whatever you wish, and it will
done for you.” be done for you” (John 15:7 NASB). The
JOHN 15:7 NKJV word that Jesus used means more than just
casually asking for something. The actual
meaning of the word He used means, “to ask or request; to
require,” or “to demand.”
Asking and demanding are on the opposite ends of emo-
tional intensity. So the question needs to be asked, “Is it
valid to demand things from God?” After all, who are we to
be so blunt and forceful with a Sovereign God who is in
control of the universe?
There are two conditions attached to this great promise,
and these remove any ambiguity as to what Jesus meant:
Abiding in Christ and letting His Word remain in you. Abid-
ing in Christ means “to live, or dwell, to continue,” or simply
“to remain” in Him. It embraces a relationship of obedi-
ence, of fellowship, of being in touch, of walking with Him.
The second part means that God’s Word dwells in your heart
and life. You aren’t a casual, Sunday-only Christian. You are
serious with God and strive to let His Word provide guid-
ance for life and living.
Then, says Jesus, God honors your prayers, and you see
direct answers because you are His child and He is your Fa-
ther. Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind, it changes ours; and
when we pray as Jesus instructed, we sense what God wants
and pray intensely. Yes, you could even suggest we demand
what He wants and wills—and it happens.
 May
25
Hope in Tribulation

In the Upper Room Jesus told the dis- As surely as I valued

ciples that they would be confronted with your life today, so
tribulation. The word that He used de- may the LORD value
scribed distressful circumstances such as my life and deliver
the anguish of a woman in childbirth, or me from all trouble.
intense physical suffering due to illness. 1 SAMUEL 26:24
It also described the anguish you faced
when you are slandered or persecuted. It was used of diffi-
culties that confronted a person who had been accused of
wrongdoing—both just and unjust.
We sometimes lose sight of the hope that Jesus attached
to His statement. He said, “I have told you these things, so
that in me you may have peace . . . I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33), and with those words, light penetrate
the dark dungeons of our distress.
You are never so deep in a pit of despair that you cannot
find a ladder of escape. This is the hope that allows God’s
children to walk through the fire and to escape the flames,
that enables His servants to endure the persecution of the
enemies and to outlast the evils of slanderous men and
women.
Hope is the weapon that fights discouragement and dif-
ficulty. It is an inner spiritual strength that no one can ever
take from you.
Strangely enough, the word Jesus used, tribulation, was
rarely used outside of the context of the Bible. But, perhaps
that should not be considered so strange because only those
who link God and hope with their difficulties have much
positive things to say about trouble. Experience the joy that
comes from knowing He overcame tribulation and with His
help, you can as well.
May
26
Unanswered Questions

Now we see but a poor There is a list of about sixty unanswered

reflection as in a questions that has been around for more
mirror; then we shall than 4,000 years, questions that will
see face to face. Now I never be answered. And who asked those
know in part; then I questions? God Himself! Those sixty un-
shall know fully, even answerable questions are found in Job
as I am fully known.
38-41 in your Old Testament and the
1 CORINTHIANS 13:12 list is too long to mention here.
Chances are there are some unan-
swerable questions that have perplexed you as well. Your heart
cries out, “Why, God?” Perhaps when you get to heaven you
will have an answer but then, perhaps, when you get there it
just won’t matter. But does it now? Is God annoyed with our
questions? I don’t think so unless our attitude is wrong. Sin-
cere questions are valid. But many of the answers are simply
beyond our understanding. If God chose to tell us why, our
understanding would still keep us from being satisfied.
Job’s negative experience with suffering led to an encoun-
ter with God. When it happened, he fell on his face before
God in humble contrition. In the same way, when you come
to that place in your personal life, it is quite amazing how in
the reflection of your tears you will see God. “My ears had
heard of you,” Job cried out, “but now my eyes have seen
you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes”
(Job 42:5-6).
Admittedly, we would prefer to avoid walking through
the valley, experiencing the sadness of seeing our world col-
lapse. But many of the hard questions of life will find
solutions only when we look back from heaven’s side and see
the whole of life’s tapestry.
 May
27
The Jesus You Can Know

The Swedish film director Ingmar In the past God

Bergman once stood before a painting of spoke to our
Christ that hung in a cathedral in Europe. forefathers through
As he gazed intently at the painting, he the prophets at
whispered, “Speak to me.” But there was many times and in
only silence. I have no way of knowing if various ways, but in
Ingmar Bergman ever did connect with these last days he has
spoken to us
Jesus Christ, but I know he could have
by his Son.
had he understood that “in the past God
spoke to our forefathers through the HEBREWS 1:1-2
prophets at many times and in various
ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son
. . . . ” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
When Jesus was here in the flesh, He told His followers,
“If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether
my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my
own” (John 7:17). I take this to be His promise as He says,
“If you are serious about wanting to know who I am, I will
reveal this to you!” And what’s the best way to discover Him?
The best way to find Jesus Christ is through the pages of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—four accurate witnesses
to the events of the first century. The reality is that millions
of people have found that they can know Jesus Christ as a
living, vibrant person—not a dead Christ, buried in a Pales-
tinian tomb. You will find as you search for Him, He will
find you.
If your heart cries out, “Speak to me” as did Ingmar
Bergman, add, “Lord, I really want to know You, to experi-
ence Your power, and to walk with You.” Then go to the
Word and you’ll hear His answer, “Follow Me!” And when
you do, you’ll get to know Him just as did Peter, Andrew,
James and John.
May
28
Crossing the Jordan

The Red Sea saw Hymns of the Christian faith picture

them coming and Jordan as a strong, turbulent river. Our
quickly broke apart parents used to sing, “On Jordan’s stormy
before them. banks I stand and cast a wistful eye, to
The Jordan River Canaan’s fair and happy land where my
opened up a path possessions lie.”
for them to cross.
Crossing the Jordan was far more of a
PSALM 114:3 TLB spiritual experience than a physical feat,
and apart from understanding that, the
whole focus on the event becomes blurred. It was the grand
finale of forty years of wandering in the wilderness. But what
it represented is generally lost to people today. Without de-
tracting from the significance of the Cross in the New
Testament, I can safely assert that the crossing of the Jordan
was symbolically as important to Israel as the New Testa-
ment believer’s taking up his cross to follow Jesus Christ.
For years, whenever there was a funeral in the wilderness,
younger folks thought, “Well, we’re one step closer to cross-
ing the Jordan and taking possession of the land.” God had
told Moses that because of the unbelief of those who spied
out the land (Numbers 13,14), only Joshua and Caleb would
be alive when the wilderness wandering ended and the land
was possessed. Crossing the Jordan was a commitment which
meant Egypt was forever behind them, and the land flowing
with milk and honey was before them.
Crossing the Jordan was the equivalent of doing what
Jesus demanded when He said, “If anyone would come after
me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me” (Luke 9:23).
When you’ve crossed the Jordan, you’ve committed your-
self—something people today would prefer not to do, because
they’re afraid they’d get hungry for onions and garlic of Egypt.
 May
29
Entering the Promised Land

For years believers have sung the words But the land you are
of Samuel Stennett, who wrote about crossing the Jordan to
standing on Jordan’s stormy banks and take possession of is a
casting a wistful eye “to Canaan’s fair land of mountains and
and happy land.” Crossing the Jordan— valleys that drinks rain
much like believing in Jesus Christ from heaven.
today—was the end of their troubles DEUTERONOMY 11:11
and the beginning of a life of bliss, right?
Wrong. But there are some parallels that can be considered
by the serious student of God’s Word.
First, leaving Egypt meant leaving the world, facing the
unknown future by faith. “Anyone who chooses to be a friend
of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Cross-
ing the Jordan was like drawing a line in the sand, stepping
across it and saying, “I’m committed. There’s no turning back.
By the grace of God and with His help I’ll move ahead.”
Do you remember that the waters of the Jordan didn’t
stop flowing until the sole of the priest’s sandal hit the sur-
face of the water? God doesn’t move those mountains until
you are willing to take the first step, and when you pick up
your pack and are ready to move, only then will you see the
waters roll back.
Once God’s people crossed the Jordan, everything came
together, right? Wrong again. Yes, it was a land of milk and
honey, but the battles only began once they crossed Jordan
and faced Jericho. The land was inhabited by enemies that
had to be faced one at a time.
Possessing the land was a time of testing when God’s
people discovered how strong He is and how He went be-
fore them to give them what He had promised. You’ll see
your own struggles and triumphs in those of His people, the
ones who crossed the Jordan and never turned back.
May
30
Your Heart

Then you will call On the door of every religious Jewish fam-
upon me and come ily you will find a mezúzah or a tiny box
and pray to me, and with a scroll within. It bears the message
I will listen to you. of Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel:
You will seek me The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love
and find me when the LORD your God with all your heart
you seek me with
and with all your soul and with all your
all your heart.
strength.”
JEREMIAH 29:12-13 When someone gets into trouble, the
press almost always talks to the person’s
mother, who says, “He has such a good heart,” or “He is a
good boy at heart.” Jeremiah the prophet would have dis-
agreed. He said, “the heart is deceitful above all things and
beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jonathan Edwards agreed with
Jeremiah. He said, “The heart is like a viper, hissing, and
spitting poison at God.”
But there is good news: When we, whose hearts are some-
times darkened, turn to God, God responds because He
knows when we are sincere.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 records God’s invitation, saying,
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and
I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you
seek me with all your heart.” Notice the phrase, “all your
heart.” Only you know when the needle on the meter hits
the peg. Only you know when your heart is completely com-
mitted to something.
“I love you with all my heart,” we often tell our spouse
and kids. Yes, that’s possible, and that’s also the way you can
love and know God, too—with an undivided heart and sin-
gularity of purpose. Your heart is you! And you alone know
what’s within your heart.
 May
31
God’s Provision

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the My God will meet all
Philippians, he gave them a great prom- your needs according
ise. He was so bold as to say, “And my to his glorious riches
God will meet all your needs according in Christ Jesus.
to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” PHILIPPIANS 4:19
(Philippians 4:19). Were the Philippians
impressed? Philippi, located in Northern Greece, had been
famous for its gold deposits that had driven the economy.
But then the vein of gold ran out and the wealth slowly
dissipated.
The Philippians depended on the gold, but it ran out.
Paul was saying, “You can depend on your God.” Mean-
while, the question that confronts us is this: Can you still
depend on God in a world of technology and computers,
miracle drugs and sophistication? Or was that a promise
given just to certain people in the first century?
The fact that God takes care of His children is a theme
you will find throughout the pages of the Bible, and the
principle is just as valid in the 21st century as it was the first.
He promised to provide for your needs. When you have
needs—whether they be physical, emotional, or financial,
and they are valid—you can pray, “Lord, I’m Your child,
and You gave me a great promise in Your Word. I’m trusting
You to provide for me, and I’ll thank You in advance. Now,
Lord, here’s a great opportunity for You to show me how
strong You are!”
Then relax. God’s timing is different from yours, but of
this you can be certain: God is seldom early but He is never
late. He is precisely on time. Thank God for His promises.
 June
LUKE 4:20-21
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fastened on him [Jesus], and he began by
saying to them, “Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing.”
 June
1
Knowing Who You Are

Some people are not sure of their rela- I write these things
tionship with God. They call themselves to you who believe
Christians, but deep down inside, they are in the name of the
not really sure that if the roll was called Son of God so that
up yonder, they would be included. you may know that
Is eternal security something you can you have eternal life.
really know? Or is the uncertainty just part 1 JOHN 5:13
of being imperfect and human? There are
two passages in the New Testament that deal with this issue.
You will find them in Galatians 4 and Romans 8. When you
accept the historical fact that Christ died and rose again,
and understand that He was nailed to that cross because of
sin—something we all have (Romans 3:23), and believe that
God treated Him as you should have been treated, at that
point you are adopted into the family of God. John’s Gospel
uses the term “born again” but the beautiful picture given to
us by Paul is that you become God’s child—adopted into
His family.
Find out who you are and who God is. If you have re-
ceived the gift of life, no matter when it was that you became
His child, then stomp your foot and refuse to be intimi-
dated by uncertainty of your eternal security. As John wrote,
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life”
(1 John 5:13). Notice the word “know” is not spelled “think”
or “hope.” That promise has your name on it. It’s all you
need to know about where you stand with God.
June
2
Growing Old Gracefully

Do not cast me Interested in knowing how to age grace-

away when I am fully? Here are five guidelines that are
old; do not forsake guaranteed to work:
me when my The “G” in grace means get rid of the
strength is gone. garbage. Give up your grudges and resent-
PSALM 71:9 ments about how life has treated you.
Bring closure to the negative things and
decide that your future will not be blighted by unpleasant
memories.
The “R” prompts you to realize that your value doesn’t
diminish in God’s sight with aging. In Isaiah 46:4 God made
a great promise: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am
he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will
carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
The “A” in grace encourages you to appreciate and value
your experiences. Sometimes when I learn that someone has
had an exceptional life, I ask, “Do your grandchildren know
this?” Tell others and write your memoirs while your mind
is sharp. Tell them about great answers to prayer and situa-
tions that could have been disasters if God didn’t intervene.
The “C” is grace shouts quite loudly. It says, “Continue
to serve!” To me one of the greatest tragedies of our genera-
tion is that we have an army of men and women with
experience, expertise, and wisdom who, by and large, have
sat down in the rocking chair awaiting their last breath.
The “E” in grace is a final reminder: You can expect God
to walk with you through the valley and up the other side.
The psalmist cried out, “Do not cast me away when I am
old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone” (Psalm
71:9). You can grow old gracefully.
 June
3
The God Who is
to be Trusted

The problem is that the world’s under- Do you not know that
standing of God is based on what they your body is a temple
see of Him in His people. Too often, the of the Holy Spirit,
world sees little evidence of His presence. who is in you, whom
What the world sees is a weak, often dis- you have received
interested God who is too tired, too busy, from God?
or too withdrawn to be of much value. 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19
It’s a rather scary thought that the
world judges God by what they see of Him in our lives. It
often causes us to recoil with feelings of inadequacy and fail-
ure. We think, “Something is wrong with me,” and at times
that fear has foundation. What’s wrong is that too often we
are afraid to let the awesome God touch too many areas of
our lives, fearful that His fire would burn up some of the
old treasures we hold on to—treasures from Egypt that need
to be consumed by His fire.
Our fears cluster around three statements—“I can’t; He
won’t; He will.” We fear that we can’t measure up to His
expectations and will be pushed away, rejected. We fear He
won’t be there for us when we need Him, and we fear He will
ask us to do something we dislike or more probably ask us
to stop doing something we like to do.
If you believe that God is a good God and that He wills
only goodness and blessing for His children, the fear of what
He might do in your life rapidly dissipates. He takes over in
your life only as you yield to Him and allow Him to invade
your thoughts, your habits, your attitudes and your heart.
June
4
Tomorrow

Joshua told the What are your plans for tomorrow? Some
people, “Consecrate have the attitude of, “Let us eat and drink
yourselves, for for tomorrow we die!” If that describes
tomorrow the LORD you, there is something missing in your
will do amazing life—hope. Hope believes that tomorrow
things among you.” will hold the answers to the questions and
JOSHUA 3:5 problems that baffle you today.
The Bible speaks of tomorrow sixty-
one times. While it warns about being presumptuous, about
avoiding your duty or responsibility today, it nonetheless
speaks of tomorrow as a new opportunity to see God do
amazing things. Long ago Joshua told Israel to cleanse and
purify themselves because he told the people, “tomorrow the
LORD will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).
Is it only wishful thinking to focus on tomorrow? No,
and here’s why: God doesn’t always give you instant solu-
tions to the problems of today. Some things can’t be fixed
with the rapidity of making instant coffee or just saying the
words, or waving a magic wand in the air. But because you
believe God is still in control—that the promises of His word
are true—you rest your hope on tomorrow and face the day
as best you can.
Nothing that ever happens in life comes as a surprise to
our Heavenly Father. When tomorrow comes God will be
there to welcome you, take your hand and help you under-
stand that tomorrow can be beautiful!
Never give up hope that tomorrow’s sunrise will bring
tomorrow’s blessings and that as today’s dusk turns to night,
there is rest to give you strength to face tomorrow.
 June
5
Handling Failure

Nobody likes to fail yet some of the great- Do not let this
est lessons in life are learned through Book of the Law
failure. What can you gain from failure? depart from your
First, you gain self-understanding. You mouth; meditate on
learn more about yourself in failure situ- it day and night,
ations than in successful endeavors. People so that you may
be careful to do
who eventually succeed after one or more
everything written
failures are usually better adjusted, less
in it. Then you will
arrogant and more gracious.
be prosperous
Second, you learn what will not work.
and successful.
Opportunity often enters through the
back door disguised as failure—probably JOSHUA 1:8
one of the reasons so few people really
learn from their failure. To move ahead, however, requires a
partial amnesia. Many people never rise from the ashes of
their failures because they cannot forget. Fearful of failing
again, they hesitate to risk trying again.
Third, you can move in a different direction. A friend
faced failure when his company went broke, so he borrowed
money and took a two-week vacation. Sitting on the beach
in Hawaii, he thought through his failure and came up with
a new business plan, which eventually succeeded.
Fourth, you can see an added dimension to your life—a
positive one that also embraces the reality that God has much
to do with our lives. Countless individuals have failed, then
realized that God had been left out of the equation. Under-
standing the importance of knowing and serving God, they
included Him in their plan for the future.
Failure has much more to teach you than success. Once
you have climbed the hill, there’s no place to go but down;
but having stumbled on the climb provides lots of opportu-
nities to advance. It’s what you learn that makes for success.
June
6
Success and Our Culture

Not that I have Are you a success? You may immediately

already obtained all respond, “That all depends on how you
this, or have already define it.” Achieving success is far more
been made perfect, than reaching the top, than earning a large
but I press on to take salary, than seeing your name on the mar-
hold of that for quee. I define it as seeking and finding
which Christ Jesus and doing the will of God for your life,
took hold of me. discovering His purpose for your exist-
PHILIPPIANS 3:12 ence, then setting goals and objectives that
are pleasing to Him.
This entails a complete turn-around in our thinking.
Shedding the “money is wonderful” mentality and under-
standing that real success is not the equivalent of reaching
the top of the pile is not easy.
A blue collar worker can come home with dirty hands
and a clear conscience and say, “Lord, I’ve done my best; I
have accomplished Your will for today.” The single mom
who struggles to hold down a job, get three kids to school,
put food on the table and clothes on the backs of her chil-
dren without help can and does succeed. Your definition of
success depends on your values.
Writing to the Romans, Paul confronted this issue. He
wrote, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will
is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). And
the only way to do that is to get God’s point of view. It
means breaking the stranglehold of a culture whose values
run counter to God’s. We must acknowledge that as long as
our attitudes reflect the pagan culture in which we live, we’ll
never find the peace that comes through fulfilling God’s
purpose, which is real success.
 June
7
“God, I’ve Got a Problem”

What do you do when you’ve got a prob- If any of you lacks

lem and you don’t have an immediate wisdom, he should
solution? “Hey,” you may say, “that’s the ask God, who gives
story of my life; all I do is face problems.” generously to all
Problems come in all sizes yet no mat- without finding fault,
ter how big or small, any problem can be and it will be given
solved. Here are the steps you could take: to him.
STEP 1: Pray about the problem. I of- JAMES 1:5
ten pray, “Lord, I’ve got a problem—a
big one that I don’t know how to handle. Please help me
find the solution.”
STEP 2: Face the issue and look for all the possible solutions
you can see. This often means pausing to think, then jotting
down each solution that comes to mind.
STEP 3: Investigate and do research. Pick up the phone
and call a trusted friend. Tell the friend what your problem
is and ask, “How have you solved this problem when you’ve
faced it?” You tend to think that you are the only one in the
world facing this particular difficulty when you are not.
STEP 4: Focus on possible solutions. Negotiation and com-
promise are often necessary to get people pointed the right
direction. Count the cost of each solution and weigh the
relative merits of each.
STEP 5: Back off from the problem if nothing comes into
focus. Come back to fight it another day. Putting some dis-
tance between you and the problem allows you to rethink,
refocus and be more objective.
STEP 6: Learn from your problem. Someone once said that
the real test of success is not the size or number of problems
that confront you, but whether they are the same ones that
you faced last year. We grow through difficulty. Challenges
are the steps—hard as they may be—that lead upward.
June
8
An Unsatisfied Hunger
for God

You will seek me If you have a hunger for God deep down
and find me within your heart, be encouraged. You are
when you seek me spiritually alive and God’s Spirit is prod-
with all your heart. ding you to seek and find Him. How do
JEREMIAH 29:13 you find God? Here are several simple
guidelines that provide guidance:
GUIDELINE 1: Overcome your awkwardness. Some folks talk
about “finding God” when in reality, like a shepherd
searching for lost sheep, He’s been searching for them all
along. God allows us to get to the end of our resources
so we would hear His call and grasp the hand that has
been reaching toward us.
GUIDELINE 2: Ask God to reveal Himself to you. That’s like a
flare that shouts, “I’m lost, but here I am; God, please
send someone to help me find my way back home.” God
is far more desirous of a relationship with you than you
are with Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me
and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
GUIDELINE 3: Talk to someone who knows Him. When you
are lost in the forest, you don’t wait until you find some-
one before you shout for help.
GUIDELINE 4: Find out for yourself. What book tells us about
God? There is one that is tested and true—the Bible. It
answers the hard questions of life: Who am I? Where
did I come from? and Where do I go after I die?
GUIDELINE 5: Accept and embrace the truth as you encounter
it. Some confront the truth and, fearful that God might
not be as good as others say, keep on walking through
the woods calling out for help, rejecting the Shepherd
who is trying to show them the way home.
 June
9
Questions I Would Ask

When you hit the bottom, you start ask- When he came
ing, “How did I get here, anyway? Is there to his senses, he said,
a way out of my distress?” If I were at that “How many of my
point in life, as perhaps you may be, there father’s hired men
are some questions I would ask myself. have food to spare,
“Who put the longing in my heart to and here I am
starving to death!”
know God?” God created you with a long-
ing that only He can satisfy. LUKE 15:17
“Who created this beautiful world
with such order and symmetry?” Even scientists who do not
believe in God recognize the intelligent design of our world,
a position that has a trail leading from it to the Creator.
“Who gave me the intelligence and the emotions to rea-
son, think and love?
“Is there an opposite to what I abhor in life?” Most people
never ask the question involving opposites, yet it’s impor-
tant to do so. Day is balanced by night, heat by cold, strength
by weakness, and good by evil. While God often gets the
blame for the evil, there has to be an opposite that accounts
for the evil in our world.
Finally, I would ask myself, “Who is Jesus Christ and
does He care about me?” John says that God so loved the
world He gave His one and only Son to be the Savior of the
world. I would want to know, “Was He God?” and if so,
“Did He die for my sins?”
The prodigal—the young man who had lost his way—
came to his senses, and that’s what you, too, must do if you
would find your way back home. God gave you a brain. Use
it. You’re the only one who can do an about-face and start
walking towards home.
June
10
An Open Letter to My
Grandchildren

But from everlasting When my first grandchild was born, I

to everlasting the made a vow before God that I would be
LORD’s love is with the best grandpa I knew how to be. There
those who fear him, are seven things I desire for them—things
and his righteousness that only they can make happen.
with their children’s Have a personal relationship with Jesus
children. Christ. I’m not satisfied for you to just
PSALM 103:17 “know who Jesus is and call yourself a
Christian,” but to be completely commit-
ted to Him. Because Jesus is God, give Him 100%.
Know right from wrong and choose the right. Sure, we all
make mistakes, but don’t make the same ones twice. Be brave
enough to choose the right thing, no matter how unpopular
or how difficult it may be.
Be tough enough to stand alone. It’s never easy to be dif-
ferent, but the time comes eventually when you have to draw
a line and say, “Look, I can’t do that.” Choose friends wisely
because they influence you.
Find out what God says about issues, and then consider the
matter settled. Let God’s Word, the Bible, be your guide as it
has been for your parents, for us, and our parents before us.
Choose your marriage partner carefully. Don’t be in a hurry
to marry, and until you find the right one who reflects your
values and faith, keep yourself pure. God always gives His
best to those who leave the choice to Him.
Find God’s will for your life and make your life count for
Him. That’s the key to purpose and meaning.
Never forget who you are. You are God’s child so lift your
head up high. So go out there and make a difference.
And dear reader, these are what I desire for you, too.
 June
11
The Castle of Your Soul

Sherwood Eliot Wirt believes that deep He who dwells

within your soul there is a meeting place, in the shelter of the
a castle where you as God’s child can meet Most High will rest
and commune with God. For some that in the shadow
castle is filled with warmth, joy, laughter of the Almighty.
and fellowship. PSALM 91:1
It is the place that the Psalmist de-
scribed when he said, “He who dwells in the secret place of
the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”
(Psalm 91:1 NKJV ). In ancient days, “secret places” were
hiding places, a refuge where one finds safety and comfort.
That place today is in the quietness of your heart where the
storms of life cannot touch you.
Many of us know that we’re spiritually deprived. We sense
that we are confronted with a spiritual barrenness that leaves
us thinking that God is distant, and that we just aren’t con-
nected with Him.
What is missing, though, is not activities but a relation-
ship, one that is nourished by being in the presence of the
King. With the frenetic pressures of life today, we have mis-
takenly assumed that spiritual growth, much like the
discipline of an athlete, comes by forcing ourselves to do
more. It is only the King who dwells in the castle of your
heart who will produce the warmth that drives back the cold
that you know is there.
Unfortunately, we have to unlearn some things to learn
the lessons of the soul. God is not impressed with what you
do nearly as much as what you are. In our helplessness He
delights in showing us His strength.
There’s an answer to spiritual barrenness that is not by
doing more but by entering into the presence of the King.
Allow Him to make your heart His dwelling place.
June
12
Trouble

I have told you William Shakespeare wrote, “When sor-

these things, so that rows come, they come not single file but
in me you may in battalions.” When challenges knock at
have peace. In this your door, they bring companions with
world you will them. They seem to come in gangs.
have trouble. There are many words that describe the
But take heart!
challenge—trouble, difficulty or prob-
I have overcome
lems—even stress. Tribulation is how the
the world.
King James translators put it.
JOHN 16:33 Writing to Roman Christians who
were undergoing persecution, knowing
that the security of their world could cave in at the whim of
a government official, Paul said that trouble produces pa-
tience or perseverance. When Jesus talked to the disciples
about tribulation, He linked our troubles to joy. He said,
“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 KJV ).
The Greek word translated “patience” is a combination
of two words that literally mean “to remain under” some-
thing; hence, the trouble that confronts you produces
“staying power.” Simply put, you hang in there and neither
turn and run nor blow up in the face of adversity.
Before Jesus informed the disciples that they would face
troubles, He said that He was telling them these things so
they might have peace. If you’ve never read the fine print,
do so. You will find it in John 16, where Jesus promised His
abiding strength and presence in the times of storm.
Into every life some rain must fall, but the rain brings the
flowers and the color drives away the gray landscape of diffi-
culty. With God’s help, you can win over your problem.
 June
13
A Biopsy of Your Heart

When David wrote this psalm, in a way Search me, O God,

he was asking God to take a biopsy of his and know my heart;
heart, the kind that a cardiologist cannot test me and know my
do. When God diagnoses one’s inner anxious thoughts.
thoughts, He makes no mistakes. He sees See if there is any
the true condition of the heart. offensive way in me,
and lead me in the
What are some of the dark spots that
way everlasting.
can be detected by a spiritual biopsy? Here
are a few possibilities: pride, arrogance, PSALM 139:23,-4
hatred, jealousy, coldness, envy, lust, an
unbridled tongue, and a host of others.
If God should do a biopsy of your heart and have the
angels in the laboratory of heaven put it under the micro-
scope, what do you think they would find?
He already knows what is in your heart. He knows it all.
He sees it all, and He takes note of the true condition of
your life. The flip side of this truth is that He also knows
your love for Him and others that flows from your heart.
The New Testament writer of Hebrews put it like this: “He
knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is
bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God;
nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain
all that we have done” (Hebrews 4:13 TLB).
Instead of thinking of God as a policeman, a judge with
a book recording our failures, David thought of Him as a
loving Father who will forgive and who will guide us into
the path of righteousness. “But with you there is forgive-
ness; therefore you are feared,” David wrote in Psalm 130:4.
June
14
Deacon William Brodie

But if you fail William Brodie, the son of a Scottish cabi-

to do this, you will netmaker, was elected to public office in
be sinning against 1781. He was known as a deacon of
the LORD; and you Edinburgh—about the equivalent of city
may be sure that council in most cities today. By day, he
your sin will find was an upright and well-respected citizen.
you out.
By night, however, he was a thief, gam-
NUMBERS 32:23 bler, and rascal of the first order, the
prototype of Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Eventually his derelictions caught up with him, and Dea-
con Brodie was hanged on the very scaffold he had designed
for the city of Edinburgh.
Long ago Moses wrote, “You may be sure that your sin
will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). It may take a while,
perhaps even a long while, but eventually the past catches
up with you. A note, a handkerchief, a smudge on a glass, a
fingerprint, a DNA printout, an automobile accident, a cell
phone message, and suddenly the airtight alibi collapses. You
are discovered for what you really are.
Even Paul admitted to something of Brodie’s problem.
Crying out in frustration, he wrote, “For what I do is not
the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this
I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Paul saw this as a battle
between his own sinful nature, and the renewed nature
indwelt by the Spirit of God.
While the world remembers unbelievers for their finest
achievements, it remembers believers for their greatest fail-
ures. And should there be something of Deacon Brodie’s
spiritual schizophrenia in your life, better square it away
with God and let Him know you want His help. It’s time to
live the same kind of a life by day and by night.
 June
15
Maren Nilsen

Among her treasured possessions, Maren “Never will I

Nilsen has a cookbook carefully written leave you;
on sections of rough toilet paper bound never will I
by pieces of old string. Today this 80-plus- forsake you.”
year-old woman lives alone in a Norwegian HEBREWS 13:5
cottage in the city of Tromso, near the Arc-
tic Circle. Her brightly decorated house stands facing the fjord,
and in the summer her garden is filled with lovely flowers.
Visiting her is an unforgettable experience.
When World War II broke out, Maren had just married.
Like all Norwegian patriots, her family wasn’t happy when
the Germans invaded Norway. Because Maren’s husband and
his family were active in the resistance movement, she was
arrested and sent to a concentration camp.
Maren would have starved in the camp but she had ac-
cess to the garbage that came from the kitchen. She would
steal potato peelings, hiding them until the matron who
guarded her barracks was asleep. Then she would warm them
on the tiny stove and share them with her mother-in-law.
The starving women were all experienced cooks and they
would talk about their favorite recipes—cakes, cookies,
shortbreads, reindeer roasts, and the other good things that
they were denied. So for Maren’s birthday, the older women
put together a small recipe book of their favorites—some-
thing she will cherish to her dying day.
“Did you hate the Germans when you were released?” I
asked her. I can’t describe the expression on her face, as she
replied, “No, I do not hate them, but we must not forget.”
God’s grace brought healing and help to Maren, whose de-
vout faith enabled her to keep hoping and trusting.
June
16
Praying for Someone Else

Therefore, I exhort, “If your knees are knocking, kneel on

first of all that them” was a message scribbled on the wall
supplications, of an air raid shelter in World War II.
prayers, intercessions, When Paul wrote Timothy he strongly
and giving of thanks urged him to pray for others. “I urge, then,
be made for all men. first of all,” said Paul, “that requests,
1 TIMOTHY 2:1 prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for everyone . . . that we may live
peaceful and quiet lives . . .” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). He uses
several different words all translated “to pray.” One means a
simple prayer asking God for His help. Another word de-
notes the idea of intensity—you pray fervently as did Jesus
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The third word, intercession, means praying for another.
Years ago, I felt a burden to pray for several men every day
for a year—some pastors, some businessmen, and some
laypeople. Looking back over that year, the pastor I prayed
for went to China, and through a variety of confrontations
with the needs of the world has expanded his vision from a
community to the world, touching the lives of thousands of
people. The businessman whom I prayed for has had ex-
panded opportunities, speaking to much more diverse and
larger groups than most pastors.
Intercessory prayer allows you to exercise your rights as
priest before God, cooperating with the Holy Spirit to ac-
complish what He wants rather than what you want done.
It means going deeper into the grace of God.
Take the challenge of intercession—praying not just for
yourself and your needs but for others, too, asking God to
do specific things. Keep a notebook as you pray and see what
God will do because you asked.
 June
17
Why Pray If You Can Fix it?

Abraham Lincoln, the American president You do not have,

who faced tremendous personal struggles because you do not
in his life, once said, “I have been driven ask God.
to my knees many times by the over- JAMES 4:2
whelming conviction that I had nowhere
else to go.”9
And it often takes just that before you are willing to pray.
To have to say, “God, I’m at the end of myself and I have
nowhere else to turn,” is humiliating. If you can fix some-
thing yourself, you can then sit back and say, “Hey, look
what I did. I’m actually pretty good.”
“I’d rather do it myself,” we say, hesitant to ask God to
do what we cannot. Stubborn, fierce independence always
militates against prayer, yet the stark reality is that there are
a lot of things that you cannot fix!
How do you overcome your position of weakness? You
don’t. But it helps to understand that God is not expecting
you to come as an equal, to drive a deal with Him, agreeing
that if He bails you out of your problem, you’ll do some-
thing equally helpful to Him in return.
Grace comes from the hand of a loving, compassionate
Father who delights in meeting you at the point of your
need. Only willful, misplaced, senseless pride and arrogance
keep you from knocking at the door of grace. Prayer is not
overcoming God’s reluctance, but yours.
June
18
Misinformation or
Just Plain Lies?

Do not lie to It happens almost everyday. You read a

each other, since you headline such as, “Truth Catches Up with
have taken off Accused Storyteller,” or “Top Historian
your old self with Becomes Tangled in Fiction,” or “Corpo-
its practices. ration Mogul Embarrassed by New
COLOSSIANS 3:9
Allegations,” or “Law School Dean De-
nies Plagiarism.” These are people who
are supposed to lead the way, supposedly models of honesty
and integrity.
What we are seeing are not isolated but reveal a pattern
of deception and dishonesty. Today we have refined the term,
calling it “misinformation.”
“Provide things honest in the sight of all men” was Paul’s
advice to Romans (12:17 KJV). Bringing the issue more clearly
into focus, answer yes or no to the following questions:
• Do you ever lie to your husband or wife, or your parents?
Never, seldom, or occasionally?
• Have you ever falsified your expense account in your favor?
• Have you ever called in “sick” when in fact you simply
wanted a day off?
• Have you ever omitted facts in a resumé you presented to
a prospective employer?
• Filed a deceptive or false insurance claim?
• Have you ever asked your child to tell someone on the
phone, “I’m not home” when you were home but didn’t
want to talk to them?
When you practice dishonesty, your children will be dis-
honest with you and will learn to look you in the eye and lie
without thought.
May God deliver us from the contemporary curse of
misinformation—lies, deceit and fraud–or else we too will
become ensnared in the web that has trapped so many.
 June
19
Are Christians More
Honest?

Be honest. Have you ever made personal These are the things
calls on company time? Or taken credit you are to do:
for something someone else did? “Wait a Speak the truth
minute,” you may be saying, “I don’t have to each other,
to answer those questions.” OK, before and render true
we dispense with the sticky questions that and sound judgment
cause us to squirm, answer one about the in your courts.
other guy. Would you say that Christians ZECHARIAH 8:16
are more honest than other people? Or
about the same as everyone else? Why should those who
believe in Jesus be more honest than non-believers?
If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord, then there is
born a motive to live as He lived. You become willing to
embrace the truth that He taught, and live as He wants you
to live. That umbrella, which also includes ultimate respon-
sibility to God, makes a difference. Apart from that, there
is little, if any, motive to be honest.
Another factor in the honesty equation is how you feel
about the authority of the Bible that says you are not to lie
to your neighbor, or dishonestly move his property line or
deceive your fellows—whomever they may be.
The secular humanist may tell you that honesty is good
for society, yet when it gets down to it, if dishonesty is good
for him, he could say dishonesty can be good at times. Such
instances will be when, for example, he finds a wallet that he
keeps and chooses to be quiet about it as well.
The American humorist Mark Twain once gave some
pretty solid advice when he said, “When in doubt, tell the
truth. It will confound your enemies and astound your
friends.” To that I might add, “and make your Father proud
of you and let you hold your head high.”
June
20
The Prayer of Jabez

Jabez cried out to An obscure individual from the clan of

the God of Israel, Judah prayed, “Oh, that you would bless
“Oh, that you would me and enlarge my territory! Let your
bless me and enlarge hand be with me, and keep me from harm
my territory! Let your so that I will be free from pain.” Sounds
hand be with me, selfish, right? Getting things from God
and keep me from
has always been popular yet that was not
harm so that I will
the attitude of Jabez. The priest who
be free from pain.”
wrote the Chronicles telling about the life
And God granted
and prayer of Jabez, describes him as
his request.
“more honorable than his brothers.”
1 CHRONICLES 4:10 First, he asked that God would bless
him and enlarge his territory. Some dis-
tort the truth that God blesses those who are obedient yet
the reality is that God’s blessing follows your obedience. Make
a note of Psalm 1 where the psalmist begins by saying,
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of
mockers” (Psalm 1:1).
Jabez then prayed that God’s hand would be on him and
protect him from harm. It is not simply missionaries who
need God’s hand of protection, but also moms who pack
lunches and send their kids to school, and dads who face the
hostility of a dog-eat-dog world.
Asking God to keep His strong hand upon your life and
to help you confront your giants is neither selfish nor wrong.
It’s a reminder that if you are God’s child, you can ask your
Father who promised to never leave you nor forsake you.
Prayer isn’t working God to get what you want. It’s com-
munication between you and God. It brings you into
harmony with what God wants in your life.
 June
21
Battle Flags

The battle flags hanging from the rafters When the enemy
of old St. Giles in Edinburgh, those shall come in like
frayed, tattered and dirty pieces of cloth a flood, the Spirit
suspended on poles are rather meaning- of the LORD shall
less to the thousands of tourists who gawk lift up a standard
at the stained glass windows and the pol- against him.
ished wood centuries old. But to the men ISAIAH 59:19 KJV
who rallied behind those battle flags, they
were symbols of patriotism, pride and significance.
Of those flags Sherwood Eliot Wirt wrote, “The pre-
cious emblems are not too exciting to outsiders, but to the
combat veterans who took part in the engagements where
those flags were carried into the fighting zone, they have
become colorful symbols of living history. What memories
they evoke! What trials! What dangers! And—what victo-
ries!”10
A study of Scripture indicates that flags were used by
ancient Israel. When the Hebrew children left Egypt and
camped in the desert, flags or standards were posted identi-
fying different groups. In Numbers 10:14 Moses wrote, “In
the first place went the standard of the camp of the children
of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was
Nahshon the son of Amminadab.”
Isaiah challenged his people saying that “when the en-
emy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall
lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).
Evil and the hideous onslaught of iniquity don’t stop when
a peace treaty is signed and the old battle flags are sent to a
museum. The battle goes on today. God’s people still have
to rally to the standard, the banner of the Cross, which has
never lost its glory.
June
22
The Roman Legions and
The New Testament

Be self-controlled and Surprising as it may be, the Roman sol-

alert. Your enemy the dier and what he represented left an
devil prowls around appreciable impact on the writers of the
like a roaring lion New Testament, who drew largely from
looking for someone the image of the soldier to explain what
to devour. the Christian life is about.
1 PETER 5:8 Paul, writing to the Ephesians, talked
of the armor of the Roman soldier, giving
us a picture of how the believer is to equip himself for the
battle. He’s to take the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of
righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, and have his feet fitted
with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Writing to the Philippians he said that the “peace of God,
which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
Life is a battle, and if you are God’s child, you become a
target of dislike, cynicism, and prejudice equally as much as
did the fishermen who walked away from their nets to fol-
low Jesus.
Today, though, we are seldom reminded that we are in a
battle against giants—enemies of our souls. The image of
the Christian life we are confronted with more often is that
of the shepherd gently leading his sheep beside the still wa-
ters to greener pastures, which is translated health, wealth,
and happiness.
Jesus came into a world filled with hostilities and battles
and He triumphed over them. He understands the battles
we fight. As the words of the old hymn go: “Sure I must
fight if I would win. Increase my courage, Lord. I’ll bear the
toil, endure the pain, supported by thy Word.”
 June
23
The Whole Armor

Knowing the strength and strategy of your I have fought the

enemy is a key to victory. Writing to the good fight. . . .
Ephesians, Paul drew from the analogy of 2 TIMOTHY 4:7
the Roman soldier, whose gear was well
known to the readers.
A steel or bronze helmet protected his head. His body—
at least the front—was protected by segments of metal plates
riveted closely enough to withstand the slash of a sword but
loosely enough to allow movement.
A long, curved, rectangular shield was carried that could
be locked with the shields carried by the soldiers to the left
and right. Leather sandals were strapped to his feet with the
thongs fastened about his ankles, giving his feet maximum
support and air to breathe. Nothing protected his back.
The only offensive part of his equipment was his sword,
prized and polished. It was about 18 to 24 inches—not very
long—used for hacking rather than thrusting. But its double
edges were lethal in the hands of a strong warrior.
What’s the analogy for the believer? Your head is the most
vulnerable part of your body. Most often the attacks of the
enemy are first fought in your mind and thought life. Your
heart and chest are covered with a breastplate of righteous-
ness. God gives you an impenetrable covering wrought by
the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Faith is your shield, and it is
this that allows you to withstand what the enemy hurls at
you. “Yet will I trust God,” you say, refusing to yield to the
doubt and criticism that comes your way.
The only offensive weapon that God gives to you is His
Word, which is why you need to memorize it and use it. It’s
the only sword, which never grows dull or old.
June
24
How Do Your Shoes Fit?

And make straight If you are on a trail with a backpack, or

paths for your feet, you still have miles to walk and your shoes
so that what have rubbed blisters on your heels, you
is lame may not would give almost anything for just a pair
be dislocated, but of walking shoes or boots.
rather be healed. Your foot consists of a series of bones
HEBREWS 12:13 NKJV and joints, and each bone is made from a
composite of hydroxyapatite, collagens
and proteins. Sounds complicated, right? Actually we never
consider that we have feet attached to our legs as long as
they are in good working order, until the rub comes, the
irritations build and our feet begin to scream with pain.
More than 260 times the Bible talks about feet in many
different ways. It says your feet lead you to evil or to righ-
teousness. It speaks of God’s putting all things under the
feet of Jesus as a sign of His dominion. Paul, however, think-
ing of the Roman soldier and the hundreds of miles he had
traveled on uneven roads to proclaim the Good News, talks
about having “your feet fitted with the readiness that comes
from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).
Having feet that are ready to share the Good News sim-
ply means you are ready for whatever opportunity presents.
You are prepared, ready to face your enemy without limp-
ing or dragging.
Which direction are your feet headed? When one points
one direction and the other in the opposite direction, you
have a split vote, which means you go nowhere. When you
decide to serve God, you get your feet moving to His direc-
tion and “make level paths for your feet,”as Hebrews 12:13
speaks about, “so that the lame may not be disabled, but
rather healed.”
 June
25
Can You Trust God
for Today?

At one time Bulstrode Whitelocke was Peace I leave

England’s ambassador to Sweden. The with you; my peace
night before he was to leave for Sweden, I give you. I do not
Whitelocke spent the night in a country give to you as the
inn near the ship. Whitelocke could not world gives. Do not
sleep. He tossed and turned, worried let your hearts
about the task before him. A traveling be troubled and
companion, a kind of valet-bodyguard do not be afraid.
and friend slept in the same room with JOHN 14:27
him. Sensing that Whitelocke was
troubled, he gently asked, “Do you not think that God gov-
erned the world very well before you came into it?”
The ambassador replied, “Without any doubt.” Then said
the companion, “Do you not think that God can and will still
govern the world just as well when you have left it?” “Surely,”
he said, somewhat taken aback by the inference.
“I hope you will not be offended,” countered the friend,
“if I ask if you cannot trust Him to run the world while you
are still in it, just as well as after you are gone.” Whitelocke
got the point so he turned over and went to sleep.
We stubbornly hate to admit defeat. We hesitate to say,
“I can’t solve this—it is beyond me.” Our stubborn inde-
pendence keeps us estranged from God and strangers to sleep
and peace of mind. Worry refuses to acknowledge that God
is bigger than the giants in our lives.
It is amazing how much peace comes to your heart when
you remind yourself that God neither slumbers nor sleeps.
“Peace I leave with you, “said Jesus, adding “My peace I give
you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”(John 14:27).
When you believe that, you, too, can say, “Good night!”
and go to sleep.
June
26
You are Invited to the Party

But they all alike Suppose you are planning a big dinner
began to make party. You hire a caterer, bring in a deco-
excuses. . . . rator and plan on the entertainment.
LUKE 14:18 “This is going to be the hottest thing that
has happened in years,” you smugly tell
yourself. Then the phone starts to ring. People don’t say,
“We’re not coming,” but you quickly translate their “We’re
not sure,” and “We’ve got to go out of town,” and “Our
grandmother is having a birthday” excuses into reality as
you ask yourself, “What is going on here?”
Jesus told a story saying, “A certain man was preparing a
great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the
banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been in-
vited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike
began to make excuses’” (Luke 14:16-20).
What was the point of the story? The individuals who
heard it understood. He said that He had come to His own
as the long awaited Messiah but His own rejected Him.
Jesus’ mission was greater than just coming to Israel,
which is why in His story He told how the man who pre-
pared for a great party sent his servants out into the streets
and invited the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame
to come to the party.
Someday God is going to throw a party greater than any-
thing ever seen on earth. The Bible calls it, “the marriage
supper of the Lamb.” You are invited, too. At this great party
all of God’s children will celebrate. Talk about an awesome,
international event. It will be unrivaled in all history. The
venue is His Father’s House. The book of Revelation says,
“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of
the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9).
 June
27
If Jesus Christ is God

When he was asked who was the most in- And when
fluential person in his life, George Bush the centurion,
quickly responded, “Jesus Christ.” Would who stood there
you also say that Jesus Christ is the most in front of Jesus,
influential person in your life? heard his cry and
Faced with the criticism of a skeptical saw how he died,
he said, “Surely
intellectual community, C. S. Lewis decided
this man was the
to find out for himself who Jesus was. His
Son of God!
search was also intensified by the evils he
saw in war as innocent people died, and MARK 15:39
the confusion of it all evoked the question,
“If there is a God, why doesn’t He intercede in this madness
and chaos which has engulfed our world?”
In his book Mere Christianity, Lewis rebutted the posi-
tion: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but
not as the Son of God.” He explained: “A man who was
merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would
not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—
on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or
else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your
choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else
a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a
fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you
can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us
not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His be-
ing a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
Having confronted the claims of Christ’s unique posi-
tion as God’s Son who loved you and gave Himself for you
when He died on the cross, you have to decide.
June
28
I Am The Lighthouse

In him was life, The Naval Institute’s magazine carried the

and that life was story of the captain of a battleship who
the light of men. was concerned about rough seas and fog
The light shines when, suddenly, a bright light appeared
in the darkness, on the horizon. The captain immediately
but the darkness has had the signalman send the message,
not understood it.
“Change course immediately!” Back came
JOHN 1:4, 5 the reply, “It is you who must change
course!” Irritated that a battleship should
give way to a lesser vessel, the captain ordered that the mes-
sage be sent, “I am a battleship!” And back came the reply,
“I am the lighthouse!” The captain changed course.
Long ago Jesus said simply, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life” (John 8:12). Many an individual, cruis-
ing through life as a battleship, expecting others to get out
of his way, has encountered the Light, Jesus Christ. Seeing
that the vessel of their life was headed towards the rocks,
they changed course and direction. Wise is the person who
recognizes the message, “I am the lighthouse.”
Paul says that blindness, like a heavy fog, keeps the
unregenerated person from seeing clearly who Jesus Christ
really is. That darkness keeps them serving a god who can
never satisfy.
The direction coming from the lighthouse always takes
precedence over anything else, right? Jesus is not one of sev-
eral lights. He is the Light.”
Have you encountered the Light that cannot be dimmed
by the darkness of the world, or even the darkness of our
hearts? Have you experienced what John wrote about, say-
ing, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men”
(John 1:4)?
 June
29
“Sure, I’ll Be There”

A dentist, with a syringe in his hand, bent You yourselves

over the patient who was about to have a are our letter,
tooth extracted. “You might feel a little written on our
sting,” he gently intoned, then added, hearts, known and
“but then, on the other hand, it might read by everybody.
feel as though you’ve been kicked in the 2 CORINTHIANS 3:2
mouth by a horse.” That’s telling the
truth, rather bluntly, but at least you know what to expect.
Many today are not so forthright. David, so says Scripture,
said in his haste that all men are liars.
What does it mean to give your word when you are asked
to do something? When you say, “Yes,” do you mean, “Yes,
I heard you and I understand you want me to come on Fri-
day, but I’ll come when I get around to it,” or do you mean,
“Yes, I will be there!”?
Charles Swindoll says that integrity means keeping
your word. If following through with your commitments
is part of the fabric of integrity today, it is sadly lacking.
Tradesmen—contractors, electricians, carpenters, and
among many—are notorious for saying they will come
because they want the work, but don’t show up when they
are supposed to.
When Paul wrote to Titus, he instructed that slaves be
subject to their masters, being trustworthy “so that in every
way they will make the teaching about God our Savior at-
tractive” (Titus 2:10).
To the Corinthians he wrote, “You yourselves are our
letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody”
(2 Corinthians 3:2). Your integrity is on the line. God ex-
pects more of His children than the world delivers. It makes
the Gospel attractive to a skeptical world.
June
30
The Horrible Face of Evil

For all have sinned “How could anyone do such a horrible

and fall short of the thing?” we ask. It’s essentially the same
glory of God. question that has been asked from the day
ROMANS 3:23 that Cain, filled with anger, asked his
brother to go out into a field with him
and killed him.
Today, when you look at the devastation of broken bod-
ies, of children in the arms of a rescue worker, or the
tear-stained faces of family members whose tables will be
missing a loved one forevermore as the result of a terrorist
attack, you see the dark face of evil.
In 1974 Billy Graham said, “I believe there are two strains
in prophetic Scripture. One leads us to understand that as
we approach the latter days and the Second Coming of
Christ, things will become worse and worse. . . . But I be-
lieve as we approach the latter days and the coming of the
Lord, it could be a time also of great revival.”11
Is he right? If there is one thing that the writers of Scrip-
ture affirm with one voice, it is that the days will grow darker
and more violent as the end of the age approaches.
Evil that is endemic in the hearts of men brings into focus
the darkness of a world without God and without hope apart
from divine intervention. It also brings into focus the rea-
son God’s Son left heaven and was willing to bear our sin
and estrangement from the Father in His body on the cross.
As Paul explained, “God made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The darkness means the Son of Righteousness will rise
with healing for humankind.
 July
HEBREWS 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as
it is called Today, so that none of you may
be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
 July
1
What’s Wrong with
Humankind Today

Something is wrong with humankind to- For the wages of

day. You pick up a newspaper and read sin is death,
mostly bad news in the headlines. You but the gift of God
change the channel as the evening news is eternal life in
comes on because you don’t want your Christ Jesus our Lord.
children exposed to the violence depicted ROMANS 6:23
there. You gasp as you hear that a friend
has led a double life and betrayed his wife and family. When
lighting strikes close to home, what you dismissed or be-
came insensitive and calloused to suddenly becomes vivid
and shocking. You may ask yourself, “Why would God
allow this?”
Nothing satisfies the question of “Why?” apart from ac-
cepting the reality that terrible evil exists and produces the
shocking behavior we so detest.
Even more shocking are Paul’s words, “For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23 NKJV ).
And “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Romans 6:23). When Paul
uses the term “all,” it automatically includes us in the com-
pany of terrorists, murderers and the immoral.
The good news is that there is forgiveness for your sins.
As John Alexander put it: “To deny sin is bad news, indeed.
The only good news is sin itself. Sin is the best news there is,
the best news there could be in our predicament. Because
with sin, there’s a way out. There’s the possibility of repen-
tance. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws
inflicted by your parents—you’re stuck with them. But you
can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds
for hope and joy. The grounds for reconciled, joyful rela-
tionships. You can be born again.”12
July
2
Why Does God
Allow Disasters?
Yea, though I On Good Friday, 1964, a violent earth-
walk through the quake with a magnitude of 9.2 destroyed
valley of the shadow much of Anchorage, Alaska. People asked,
of death, I will “Why did God allow this?” Yet this de-
fear no evil: struction pales in comparison to the
for thou art with me; thousands who lost their lives in the ter-
thy rod and thy staff rorist attacks on the World Trade Center
they comfort me.
and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
PSALM 23:4 KJV Yet these numbers are a fraction of the
fourteen million who died in the concen-
tration camps of Europe during World War II.
When tragedy strikes, its extent may vary. But when it’s
personal, the intensity of its impact is always the same.
When it is your loss, the issue is personal, intimate and
very painful.
And again we ask, “Why did God allow this?”
First, God’s decision not to intervene in every act of
wrongdoing isn’t the result of His helplessness or weakness.
It’s His choice, allowing the consequences of the human will
to take its toll indiscriminately on the good as well as the
evil, the strong as well as the weak. On the cross even God’s
Son said that He could summon twelve legions of angels to
give Him assistance, but He didn’t(Matthew 26:53).
God promises to be with His children when they walk
the deep waters, the dark valleys and when they face the fire.
This promise is for His children alone and is backed by the
integrity of God.
As David said long ago, “Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art
with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”(Psalm 23:4,
KJV ). It is comforting to know that the Shepherd still walks
with His children through dark valley.
 July
3
Is It Too Late To Pray?

Does it do any good to pray when your God is our refuge

ship is sinking, when your plane has been and strength,
hijacked or when you have reached a point an ever-present help
of desperation? Does God hear you when in trouble. Therefore
you have ignored Him for years and now we will not fear,
need His help? though the earth
give way and the
The good news is that it is never too
mountains fall into
late to pray. In a time of national disaster,
the heart of the sea,
Nahum cried out, “The LORD is good, a
though its waters roar
refuge in times of trouble. He cares for
and foam and the
those who trust in him”(Nahum 1:7). In
mountains quake
this verse, Nahum gives us three very en- with their surging.
couraging assurances about God.
First, God is a good God. He hears PSALM 46:1-2

the voice of the one in need and responds, whether he is in

good standing with Him or is a stranger at His table. Other-
wise, none of us would ever qualify to get a hearing with the
King of kings.
Second, God is a refuge to whom you can flee when dif-
ficulty, tragedy or disaster confronts you. “God is our refuge
and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we
will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains
fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging,” says Psalm
46:1-3.
And finally Nahum tells us that God cares for those who
trust in Him. Ours is a world that knows little of real com-
passion and concern. It is comforting to know that in our
times of need, God is not indifferent.
The more you know of God’s love and concern and the
promises of Scripture, the greater your faith will be in time
of need.
July
4
Getting to Know
Your Deliverer

Yet to all who Some people are driven to a refuge by the

received him, storm, while others come gingerly. Still
to those who believed some others grow up with a sense that
in his name, he gave “God has to be bigger than I am,” and
the right to become
embrace Him enthusiastically.
children of God.
In times of need people often make deals
JOHN 1:12 with God—at least they make proposals
to Him—like, “OK, God, if You will just
get me through this dark valley, I will give You my heart,
and I’ll serve You. I really will.” The sickness passes, the fi-
nancial tragedy is averted, the marriage is saved. Then what?
It all depends on the strength of their resolve.
If God has undertaken for you, here’s how you can get to
know Him better. The first thing you need to do is to be
sure that you have made peace with God and that you have
embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
The second thing you need to do is to become involved
in a church. Being a Christian involves a relationship—not
a membership. The church isn’t a club you join or buy your
way into. It’s a fellowship of people who are just like you.
None are too good to stay out, and none are so good they
shouldn’t enter. Then get involved in a small group, where
you can get to know people personally; share your thoughts,
burdens and needs; and where other people can pray with
you and encourage you.
A log burns the brightest when it is in the fire with other
pieces of timber. Take it away from the rest and the flame
starts to go out. Get to know the Shepherd who saved you
in your time of need. Learn that He has a purpose and will
for your life, and that by walking with Him you will never
be alone.
 July
5
Why You Don’t have
to Lose Heart

Paul wrote, “We are hard pressed on Therefore we do not

every side, but not crushed; perplexed, lose heart. Though
but not in despair; persecuted, but not outwardly we are wasting
abandoned; struck down, but not de- away, yet inwardly we
stroyed”(2 Corinthians 4:8). What are being renewed day
Paul faced would have sent the aver- by day. For our light
age person either into depression or and momentary troubles
to flight. But Paul not only took it in are achieving for us an
stride, he seemed to grow with it. eternal glory that far
How could Paul be under such outweighs them all.
tremendous pressure and stay on top
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-17
of things? What did Paul know that
we don’t?
First, Paul knew that trials accomplish the purpose of
God. Peter wrote, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the
painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange
were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in
the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when
his glory is revealed”(1 Peter 4:12-13).
Second, Paul had confidence that God would sustain him
in times of great difficulty. Take note of Isaiah 43 where
God says, “when you go through the waters, I will be with
you.” It was a foregone conclusion that in the world we will
face persecution.
Third, Paul could face trouble because he knew we are
residents of an invisible kingdom that cannot be shaken or
destroyed. Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore since we are re-
ceiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful,
and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe!”
Finally, Paul also knew that we have a home in heaven.
Paul wrote, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in
is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house
in heaven, not built by human hands”(2 Corinthians 5:1).
July
6
God Daily Bears
Our Burdens

Carry each other’s The barrier that keeps us from prayer is

burdens, and in this not whether we think God is strong
way you will fulfill enough to help us, but whether we are
the law of Christ. humble enough to bow the knee and ad-
GALATIANS 6:2 mit that we need help. Many of us,
however, distance ourselves from God,
wondering if He could really be interested in us with our
many imperfections.
David, a man whose triumphs and failures covered a vast
spectrum, once cried out, “Praise be to the LORD, to God
our Savior, who daily bears our burdens”(Psalm 68:19).
But does God actually bear our burdens? And if so, what
does that mean? It means that He cares about what is hap-
pening to you. The book of Hebrews tells us that nothing is
hidden from Him and everything is seen by Him. Yes, He
knows your faults. But He also knows the desires of your
heart, your struggles to do right and the sensitivity that brings
you to your knees when you fall.
God also works through friends to bear our burdens. Paul
told the Galatians that they were to bear one another’s bur-
dens and so fulfill the law of Christ(Galatians 6:2). The Greek
word that Paul used means to bear a heavy weight, or some-
thing difficult. It comes from the same root that means “to
reach deep within something.” A real friend doesn’t let you
get away with saying “Everything’s just fine!” when worry
and turmoil are written in the lines of your face. He insists
you tell him where you are hurting.
In another psalm David wrote, “Cast your cares on the
LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous
fall”(Psalm 55:22). This means that you are the one who has
to humbly bow and say, “Lord, I need Your help!”
 July
7
Running the Race

The old adage, “no pain, no gain,” speaks Wherefore seeing we

of the discipline, the long hours of train- also are compassed
ing and the hardships you endure to about with so great
ensure you are ready when the day to a cloud of witnesses,
compete comes. let us lay aside every
Hebrews 12:1 likens your walk to the weight, and the sin
which doth so easily
Lord with the race run by the athlete. It
beset us, and let us
has a starting point, which is your con-
run with patience
version, and it has a terminus—when you
the race that is
meet the Lord. In this contest, the writer
set before us.
says you are to rid yourself of two things:
the weights that slow you down and the HEBREWS 12:1 KJV
sins that, like a heavy garment, keep you from achieving.
If every word is significant, then there is a reason why
two words—weights and sins—are used, and understand-
ing the difference provides insights for us today. The first
word, ogkos in Greek, means a weight, a burden, or an im-
pediment—anything that keeps you from walking with the
Lord. These are not necessarily wrong, but they become
wrong if they keep you from doing the will of God.
The second word, hamatia means sin, “missing the mark”
or “falling short of a goal or target.” It is the same word Jesus
used when He said, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive
everyone who sins against us”(Luke 11:4).
Hebrews reminds you to get rid of what keeps you from
being at your best including what you clearly know is
wrong—sin! Make the decision that anything that keeps you
from giving your best to the Master has to go. Then confess
and forsake what the Bible calls sin.
Stay focused, renew your determination and hang in there
day after day if you want to finish the race.
July
8
By Endurance We Conquer

“Out of whose womb Three bearded men walked down from

came the ice? and the the mountains on South Georgia island,
hoary frost of heaven, their clothing dirty and ragged. Encoun-
who hath gendered it? tering three workmen, they asked,
The waters are hid “Would you please take us to Anton
as with a stone, Andersen?” The foreman explained that
and the face of the he wasn’t there any longer and had been
deep is frozen.” replaced by Thoralf Sørlle.
JOB 38:29-30 KJV One of the men said softly, “Good, I
know Sørlle well.” When they arrived at
his house, Sørlle himself opened the door. “Who . . . are you?”
he blurted out. The man in the center replied, “My name is
Shackleton.” There was a dull silence as Sørlle tried to process
what he was hearing and then turned away and wept.13
Standing before him was Sir Ernest Shackleton, who by
then had been given up as dead. It was May, 1915. Fourteen
months before, Shackleton with a party of twenty-seven had
left England, planning to cross Antarctica from a base on
the Wedell Sea to McMurdo Sound crossing the South Pole.
The fact that no one had ever done that didn’t faze
Shackleton. His family motto was Fortitudine vincimus, Latin
for “by endurance we conquer.” And that is how his ship
was called Endurance.
When he arrived at the village of Stromness, his troubles
were far from over. Determined, he fought to save the lives
of the twenty-two castaways on Elephant Island. Three at-
tempts failed. But on August 30, 1915, Shackelton’s ship
was sighted, and their prayers had been answered.
The ship was aptly named because endurance was what
it took to bring his men home safely. In a day of quick fixes
and instant solutions, may God give us more of that spirit of
endurance that keeps pressing on no matter what the cost.
 July
9
Proclamation, Explanation
and Restoration

Jesus’ healing ministry was not a magic show to He heals the

get people to stop working long enough to hear brokenhearted
what He had to say. It was the core of His life and binds up
and ministry. He healed the sick with a word. their wounds.
He reached out to the outcasts of society and PSALM 147:3
embraced them as fallen brothers and sisters,
each of whom was worthy of His time and attention. In the
course of His three-year ministry, He performed numerous
miracles—thirty-three of which are recorded. Of that num-
ber, twenty-five related to physical healings, including the
amazing stories of three individuals who were raised from
the dead.
Matthew explained that “Jesus went through all the towns
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness”(Matthew 4:23). The disciples understood their mis-
sion very clearly. It consisted of three parts: First,
proclamation, telling the Good News that Christ died, was
buried, and rose again the third day. Then came explanation
or teaching. When Jesus charged His disciples to go into all
the world, He specified, “Go and teach all nations.” Follow-
ing that came restoration or healing whereby the Word was
applied to the suffering and pain of a hurting world so that
broken lives were restored.
Today, we’re good at nailing people with John 3:16 but
grossly deficient in applying the Word so that a hurting world
can find restoration and health. Churches are full of the walk-
ing wounded, not knowing that Jesus Christ intended us to
have complete healing and help—not simply a spiritual band-
aid that belies the pain and suffering beneath the surface.
God’s intention was to bring not only salvation to the
world, but healing for your wounds and health to your soul.
July
10
The God Who Still Heals

News about him What does healing mean? It means be-

spread all over Syria,ing able to function as you are with
and people brought to wholeness and wellness. In some cases,
him all who were ill it means the complete removal of a
with various diseases,physical affliction. In other cases it
those suffering severemeans you taste the grace of God in such
pain, the demon-
wonderful ways that you are able to
possessed, those having
function with joy and gladness.
seizures, and the
If ever a generation needed wholeness
paralyzed, and he
and healing, it is our generation. Broken
healed them.
hearts, fractured relationships and the
MATTHEW 4:24 inability to live at peace with our neigh-
bors and ourselves has left us hurting,
estranged and troubled.
Jesus Christ came to bring emotional, physical and spiri-
tual healing. At the onset of His public ministry, Jesus made
this clear. “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,”
He said. Jesus healed without considering how serious the
situation was. He healed both emotional and physical sick-
nesses, which are often intertwined. He never considered
race, position or social status when there was a need. The
influential and wealthy were accorded no more attention
than the destitute and poverty-stricken.
Jesus also made it clear that sickness was not the result of
personal failure or sin, but part of the curse that came when
Adam turned his back on God’s plan and purpose for hu-
mankind.
Human beings are a composite of the emotional, physi-
cal and the spiritual, therefore the restoration that we need
has to touch all three areas. God is still Jehovah Rapha, or
the God who heals. He feels your pain and you can experi-
ence His healing touch personally.
 July
11
The Distance Between You
and Our Culture

When you don’t in a world that generally But if serving the

does, you stand out like a sore thumb! In LORD seems
other words, when almost everybody undesirable to you,
cheats, and you don’t, you are penalized. then choose for
When almost everybody lies to get ahead, yourselves this day
and you don’t, you are at a distinct disad- whom you will serve,
vantage. When almost everybody uses whether the gods your
company time for his own pleasure and forefathers served
you don’t, you are thought strange or even beyond the River,
stupid. There is always a price to pay for or the gods of the
distancing yourself from the corruption Amorites, in whose
of the culture that surrounds you. land you are living.
What makes you feel compelled to tell But as for me and
the truth, to sleep only with your spouse, my household, we will
to give your employer a full eight-hour serve the LORD.
day and not to use the Internet to kill JOSHUA 24:15
time? It’s your integrity, honesty, honor
and work ethic, which are offshoots of your personal faith.
If I have described you, then stand tall and realize you
are not alone. Those who have stood against the trends of
their day always are in a minority whether they confronted
Caesar or couldn’t look the other way when the company
was being cheated by a dishonest employee.
The Apostle John put it like this: “Do not love the world
or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him”(1 John 2:15). The more corrupt
our culture, the more you will stand out in contrast when
you abide by your convictions. Yet the more secure will be
those who sleep in your home, who look to you for strength
and guidance and who will follow in your footsteps.
Long ago Joshua drew a line and stepped across it. He
said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the
LORD”(Joshua 24:15).
July
12
God in the Trenches
with You
But he said to me, There is a perception today that most of
“My grace is us aren’t good enough to get through to
sufficient for you, God in our time of need. Perhaps a few
for my power is chosen, special people do but not the
made perfect in wounded who stumble, get up, cry out
weakness.” for help and never to seem quite get it
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 together. If you find yourself in that
category, take heart. Paul tells how he
prayed earnestly that God would remove a thorn in the flesh,
but it didn’t happen.
He had seen God demonstrate His power in the lives of
others, and thus Paul cried out to God for himself. How did
God respond?
Paul reports, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’”(2
Corinthians 12:9). God hadn’t closed the door or gone deaf
to Paul’s cry. He answered. He promised grace for Paul’s pain.
And what is grace? The simplest explanation is that it means
God’s help, intervention and strength for your weakness.
The next phrase, “is sufficient,” conveys the idea of erecting
a bulwark, a fortification or a dike of earth to hide behind,
which gives you protection from your enemy.
God never promised to heal every disease but He did
promise to walk with you, never to leave or forsake you, be
your strength in the time of weakness, and your companion
in the time of loneliness. “The LORD is close to the broken-
hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” David
wrote in Psalm 34:18.
We all prefer deliverance from our pain, yet tasting God’s
grace helps you understand that healing and help become
more personal when you feel God’s presence in your darkest
hour. How else can we learn what God told Paul: “My power
is made perfect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9)?
 July
13
Running on Empty

Have you ever had the experience of hav- Come to me,

ing to drive a considerable distance with all you who are
a near-empty gas tank? You knew that you weary and burdened,
were running low on fuel, but you were and I will give
in a hurry to get somewhere. You kept you rest.
thinking, “Yeah, I’ve got enough to get MATTHEW 11:28
there,” but you are unconvinced. You kept
glancing at the fuel gauge, then your watch.
A lot of people are doing the same thing emotionally and
their problem can’t be remedied as easily as stopping for gas.
They constantly take on more and more, with less time
to refill their tank emotionally, and the least bit of overload
leaves them in big trouble.
Are you like these people? How can you cope? Learning to
say “no” is not only justified but also necessary. Overcoming
the desire to be liked and appreciated has to be weighed
against common sense. Learning to prioritize is a must.
Moreover, keeping a strong, firm grip on the Lord helps
you face the storm when you have no choice but to keep
moving ahead. There are some situations that you cannot
change, which you can lay at His feet, saying, “Lord, this is
too much for me. I give it to you.” Peter had this in mind
when he said, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares
for you”(1 Peter 5:7 NKJV ).
However you do it, give yourself more margin between
where you are and the empty mark on the gauge that tells
you how close you are to burnout. Jesus said, “Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest”(Matthew 11:28).
July
14
Whom Then Can I Hate?

The king of Israel On a flight home from a former Soviet

answered Jehoshaphat, country, I was seated across the aisle
“There is still one man from a mother with a child who was
through whom we can
about four years old. I love kids, and a
inquire of the LORD,
couple times on the flight, I poked my
but I hate him because
head inside my newspaper, playing
he never prophesies
peek-a-boo with the child who laughed
anything good about
each time. No words were spoken. I
me, but always bad.”
only smiled and made the child smile.
2 CHRONICLES 18:7 When the plane landed and the pas-
sengers were waiting for their luggage, the child, seeing me,
broke loose from his mother and ran over to give my legs a
hug. The mother dashed after the little child, grabbing him,
saying in broken English, “This is America.You can’t trust
people here!”
Who teaches a child to hate? Not God. Jesus, breaking
with conventional wisdom and culture said, “But I tell you
who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you”(Luke 6:27).
The legacy of hate that is passed from generation to gen-
eration isn’t easily broken, but it can be—one child at a time.
If you are a parent, ask yourself, “Whom and what do I
hate? And why do I hold these feelings?” Be completely hon-
est. An important thing to think through if you are a
Christian parent is this: What does God hate? Are my likes
and dislikes in accord with how He feels?
God hates sin yet He loves the sinner. Our failure is that
we often hate the sinner and secretly embrace the sin that is
repugnant and wrong in God’s sight. Once you have taken
inventory of your own failures, ask, “Have I taught my child
to hate?”
May God forgive us of our prejudices, which feed the
fire of hatred from generation to generation.
 July
15
The Curse of Hating
Those We Dislike

I was twelve years old and in the sixth They that hate me
grade when I first tasted the bitter dregs without a cause are
of hatred. Next to me in gym class at more than the hairs
Thatcher Elementary School was a His- of mine head: they
panic kid, Frank Sedillos. that would destroy
Frank was no ordinary kid. Without me, being mine
parents, he had been placed in a state enemies wrongfully,
home where kids survived by their brawn, are mighty: then I
and the meanest kid was the boss. The restored that which
I took not away.
problem was that Frank brought all of his
pent-up meanness to school with him and PSALM 69:4 KJV
bullied everybody who was in his path.
In a matter of days, I decided that I disliked not only him
but everybody else who was Hispanic, something that I had
to unlearn as God worked in my heart in later years. So
everybody who is Hispanic is as mean as Frank Sedillos, right?
How foolish. Yet such is the logic of hatred.
Following the bombing of the World Trade Center in
New York on September 11, many people were shocked at
the intense feelings of hatred that drove Osama Bin Laden
and his cohorts to take the lives of three thousand people.
And in the days following, some American Arabs were equally
surprised at the venom of hatred directed at them simply
because of their ethnic background.
It is easy to say that this problem has always been with
us, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Yet ignor-
ing this hatred only fuels the fire. It can be reversed. The
alchemy of God’s grace resulting in a changed heart can take
away the hatred and help us see others as hurting individu-
als worthy of our respect and love. If there’s a Frank Sedillos
in your life, ask God to let His love be rooted in your heart.
July
16
Ridding Your Life of Hatred

You have heard In the Upper Room, Jesus told His dis-
that it was said, ciples that He would go to the cross,
“Love your neighbor fulfilling the prophecy that He was hated
and hate your
without cause(John 15:27). So how did
enemy.” But I tell
Jesus respond to the venom of hatred that
you: Love your
He encountered? Peter says, “When they
enemies and pray
hurled their insults at him, he did not re-
for those who
taliate; when he suffered, he made no
persecute you.
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to
MATTHEW 5:43-44 him who judges justly”(1 Peter 2:23).
So what should be our response when we find that hatred
has filled our souls and poisoned our thinking?
First, be honest and admit that you hate someone. That’s a
hard first step, but it’s necessary. Not all hatred is wrong. Hat-
ing sin, evil in the world, and the bitterness that tears apart
relationships is different from hating the perpetrator of evil.
Second, analyze the reason why you hate someone. When
you find it in your heart to put that person in God’s hands,
knowing that vengeance belongs to Him, you release the
hatred that has made you a prisoner as well as a victim.
Third, ask God to deal with the offender and free you of
the burden of getting even. Some people live for years seek-
ing revenge, yet they are never satisfied.
Finally, pray for the person you hate. Jesus said, “You
have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Fa-
ther in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the
good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”
(Matthew 5:43-45). Leave your hatred behind, and go on
with your life.
 July
17
Lining Up Your Ducks
of Loves and Hates

What you love and what you hate reveals a Do I not hate
great deal about your character. Why? Because, those who
simply put, you can’t be for something with- hate you,
out being against its opposite. When you love O LORD,
your family, you stand in strong opposition to and abhor those
anything that would threaten it. who rise up
Long ago the psalmist wrote, “Do I not against you?
hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor PSALM 139:21
those who rise up against you?”(Psalm
139:21). Are you surprised to learn that there are things that
God hates? You shouldn’t be. There’s an old expression that
goes, “Get your ducks lined up.” It means you are consistent
in what you love and hate.
So the question confronts us: “What does God hate?”
First, says Proverbs 8:13, “To fear the Lord is to hate
evil.” Immediately you find yourself standing in a small circle
because most people today have a passive indifference to
wrongdoing.
In the book of Amos there’s an interesting statement as
God says He hates their religious feasts(Amos 5:21). Sur-
prised? No, God isn’t a killjoy. He was the one who instituted
the great feasts of the Old Testament that included dancing,
drinking and celebration. What He opposed was turning
them into orgies and debauchery while He was forgotten
and pushed aside.
In Malachi we read, “I hate divorce . . . and I hate a man’s
covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,’
says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit,
and do not break faith”(Malachi 2:16).
If you get your ducks lined up with what God loves and
hates, you will find that the number who stand with you
may be small, but you will be in the company of the
Almighty God Himself.
July
18
Faith in a Dark World

I am the light “There is no such thing as darkness,” said

of the world. Malcolm Muggeridge, “only a failure to
Whoever follows me see.” But for a long while Muggeridge
will never walk lived with a spiritual darkness so oppress-
in darkness, ing that he attempted to take his life. But
but will have the in so doing, Muggeridge did an about-
light of life.
face that ultimately brought him into the
JOHN 8:12 light of faith. This cynic-turned-believer
understood that the only thing that dis-
pels darkness is light, and turning on the light in our lives
spiritually is not always as simple as turning on a switch.
Muggeridge also noted, “Only atheists never doubt; the
moment one believes, one automatically doubts, doubt be-
ing an integral part of faith.” Many know that God is there
but don’t know how to connect with Him. The connec-
tion with God is called faith, and faith is something you
put or place in someone, not something you “work up.” It
is responding to the invitation of Jesus, who said, “Come
to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest”(Matthew 11:28 NKJV ). It is believing that
the promises of God’s Word have your name attached to
them, that this marvelous God who sent His Son into our
world knows your name, cares about you, and will respond
to your heart cry.
A. W. Tozer, in his book The Pursuit of God, wrote,
“When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are
sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is writ-
ten that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all
the earth.”
 July
19
The Eyes of Faith

Any tragedy, great or small, forces us to And without faith

acknowledge our humanity. This realiza- it is impossible to
tion often leaves us depressed or please God, because
immobilized. Through difficulty or disas- anyone who comes to
ter, many turn to God; others turn on him must believe that
Him, blaming Him for the difficulty and he exists and that he
rewards those who
forgetting that while God loves us, He
earnestly seek him.
never promises to protect us from all evil.
Yet many still find strength in God. HEBREWS 11:6
The upward look is the look of faith. As
the writer of Hebrews put it: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God”(Hebrews 12:2).
You may say, “I can’t see Him!” But you can, by faith!
The classic passage that describes faith is Hebrews 11. Here
the writer talks about those who believed God in the face of
great difficulties, and says, “These all died in faith, not hav-
ing received the things promised, but having seen them and
greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they
were strangers and exiles on the earth”(Hebrews 11:13 ESV ).
Faith means getting your eyes off your trouble, the loss
you have experienced, your difficulty and turning them over
to the Lord. In prison for his faith, suffering at the hands of
Romans, Paul wrote to Timothy, “I know whom I have be-
lieved, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I
have entrusted to him for that day”(2 Timothy 1:12).
Paul knew that faith rests in the knowledge that God is
good and puts into His strong hand what you can neither
reverse nor change. He will be there to welcome you and to
walk with you through the long day.
July
20
Questions God
Never Answers
The secret things There are five questions which God
belong to the LORD never promised to answer—ones that
our God, but the we often address to Him and then be-
things revealed come irritated because we don’t get an
belong to us and immediate response.
to our children forever, QUESTION 1: Why, God? It isn’t nec-
that we may follow all essarily a sin to ask this. Even Jesus
the words of this law.
prayed, “Why have you forsaken me?”
DEUTERONOMY 29:29 QUESTION 2: When, God? We are
always interested in the timetable. The
disciples put the question, “When?” to Jesus as He was about
to ascend to heaven. They wanted to know how soon before
He would restore His kingdom. This question doesn’t take
into account that God’s timetable is different from ours. He
is not restricted by the constraints of time.
QUESTION 3: What, God? We ask, “What is going to
happen?”or “What did you do, Lord?” After the resurrec-
tion, Peter was concerned whether or not John would face
persecution. He asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus an-
swered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is
that to you? You must follow me”(John 21:21-22).
QUESTION 4: Where, God? When you are following some-
one and they know where they are going, you don’t ask,
“Where?” You follow by faith. When you begin to walk by
faith, God doesn’t send a road map by special delivery. He
says, “Follow Me. I’ve been there.”
QUESTION 5: How, God? Of these five questions this is
probably the biggest. How did You create our world? How
will we live in heaven? How will I know You are sufficient?
The life of faith is a rewarding day-by-day walk. When
you are tempted to ask why, when, how, what or where, listen
for His voice saying, “Just trust Me! You’ll know eventually.”
 July
21
Squaring the Promises
and Reality

Anyone who reads the Bible will learn that “For I know the plans
I have for you,”
God has made special promises to His
declares the LORD,
own, no matter when or where they live.
“plans to prosper you
To Jacob, God said, “I am with you and
and not to harm you,
will watch over you wherever you go, and
plans to give you hope
I will bring you back to this land. I will and a future.”
not leave you until I have done what I
JEREMIAH 29:11
have promised you”(Genesis 28:15).
When Joshua took over the leadership of the Israelites,
God reaffirmed the promise He made to Moses, saying,
“Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so
they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses”
(Joshua 3:7).
Even when Israel turned its back on God, the faithful
were assured of God’s presence and help. At least six times
God repeated His promise to be with Jeremiah, who was
periodically thrown into prison, beaten and treated as an
outcast. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have
for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
The New Testament echoes this statement, affirming that
Jesus will never leave or forsake His own. Then why did
Peter and Paul suffer so? Paul’s suffering included being ship-
wrecked, beaten with rods and whipped. Yet he believed that
God allowed evil in the world that still accomplished His
purpose. To the Philippians, he wrote from prison, “For it is
God who works in you to will and to act according to His
good purpose”(Philippians 2:13).
Evil in our world doesn’t negate the promises God has
made to His children. You can trust Him and realize noth-
ing can destroy His promises to you.
July
22
John Cage’s “4’33”

Be still, and know One of the strangest of all musical com-

that I am God; positions ever conceived was drafted by
I will be exalted John Cage. He wrote it in 1952 and called
among the nations, it “4’33.”
I will be exalted Mark Swed explains, “The audience
in the earth. watches a piano virtuoso, say, open the
PSALM 46:10 keyboard, start a stopwatch, sit motion-
less, then close the keyboard when four
minutes and 33 seconds are up.”14 That’s it! Four and a half
minutes of silence.
That was the point John Cage wanted to make. It is im-
possible to escape sound, whether it is the din or noise of
traffic, the wind, the creaks and groans of a forest or the
thump of your own heartbeat.
When Cage released his “4’33” it created a furor to say
the least, and it is still controversial today. Some think he
might have made a contribution to a social science class or a
high school psychology class but not to serious music.
The reality is that we are bombarded with noise from the
moment we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep.
God spoke through the psalmist and said, “Be still and
know that I am God”(Psalm 46:10). “In quietness and in
confidence shall be your strength,” we read from Isaiah 30:15
(KJV ). So where does this leave us today?
The truth is that most of us are afraid of quietness. We
turn on the TV even though we don’t watch or even listen.
We want to have music playing in the background.
God says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Perhaps
that controversial 4 minutes, 33 seconds of silence John Cage
conceived is more valuable than if he had put notes on the
composition marked silent.
 July
23
William Booth and
the Drunk

William Booth, who founded the Salva- A gentle answer

tion Army, didn’t fit the mold. He went turns away wrath,
after the street people who didn’t fit in regu- but a harsh word
lar churches: drunks, prostitutes and the stirs up anger.
destitute. He would take to the street and PROVERBS 15:1
share the Gospel. This did not endear him
to the hearts of some of the people who had thought they
would have a nice quiet evening drinking in the pub.
On one occasion Booth picked one of the worst streets in
London. In front of the swinging doors of the old English
pub, he began preaching. One drunk flung an empty bottle
at Booth. Stunned by the blow, Booth wiped away blood from
a head wound with his hand. Then he looked at his attacker
and responded, “God bless you and God forgive you,
brother.” That was it. No curse for curses—just a blessing.
In amazement, the man turned and walked back into the
pub. Nothing else happened that night.
A number of years later, Booth was invited to the same
area to dedicate a new Salvation Army facility. In his re-
marks that evening, Booth recalled the incident that place
in the same neighborhood a few years before. Booth had no
sooner related the story when a man, hair white with age,
approached Booth. “What do you want, brother?” asked
Booth. “I want you to shake the hand that threw that bottle,”
the man replied. As Booth stood there, at a loss for words,
the man opened his coat and beneath it was a Salvation Army
uniform.
The gentleness that Booth demonstrated is still the kind
of stuff Salvation Army lads and lassies use to confront the
needs of the world.
July
24
Keeping Your Morality in
an Immoral World

His wife said to him, Can you maintain your integrity in a

“Are you still holding world that scoffs at doing right?
on to your integrity? Many say, “To get along, you have to
Curse God and die!” go along!” In other words, nobody likes a
JOB 2:9 whistle-blower! Mind your own business.
When former Philippine President Jo-
seph Estrada was asked how a policeman could be expected
to be honest when no one could support a family on such a
minimal salary, his response was, “Well, there are some hon-
est policemen.”
There is a price to be paid for maintaining your integrity
in a morally bankrupt world. John Bunyan paid that price
by languishing in prison. Many modern martyrs have paid
the price for holding on to their faith when even small com-
promises would have resulted in their being spared suffering.
Early Christians were martyred by Rome because they
refused to take even a pinch of incense and go to a pagan
temple and say, “Caesar is Lord.” Why? Because they were
convinced that only Jesus Christ is Lord. Others told them,
“Hey, what does it really matter? You don’t have to really
believe that. Just say it, then go worship your Jesus.”
While people who maintain their integrity in an immoral
world are often thought of as stubborn, out of step with
their culture, bull-headed and obstinate, they can hold their
heads high, having refused to compromise.
Can a moral person maintain his morality in an immoral
world? It depends on what kind of answer you get when you
ask, “Am I willing to be overcome by what I detest?”
 July
25
Winning over Lust

Of all the Old Testament heroes I would Rid yourselves of

someday like to meet, none has any more all the offenses you
fascination for me than David, the shep- have committed,
herd-boy who became king. Of all the and get a new heart
individuals mentioned in Scripture, David and a new spirit.
stands alone as a man after God’s own EZEKIEL 18:31
heart (see Acts 13:22).
Yet though he had everything power and position bring,
he took what he had no right to—another man’s wife. Until
the day he died, he paid dearly for not curbing his desire.
His problem still confronts many men today. It’s called lust.
The solution to lust is fourfold, involving your brain,
eyes, heart and feet.
First, your brain. Your thoughts control every aspect of
your being. Paul instructed us to bring every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ(2 Corinthians
10:5). This means saying, “Lord, what I’ve been thinking is
wrong. Take this thought and cleanse it.”
Second, your eyes. Job said, “I made a covenant with my
eyes not to look lustfully at a girl”(Job 31:1). You can do the
same thing.
Third, your heart. Jesus said the issues of life, including
our sins, flow from the heart. But God promised, “I will
give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will
remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of
flesh”(Ezekiel 36:26).
Fourth, your feet. Obviously you can’t always help what
you see—David couldn’t. You can’t always control the
thought that pops into your mind, but you can always con-
trol the direction your feet are headed. And making them
walk the right direction can save you from sin and preserve
your integrity.
July
26
The Definition of Life

I have fought “Live—Love—Enjoy!” reads an advertise-

the good fight, ment for a local funeral home, with the
I have finished caption underneath, “We’d rather wait.”
the race, I have When I saw that, I said to myself, “Isn’t that
kept the faith. what people strive to do?”
2 TIMOTHY 4:7 Scores of people spend their lives in
search of happiness—the right mate, the right
job, friends, good feelings and enough money to surround
themselves with everything they want. Yet often their search
for happiness ends in despair and cynicism. Their conclu-
sion to the whole search is much the same as that voiced by
Solomon, who said, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” What-
ever it is that makes life worthwhile eludes them.
If God’s Son came for a purpose, and His death wasn’t
wasted, then there has to be more to life than just living,
loving and enjoying. To really live, love and enjoy, you need
a sense of definition.
When you want a definition of a word, you go to the
dictionary. So where do you go when you want a definition
of what your life is about? Go to the Bible. It alone answers
the serious questions that define life such as “Who am I?”
and “Why am I here?” When you have found answers to
these questions, you have defined the parameters of life.
In answering those two questions, the Bible says that you
are not an animal but a person, an individual, a unique be-
ing created in the image of God. Unlike an animal, you love,
you feel. You are a person with intelligence, volition and a
soul. You will live forever.
 July
27
A Sense of Purpose

At a street meeting that was held by a Sal- And David said,

vation Army group, a young drummer in “What have I
the band reflected on his past life and how now done? Is there
it had changed. “Before I was converted,” not a cause?”
he said, “I used to drink a lot, and wom- 1 SAMUEL 17:29 KJV
anize, but I don’t do any of those
anymore.” Then, he added, “Since I was converted, about
all I do is stand on this street corner and beat this old drum!”
A lot of people—before and after conversion—feel like
this man. They get up, go to work, come home tired and
start the day all over again. Or they do the carpool, get to
the grocery store, make sure the kids have their lunches and
start all over again.
What’s the purpose of your life? Simply beating the old
drum day after day, or is there more?
The Bible says that you were made in the image of God.
That gives definition and purpose to life and contends that
God has a plan for your life. Without God, life appears to be
without rhyme or reason, a journey without a destination.
So how do you come into relationship with God? The
first step is to acknowledge that you need this relationship.
The second step is to understand that God sent His Son
to bring us into that relationship, to show us the way back.
The next step is to find out how God wants you to live—
His blueprint, His guidelines for purpose and fulfillment.
You find this in the pages of the Bible, the timeless textbook
on living.
Coming home to the Father allows Him to give you guid-
ance so you can love, live and enjoy. It’s the only way your
life will have a sense of purpose.
July
28
Empowerment

But you will receive A relationship with God is the only thing
power when the in the world that can give you what you
Holy Spirit comes need to build a life with purpose, to know
on you; and you will why you even exist.
be my witnesses in
A relationship with God resolves the
Jerusalem, and in all
issue of, “Who am I?” You know who you
Judea and Samaria,
are—God’s child. Paul says that when a
and to the ends
believer trusts Jesus as Savior, he is adopted
of the earth.
into the family of God, which unites men
ACTS 1:8 and women of every race.
While this relationship with God produces a sense of
definition and purpose in life, it also gives you a sense of
empowerment. When you become God’s child, He comes
to indwell your life. And this indwelling presence of God
results in an empowerment for life and service. It’s the key
to a successful, purposeful life.
No person has succeeded in life until he writes, “Enter
God” at the top of life’s page. When Paul tells believers they
are to be filled with the Spirit, he is talking about something
missing in the lives of many of God’s children today.
Are you a child of the King? Your answer is either “Yes”
or “No.” If “Yes,” may I follow by asking, “Do you live like
one?” And if “No,” I would ask, “Why not become one?”
It’s the key to living, loving, and enjoying life to the fullest.
 July
29
Winston Churchill
and FAte

You can see the hand of God guiding, pro- But it is God
tecting and preserving, long before the world who judges:
ever takes note of some individuals. Such was He brings
the situation described in Robert Lewis one down,
Taylor’s book on Winston Churchill. At he exalts another.
twenty-three, Churchill was sent by the PSALM 75:7
military to Egypt. But instead of being placed
in command as he anticipated, Churchill was sent to super-
vise supplies, including the mess hall.
Robert Grenfell, the chap who was given the command
that Churchill wanted, wrote home to his family saying,
“Fancy how lucky I am. Here I have got the troop that would
have been Winston’s, and we are to be the first to start.”
Writes Taylor, “A few days later, in the terrible charge at
Omdurman, Grenfell was pulled off his horse and cut to
pieces by a howling Dervish mob.” Had Churchill taken
command of the group, which was his desire, there would
have been no Winston Churchill to lead Britain and help
defeat Fascism in World War II. As Taylor notes: “History
is violently altered by very small decisions.”15
You can argue that God is sovereign, and should Churchill
have died at Omdurman instead of Robert Grenfell, He could
have raised up another to do His bidding.
God is sovereign and He guides the affairs of human-
kind as we move towards the ultimate rule of God on Earth.
The Bible clearly says, “In him we were also chosen, having
been predestined according to the plan of him who works
out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
(Ephesians 1:11).
As William Shakespeare put it, “There’s a divinity that
shapes our ends, rough hew them as we will.”
July
30
What is Precious to You?

Through these he has Zorra was a spinster who lived alone and
given us his very didn’t have many friends, yet there was
great and precious one thing which she took delight in—a
promises, so that little dog that she named Precious. Zorra
through them you would press the dog to her face and whis-
may participate in per, “Precious.”
the divine nature If you were to make a list of five things
and escape the you consider precious, what would be on
corruption in the your list? What you consider precious is a
world caused reflection of your value system. The Bible
by evil desires. repeatedly refers to things that are de-
2 PETER 1:4 scribed as being precious, and a few times
the comparative “more precious” is used.
Peter calls the promises of Scripture “very great and pre-
cious” because through them we come to know Christ and
escape the corruption in the world(2 Peter 1:4).
David described his relationship with God as being
precious(Psalm 139:17). He also described the law as “more
precious than gold, than much pure gold”(Psalm 19:10).
In Psalm 116, there is an unusual reference to what God
considers to be precious. The one thing God considers pre-
cious—are you ready for this?—is the death of His own
children. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of
his saints” says Psalm 116:15. From our perspective this seems
to be reversed. Life is precious to us, but God says, “No, the
circumstances of your homegoing are a matter of great care
and concern to me!”
It only points out what we know but seldom acknowl-
edge: What we value and what God values are often as far
apart as the east is to the west. Going back to your list, what
do you consider to be precious?
Wise is the person whose great treasures lie within the
heart—precious thoughts, memories, relationships and hopes
that survive the fire.
 July
31
Excess Baggage

I will never forget the first time I was But with you there
charged for excess baggage. I was in Africa is forgiveness;
on a missionary jaunt. Since then, I’ve paid therefore you
for overweight luggage a few more times. are feared.
The solution: travel light. PSALM 130:4
Traveling light is good business in life as
well. The more stuff you carry with you, the more difficult
it is to get through life without stumbling. And what do
people carry with them that they should get rid of?
Get rid of fear!Back in the 1970s, Leonard was sure a
bomb was going to be dropped, and he thought the only
way to handle that fear was to dig a bomb shelter in his
backyard. Yet, it was not a nuclear blast that got him. A
heart attack took his life instead. When your fear becomes
your master, it’s a heavy burden to live with.
Get rid of your malice towards others. It’s a proven fact
that when you have malice and hatred in your heart, it af-
fects your health.
Get rid of your resentments. When Jim’s dad passed away,
he expected not only to get his share of the inheritance but
personal things that his dad had promised. But before any-
thing was distributed, some other family members got there
first, and Jim lost what he thought was his. For more than a
decade, he lived with the bitterness. Eventually, he forgave
them, but it cost him a decade of isolation.
Get rid of the guilt you carry with you day in and day
out. Only God’s forgiveness can really take away your guilt.
God can and does forgive, but you’ve got to ask Him to
remove your guilt and sin. David, who knew what guilt is,
said, “But with you there is forgiveness”(Psalm 130:4).
 August
EXODUS 14:13
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.
Stand firm and you will see the deliverance
the LORD will bring you today.”
 August
1
Created in God’s Image

As Philip Yancey suggests, “The word So God created man

image is familiar to us today, but the mean- in his own image;
ing of the word has leaked away so now it in the image of God
connotes virtually the opposite of its he created him;
former meaning of ‘likeness.’” In adver- male and female
tising, image refers to the projected, often he created them.
contrived, picture or representation of GENESIS 1:27
something. The image and the reality of-
ten are quite different.
But you were made in God’s image, in His likeness,
touched by the finger of the Almighty.
In his book In His Image the renowned surgeon Dr. Paul
Brand, along with co-author Philip Yancey, argues that the
physical body is an amazing creation that could never have
happened by chance. More than this, it is the spirit of man
that really testifies loudly to the contention we are created
in the image of God. Dr. Brand, who spent most of his life
bringing healing and help to lepers, writes, “Yet increasingly
I have come to realize that the physical shell I devote so
much energy to is not the whole person. My patients are not
mere collections of tendons, muscles, hair follicles, nerve
cells, and skin cells. Each of them, regardless of deformed
appearance and physical damage, contains an immortal spirit
and is a vessel of the image of God.”16
Going beyond that which reflects the image of God, get
to know God Himself—His power, His compassion, His
beauty, His sensitivity, His creativity, and His knowledge
and understanding. Only then you will begin to see that
humankind is not a matter of happenstance or chance. You
were, indeed, created in the image of God.
August
2
A Commitment to Excellence

Whatever your hand William Wadsworth Longfellow once

finds to do, do it wrote, “Lives of great men all remind us/
with all your might, We can make our lives sublime,/And,
for in the grave, departing, leave behind us/Footprints on
where you are going, the sands of time.” Today, however, most
there is neither of us are not interested in leaving foot-
working nor planning prints on the sands of time. We want the
nor knowledge nor easiest and quickest way to success with
wisdom. the least demanding effort.
ECCLESIASTES 9:10 What motivated the artists, authors
and scholars of the past to pursue excel-
lence? Certainly not fame or fortune, because many of them,
if not most, struggled with poverty, surviving on a few
crumbs of support from the crown or a wealthy patron. I
think that they were compelled to excellence by the thought
that God requires our best and to do less is not only a sin
against God but also a shame to your family. Some have
called it the old Protestant work ethic, something that be-
came gospel to the Puritans and Calvinists. But it was this
discipline that drove art, education, and literature for cen-
turies.
As Paul put it: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”(Colossians 3:23).
Are you content with getting by or are you determined
to do your best, whether you drive a bus, head a corpora-
tion, teach school or dig weeds and cut lawns?
Longfellow concluded his “A Psalm of Life,” saying, “Let
us, then, be up and doing,/ With a heart for any fate;/ Still
achieving, still pursuing,/ learn to labor and to wait.” Unless
you do your best, you will never know what you might have
accomplished.
 August
3
Just Sit on One Chair

When he graduated from a teacher’s col- Whatever you do,

lege, Luciano Pavarotti asked his father work at it with
whether he should be a teacher or a singer. all your heart,
His father wisely told him that he should as working for the
not try to sit on two chairs, explaining that Lord, not for men.
when you try to sit on two chairs, you end COLOSSIANS 3:23
up falling through the space between them.
Pavarotti decided on a career in voice. For the next seven
years he studied and tried. Repeatedly he was rebuffed, and
only after seven years did he make his first professional ap-
pearance. It took him another seven years to get a chance to
sing at the Metropolitan Opera but now the world recog-
nizes him as one of the greatest tenors ever. “And now,” he
says, “I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book—
whatever we choose—we should give ourselves to it.
Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”
Try these guidelines for accomplishment:
GUIDELINE 1: Decide what it is you want to do and make it
the main thing. This is something only you can do.
GUIDELINE 2: Stay focused. Life has a way of distracting you.
Commitment means you know what your goal is and
keep moving towards it.
GUIDELINE 3: Develop a tough hide. Rejection isn’t neces-
sarily personal. There are lots of factors that cause
publishers to send you the photocopied “Thanks but no
thanks!” letter.
GUIDELINE 4: When you feel like quitting, take one more
step. When asked the secret of his success, Sir Edmund
Hillary, who was the first climber atop Everest, said,
“When others quit, I took one more step.”
GUIDELINE 5: Stay optimistic. Attitude is everything. When
you believe you can, you are well on your way to accom-
plishing your goal.
August
4
Looking Back

Then he said to It isn’t how you start that counts but rather
them all: “If anyone how you finish! Rarely does the individual
would come after me, who sprints out of the starting blocks with
he must deny himself a burst of speed break the tape and wins
and take up his cross the race. This is what Jesus had in mind
daily and follow me.” when he said, “No one who puts his hand
LUKE 9:23 to the plow and looks back is fit for ser-
vice in the kingdom of God”(Luke 9:62).
You can’t drive looking in the rear-view mirror. Neither
can you accomplish God’s purpose in your life vacillating,
compromising, wondering whether you should commit your-
self to the task before you.
Jesus’ comments about looking back after you have put
your hand to the plow was the linchpin to a conversation
He had with several people as He challenged them to follow
Him. One had an excuse that he first had to go bury his
father. Then he would come and follow Jesus. Another said,
“I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say
good-bye to my family.”
Nobody can find the victory, the joy, and the power to
live as God intends us to live until he makes the decision,
unconditional and without reservation, to walk with God.
You can say “No” to the Lord, but you never say, “No, Lord”
because when you say “No” you deny that He is Lord.
There is strength and power in the decision to move for-
ward, to refuse to look back, going for it no matter what
happens. When you turn back, or even look back, you
stumble over the future and what you might have been, what
you might have accomplished, what God might have done
through you.
 August
5
Joseph and Revenge

The Bible tells it all—the sordid details But love your enemies,
of human failure, the lust that turned do good to them, and
gentleness into savagery and the failure lend to them without
of individuals who were godly but for- expecting to get
got their calling in moments of passion, anything back. Then
hatred or greed. your reward will be
Such emotions detail the account of great, and you will be
brothers whose jealousy drove them to sons of the Most High,
want to kill their very own brother, because he is kind
Joseph. If you recall the story, a compro- to the ungrateful
mise was made not to kill him but to sell and wicked.
him to Midianite slave traders who took
LUKE 6:35
him to Egypt.
About a decade passed, and Joseph rose up to become
Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.
Furthermore, a major famine parches the Middle East, and
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt seeking humanitarian re-
lief.
Eventually, the brothers faced Joseph. But they didn’t rec-
ognize him. The story is rich in insights for those who have
lived with wrongdoing. Joseph not only forgave them, but
did great good instead of exacting punishment or revenge.
He brought the entire household into Egypt and gave them
some of the best land for their flocks. His step of forgiveness
resulted in complete restoration with his family.
Forgiveness means, “I give up my right to hurt you be-
cause you hurt me.” It means, “I can trust Him who sees the
sparrow fall to note the wrong that has been done to me and
trust that God in His own time, and in His own way, will
deal with the one who has wronged me.” It means, “I refuse
to exact an eye for an eye, lest we both end up blind.”
It practices what Jesus taught, “But I tell you who hear
me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”
(Luke 6:27-28).
August
6
Streets of Gold

The wall was made The chemical symbol for this metal is Au.
of jasper, and the Men have killed, lied and cheated for it.
city of pure gold, It is gold, something that is valuable pri-
as pure as glass. marily because it is scarce as well as
REVELATION 21:18 beautiful. In the 1500s, the Spaniards
came to Mexico seeking gold and spices,
but when they saw the Aztec gold, they forgot the spices and
killed over fifty thousand Indians, plundering the gold of
the Aztecs. In 1849, probably the greatest gold rush ever
took place in California’s Sierra Nevada when more than a
half-million men traveled from far away to pan gold.
You may have heard the story of the miner who insisted
on being buried with all the gold he had mined, sealed in his
casket. When he got to heaven, lugging his bag of golden
nuggets with him, Peter asked him, “What do you intend to
do with the asphalt?” “No, no,” he clarified, “this is not as-
phalt. It’s gold—my lifetime treasure.” Peter says, “You may
call it gold, but we call it asphalt because we pave the streets
with the stuff up here.”
Are the streets of heaven really paved with gold? A better
question is, “Do you disbelieve everything in the Bible that
you find hard to comprehend?” In the book of Revelation,
John attempted to describe the beauty of heaven—gates of
pearl, foundation stones of jasper, sapphire and so forth.
Then, says John, “the street of the city was pure gold, as trans-
parent glass”(Revelation 21:21). The qualifying phrase seems
to indicate that just as transparent glass is without blemish,
the streets in heaven are 24K gold.
Wise is the person who doesn’t spend his entire life search-
ing for the stuff here when there is so much on the other
side. Forget about storing gold here. There’s plenty in heaven.
 August
7
The Biblical Pattern of
Reconciliation
No marriage or friendship is free of con- Therefore, if you are
flict. The history of humanity is an ongoing offering your gift
story of disagreements, which often start at the altar and
over trivial, unimportant issues but esca- there remember that
late to warfare where battlelines are drawn your brother has
and people fight to their deaths. something against you,
The Bible is full of such stories. Cain leave your gift there
killed his brother. Jacob cheated Esau out in front of the altar.
of his birthright. Miriam didn’t like her First go and be
brother Moses getting all the glory in his reconciled to your
battle with Pharaoh. The disciples were an- brother; then come
noyed that the mother of James and John and offer your gift.
asked Jesus if they can sit at his right hand, MATTHEW 5:23-24
and Paul said he withstood Peter to the face
because he would have a meal with Gentiles only when no Jews
were around.
How do you deal with it?
STEP 1: Confront the person who offended you. Attitude is
everything. When you approach the issue with humility, your
adversary is disarmed.
STEP 2: Confess your wrongdoing. “But I haven’t done any-
thing!” Possibly, but not likely. “Have you told your husband
that you love him and want him back?” I often ask. “Well, he
knows that.” Not enough. Say it. Write it. Get the message across.
STEP 3: Be willing to compromise. Negotiation and compro-
mise are two keys to conflict resolution. Marriage is one big “I
do!” with a lot of little “Uh-huhs…” Dogmatic, inflexible indi-
viduals who can’t bend shouldn’t marry. They must learn to
compromise if they are to do so.
STEP 4: Be quick to forgive and forget. Forgiveness means, “I
give up my right to hurt you because you hurt me.” With God’s
help and His grace, you can learn compassion and tenderness
and experience His healing, which makes you a more loving,
caring person.
August
8
Reconcile If You Can

All this is from God, Reconciliation with someone who has

who reconciled us to become estranged from you is not al-
himself through Christ ways possible. There are times when
and gave us the ministry you desperately want to be reconciled,
of reconciliation: yet in spite of your prayers, tears and
that God was reconciling pleas, the other person still walks away
the world to himself
from you, leaving you with feelings
in Christ, not counting
of guilt.
men’s sins against them.
So what do you do when you
And he has committed
have tried to reconcile, and it hasn’t
to us the message of
happened? Do you live with the bur-
reconciliation.
den of guilt, or find God’s grace to
2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-19 move on?

First, you need to make sure your relationship with God

is right, that you are reconciled with Him. As Isaiah puts it,
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned
to his own way”(Isaiah 53:6). Sometimes difficulty forces
you to look in the mirror and realign yourself with God’s
will for your life. This means saying, “Lord, forgive me. I
ask for Your help and forgiveness.”
Then, get up off your knees and know that you are free of
your burden. No, your situation hasn’t changed. You have.
No longer will you feel guilt and you can now find God’s
grace to move on. There is tremendous freedom in putting
something you cannot change in God’s hands. He is the only
one who can turn hearts back to Himself and back to you.
At this point do you give up on ever being reconciled?
No, not for a moment. You wait, expecting God to honor
your prayers and trust Him. How long do you wait? As long
as necessary for God to change the heart of the person who
walked away from you.
Reconcile if you can. But if you can’t, trust God for His
grace to help you do the right thing and wait for Him to act.
 August
9
The Possession Obsession

“Image is everything!” says Andre Aggasi Then he said to them,

as he touts the features of a camera. “Watch out! Be on
And what is image? It’s the key to suc- your guard against
cess, the door to opportunity, and the all kinds of greed;
pizzazz that gives you acceptance with a man’s life does not
your peers. So what do we do? We buy, consist in the
abundance of his
we buy, and buy more. “We receive 3,000
possessions.”
marketing messages every day,” says Jane
Hammerslough in a recently released LUKE 12:15
book, Dematerializing: Taming the Power
of Possessions. She says that our values have been upended
and tipped askew. The result is we have more and enjoy it
less and at a cost of tremendous indebtedness.
Human nature never really changes. Consider these
words: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of
greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions”(Luke 12:15). Jesus spoke those words to the
people who came to hear him teach two thousand years ago.
Jesus used two key words in this passage. The first word is
translated “to watch,” which means keep your eyes open.
The second word translated “be on your guard” is a military
word. Two thoughts are behind the word. First is the idea of
guarding what you already have lest someone take it from
you, and the second is the realization that an enemy is out-
side your gate and you need to protect yourself.
The enemy is materialism. It’s time to wake up and real-
ize that what counts in life cannot be bought or acquired.
We need to learn that more is not always better and that
greed is a contagious virus that destroys what really counts.
Kenneth Taylor paraphrased the words of Jesus, saying, “Be-
ware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have.”
August
10
Remember Lot’s Wife

When he hesitated, Almost every youngster who goes to Sun-

the men grasped his day school remembers that Lot’s wife
hand and the hands looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
of his wife and of his Jesus made a reference to this woman
two daughters and whose life was taken in judgment. He
led them safely out of spoke three words: “Remember Lot’s wife.”
the city, for the LORD When Moses recorded the drama, he
was merciful to them. identified her as being the wife of
As soon as they had Abraham’s nephew whose name was Lot.
brought them out, Lot had left Haran with Abraham. Once
one of them said, they entered into Canaan, God blessed
“Flee for your lives! them. Their flocks and herds grew. Finally,
Don’t look back….” there wasn’t enough pasture and water for
GENESIS 19:16-17 both flocks so Abraham said, “Lot, take
your choice. If you go left, I’ll go right. I
want no conflict between us.”
Lot looked towards the fertile Jordan Valley and chose
the green pastures near Sodom, probably at the southern
end of the Dead Sea. There he prospered but also faced the
dilemma that confronts parents today: “How do you raise
godly kids in a depraved, ungodly world?”
God is patient, but there is an end to His patience. Even-
tually, God sent two angelic messengers instructing Lot and
his family to leave. The message was simple: “Flee for your
lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!”
As they were fleeing, Lot’s wife looked back, thinking, “Surely
one last fleeting glance can’t matter.” But it did, and she
faced the consequences of her failure.
This story is a sober reminder that we must loosely hold
the possessions that seem so important to us—homes, cars,
jewelry, and so on. A divided heart can never please God.
If only Lot’s wife could have seen that God was preserv-
ing her family from the judgment that was to fall on Sodom.
Never look back.
 August
11
The Cloud by Day and
Fire by Night

Nehemiah said of God, “Because of your He guided them with

great compassion you did not abandon the cloud by day and
them in the desert. By day the pillar of with light from the
cloud did not cease to guide them on their fire all night.
path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine PSALM 78:14
on the way they were to take”(Nehemiah
9:19). He is describing God’s presence in the midst of those
who fled Egypt, evidenced by a cloud covering the taber-
nacle by day and a pillar of fire at night. During the forty
long years that the children of Israel were in the desert, God
provided this unique covering for His people.
God related to His people from the tabernacle in the
wilderness, to the temple during the period of the kingdom,
to the indwelling of a believer’s heart that becomes the temple
of the Holy Spirit. In Moses’ day, the visible presence of
God was seen by the cloud and the pillar of fire. In the New
Testament, Paul says that God made your body His temple
and that He indwells you.
Jesus also made promises that go even beyond His rela-
tionship to those in the wilderness. He said, “Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you”(Hebrews 13:5). During
the wilderness wandering, God made provision for His
people through a substance called manna. In the New Tes-
tament God promised to meet all of your needs according
to His riches in glory.
True, it might be more comforting if you saw a cloud
over your home by day and fire over it by night. But in
taking the promises of God by faith, you realize there is a
covering that the enemy can never penetrate.
August
12
Tears Forever

He will swallow up From the beginning of mankind, tears

death forever. The have been an emotional relief valve and a
Sovereign LORD will signal that the person who sheds them is
wipe away the tears purging his soul.
from all faces; he will People shed tears for many reasons.
remove the disgrace They cry tears of joy when they are happy,
of his people from
tears of sorrow when they are sad, tears of
all the earth.
remorse when they have done wrong and
The LORD has spoken.
tears of grief when have sustained great
ISAIAH 25:8 loss. The psalmist said that “tears have
been my food day and night”(Psalm 42:3). When David
and his men went to Ziklag and found that their wives had
all been kidnapped and taken hostage, he and his men—
weary in body and grieved in spirit—wept until they had no
more strength to cry.
As a Father who cares about His children, God does not
ignore the tears of His children. When God sent a message
to King Hezekiah through Isaiah the prophet, the king went
home and with his face to the wall, wept bitter tears. But
then God sent Isaiah back again with this message: “I have
heard your prayers and seen your tears”(2 Kings 20:5). When
you think that no one knows the anguish and sorrow that
confronts you, remember there is one who knows, sees your
tears and heals broken hearts. God cares, far more than you
can imagine.
Three times the Bible says that a day will come when
God Himself will wipe every tear from the eyes of His chil-
dren, a picture of a father who stoops to lift up a child who
has fallen and hurt himself.
Tears are the diamonds that are forged in your soul, the
mark of your humanity and the proof that you are alive.
 August
13
The God Who Smiles

Does God have a sense of humor? Does And lo a voice

He smile or laugh with joy? Sherwood from heaven, saying,
Elliot Wirt would answer “Yes!” to all “This is my beloved
three questions. Son, in whom I am
Wirt, however, was not always of that well pleased.”
opinion. He grew up in a Christian home MATTHEW 3:17 KJV
but quickly shed all of the Christian in-
fluence in a secular university. After he tried his hand
reporting for newspapers, and doing a stint in the military,
Wirt ended up as the pastor of a church where preparing
messages was more of a drudgery for him than a joy. Wirt’s
biggest problem was that he was talking about a God he did
not know and certainly one in whom he did not believe.
Wirt’s “about-face” came in April of 1954 when he
watched a film of Billy Graham’s London crusade at Water-
loo Station. Wirt met Jesus Christ, and the encounter forever
changed his life.
Wirt contends that two passages demonstrate that God
smiles. God said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am
well pleased.” Wirt comments, “Allow me to ask you, when
one finds delight, what does one do? Smile? Usually; and
since the Bible says we are all made in the image and like-
ness of the heavenly Father, I dare to suggest that God
Himself at that point was smiling.”17
The second passage that he believes also proves his point
is at the transfiguration, when God says, “This is my be-
loved Son. Hear Him!” Wirt quickly acknowledges that
everyone doesn’t agree with him. In fact, many people think
God has no sense of humor and never smiles.
God does smile. And when I cross heaven’s threshold and
hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” I expect
to see One who is smiling.
August
14
Discipline and Obedience

Demas, because he The word obedience seems to speak of de-

loved this world, pendence, of not thinking for yourself and
has deserted me not being in control. And anything that
and has gone to causes us to lose control seems to stick in
Thessalonica.
the craw of the human race.
Crescens has gone
We admire those who do have discipline
to Galatia, and
in their lives—the Olympian who trains for
Titus to Dalmatia.
years, the arctic explorer who pushes the
2 TIMOTHY 4:10 limits of survival and the struggling mer-
chant who refuses to quit and eventually
makes it over the top. Yes, we all want to be like that.
So why don’t we have more who make it to the top? The
price is just too great. The path of obedience is painful in-
stead of joyful, and the discipline necessary to achieve is
lacking. We’ll take the shortcut if that will work. Bring on
the fix that is guaranteed to succeed.
God expects no less than the world does when it comes
to winning or reaching the top. “Demas, because he loved
this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.
Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia,” wrote
Paul to Timothy, explaining why his fair-weather compan-
ions had quit and gone home(see 2 Timothy 4:10). Paul
commended Timothy to the Philippians saying, “I have no
one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your wel-
fare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those
of Jesus Christ”(Philippians 2:20-21).
God’s standard is unchanging. Never forget discipline
and obedience are inseparable for anyone who wants to get
to the top.
 August
15
Learning Discipline in an
Undisciplined World

With the possible exception of waking No, I beat my body

up and finding you are married, nothing and make it my slave
is more of a shock than waking up to re- so that after I have
alize you are in the military, and you preached to others,
I myself will not
signed up for a four-year hitch. Mommy
be disqualified
is no longer there to make your bed or
for the prize.
do your laundry.
And why is the sudden infusion of dis- 1 CORINTHIANS 9:27
cipline in a young man’s life so shocking? Because he’s grown
up in a pampered world where someone did things for him.
He neither knew discipline nor understood what obedience
is all about.
How do you develop discipline in your studies, in your
business, in your appetites and in your relationship to God?
You will never succeed in any endeavor—whether it is your
marriage or your business—unless you learn discipline.
First, there is the motive for discipline. Writing to the
Corinthians, Paul said, “No, I beat my body and make it my
slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not
be disqualified for the prize”(1 Corinthians 9:27).
The next step in successfully learning discipline is a se-
ries of incremental steps towards the top. You don’t go to a
gym, put on the 100-pound weights, and start pumping
iron. You pace yourself.
Try discipline in the small areas of your life—returning
phone calls, being punctual at a meeting, doing what you
tell your kids you will do, getting up when the alarm goes
off, carrying out the trash today instead of procrastinating.
He who is faithful in the small task eventually will have
the strength to do a greater one.
August
16
Walking in Obedience

Although he was In the military you accept the discipline

a son, he learned of obedience when you enlist. You learn
obedience from to stand tall, throw back your shoulders
what he suffered. and bark, “Yes, Sir!” on cue. Failure to
HEBREWS 5:8 comply means paying the price: Scrub the
barracks floor with a toothbrush, run ten
kilometers on your bare feet, stand at attention in the broil-
ing sun or get tossed into the stockade.
There’s another kind of discipline, the kind that takes
doctors out on call in the middle of the night, that keeps a
scholar up nights studying far into the early hours of the
morning and that motivates mothers to respond to the cry
of their babies.
What’s the difference? Military discipline leaves a mark
on a person, but often the rigid discipline is left behind after
the stint. Self-discipline, on the other hand, is a lifestyle that
is dictated by conscience or desire, not fear or force. It feeds
on duty or the desire to accomplish something worthwhile
and lasting.
This leads us to ask, “Which side does a Christian find
himself on when it comes to obeying God?” Is the discipline
of the Christian life a voluntary one? Or does God force you
to knuckle under? Before you answer, think about these:
First, you have a will of your own. Jesus stands at the
crossroads and says simply, “Follow me!” It’s your decision,
your choice.
Second, some things have to be taken by faith—things
we accept because we believe God knows what is best for us.
Once you are convinced that God does know the future
and what is best for His children, learning to walk in simple
obedience becomes a joy, not a chore.
 August
17
A Slave in Egypt

“Remember that you were a slave in Remember that you

Egypt,” Moses instructed as he neared were slaves in Egypt,
the end of his life. But did these sons of and follow carefully
Abraham need to be reminded? Had they these decrees.
not sat around campfires listening to the DEUTERONOMY 16:12
stories of parents and grandparents? Had
they not seen the scars on their wrists and ankles and the
marks on their backs—imprints they would carry to their
deaths?
Why look back? In doing so you are reminded of your
humble roots, and you resist the temptation to say, “Look
what I’ve done!” Remembering you were a slave in Egypt
eliminates the temptation of pride. Slaves had no rights of
their own. If they displeased their owner, they could be
beaten, thrown into prison or even killed.
In remembering they were slaves in Egypt, the Israelites
acknowledged that it was not their resources or clever nego-
tiations that secured their release. It was the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob who led them forth by His mighty hand.
In remembering they were slaves in Egypt, they treated
others with compassion, fairness and kindness. God in-
structed Israel to be kind to strangers, reminding them that
they, too, had been strangers. He ordered safeguards against
abuses that had been inflicted on them.
Still you may be thinking, “I’ve never been a slave in
Egypt.” Remember that Egypt in the Bible is a type of the
world, and millions have been slaves of a different kind. Slaves
of habit, temper or pride, of alcohol, drugs or sex.
The God who delivered the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt
is still seeking and saving those who will take the hand of
His Son and follow Him through the wilderness to Canaan’s
fair land.
August
18
Blessings and Curses

This day I call heaven Suppose the pastor of a large church di-
and earth as witnesses vided his congregation into two groups,
against you that I have and announced, “Half of you represent
set before you life and blessings, and the other half curses. Now,
death, blessings and I’m going to read a list of what you are
curses. Now choose life, to do if you want to be blessed, and you
so that you and your on the left say, ‘Amen.’ Then I am go-
children may live. ing to read a list of what will bring God’s
DEUTERONOMY 30:19 curses on your life, and you on the right
say, ‘Amen.’”
That is exactly what Moses instructed Joshua to do when
Israel crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan.
Mount Gerizim represented blessing, and there were as-
sembled Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
Across the small valley was assembled Reuben, Gad, Asher,
Dan, Napthali and Zebulun.
What brought blessings? Obeying the Lord and faith-
fully following His commands and laws. This resulted in a
bountiful harvest, overflowing barns, growing flocks and
herds, safety from the enemy, long life and many children.
In what some have called the greatest sermon ever
preached, Jesus talked about blessing. He began saying,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven”(Matthew 5:3). Over 200 times in the Bible, God
bestows blessings of one kind or another on individuals.
But what about curses? Negative results of sinful behav-
ior often play out the reality that God blesses those who
bless Him, and the curses of rejecting Him echo back in our
broken, dysfunctional lives.
When Joshua split the group into two great masses of
people, he announced, “This day I call heaven and earth as
witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your
children may live”(Deuteronomy 30:19).
 August
19
Passion

For what do you really have passion? Brothers, I do not

Nobody succeeds at anything for which consider myself yet to
they do not have passion. have taken hold of it.
Jesus was challenged by a man who But one thing I do:
was sent by the Pharisees to test Him, Forgetting what is
saying that the greatest command in the behind and straining
toward what is ahead.
Bible is to “‘love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and PHILIPPIANS 3:13
with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Eugene Peterson paraphrases His words, saying, “Love the
Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and
intelligence”(TM ).
Thinking about your priorities and passions, the things
that really drive you, how great is your passion for God? The
very question may create some concern in your heart be-
cause we often think of individuals who have a passion for
God as being somewhat eccentric.
But what of a businessman who has a passion for know-
ing God and believes that what drives him to know God
also energizes him to do what he believes God wants him
to do? That passion for God is manifested in his work ethic
that makes him succeed where others fail. He remembers
Paul’s admonition, “Whatever you do, work at it with all
your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”
(Colossians 3:23).
Loving God with passion means making Him a priority,
not a possibility, and taking time to nourish a relationship
with Him each day. It means you do a better job of whatever
it is you have been called to. Without passion driving your
life, you will never succeed at anything. But when you make
knowing God a priority, you will discover that passion for
God is a flame that cannot be extinguished, a light that can-
not be turned off, and a love that will never be disappointed.
August
20
A Passion for God

Blessed are those who To succeed in life, you need passion. You
hunger and thirst need to have a burning desire and a will-
for righteousness, ingness to pay the price.
for they will be filled. Sixteen-year-old Uzziah became king
MATTHEW 5:6 in Israel at the death of his father. He
learned quickly and had a great heart for
God. About this man who reigned for fifty-two years, we
read, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as
his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the
days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God.
As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success”(2
Chronicles 26:3-5). Simply put, this man had a passion for
God. As long as he did, God made him to prosper.
Is the search for God endless? Does it become a madden-
ing quest for something that can’t really be achieved? Some
think so. Yet God assures us that when you make finding
Him your passion, your desire will be satisfied. Jeremiah
29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek
me with all your heart.”
You don’t develop a passion for anything overnight.
Moving from an acquaintance with God to a level of per-
sonal knowledge is a process. You begin to get involved in
studies and for the first time in your life, you spend time in
the Word. It begins to come alive. You understand it.
Read the works of A. W. Tozer, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer,
Oswald Chambers and others. Better yet, spend time with
mature brothers and sisters who have a passion for God and
a burning desire to know Him and make Him known.
 August
21
“Dear God,
What is it Like to Die?”

An eight-year old boy with a troubled Hard choice! The desire

background wrote a letter to God, ad- to break camp here and
dressed it to heaven, put a stamp on it be with Christ is
and mailed it. The message read, “Dear powerful. Some days I
God, what is it like to die? . . . I don’t can think of nothing
want to do it. Your friend, Michael.” better. But most days,
Normally, letters like this are destroyed, because of what you are
but a postal employee opened Michael’s going through, I am sure
letter. It deserved an answer. that it’s better for me to
When Paul wrote his second letter stick it out here.
to the Corinthians, he used the anal- PHILIPPIANS 1:23-24 TM
ogy of pitching a tent as you would do
when you camp out—speaking from his own experience he
as a tentmaker. He said that our earthly tent wears out, beaten
by wind and weather with torn seams that can no longer be
repaired. Then he said we have one that is eternal, made by
God Himself. Here’s how he put it: “Now we know that if
the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building
from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human
hands”(2 Corinthians 5:1).
In his last week with the disciples, Jesus said He was
going to prepare a place for His followers so that “you may
be with me where I am.” This personalizes heaven and
makes it real—not simply a nebulous “out-there-some-
where” sort of thing. Heaven is the place Jesus went to
prepare for His children.
At the end of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, all
the characters die in a train accident. Lewis concludes, say-
ing, “But the things that began to happen after that were so
beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end
of all the stories, but for them it was only the beginning of
the real story.”
August
22
Balancing Life’s Greatest Fear
with Life’s Greatest Hope

Since the children Some things in life are frightening. My

have flesh and blood, son, who is a rock climber, says that fear
he too shared in their is not something you necessarily con-
humanity so that by quer but something you manage.
his death he might There is one experience in life, how-
destroy him who holds ever, that some flirt with, that others
the power of death— consider an opponent to combat and
that is, the devil—
that still others are held captive by. For
and free those who all
others, facing it is as natural as seeing
their lives were held
the first streaks of gray in their hair. They
in slavery by their
are the ones who manage their fear of
fear of death.
it, and it brings a healthy appreciation
HEBREWS 2:14-15 of what life is about. What I am refer-
ring to is the experience that comes to
everyone at the end of life—death.
Jesus Christ is the only one in all history who went one-
on-one with death and came back to tell us about it. One of
the New Testament writers said, “Since the children have
flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by
his death he might destroy him who holds the power of
death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their
lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”(Hebrews
2:14-15).
I’ve never had the experience that many have had when a
doctor tries to explain that you have something wrong with
you that can be terminal. Some panic. Others realize that
everyone lives under the same umbrella. But the Cross is
what gives us hope that death is not the end, merely the
transition into the very presence of God Himself.
Our focus should not be on the transition but on what
lies on the other side. If you can live with that assurance,
you can offset life’s greatest fear with life’s greatest hope.
 August
23
Frustration

“You will never know how much your When the angel of
programs on frustration meant to me,” the LORD appeared to
wrote a missionary who was held captive Gideon, he said,
by the FARC guerillas in a Colombian “The LORD is with
jungle. He had listened to Guidelines by you, mighty warrior.”
shortwave radio. His frustration was akin “But sir,” Gideon
replied, “if the LORD
to that experienced by Joseph. This Old
is with us,
Testament character who had been un-
why has all this
justly thrown into prison prayed for
happened to us?”
release, yet nothing seemed to happen.
Frustration is the result of not getting JUDGES 6:12-13
what you want and facing a situation you
wish didn’t exist, usually something you cannot change.
You are starting a new company, and you’ve been prom-
ised venture capital that will get your business rolling. You’re
down to your last month’s operating expenses when you get
a phone call saying there will be no money. The investor is
being investigated by bank examiners who have frozen his
assets. That’s frustrating.
You’ve taken your car into the shop three times this
month. “We’ve got it this time,” the shop foreman told you
with a big smile, yet the next morning, you turn the key and
nothing happens. That’s frustrating.
“I’ll never take a drink again,” your husband tells you,
but when he comes home, his breath tells you another story.
That’s frustrating.
How do you cope with frustrations? Remember that
nothing comes as a surprise to God. The frustration that
upset your schedule and sent your blood pressure up didn’t
take Him by surprise. He knew about everything that would
happen to you long before you were born. God cares about
your life and what happens to you. Jesus Christ told His
followers: “I will be with you always, even unto the end of
the world,” and He has never retracted that promise.
August
24
Overload and Frustration

But he said to me, Almost everybody I know these days

“My grace is sufficient seems to be cramming more and more
for you, for my power into an already full schedule.
is made perfect in One more meeting, one more activ-
weakness.” Therefore ity for your kids, another appointment,
I will boast all the and don’t forget dinner with the family
more gladly about
on Friday. How much can you take? You
my weaknesses,
become annoyed with yourself, thinking,
so that Christ’s power
“If I were spiritual I should be able to
may rest on me.
handle this load.” But spirituality isn’t
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 the issue; overload is! Let’s focus on the
causes of this frustrating overload.
Ask yourself, “Is my frustration the result of having im-
possible expectations?” I’m convinced that most of us are
guilty by default. Only if you can walk on water or have a
hotline to heaven could you finish everything you are at-
tempting to do. That means it is we who bring upon ourselves
some of the frustrations we experience today.
The solution is threefold: Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Learn to say no. Focus on doing well at what you do rather
than doing more.
Sometimes God is trying to get through to us in our
frustration, letting us know that what we want to accom-
plish—our goal—is out of sync with His will for our lives.
Frustration should be a red flag that says, “Stop! Think!
Look up and ask, ‘Lord, are you trying to tell me some-
thing, and I’m so stubborn I’ve missed it?’” How awesome
was God’s response to Paul’s frustration when He revealed,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made per-
fect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9).
 August
25
Fighting Frustration

Frustration will always be part of life, yet But if we have

there are some things you can do to fight food and clothing,
back! Here are some guidelines: we will be content
GUIDELINE 1: Consult with God before you with that.
make plans. It is here we often fail. Ig- 1 TIMOTHY 6:8
noring Him, we formulate our plan, then
ask Him to bless it, or call on Him to bail us out when
we are in trouble—instead of saying, “Lord, what do You
want? Is what I have in mind in sync with Your will and
purpose for my life?”
GUIDELINE 2: Realize Murphy’s law is as exacting as the laws of
thermodynamics. If something can go wrong, it will; so
learn to plan ahead. If Plan A doesn’t work, have a Plan
B which will get you where you want to go through a
different way.
GUIDELINE 3: Be realistic. Some of our frustrations are the
result of attempting the impossible. It is far better to
have goals you can achieve than have goals so unrealistic
that you are always frustrated.
GUIDELINE 4: To avoid frustration, act without reacting. If you
can’t climb the mountain, then tunnel through or go
around. But don’t quit.
GUIDELINE 5: Fix it or forget it. If your car is a source of
frustration, park it and walk, get a new one or buy a
bicycle. But if you can’t fix it, ask God for the grace to
love it.
GUIDELINE 6: Simplify, simplify, simplify. When I was strug-
gling with a computer a few years ago, my dad—then in
his 80s—asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to just get a good
electric typewriter?” He had a point. Simplifying life as
much as you can eliminates a lot of frustration.
GUIDELINE 7: Refuse to let it get to you. Put up a barrier that
says, “This far and no further!”
August
26
Overcoming the Threat
of Failure

I can do everything Roger Bannister, the British runner who

through him who was the first to run a mile in less than four
gives me strength. minutes, said, “Failure is as exciting to
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 watch as success, provided the effort is ab-
solutely genuine and complete. But the
spectators fail to understand—and how can they know—
the mental agony through which an athlete must pass before
he can give his maximum effort. And how rarely, if he is
built as I am, he can give it.”18
The path to the top is marked by pitfalls called failure.
Only by facing the possibility of failure and knowing how
to deal with it can you ever get to the top.
Life has a way of knocking you down, putting roadblocks
in your path and confusing you so you turn aside from your
goal. How do you fight back when it appears failure is loom-
ing on the horizon?
When you are confronted with a failure situation, you
can quit. Most people do. They can’t handle the personal
rejection. The other option is to say, “OK, this didn’t work.
Now I have to figure out what will work.”
Winston Churchill was considered too dull to study the
classics so he was kept in basic English for three years, and
he mastered it. Later in life, his words inspired his people
during World War II.
Like Churchill, you must refuse to believe people who
tell you that you can’t do it, and listen to your heart and to
the voice of God’s Spirit within saying, “Go for it!”
Struggling with rejection and roadblocks that could have
stopped him, Paul wrote, “I can do everything through him
who gives me strength”(Philippians 4:13).
You are your own worst enemy. The real test of your char-
acter is what it takes to stop you.
 August
27
Lessons from Failure

How you respond to failure is a barom- You know, brothers,

eter of your strength of character. The that our visit to you
lessons you learn through failure help you was not a failure.
mature and gain a new perspective on life. 1 THESSALONIANS 2:1
Take, for example, Janet Lynn, a five-
time U.S. champion who won the bronze medal at the 1972
Winter Olympics. She was favored to win the gold. How-
ever, she fell during her free skate performance and with her
fall went her hopes for the gold.
She said, “When I knew I couldn’t win, I was very dis-
tressed and sad. I went back to the Olympic village, and I
began crying and arguing with God, saying, ‘I wanted to do
it for You, my nation and my coach. I feel like I am such a
huge failure.”19
Then, being a committed Christian, she began putting
the whole thing into perspective. Paul wrote to the
Philippians and said he desired Christ to be exalted in his
body “whether by life or by death”(Philippians 1:20). Re-
flecting on what God intended her to do, Lynn said, “I
gathered myself all I could and thought, ‘Perhaps there was
a bigger purpose to my skating, to show God’s love and ex-
press the gift for skating He gave me.’” And Lynn kept
smiling, winning the hearts of people who saw how grace-
fully she handled failure.
How do you handle failure? Some become angry. Some
blame themselves. Some turn and run away. Yet some rise
from their failure and eventually do succeed.
If you are God’s child, you have to view failure in a dif-
ferent light and framework. If God didn’t give you your gold
or your dream, it doesn’t mean He has forsaken you. Failure
is a hard teacher, but through it we can learn to glorify God.
August
28
When Your Dreams
are Shattered
Elijah went before What do you do when your dreams are
the people and said, shattered and your prayers go unan-
“How long will you swered? Or more specifically, what do you
waver between two do when you ask God for something, and
opinions? If the LORD you don’t get it?
is God, follow him; You prayed that your marriage would
but if Baal is God, succeed, but your wife got involved with
follow him.” But the
an officemate and walked out on you, leav-
people said nothing.
ing you with two kids.
1 KINGS 18:21 You prayed that your child would re-
cover, but he died, the most devastating
thing that ever could have happened.
Your heart cries out, “God, where were You?” When we
are confronted with situations such as these, we usually for-
get what we really know.
When your dreams are shattered and your prayers go un-
answered, remember that God never promises to give you
everything you ask for. Instead, He promised to meet your
needs. He promised never to leave you and to give you peace
as you trust Him. He promised to bring healing and hope.
He promised to give you the assurance that your sins are for-
given and that you will live in His presence for all eternity.
God’s love for you is constant. You may ask, “How can
He love me and not give me what I ask for?” Do you love
your children? Do you give them everything they ask for?
Remind yourself that your love for Him must go beyond
the gifts that He gives to you, the prayers that He answers,
and the blessings He pours out in your life.
God loves you and accepts you unconditionally, but He
also has a will that may be different from yours. Through
times of testing and difficulty you will experience how great
He is and eventually learn to say, “Thy will be done, Father!”
 August
29
Reacting to Whatever

What happens to you may be beyond your You intended to

control, but how you respond to trouble harm me, but God
is entirely your call. Though I don’t be- intended it for good
lieve in “luck,” there are certain things to accomplish what is
that happen because we are living in an now being done, the
imperfect, broken world. saving of many lives.
Nobody likes to have his life disrupted GENESIS 50:20
by what some call “bad luck.” But I am
more concerned about my ability to cope and my attitude
and feelings in tough times than I am in preserving myself
from bad things that happen.
When difficulty knocks at my door, I am always reminded
that God promises to be with me in times of trouble, not
necessarily to keep me from all difficulty. I try to remind
myself that God’s grace is sufficient and that His strength is
made perfect or complete through my weakness. I also strive
to remember that we don’t have to see everything, under-
stand everything and know everything, provided we are
following the Shepherd of our souls.
There are times when I force my mind to concentrate on
God who is greater than anything I will ever face. I go back
and read about Daniel in the lion’s den, Joseph falsely ac-
cused in prison, Esther risking her life for her people and
Paul’s tribulations and troubles. I read Psalm 23 and 2
Corinthians 4 where Paul talked about being “hard pressed
on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in de-
spair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not
destroyed”(2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
Not knowing the last chapter, we have to trust God for it
and wait, realizing that God is good and we can trust Him.
August
30
Good and Evil

If you, then, When Richard Smith spoke at a work-

though you are evil, shop on a Christian approach to
know how to give counseling, he talked about the fact that
good gifts to your we were created in the image of God, yet
children, how much the human heart is dark and evil. A man
more will your objected, feeling that he had gone too far.
Father in heaven give As Richard explained his position, the
good gifts to those man retorted, “It depends on which side
who ask him! of the horse you get off.” Looking back
MATTHEW 7:11 Richard says he should have responded,
“Why can’t we just stay on the horse?”
The reality is that both are true.
The Bible says exactly what Richard Smith was trying to
get across: Humankind is fallen, that evil is real and exists in
the human heart. How else can we explain the flow of his-
tory, man’s inhumanity to his fellow man?
The existence of evil in the world is both moral and
theological. You’ll find more than 400 biblical references
to the subject. It began as a small trickle in the Garden of
Eden and became a vast flowing river with no boundaries
that spread upon the entire world, terminating with the
fall of Babylon or the world system described in the book
of Revelation.
Evil is part of the fabric of redemption because had there
been no evil in the hearts of men and women, there would
have been no need for forgiveness, for salvation and for re-
demption.
The reality is that sin is evil and that which is evil is also
sinful. And resolving that issue required the death of God’s
Son, who will someday return and purge the world of evil.
Until then, good and evil coexist, and it’s up to you to de-
cide which side you are on.
 August
31
The Lion, the Adder,
and the Dragon

Psalm 91 talks about the lion, the adder Thou shalt tread upon
and the dragon, over which you as the lion and adder:
God’s trusting child can triumph. All the young lion
the difficulties and challenges you will and the dragon
face in life are represented by one of shalt thou trample
these three images. under feet.
Lions are bold. They meet you head PSALM 91:13 KJV
on. Like lions, certain difficulties confront
you in life and you feel like running. The reality, however, is
that there is no escape from some of the difficulties that
stand in your path.
Adders are poisonous snakes. There is no warning with
snakes, no loud roars, no footprints on the trail of your life.
The snake simply appears and your heart is filled with ter-
ror. Life’s unexpected, negative surprises are comparable to
the venomous bite of the adder.
The third image is the dragon. Dragons are beasts of
your imagination or fearsome creatures of mythology.
Nonetheless, the dragons of life are terrible creatures of
our fear or folly that rob us of our peace of mind. They are
the things you fear may happen, such as your health giving
out, your money being exhausted or the world collapsing.
And what’s the answer to these three fearsome creatures?
“Dwelling in the secret place of the most high,” says Psalm
91. It’s a relationship with God whereby you are not over-
come by the lions, the serpents or the dragons of life.
God is a refuge, a place of security, a high tower to which
you can run when you are challenged by the lion, struck by
the serpent or threatened by the dragon. What more can
you ask when you are confronted with difficulty?
 September
LUKE 5:26
Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.
They were filled with awe and said,
“We have seen remarkable things today.”
 September
1
God Uses the Little Things

In her book, Life and Death in Shanghai, Nien Ants are creatures
Cheng recounts her ordeal during China’s of little strength,
Cultural Revolution. Nien Cheng was impris- yet they store up
oned then, accused of being a spy for the their food in
British government because of her involve- the summer.
ment with a British petroleum company. PROVERBS 30:25
The only window in her cell was a small
opening, partly painted in black to obscure the light. One
day, as she looked through the grime and dirt, Mrs. Cheng
noticed a tiny spider, no larger than the size of a pea, climb-
ing the rust-eroded bars over the window. The tiny spider
climbed slowly and steadily for several minutes, then when
it reached the top of the bar, it swung down like a rock
climber using the slender, almost translucent thread that it
made and had attached to the bar. Then it secured the strand
at the bottom and climbed up to repeat the act all over again.
“There was no hesitation, no mistake, and no haste. It knew
its job and carried it out with confidence.
“For the moment, I knew I had just witnessed some-
thing that was extraordinarily beautiful and uplifting. . . . It
helped me to see that God was in control. . . I felt a renewal
of hope and confidence.”20
Sometimes God shouts from the housetop, but most of
the time He uses the little things—the sweetness of a baby’s
smile, the perfect symmetry of a flower growing in a crack
on the sidewalk, the pleasant song of a bird, or a phone call
from a friend when you’re depressed—to let you know He
hasn’t forgotten you. Look around you and find His mes-
sage through His handiwork.
September
2
Reconciliation

But God does not There’s nothing new under the sun. The
take away life; same dramas play out over and over again.
instead, he devises A father and his son have a disagreement.
ways so that a Angry words are spoken. Finally the fa-
banished person may
ther says, “I never want to see your face
not remain estranged
again!” “Don’t worry,” screams the son.
from him.
“You never will.”
2 SAMUEL 14:14 The Bible tells us that David had a son
named Absalom. After David’s affair with
Bathsheba, his life began to come apart. Amnon, one of David’s
sons, raped his sister Tamar. Their brother Absalom hated
Amnon so much for this that he engineered Amnon’s death.
David’s heart was torn by the turmoil and he banished
Absalom from his presence. His honor demanded tough
action. Three years later, Joab, the chief of staff in David’s
army, sent a wise woman to the king. She told King David
a story about a husband who is dead, and two sons who
fought, one killing the other. Then, she said, the clan wanted
to put the surviving son to death, which would leave her
without an heir. “No,” said David, “this is not right.” And
he gave an order protecting the son, allowing him to re-
turn home in peace.
Then, she told the king that he has convicted himself in
the estrangement he has with his own son, Absalom. In her
plea to the king, she argued for reconciliation. She said, “But
God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that
a banished person may not remain estranged from him” (2
Samuel 14:14).
Reconciliation is what the Gospel is all about. “We im-
plore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
 September
3
Enemies

How should we deal with our enemies? “You have heard

Jesus broke with accepted practices that it was said,
when He said, “You have heard that it ‘Love your neighbor
was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate and hate your enemy.’
your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your But I tell you: ‘Love your
enemies and pray for those who perse- enemies and pray for
those who persecute you,
cute you, that you may be sons of your
that you may be sons of
Father in heaven. He causes his sun to
your Father in heaven.
rise on the evil and the good, and sends
He causes his sun to rise
rain on the righteous and the unrigh-
on the evil and the good,
teous” (Matthew 5:43-45). And Paul,
and sends rain on the
in the same spirit, wrote, “If your en- righteous and the
emy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, unrighteous.’”
give him something to drink. In doing
MATTHEW 5:43-45
this, you will heap burning coals on
his head”(Romans 12:20).
In a world that practices “an eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth,” is it possible to love and pray for our enemies?
Only if you are secure in knowing that you are God’s child,
allowing the Holy Spirit to empower you and remembering
to whom you are accountable.
Every enemy is somebody’s son or daughter. They also
have their own feelings, aspirations and hopes for the fu-
ture. Flannery O’Connor was right when she said, “It is hard
to make your adversaries real people unless you recognize
yourself in them—in which case, if you don’t watch out,
they cease to be adversaries.”21
At times it is our enemies who bring us to our knees in
repentance and humility, knowing that with sin present in
our lives, we have no right to throw the first stone. It is the
cross of Christ, where we kneel, that we lose our identities as
enemies—and become reconciled as brothers and sisters, for-
given and reunited.
September
4
The Taxi Driver King

God made him who The late King Abdullah II of Jordan had
had no sin to be sin a touch of class that has won the hearts of
for us, so that in him common folks, myself included. Unan-
we might become the nounced the king would slip out of his
righteousness of God. palace dressed as an ordinary person to
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 talk with his subjects and find out exactly
what their business needs are and how
they can be met. On one of his forays the king borrowed
one of Jordan’s bright yellow taxis and for several hours ac-
tually drove people around Amman, talking with his fares.
A century ago Mark Twain wrote a novel called The Prince
and the Pauper, about a youthful prince who wanted to see
how life was outside the palace. He exchanged places with a
pauper who looked very much like him; they assumed each
other’s identities and saw how life was for the other. Mark
Twain was an atheist (or so he claimed), yet his story about
the prince and the pauper tells the story of redemption about
as vividly and clearly as could be done by any theologian.
Paul wrote that He who was Himself sinless—Christ—
bore our sins and its consequences, in order that we who were
separated from God might be united with Him forever. He
became the pauper described in Twain’s novel, so that we
who are paupers—sinners—could become sons of God.
My hat is off to the Jordanian king who cared enough for
his people to rub shoulders with them, endearing him to their
hearts. May He who walked among us, who went so far as
to lay down His life for us, gain the same respect and love.
 September
5
Celibacy or Chastity?

Celibacy and chastity are two entirely Now to the unmarried

different matters. The first means that and the widows I say:
an individual chooses not to marry; the It is good for them
latter means the individual chooses to re- to stay unmarried,
main sexually pure. The problem is that as I am. But if they
while some have chosen to be celibate, cannot control
they have not been chaste. Their behav- themselves, they
ior is a sordid disgrace as they engage in should marry, for it is
sexual relations outside of the bond of better to marry than
to burn with passion.
marriage.
Jesus Christ was both celibate and 1 CORINTHIANS 7:8-9
chaste. In a discussion with the religious
leaders of His day, Jesus reminded them that from the be-
ginning God’s plan was that a man leaves his father and
mother and be united to his wife, becoming one. This was
followed by a discussion among the disciples as to whether
or not it would be better to be celibate or marry. Jesus ex-
plained that some voluntarily do not marry while others
desire to embrace a marriage relationship.
Jerome (331–419 AD), the dedicated scholar who gave us
the Latin Vulgate, chose to remain unmarried. Augustine
(354–430 AD) struggled with his sexual desires throughout
his life yet he chose to stay single. While Paul was single
when he wrote his epistles, there is strong evidence that he
had been widowed since he had been a Pharisee and Jewish
law required that Pharisees be married.
The Apostle Paul recognized the force of our sexual na-
tures, which is not a curse but a facet of creation that God
intended to be met and satisfied in marriage. He goes on to
explain that the gift of God’s grace will empower a single
adult to remain chaste and serve Him solely. Celibacy, chas-
tity and choice. Seek God’s will for you and choose wisely.
September
6
Your True Worth

For God so loved “As a carpenter,” writes Roy Lessin, “Jesus

the world that worked with a hammer, nails and wood.
he gave his one
When He picked up a hammer, He knew
and only Son,
that one day a hammer would be raised up
that whoever
against Him; when His hand drove in a
believes in him
nail, He knew that one day nails would be
shall not perish but
driven into Him; when He worked with
have eternal life.
wood, He knew that one day there would
JOHN 3:16 be a tree where He would offer up His life.
“Why the hammer? Why the nails? Why
the wood? It all has to do with worth . . . not His worth, but
yours. Jesus knew your true value, and that’s why He died.”22
But how much are you, a single individual—perhaps with-
out power, influence, money or education—really worth?
When it comes to your existence in relationship to God,
the relationship is strictly one-on-one. No one else sees with
your eyes, feels what you feel, and thinks what you think.
You are unique—one of a kind, without duplication. Your
true worth can be assessed only in terms of what God was
willing to sacrifice to bring you back into fellowship with
Him, namely His own Son. You are not a mistake, a quirk of
human nature, a reject cast-off on the restless tide of hu-
manity. When you were conceived, you were endowed with
a soul and were made in the image of God.
When you want to know what your worth is in God’s
sight, take a look at the cross and say, “That’s the answer!”
 September
7
Judas

Children are named Peter, Andrew, James, As soon as Judas

and John, but never Judas. Why? In the took the bread,
New Testament, Matthew gave us a list Satan entered
of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and intro- into him. “What you
duced us to Judas with the phrase, are about to do,
“And Judas Iscariot who betrayed him” do quickly,”
Jesus told him.
(Matthew 10:4). Judas is akin to Adolph
Hitler, Joseph Stalin and the butchers of JOHN 13:27
the world. Who wants to hear about him?
For three years Judas was exposed to the Truth. He was
an eyewitness to blind individuals who gained their sight, to
children who were healed, to crippled people who gained
the use of their limbs, and to individuals who were demon-
ized, whose sick, demented minds were made completely
whole. On at least three occasions, he saw funeral proces-
sions turn into occasions of joyful dancing as the dead came
back to life.
How did this fail to impact Judas? There are two hints of
a deep flaw in the character of this man that seemed to pro-
duce a myopic blindness. First, take note of the fact that the
eleven all addressed Jesus Christ, not using that name, but
as “Lord!” While that word was a term of respect, it was
uniformly used only of God. Judas, however, never used that
term. Instead he addressed Him as Rabbi or Teacher.
The second tell-tale flaw in his character was his lust for
money. He kept the treasury—the funds for the twelve—
and stole from it. John reported, “He was a thief; as keeper
of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put
into it”(John 12:6).
There is grave danger in being exposed to Truth and re-
fusing to humbly embrace Jesus Christ as Lord. May God
help us to learn from the failure of Judas.
September
8
A Rest for the Weary

There remains When the doors of Ravensbrück concen-

therefore a rest tration camp closed behind people in
for the people of God. WW II, most prisoners despaired but not
HEBREWS 4:9 NKJV Corrie ten Boom who believed God had
put her there to share His love. She was
miraculously released one week before her scheduled execu-
tion. Afterwards, she traveled throughout the world sharing
a message of forgiveness and reconciliation. In time she was
felled by a stroke that took away her voice and left her bed-
ridden, God then called her to the ministry of prayer. And
pray she did, for people all over the world.
But there might be times when you are so down that you
can’t even pray. As Hudson Taylor approached the end of his
life he wrote, “I am so weak that I cannot work; I cannot
read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God’s
arms like a child, and trust.”
There are times when all you can do is trust, realizing
that God has not forsaken you or made you a target of abuse.
Though you may be weak and devastated, you can rest in
Him, entrusting yourself and your care to Him.
There is an amazing rest, however, that comes as God
embraces and comforts you—one that strangely defies cir-
cumstances and logic. Through the psalmist, God instructed,
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The word
we translate “be still” means, “cease from your striving.” To
do this means to realize that resting in the Lord is doing
something powerful and worthwhile that it isn’t wasted time.
When your strength is gone and you can’t even read your
Bible or pray, you can rest in the strong arms of Jesus and
learn that you are underneath the everlasting arms of a lov-
ing God who will not let you drown in your sorrow or pain.
 September
9
Understanding Suffering

When you’re warm, it’s hard to explain Before I was afflicted

how you feel when you’re cold; when I went astray,
you’re healthy, it’s difficult to understand but now I obey
how a sick person feels. Those who have your word.
never experienced the devastation of suf- PSALM 119:67
fering are little qualified to pass judgment
on the emotions and feelings of those who hurt. Yet from
the days of Job to the present, the healthy berate the sick
and suffering.
When Job suffered, his three friends believed they knew
exactly why he was in pain. The only problem was that they
were self-appointed experts who spoke neither from personal
experience nor from knowledge.
The stark reality is that there are no easy answers to one
of humanity’s oldest questions, “Why pain? Why do good
people suffer, especially when some who are evil seem to
avoid suffering?” The issue of pain and suffering is one issue
that will never be resolved until we cross heaven’s threshold.
I have lived long enough to understand that trusting is more
important than understanding, and tasting the grace of God
that can take you through the dark valley is better than won-
dering if God is sufficient to meet you in your need.
I have also learned that suffering is not punishment, nor
health a reward for the righteous, and that trial, which make
some bitter, humble and strengthen others. The fact is that
some waste their dose of suffering and others profit greatly.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray,” said the psalmist,
but he quickly adds, “but now I obey your word” (Psalm
119:67). Far better to know that God is with you in the
dark hour and that He will sustain you and be your comfort
and help, than to know exactly why He has allowed some-
thing to happen.
September
10
The Problem of Pain

A righteous man may In many ways the problem of suffering is

have many troubles, more difficult for Christians to deal with
but the LORD delivers than for non-believers. Why? The Chris-
him from them all. tian believes that nothing happens apart
PSALM 34:19 from the will of God. The non-believer
dismisses the intervention of God in the
affairs of our world. When suffering strikes, the Christian is
apt to think, “God, why are You allowing this to happen?”
Yet God hasn’t made a deal that says, “OK, if you follow
Me, I’ll deliver you from the pain.”
Suffering is not a curse and prosperity is not necessarily a
reward bestowed upon the righteous. An equally important
truth that flows from the bedrock of God’s nature and char-
acter is that He is not indifferent to your pain and does not
ignore your plea for help when you suffer. We often forget
that some of God choicest servants suffered.
So how do we know that God is not indifferent to our
pain and suffering? Two ways: First, the solid testimony of
Scripture that has comforted God’s people in times of trials
tells me that God is not indifferent to my pain and suffer-
ing. “In the time of trouble, he will hide me,” said David in
Psalm 27:5.
Second, listen to the testimonies of God’s servants. Read
the works of C. S. Lewis and Phillip Yancey. Read about
Joni Erickson Tada whose remarkable life is a picture of grace
painted on the backdrop of pain. Learn about Fanny Crosby,
the blind songwriter who gave us more than 9,000 beautiful
songs. Read Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, who spent
seven long years in a Bedford jail; the book flowed from his
experience, helping us all to identify with the struggles to-
wards the Celestial City. You will learn that God is not
indifferent to your need. His Son will walk with you through
your pain.
 September
11
Resolutions for
Those Who Suffer

C. S. Lewis wrote that “pain is God’s mega- I consider that our

phone,” meaning that God uses pain to present sufferings are
get our attention in profound ways. Even not worth comparing
so, when suffering strikes you have to turn with the glory that
down the volume of other voices—some will be revealed in us.
of which are well-meaning but rather in- ROMANS 8:18
criminating. When suffering strikes, I
recommend the following resolutions:
RESOLUTION 1: Refuse to succumb to your emotions. Attacks
come from without and within. Your emotions may tell you
that if you had been more spiritual or had taken better care of
yourself, this would not have happened. Pain can also become
a veritable battleground for Satan to attack.
RESOLUTION 2: Rest in the promises of God’s Word. Re-
mind yourself of what you already know: Suffering is not
God’s rebuke nor is prosperity the sign of His blessing. God
is not indifferent to your pain and Christ knows how you
feel because He, too, suffered.
RESOLUTION 3: Listen to the voice of God’s servants who
have suffered. Read the biographies of Amy Carmichael,
Fanny Crosby, C. S. Lewis, Dr. Paul Brand, Charles Cow-
man, Hudson Taylor and others.
RESOLUTION 4: Ignore the well-intentioned but empty coun-
sel of friends who have “all the answers” but don’t understand
the question. Vance Havner did that. Following the agoniz-
ing death of his wife, he said, “I don’t understand some of
the things we went through. There were a lot of things I
don’t have any clever answers for. When I meet some brother
who has smug and quick answers, I say, ‘Brother, bless your
heart; you’re not for me; you know too much.’”23
RESOLUTION 5: Don’t waste the suffering. Some become hard,
cynical and bitter. Others become tender, compassionate,
and caring. Suffering never leaves you where it finds you.
September
12
Ed Landry

To this you were called, Ed Landry doesn’t believe that we should

because Christ suffered ever waste trials or difficulties and that
for you, leaving you what we think is the worst of times can
an example, that you actually be the best of times. Ed was on
should follow a plane when he turned to the man next
in his steps. to him and asked, “How are you?” The
1 PETER 2:21 man complained about the miserable
cold he had. The man threw the ques-
tion back to Ed and he replied, “I have leukemia. I could be
dead in a few months.” The man stared at him. “You’re jok-
ing.” “No,” said Ed. “I really do have leukemia. So how is
your cold?”
At fifty-five, Ed was diagnosed with acute Myelogenous
Leukemia. During his seven months of treatment, folks in
the hospital saw a sense of humor, an optimistic outlook
and the realization that God is good. They wanted to know
more about his faith and optimism in the face of adversity.
Ed says that he’s learned four lessons during this time of
difficulty.
LESSON 1: God handles problems better than we do. Ed
takes his difficulties to the Lord, understanding that he’s
God’s child and God knows best how to live with suffering.
LESSON 2: God wants our bodies fully surrendered to Him.
Ed believes that his body is a temple indwelt by the Holy
Spirit and therefore when we have given ourselves to Him,
what happens is completely in God’s hands. “Yes, there has
been pain,” but he quickly adds, “but the joy far overshad-
ows the trial.”
LESSON 3: God gives special grace for special times. Ed freely
admits that we can never experience or taste God’s suffi-
ciency and grace apart from the trials we go through.
LESSON 4: We should never waste our trials. There is a
greater purpose.
 September
13
Conformity or
Transformation?

Paul understood the pressures of his day Do not conform any

to conform, to go along with the crowd, longer to the pattern
and he also knew the hostilities and dan- of this world, but be
gers involved in being different. His words transformed by the
are still relevant today. Every teenager who renewing of your
feels the pressure to be like everybody else, mind. Then you will
and every person who has grown up in be able to test and
the world of Islam contemplating conver- approve what
sion to Jesus Christ, knows the risk they God’s will is—
are taking. his good, pleasing
“Do not conform . . . but be trans- and perfect will.
formed by the renewing of your mind . . . .” ROMANS 12:2
Two Greek words stand in contrast to each
other, and both symbolize the struggle we face today. The
word “conform” is used here and in 1 Peter 1:14, where Pe-
ter said we are not to be conformed to the evil desires we
had when we were living in ignorance. The word means “to
form or mold something.” Another translation puts it, “Don’t
let the world force you into its mold.”
“Be transformed . . . ” The Greek word used is the same
one that gives us the English word metamorphosis. It was the
word the disciples used when Jesus was transfigured before
their eyes and shone as the sun. It was used of a workman
who took raw materials such as marble and chipped away,
turning it into a beautiful statue. It was also used of some-
one whose life is radically changed in terms of conduct,
attitudes, goals and purposes.
The Greek word that explains transformation, translated
“by the renewing of your mind,” is never found outside of
Christian literature. God has a monopoly on transforming
lives as all of us find the strength to stand against the culture
and the moral bankruptcy of our day.
September
14
Be Transformed

Therefore, if anyone is in Some words mean exactly what

Christ, he is a new creation; they imply. There are no secret
old things have passed away;
messages or hidden esoteric mean-
behold, all things have
ings. “What part of ‘No’ don’t you
become new.
understand?” a frustrated father
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 NKJV asked his teenager. It’s hard to
dance around such bluntness.
Similarly, Paul wrote to Roman believers who felt caught
between the pressures of their culture to conform or to be
transformed by the renewing of their minds.
A well-respected businessman, a lay leader in his church,
and a father tells his story. When he was twelve, he took a gun
and shot his enemy. As a troubled teenager with no father to
guide him and a busy mother who ignored him, he became
involved in drugs and petty crime. When he began dating the
woman who eventually became his wife, he said, “She couldn’t
understand why I always had money. I would stop at a gas
station and return with a roll of bills.” He then remorsefully
told how he hooked up businessmen with girls.
He married, but all the turmoil was destroying his mar-
riage—until a friend led him to Jesus Christ. A marriage
seminar sponsored by Guidelines more than twenty years
ago helped him learn skills that he desperately needed. This
kind of transformation, which happened to him, is the work
of God’s Holy Spirit—affecting the will, body, and mind.
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you
fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention
on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily rec-
ognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down
to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you,
develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:2 TM).
 September
15
The Renewing of Your Mind

When you are lost and you have no Being confident of

roadmap or compass, you may walk in an this, that he who
endless circle until you are exhausted. began a good work in
What you need is a landmark so you can you will carry it on to
begin to make straight tracks for your feet. completion until the
The same principle applies to this day of Christ Jesus.
generation that has thrown out the land- PHILIPPIANS 1:6
marks of morality. The “anything goes, it’s
nobody’s business but mine” mentality leaves people wounded
and confused.
Today two ideologies are waging a battle for the mind—
one is the mindset of our culture, and in opposition is the
will and purpose of God for His children. The farther we are
from God, the more confused we become.
Paul said we are to be transformed by the renewal of our
minds. What does “the renewal of your mind” mean and
how do you do it? The Greek word that Paul uses in Ro-
mans 12:2 is the same one he used in his letter to the
Corinthians when he wrote, “The inward man is renewed
day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV ). The thought of
being renewed suggests that at one time you had it all to-
gether, then something happened and you lost touch as your
spiritual connection with God was short-circuited and
burned out. In the beginning, humankind did have that re-
lationship with God. It was warm, intimate and personal,
but eventually the battle of the wills happened—Adam
turned away from God’s will and purpose and insisted on
his own will.
Allow the Word of God to penetrate your thinking. Al-
low the Holy Spirit to open your eyes. Say, “Lord, I’ve lost
my way; show me how to come back home.” This then brings
about the transformation that brings you back into sync with
God’s purpose and will for your life.
September
16
A Procession to Nowhere

Not that I have While on a nature walk, French natural-

already obtained all ist Jean Heirs Fabre noticed a line of
this, or have already caterpillars following each other end to
been made perfect, end. He collected several caterpillars and
but I press on to placed them on the rim of a flowerpot
take hold of that for and linked them nose to posterior. For
which Christ Jesus days the procession went on. He placed
took hold of me. food in the flowerpot, enticing the cater-
pillars to break ranks. But the mindless
PHILIPPIANS 3:12 creatures followed the lead until, too weak
to move, they dropped off and died.
Has your life become like that of the processional cat-
erpillars—an endless and pointless routine? How do you
break out?
GUIDELINE 1: Stop the merry-go-round, the day-after-day rou-
tine. Back off from your busy schedule long enough to
look at your life. A day of solitude will give you time to
pause and contemplate.
GUIDELINE 2: Get a fix on God. “Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus”(Hebrews 12:2). You won’t do that with your eyes
glued to your computer or focused on your next appoint-
ment.
GUIDELINE 3: Find out what direction you want to go in life.
Believe that God has a plan for you. Scripture says that
His will is good, pleasing and perfect. He says strongly,
“Don’t be ignorant but understand what is God’s will”
(Ephesians 5:17, author’s translation).
GUIDELINE 4: Focus on God’s purpose for your life. God spe-
cifically has a purpose for you as His child. Paul says, “I
press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me”(Philippians 3:12). “Press on” means to ear-
nestly pursue or follow, and the word “to take hold of ”
was the same word used in the first century of an indi-
vidual who received an inheritance.
GUIDELINE 5: Don’t get back into the processional caterpillar
mode. Break out of the rank.
 September
17
The Power of a Positive “No”

Amy Carmichael, raised in a Scottish He [Moses] chose to

home by Christian parents, learned early be mistreated along
in life that God answers prayer. One of with the people of
her earliest memories was praying as a God rather than to
enjoy the pleasures of
child, “Oh, Lord, please, make my eyes
sin for a short time.
blue tonight!” She went to sleep that night
expecting God to honor that simple HEBREWS 11:25
prayer, and to her disappointment awak-
ened in the morning with eyes just as brown as when she
knelt and prayed.
Sometimes God loves you too much to say, “Yes!” No
parent can really love his child without learning to say “No.”
When God doesn’t give you what you ask, it’s because He
has a better plan, and you have to turn your back to what
would feel good and you think would be pleasurable, before
you find that for which you have been seeking. You can
turn a negative “No” into a positive “Yes.” The choice may
include loneliness and rejection but the negative is eventu-
ally superseded by something better.
Later in life, as a missionary in India, Amy Carmichael
thanked God that He ignored her simple request to let her
brown eyes and dark hair change color. Because with brown
eyes and dark hair, Amy was able to better blend in the cul-
ture where blue eyes and blond hair would immediately have
identified her as a foreigner.
Lord, teach us the value and strength that comes in learn-
ing to say “No.”
September
18
The Moral Drift in Society

He has showed you, Corrupt politicians, deceitful corporate

O man, what is good. managers and philandering husbands
And what does the have one thing in common: They lie with
LORD require of you? impunity. But wait! That word is no
To act justly and to longer politically acceptable. The term
love mercy and misinformation is preferred to dishonesty.
to walk humbly Little white lies, the slight bending of
with your God. the truth, the omission of certain details
MICAH 6:8 or the padding of others, has become so
common today that even some Christians
see no moral obligation to be honest and forthright. Where
does this leave us? It leaves us with scandals and the eventual
collapse of society.
Social ethicist Michael Josephson has taken his crusade
to business, education and government. He realized that
society is facing a moral crisis. No longer is something right
or wrong, moral or immoral. We have become amoral, which
means anything goes. When every person does right in his
own eyes, there is no foundation for integrity.
Josephson has spent the latter third of his life preaching
and teaching ethics and morality. He believes that there are
six pillars of character: compassion, fairness, responsibility,
trustworthiness, respect, and citizenship. He believes these
are bulletproof and universal, and when he is challenged, he
retorts, “Which of these do you not believe in?”24
Morality isn’t legislated or enforced by police and courts.
It’s personal, stemming from your views of right and wrong.
Your views of God and what He asks of you also determine
your conduct and morality. It brings the issue of ultimate
accountability.
The Hebrew prophet Micah confronted this issue when he
wrote, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what
does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God”(Micah 6:8). Then you
will resolve the issue of morality, including telling the truth.
 September
19
Don’t Imitate Character—Build It

You can cultivate leadership. But you can’t For as he thinks in

build character through imitation. Build- his heart, so is he.
ing character in a youthful generation that PROVERBS 23:7 NKJV
has grown up with marginalized ideas about
morality and character is not easy. The guidelines for life were
missing in the lives of many parents and role models.
How do you build character in a child?
First, demonstrate character. You become the message. Do
what you say you will do and tell the whole truth.
Then teaching what is right and wrong enforces your
example. When you instruct someone to say “He’s not home”
when you don’t want to take a call, you’re teaching negative
behavior. When the waiter fails to charge you enough for
you meal and you bring that to their attention, you are teach-
ing a positive lesson of honesty.
Unpleasant situations also demonstrate what character
is about. When you respect the rights of others, you teach
your child to respect others as well. When you fail, admit
failure and correct your mistake, you are teaching a power-
ful lesson—nobody is perfect and making amends for your
failure shows character.
Introduce your youngster to heroes who faced moral di-
lemmas, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King,
and biblical characters who faced difficult moral choices.
Introduce them to Joseph, who was tempted by Potiphar’s
wife, and tell them about Daniel and his companions who
refused to go along with the crowd.
Teach them the biblical truth that God honors those who
stand for right. Memorize passages of Scripture that will
strengthen you in times of temptation and trial.
Don’t imitate character—build it.
September
20
A Hero has Climbed Higher

I eagerly expect and Who is Martin Burnham? His name be-

hope that I will in no came a household word to millions of
way be ashamed, people around the world who prayed for
but will have his release from the Abu Sayyaf guerillas
sufficient courage so
who kidnapped him and his wife Gracia
that now as always
on May 27, 2001. For thirteen months,
Christ will be exalted
he and Gracia, missionaries with New
in my body, whether
Tribes Mission, were held captive.
by life or by death.
Many still struggle with why God
For to me,
to live is Christ
chose to answer prayer by taking Martin
and to die is gain. home to heaven instead of allowing his
release. Did God answer prayer His way,
PHILIPPIANS 1:20-21
rather than ours?
Martin seemed to feel that God was calling him home
through this ordeal. Whether you call it a premonition or
the witness of God’s Spirit, God helps prepare His children
for what lies ahead. In the final weeks of their captivity,
Martin wrote personal, intimate letters to his three children,
Jeff, 15, Mindy, 12, and Zach, 11. He told Gracia to give
the letters to them when she got home.
God’s foot soldiers don’t run or quit when the going gets
tough. The Burnhams lived what Scripture teaches, “I eagerly
expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will
have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be
exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to
live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).
Martin Burnham was in the Philippines for one reason.
He was on a mission to make Christ known to those who do
not know Him. If somebody asked him, “Martin, why are
you a missionary when as a pilot you and your family would
live more comfortably?” he would probably have answered,
“Because people need the Lord.”
 September
21
“And Others . . . ”

In Hebrews 11, the writer catalogued the Women received their

exploits of great men and women who dead raised to life
lived over many centuries, men and again: and others
women who lived by faith and trusted were tortured, not
God with their lives. accepting deliverance;
The phrase “and others” stands like a that they might
obtain a better
Continental Divide between life and
resurrection.
death, between what seems to be answered
prayer for some and unanswered prayer HEBREWS 11:35 KJV
for others. Following the words “and oth-
ers,” the text tells of some who were tortured because they
refused to compromise. Some faced jeers and flogging while
some were chained and put in prison. Others were stoned or
placed in a hollow tree and sawed in half; some, killed by
the sword. “They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not
worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains
and in caves”(Hebrews 11:37-38). Did these individuals not
pray for deliverance? Were their prayers unanswered?
We would rather find our names on the list of people
who receive miraculous answers of deliverance: prison doors
opened, dead are raised, and the protection of angels who
surround us. That’s the kind of stuff that makes great news!
But the reality is that God can be glorified, whether it is by
life or by death.
Don’t think for a moment that Muslim extremists—sui-
cide bombers—are the only ones committed to their beliefs.
Thousands of men and women who follow Jesus Christ are
willing to die for the cause of Christ. The difference is, how-
ever, they serve to bring life to others, not death and
destruction.
September
22
God Knows Who You Are

“I know your deeds. In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick

See, I have placed announced to the patrons of the Eagle pub
before you an open in Cambridge, “We have discovered the
door that no one can secret of life.” It was DNA, and unravel-
shut. I know that you ing the spiral, tightly wrapped
have little strength, chromosomes that are part of the DNA
yet you have kept my
markers made personal identification ab-
word and have not
solutely certain. A hair from your head, a
denied my name.”
tiny amount of body fluid, or a sliver of
REVELATION 3:8 flesh from under your fingernail identi-
fies you positively.
How does God keep track of you? Does He have a DNA
bank or a fingerprint laboratory, or did He make note of the
size of your skull when you were born? Such trivial ques-
tions almost insult Him who knows you better than a mother
does her own child.
Some folks think that God is too busy or too old or too
disinterested to pay much attention to us individually, but
nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible says
clearly that God not only knows each of us individually and
loves us, but everything about our lives is known to Him as
well. Hebrews 4:13 says, “He knows about everyone, every-
where. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the
all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden
from him to whom we must explain all that we have
done”(TLB).
I take great comfort in the words of the seven letters to
the churches of Asia Minor, where God says repeatedly, “I
know . . . ” And because He knows, I can rest securely know-
ing that I am not lost in the blur of millions of people, but
that as a father knows and loves his children, He knows and
cares for me as an individual. He cares for you, too!
 September
23
Operation Auca

In 1956 Roger Youderian, Jim Elliot, Pete A wise man fears the
Fleming, Ed McCully and pilot Nate LORD and shuns evil,
Saint launched Operation Auca. The but a fool is
Aucas were one of the most difficult tribes hotheaded and
to reach; they didn’t like outsiders and reckless.
killed most of them in sight. Having made PROVERBS 14:16
initial contact with the fierce Auca people,
they felt that the time had come to make personal contact.
With Nate at the controls, their plane landed on the sandy
beach of an Ecuadorian river where they met some of the
Aucas. Two days later, these five men were speared to death.
Time and Life magazines sent reporters and photogra-
phers to cover the story. An unbelieving world lashed out at
what they thought was a needless loss of life. “What a waste!”
many exclaimed.
In 1963, Guidelines went on air with the Operation Auca
as the theme of my commentary. I quoted Jim Elliott, who
said, “He is no fool to give to God what he cannot keep, to
gain what he cannot lose.” A listener wrote a sharp letter of
rebuke saying that the five who were killed were the real
fools. “They got what they deserved—a spear in the belly!”
I responded to the man’s words, trying to help him real-
ize that the five men died for a cause—one he neither knew
nor understood. Several years passed, and I received another
letter from the same person. He told how alcohol had cost
him his wife, business and wealth. As he sat homeless on a
street corner, a young woman walked up and said to him,
“God loves you, mister, and so do I!” He cried. In the letter,
he wrote, “ Now I know it was I who was the fool.” Sitting
on the gutter as a destitute bum, he came to understand
why some are willing to die to share the love of Christ.
So whose fool are you?
September
24
The Defining Moment
of Your Life

Then the LORD said For Army Ranger Jeff Strueker, whose
to him, “What is that courage has been portrayed in the movie,
in your hand?” Black Hawk Down, the defining moment
“A staff,” he replied. of his life was when a rocket-propelled
The LORD said, grenade went flying through the air to-
“Throw it on the wards his Humvee in the middle of a
ground.” Moses threw firefight in Somalia. At that moment he
it on the ground and knew that God was calling, he answered,
it became a snake, “Lord, I put myself in Your hands!”
and he ran from it.
Strueker survived the seventeen-hour
EXODUS 4:2-3 battle, and the experience gave him a faith
that he describes as “bullet-proof.” Today he’s serving God as
an army chaplain.25
When Moses left one morning, he never thought that
the defining moment of his life was about to happen. He
stumbled across God, while shepherding his father-in-law’s
flock on the desert. “What is that in your hand?” God asked
Moses following his encounter with the burning bush. “A
staff,” Moses replied, wondering what would happen next.
Then the LORD commanded, “Throw it on the ground!”
Your defining moment in life comes when you do what
Moses did. You take whatever you have in your hand and
release it for God to control. You have three things in your
hand: resources, abilities and time. The extent of your re-
sources and abilities may differ from others, but when it
comes to time, every person has exactly the same amount—
168 hours a week, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes in every hour.
When you are willing to submit your talents and abili-
ties, along with resources and time, to the lordship of Jesus
Christ, you are answering the same question that Moses had
to answer. As you let go, you too have confronted the defin-
ing moment of your life.
 September
25
Is Christ Divided?

Paul likened the church to the human “I will remain in the

body. “The body is a unit,” he wrote, world no longer,
“though it is made up of many parts; and but they are still in
though its parts are many, they form one the world, and I am
coming to you.
body. So it is with Christ”(1 Corinthians
Holy Father, protect
12:12). He points out that your ear has
them by the power
no right to assert independence from the
of your name—
eye, nor your hand from the foot. Your
the name you gave
body is a whole, and all the components
me—so that they
are related to each other. may be one
Earlier in his letter, Paul rebuked the as we are one.”
carnal or immature men and women of
JOHN 17:11
Corinth because some followed Peter,
some followed Apollos, some followed Paul, and some say,
“we follow Christ!” Then he asked a question, “Is Christ
divided?”
When he wrote to the Ephesians, he wanted other churches
to follow. He said there is one body and one Spirit . . . one
hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Fa-
ther of all, who is over all and through all and in all”(Ephesians
4:4-6). He charged, “Make every effort to keep the unity of
the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
When you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ,
you were baptized into that mysterious Body called the
Church, and whether others glorify the Father the same way
you do or not, remember the decision to give them new
birth wasn’t yours. It was that of a Sovereign God who adopts
and brings into His family those whom He chooses.
September
26
Growing in Grace

But grow in the grace A gardener will plant flower seeds, culti-
and knowledge of our vate the ground and watch the green
Lord and Savior Jesus sprouts eventually push through the soil,
Christ. To him be burst forth, and finally blossom. It takes
glory both now and time and a combination of certain condi-
forever! Amen. tions—not too much heat but enough
2 PETER 3:18 sunshine, nutrients but not so much that
the flower burns, and so forth. Similarly,
it’s clear that we are to grow in our interaction with God
with the challenges we daily face. That’s what grace is about.
Grace involves the interaction of God’s love and compas-
sion with your need. He guides, overshadows and enriches
your life, although you may not sense it or know what He is
doing. You can only look back in retrospect and say, “Wow!
I now see how God met me in this time of crisis!”
In recent days I’ve had concern over the many people
who feel that God has forsaken them, turned His back on
them or shut the door of concern in their face just when
tough times confront them. No, God hasn’t forsaken you.
He’s simply pruning the tree or He’s breaking up the hard
soil so you can grow in grace. He’s exposing you to enough
heat to allow you to grow, not despair. Warren Wiersbe says
that when we face affliction, God always keeps His eye on
the clock and His hand on the thermostat.
Once you have a deep-settled understanding that God is
a good God and that He will not turn His back on you
when troubles come, you are in a position to grow in grace.
Let the strong hand of God lead you through your experi-
ence, tilling the soil of your soul in such a way that you will
someday look back and say, “Ah, yes, now I see how the
grace of God brought me through.”
 September
27
Making God Happy

From the earliest recorded history to the God made him who
present, humankind has struggled with had no sin to be sin
guilt feelings that we are not good enough for us, so that in him
to approach God. This sense of failure is we might become the
accompanied by the urge to do something righteousness of God.
to appease Him. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21
Do you feel that you have to do some-
thing to balance your moral failures? Do you give to charity
or volunteer, hoping that God—whoever He is and wher-
ever He is—may take note of your goodness? What does it
take to satisfy God?
The story of redemption recorded in the Bible is of a
loving God who knew His children had wandered out of
relationship with Him. He sent His Son to find them, and
bring them back. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). His was not a
mission to seek and destroy, but to find and save.
The Bible says that we have failed God and come short
of what He requires, and Christ, not humankind, paid the
price for our wrongdoing. “God made him who had no sin
to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righ-
teousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
When Abraham Lincoln was president, a criminal was
offered a pardon for a crime he had committed, and unbe-
lievably, the man refused the pardon—something without
precedent in legal history. The highest court determined the
verdict. “A pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which is
dependent upon its acceptance by the person implicated. If
the pardon is rejected, it is no pardon at all.” And the man
died for his wrongdoing.
Jesus Christ paid the price of your sin, but it’s up to you
to acknowledge your failure, confess it and receive the par-
don He offers.
September
28
When Your Shoes
Don’t Match

A merry heart Early one morning I got up and dressed

does good, quickly to exercise. I was heading towards
like medicine, but a the treadmill when I felt something un-
broken spirit der my left foot. Looking down, I
dries the bones. discovered a blue tennis shoe on one foot
PROVERBS 17:22 NKJV and a white one on the other. I burst out
laughing.
When you find yourself in an embarrassing moment, first,
have a good laugh at yourself. Look at the funny side of it.
Laughing at yourself is better than being irritated or annoyed.
“A merry heart does good, like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22
NKJV ).
Next, take stock of your situation and refocus. Concen-
trate on what you need to do to redeem the situation. Stop
and ask, “Where do I go from here?”
Did Jesus ever have the kind of days when nothing seemed
to go quite right? Ponder upon the fact that He lived as a man
in an imperfect world, and you will eventually realize that
there may have been days when He was disappointed with
people, and difficult situations confronted Him left and right.
I’ve talked with so many people who had something go
wrong in their spiritual life. In a moment of weakness, they
slipped, surprising even themselves. And from that point on
they thought that they had failed so miserably that there was
no hope for the future.
If you are walking through a forest and lose your way, you
ask directions and try to get back on the path that will take
you where you want to go. The same is true with our spiritual
lives. Start your day with prayer, and when you hit the bump
in the road, ask His forgiveness and help. Your attitude has
everything to do with the altitude that you reach in any given
day. It takes more than unmatched tennis shoes to ruin a day!
 September
29
How Could He Do It?

Thomas Lewis Turner was well-liked and For the wages of sin
respected. He mentored young people and is death, but the gift
had encouraging words for those who were of God is eternal life
down. He and his family were in church in Christ Jesus
every Sunday. “The Turners were the per- our Lord.
sonification of the perfect family—loving ROMANS 6:23
and church-going,” a newspaper report
put it in an article captioned, “Family man’s fatal flaw!”
This successful thirty-eight-year-old loan officer turned
a gun on his wife, his fifteen-year-old nephew and his twenty-
two-month-old daughter, before he took his own life.26 What
happened?
After his death, character flaws began to paint a dark
picture. There was a pattern of violence in his family among
his siblings. He had fathered a child his wife knew nothing
about. Yet the question persists, “Was his faith only a social
front?” When he sat in church, had he so darkened his heart
that the Spirit of God ceased to convict him?
The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin, unconfessed and unforsaken,
becomes a cancer that erodes decency, common sense and
civility. In recognizing the cause we also acknowledge that
while the extent of our sin may differ, the quality of it is just
the same. The word “all” is inclusive. Paul adds, “None are
righteous!”
But there is good news! Scripture says, “For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord”(Romans 6:23). The gift of God in Christ Jesus
transforms us into gracious, compassionate individuals.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like
wool”(Isaiah 1:18).
September
30
Test Everything: Hold on to
That Which is Good

Enter through the “Test everything. Hold on to the good,”

narrow gate. For wide wrote the veteran and world-traveler,
is the gate and broad Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, in a let-
is the road that leads ter to the Thessalonians. They were well
to destruction, and aware of the scams that left people empty,
many enter through hurting and broke. Most letters that came
it. But small is the from Paul’s hand were written to correct
gate and narrow the a problem. Some smooth-talking indi-
road that leads to life, viduals were deceiving people, leading
and only a few find it. them astray and telling them, “I am giv-
ing you the truth.”
MATTHEW 7:13-14
How do you test everything?
First is the test of the Word. You must know what a straight
line is before you know what a crooked one is, and the Word,
which provides light and guidance, should be the first stan-
dard against which we measure something.
Second is the test of convictions. The only way you will
develop convictions is with integrity and character. When you
know something is right and when you understand that to
violate your convictions leads to compromise, making deci-
sions is easier.
Third is the test of fairness. Is somebody going to be
harmed? Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you
would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets”(Matthew 7:12). In other words, treat the other per-
son as you would like him to treat you.
Fourth is the test of permanence. For every effect there is a
cause, and one of the tests that determine whether something
is good or bad is to ask: How are others affected in the equa-
tion? Is something good for your business but devastating for
your competitor? Might your actions improve your reputa-
tion but harm another’s good name?
“Test everything. Hold on to that which is good.” It’s good
advice for life today.
 October
DEUTERONOMY 11:26-28
See, I am setting before you today a
blessing and a curse—the blessing if you
obey the commands of the LORD your God
that I am giving you today; the curse if
you disobey the commands of the LORD
your God and turn form the way that I
command you today by following other
gods, which you have not known.
 October
1
How God Uses Problems

One of my heroes is Dutch woman Corrie Consider it pure joy,

ten Boom, who along with her aged fa- my brothers,
ther and her sister, Betsy, saved the lives whenever you face
of countless Jewish babies and their par- trials of many kinds,
ents in their little apartment over the because you know
watch shop in Harleem, Holland. For that the testing of
your faith develops
their actions, Corrie and her sister were
perseverance.
sent to Ravensbrück Concentration
Camp. Corrie’s life was in constant jeop- JAMES 1:2-3
ardy so she could speak from experience when she says, “God
has no problems, only plans.”
God uses problems to help you sense your weakness and
His strength—something that will happen only when you’re
stripped of your ability to make things happen, to direct
your life, and to control your future. Read the historical books
of the Old Testament and notice how self-confident, self-
reliant men and women had their hopes dashed to pieces. In
their weakness they turned to the Lord, called on Him for
deliverance and found that there is nothing that God couldn’t
handle.
God uses problems to bring discipline into our lives.
David, who spent seven years as a fugitive running from
Saul and his army, says “When I am afraid, I will trust in you”
(Psalm 56:3). Another psalm says, “Before I was afflicted I
went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67).
An athlete who disciplines himself to train grows stron-
ger as does God’s child who perseveres and keeps on pushing
ahead. As James says, “When you have many kinds of
troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that
these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience”
(James 1:2-3 NCV). Corrie ten Boom was right: God has no
problems, only plans. Persevere and entrust your problems
to God who has good plans for you.
October
2
Wanted: Men

As Jesus went on Before Sir Earnest Shackleton sailed for

from there, he saw a the Antarctic in 1914, he put an adver-
man named Matthew tisement in a London paper that read,
sitting at the tax “Wanted: Men to go on an Antarctic ex-
collector’s booth. pedition. Small wages. Bitter cold. Safe
“Follow me,” return doubtful.” More than 5,000 men
he told him, responded. The ship was named Endur-
and Matthew got up ance from Shackleton’s family motto: “By
and followed him. endurance we conquer!”
MATTHEW 9:9
The saga of his journey, including the
crushing of the ship by the ice, the long
journey across the frozen wasteland, the voyage of Shackleton
to Elephant Island and his trek across never-before-crossed
mountains to the whaling station, is one of the greatest ad-
venture stories.
As I learned of the ad that Shackleton placed in a paper,
I thought of the words of Ezekiel, the young man who stood
alone in Babylon long ago. Ezekiel records a plea that God
makes: “I looked for a man among them who would build
up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the
land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found
none”(Ezekiel 22:30).
The same kind of challenge resounded in the recruit-
ment of Jesus’ disciples. When He confronted men, saying,
“Follow me!” they followed. He challenged, “If anyone would
come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it”(Luke
9:23-24).
The men who followed Shackleton were tough, commit-
ted and believed in his ability to bring them back
safely—which he did, reflecting his integrity, skill and leader-
ship. To his credit, not a single life was lost in that heroic
endeavor. One greater than Shackleton still says, “Follow me
and I will make you to be fishers of men!”
 October
3
What Right to Peace
Have We?

“My peace I leave with you,” said Jesus to You will keep in
His disciples in the Upper Room. This was perfect peace him
immediately followed by two commands: whose mind is
“Don’t be troubled; don’t be afraid.” The steadfast, because he
word troubled means “to be confused, to trusts in you. Trust in
be in turmoil, to be distraught.” That’s the the LORD forever,
condition of many people today who have for the LORD,
hearts filled with worry. the LORD,
The Bible is full of great promises but is the Rock eternal
we tend to disconnect from them. Bur- ISAIAH 26:3-4
dened by our failures and feelings of
worthlessness, we seldom say, “I’m going to trust God for this
need because I am His child.
The Bible says that God sent His Son to seek and to save
that which was lost—and lost is the one word that describes
all of us until we establish a relationship with Jesus. Jesus is
like a shepherd who goes in search of us; and when He finds
us, lifts us from the muck and mire and puts our feet on solid
rock.
Two Arab lads were playing together when a firearm acci-
dentally discharged, immediately killing one of the boys. The
remaining fled in fear and ran to the tent of the Sheik, the
leader of the tribe. He tearfully pled for mercy, and the Sheik
took mercy and said, “I will protect you; come into my tent.”
The angry crowd gathered, calling for justice and the boy’s
life as payment. Only then did the Sheik learn that it was his
only son who had been killed. He stood there, puzzled, angry
and uncertain. Then he quietly spoke, “I have given my word
that cannot be broken. This boy’s life is to be spared. I will
take him and raise him as my son.”
You can find yourself under the hand of God’s protection.
That will bring peace to your heart in a troubled world.
October
4
Don’t Be Troubled,
Don’t Be Afraid

For it is by grace you In the Upper Room Jesus charged the dis-
have been saved, ciples: “Don’t be troubled; don’t be afraid!”
through faith— He knew future; they didn’t. Jesus finished
and this not from His challenge, saying, “I have told you these
yourselves, it is the things, so that in me you may have peace.
gift of God— In this world you will have trouble. But
not by works, so that take heart! I have overcome the world”
no one can boast. (John 16:33).
EPHESIANS 2:8-9 Do you believe that? Are you convinced
that God is in control of our world? And
that you can have peace with Him?
A little girl was a passenger aboard a ship that was
captained by her father, and as the ship crossed the Atlantic,
it was caught in a winter storm. Gales lashed the vessel and
it tossed and rolled with the angry waves. The captain asked
the steward to have every passenger put on lifejackets.
Gently, the steward knocked on the door of the cabin
occupied by the little girl and told her the orders that had
been given. “Is Father at the helm of the ship?” she asked.
When she was told that he was, she quickly added, “If Fa-
ther is at the helm, everything is going to be okay.”
God neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is not indifferent to
our world, or to your personal needs. His hand is not too
short to reach you at the point of your need. Do you recall the
words of Psalm 23? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”(Psalm 23:4 KJV).
Safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of
the Lord. The dangers are all around us, yet so is His pres-
ence. You can face every day with confidence, because He
says, “Don’t be troubled; don’t be afraid.”
 October
5
A Better Way

Nothing can bring more peace to your Yea, though I walk

heart than the assurance that regardless through the valley of
of what the days may hold, there is the the shadow of death,
Shepherd of your soul who will lead you I will fear no evil:
through the darkness, and walk with you for thou art with me;
into the light. Do you believe that? thy rod and thy staff
Long ago God gave assurance to His they comfort me.
children and you find in the words of PSALM 23:4 KJV
David’s psalm three great truths.
GUIDELINE 1: There is strength in submission to the will of
your Heavenly Father. “He makes me lie down in green
pastures,” says David. Lying down in green pastures runs
contrary to everything human logic dictates. In the face
of difficulty, challenge or storm—when your life is be-
coming unglued—the last thing in the world you want
to do is lie down. “Do something,” your nature cries
out, because we reason that doing nothing is the worst
possible choice.
GUIDELINE 2: There is peace in the decision to follow the
Shepherd. The still waters produce restoration that brings
health and healing for your troubled heart. Most of our
problems are not physical; they are emotional and spiri-
tual—which, in turn, wreak havoc on our physical bodies.
The greatest enemies are the foes that hide in the dark
caves of our hearts—the anger, hatred, revenge and preju-
dices that rob us of peace of mind.
GUIDELINE 3: Following the Shepherd relieves you of a great
burden. You don’t have to know what is ahead because
He does. You don’t have to know the way out of the
darkness because He does. Follow Him, stay close to Him
and walk in His footsteps.
Understand that God wants you to respond in trust and
not worry, love and hatred. His way is better, always better.
October
6
Trusting God
When You Can’t See

For no matter A young woman calls on the phone in

how many promises tears. “I pray and pray and pray about
God has made, this problem. Prayer just doesn’t work!
they are “Yes” in This has gone on for eight years now.
Christ. And so Nothing changes. I can’t take it any
through him the longer! I’ve had it!”
“Amen” is spoken It’s easy to trust God when He an-
by us to the glory swers “Yes” to our prayers. Trust is easy
of God. when we can see what God is doing in
2 CORINTHIANS 1:20 our lives and why He is doing it. “When
the Israelites saw the great power the LORD
displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD
and put their trust in him”(Exodus 14:31).
But what if you ask and ask and ask, yet nothing changes?
Trusting is more difficult when you can’t see why your prayer
is not answered the way you want. It is more difficult when
you are not able to see even glimpses of any good in the
future and forget the faithfulness of God in the past. The
real test of trust comes when:
1 You’re disillusioned and depressed
2 You’re disappointed with God
3 The hurt doesn’t go away
4 You’re groping in darkness for direction
In John 14:1 Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God.” And if you hold on to Him, “the
God of hope [will] fill you with all joy and peace as you
trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Trust. In the end it really comes down to that.
 October
7
Why Bother?

For thirty years a foreman worked for a Whatever you do,

contractor who treated him honestly but work at it with
never paid him what he wanted. The fore- all your heart,
man griped and complained, “He always as working for the
wants my best work, and he’s never satis- Lord, not for men.
fied.” One day the owner of the company COLOSSIANS 3:23
called in the foreman and said, “I’m go-
ing to retire next year and I want you to build one more
house for me. Give it your best effort! Use the finest materi-
als and craftsmen, and when it’s done, I’m retiring.”
The foreman thought, If this is his last house, why bother
putting in my best effort? I’ll be looking for a new job this time
next year. So the foreman built the house, cutting corners
where he could.
When the house was completed, the owner called him
into the office. “Here,” he said. “I wanted this to be your
best work as a reward for these many years of service.” And
he handed to the foreman the keys to the house. The fore-
man lived with the reality that the poorly built house was
his, and had he known, he would have done a better job.
The Bible says that God demands your best. “Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men”(Colossians 3:23). Why does God care
whether you do your best or not? What’s the connection
between your effort and His will?
God’s desire is for you to become all you were created to
be. What you are is God’s gift to you; what you become is
your gift to Him. God gave you tremendous talents and
abilities, and doing your best is required to realize your po-
tential.
You may someday have to live in the house you built.
October
8
Find Out about Prayer

The prayer of a One of the great sources of power for God’s

righteous man is children is that of prayer. Here are three
powerful and simple guidelines that can help you connect
effective. with God when you pray:
JAMES 5:16 GUIDELINE 1: Pray with expectancy. God
doesn’t answer prayer because you are good;
He answers prayer because He is good and He has adopted
you into His family. That means you can come to Him
as a little child and cry out, “Father, I have a problem. I
need Your help!” The Bible says, “This is the confidence
we have in approaching God that if we ask anything ac-
cording to his will, he hears us”(1 John 5:14).
GUIDELINE 2: Pray with faith. This guideline has everything
to do with whether or not you believe God will do what
He says He will do. Do you trust God to keep His word?
God has made specific promises to His children, and
when you ask Him for something and go to His Word
saying, “Here, Father, this is what You said You would
do, and I’m asking You to do what You said You would,”
you are praying in faith. Faith is the confident expecta-
tion that God will honor the promises of His Word.
GUIDELINE 3: Pray with fervency. James wrote, “The prayer
of a person living right with God is something powerful
to be reckoned with” (James 5:16 TM). When you pray,
pray with sincerity, expectancy, and confidence.
The highest form of faith is saying, “God, here’s what I
am asking You for, and what I really need; but even more
than what I want, I’m asking You to work Your will in my
life in this whole situation.”
 October
9
Read Your Own Mail

We all face situations that perplex us. We Until now you

pray and ask God to do something, claim- have not asked for
ing promises from God’s Word. When anything in my
things don’t come together as we expect, name. Ask and you
we feel that although God held out His will receive, and your
hands toward us, asking us to walk to joy will be complete.
Him, He wasn’t there to catch us and we JOHN 16:24
fall. Now we hesitate, uncertain, not
knowing whether or not God can be trusted.
Do we have unrealistic expectations of what God will
do? Or is it that we have been misled by those who teach
that we can ask God to do anything and He will do it?
One of our problems is that we are read other people’s
mail. Suppose that inadvertently the mailman put a letter
addressed to your neighbor in your mailbox. Not paying
attention to the address on the envelope, you open the letter
and read an invitation to a dinner party next Friday night.
“Great!” you think. On Friday you go to the home where
the dinner party is to be held, but your name isn’t on the
guest list. And you are rejected.
Thus one of the first principles of Bible study is asking,
“To whom was this promise given? If the promise is made
to a specific group or individual, is there a principle that
could apply to me?” There are some promises in Scripture
that are given specifically to individuals such as Abraham,
David and many to His people Israel. But it doesn’t neces-
sarily mean that that promise applies to us, too.
God is faithful and He honors the heart that is fully com-
mitted to Him. As it is said, “For the eyes of the LORD range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are
fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
October
10
Abiding in Christ

“If you remain in me A dying man’s last words always come

and my words from his heart! They are sometimes harsh,
remain in you, sometimes sentimental and sometimes
ask whatever you provocative. But you never forget them.
wish, and it will be What Jesus shared with the twelve as they
given you.” sat together in the Upper Room for the
JOHN 15:7 Feast of the Passover represented His last
words. “If you remain in me and my
words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be
given you”(John 15:7).
What does it mean to remain or abide in Christ? To abide
means to live or dwell, to stay somewhere, to remain where
you are. It was used of goods that remained in the hold of a
ship, of someone who stayed on the same road until he
reached his destination, of stones that were part of a wall
that is still standing.
Judas didn’t remain in Christ. He betrayed his Lord.
Demas, one of Paul’s companions, turned his back and
walked away from the faith—“because he loved the world,”
explained Paul (2 Timothy 9:10). “False teachers” was Peter’s
accusation, “denying the sovereign Lord who bought them.”
Of them Peter said, “It would have been better for them not
to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known
it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that
was passed on to them” (2 Peter 2:21).
What does it mean in the context of life today? You re-
main in Christ when you embrace the teaching of Jesus, and
avoid cults and any religion that denies what Jesus did. You
remain in Christ when you willfully do what is right. You
remain in Christ when you do not stand aloof from issues of
right and wrong
Remaining in Christ and abiding in grace and truth is
the key to an abundant spiritual life.
 October
11
Metting God Face to Face

Mable Shaw was one of the first women Greater love has
missionaries sent by the London Mission- no one than this,
ary Society to Rhodesia. In 1915 as she that he lay down his
was about to leave a village of lepers and life for his friends.
bicycle home, she was told that a lion was JOHN 15:13
prowling about. As she prepared to leave,
the headman, an aged man, victim of leprosy, came from his
house.
She wrote of the incident: “He held a spear between the
stumps that once were hands, and he went hobbling along
the path in front of me. I called to him, and he stopped and
looked around.
‘Where are you going?’ I asked.
‘I am going to escort you to Mbereshi village, You can’t
go alone with lions about,’ he replied.
I smiled at him, ‘but on my bicycle, I’ll be there in a
minute.’
The old man would not be persuaded. It was a matter of
protection and honor, and he assumed full responsibility for
my presence.
I looked at him, a feeble old man, handless, feet half-
eaten, his whole body covered with marks of disease, and his
face most pitiful. Half-jesting and with a smile, I said, ‘Now
what could you do if a lion came?’
The old man drew himself up and with quiet dignity
said, ‘Have I not a life to give?’
I thought of a cross—the cross upon which Jesus gave
His life. I followed him to the village, thanked him, and
came home, having met with God face-to-face.”27
In the Upper Room with the cross looming on the hori-
zon, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends”(John 15:13).
October
12
Jesus as a Motivator

And whatsoever we ask, Jesus Christ was a master motivator.

we receive of him, Though He never manipulated people,
because we keep his He did move them in deep, powerful
commandments, and ways, and their behavior changed dra-
do those things that are matically.
pleasing in his sight. A street woman was set up by a group
1 JOHN 3:22 KJV
of Pharisees who wanted to trick Jesus(see
John 8). “We caught her in the act,” they
boasted. “Now the law says stone her. What do you say, Jesus?”
This story demonstrates three principles of motivation.
PRINCIPLE 1: There was confrontation without condemna-
tion. Technically, the Pharisees were right. Nobody, not even
Jesus, questioned that. Jesus began to write in the sand. John
does not tell us what He wrote, but there had to be a relation-
ship between what He wrote and the fact that the ones who
were accusing her turned and left.
Then Jesus asked, “Woman, where are your accusers?” If you
are to motivate people, you must learn to confront without con-
demnation. Condemnation drives a person away from you.
PRINCIPLE 2: Jesus demonstrated acceptance without endorse-
ment. Did Jesus approve of her profession? Not for a moment,
but He did accept her as a person of value. There comes a
time when we have to differentiate between acceptance and
approval. As Jesus did, you can love the person without ac-
cepting the person’s wrongdoing.
PRINCIPLE 3: There was forgiveness without license. “Where
are your accusers?” “No man accused me, Lord, says the woman.”
“Neither do I,” says Jesus. “Go and sin no more.” A good mo-
tivator must put past failures aside without giving a person license
to turn around and repeat the failure-forgiveness situation.
Scripture tells us we need to motivate each other towards
doing right. It tells us to encourage one another, to exhort
one another, to help one another move back towards the pur-
pose and calling of God.
 October
13
Tools for Motivation

Everybody is a motivator of one kind or “His master replied,

another. There are loud, blustery people ‘Well done, good and
who yell and make everybody jump, and faithful servant!
there are quiet “give-‘em-a-look-that- You have been
turns-blood-to-ice-water” people. The faithful with a few
quiet, manipulative kind may be the things; I will put you
greatest persuaders, but the way they do in charge of many
it is cruel. things. Come and
“Most of us,” writes Em Griffin, in his share your master’s
book, The Mind Changers, “use guilt as a happiness!’”
device to get others to do what we want.”
MATTHEW 25:21
Using guilt as a motivator, however, has
negative side effects. People resent and avoid you, and, if
they do what you expect, their conduct doesn’t last. They
quickly sink back to the previous level of performance.
I don’t have to tell a man with a drinking problem, “You
are ruining your life and family.” He feels the shame and he
knows that in his heart. But if I help that man to see himself
from God’s perspective and from the perspective of reality,
he then will become to realize that the one who is being hurt
the most is himself. Then remorseful feelings will become
the convicting tool of the Holy Spirit that brings repentance
resulting in real change.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to apply the pressure to people
is letting them face the consequences of their own failures
instead of cushioning the shock for them. Fear is another
motivator. When our office was burglarized a few year ago,
we were immediately motivated to install an alarm and place
bars on windows
Another motive for behavioral change is reward, which
includes a wide variety of things: praise, affirmation, love,
and so on. But without a question, love is the most powerful
motivation in the world when it comes to lasting, long-term
changes in our lives. Try love, sometimes “tough love,” rather
than shame, guilt or fear.
October
14
The Right to Speak

Why are times Doug Herman, having lost his wife and
not stored up by baby, faced the prospect of raising their little
the Almighty, boy as a single dad. He lost his church, his
and why do those wife, his daughter, and his brother in a mat-
who know Him ter of months. Was he bitter? No, but he
never see His days? was crushed and deeply wounded in spirit.
JOB 24:1 NASB The title of his book What Good is God?,
which deals with finding faith and hope in
troubled times, reflects his pain. The last sentence of Doug’s
book answers the question he poses in the title, “What good
is God?” He writes, “He allows us to live again. His good-
ness knows no bounds.”28
In recent days a lot of folks have had God on the witness
stand. “If He is good,” goes their reasoning, “why didn’t He
prevent . . . ?” Many turn on Him with anger and vengeance
rather than turning to Him for comfort. Few acknowledge
or think about the fact that ours is an evil world, and God’s
children are not immune from the rottenness and filth
wrought by a depraved and evil person. This means that
children can become victims of sadists and perverts, and in-
nocent individuals can become casualties. The innocent suffer
but God is good.
In the Upper Room, Jesus told the disciples, “Now is
your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will
rejoice, no one will take away your joy. In that day you will
no longer ask me anything”(John 16:22-23).
It is only natural that our hearts cry out, “Why, God?”
when things go wrong and we lose someone we love. But
Elisabeth Elliot has written, “God will see to it that we un-
derstand as much truth as we are willing to obey.”
 October
15
What Good is God?

In his book What Good is God? Doug After this,

Herman tells about his white-knuckle Job opened his mouth
encounter with pain and difficulty. He and cursed the day
says, “Not only did the evil of tremen- of his birth.
dous suffering rampage my life. My wife JOB 3:1
suffered from the HIV virus . . . and Ashli
was born an AIDS baby. Both Evon and Ashli suffered ter-
ribly before dying within eight months of each other, leaving
me with a little boy to raise alone.”29
Looking back over that dark night of the soul when Doug
prayed and screamed until he was emotionally exhausted,
he is convinced that what you think of God and how great is
your knowledge of Him before the storm determines how
you come through it.
“What good is God when He doesn’t provide safety from
the storms?” he asks, then answers his own question, affirm-
ing that “God is all-powerful, and His perfect love is as great
as His power. His goodness encompasses the eternal hope He
offers, that supersedes the horror of our storms. Here we
embrace newfound trust, the pillar of our peace in the midst
of the storm.”30
Remind yourself that God has not made you a target of
abuse, nor has He lost sight of your need, nor turned a deaf
ear to your cry. God never promised to exempt us from the
terror of living in a broken world but rather He promised to
be with us when we go through the darkness and the diffi-
culty. There are times when you must not doubt all your
beliefs, nor believe all your doubts.
Remember that nothing lasts forever. The sun eventu-
ally shines. The resurrection followed the crucifixion and
the long night is eventually driven away by the pink hues
of the rising sun.
October
16
Blaming God

What sorrow awaits When things go wrong today—whether

those who argue it is a marriage that turns sour or invest-
with their Creator. ments disintegrate or a tragedy strikes–
Does a clay pot ever God gets the blame for it. We cry out,
argue with its maker?
“God why did You let this happen to me?”
Does the clay dispute
Or, “God where were You when I needed
with the one who
You?” We point a finger at Him, convinced
shapes it, saying,
that we have suffered as the result of His
“Stop, you are doing
failure or negligence.
it wrong?” Does the
pot exclaim, “How
We have gone wrong in our focus and
clumsy can you be!” point of reference. We think that we stand
on centerstage and that God is there for
ISAIAH 45:9 NLT
our benefit. We seldom think of Him un-
less somebody needs to be held accountable for difficulty in
the world.
We need to reverse the whole picture and focus on the
Almighty, bowing before Him in humility. We need to re-
capture His majesty and grandeur and to put our relationship
to Him in perspective. He is Lord; we are His subjects. He is
all-powerful; we are weak and needy. He is our Father; we
are His children.
The created cannot hold the Creator accountable for
His failures any more than someone has the right to sue
the mattress manufacturer when he falls out of bed and
breaks his arm.
It is also time we recognize the power and ubiquitous na-
ture of evil in the world and recognize that not only is there a
sovereign God but an adversary whom the Bible calls the devil,
whose business it is to disrupt, to create chaos, and to thwart
the work and will of God. Wise is the person who turns to
God in times of difficulty rather than turning on Him.
 October
17
Reconciling Our Plans and
the Real World

Some of our greatest moments take place “I know the plans

following our most stupendous failures I have for you,”
and disappointment. Being humbled is declares the LORD,
the equivalent of being humiliated, and “plans to prosper you
we much prefer the limelight to the black and not to harm you,
light that illuminates our mistakes. plans to give you hope
God loves the humble, no matter how and a future.”
they acquire that mantle. Something JEREMIAH 29:11
takes place that can only be seen in ret-
rospect. In times of difficulty there is a mystical bonding
with Jesus Christ, a fellowship of Christ’s suffering that
Paul talked about in Philippians 3. It is in the difficult
time, the dark hour of the soul that you begin to sense His
presence in ways that you never encounter when you are
bouncing from one victory to another. When you are skid-
ding from one low to one even lower, you are made aware
of the reality of God’s presence and the touch of Jesus Christ
in ways that bond you in oneness of spirit with others you
previously wouldn’t have considered worthy of your time
and attention.
Out of what we think of as disaster comes a new kind of
commitment, one born of simple obedience with the deter-
mination that you will serve God because He is God and
worthy of your love and admiration. You have ceased from
your “let’s make a deal, God.” We revive the spirit of Job,
who saw his family and fortune slip from his grasp, and sit-
ting in dust and ashes vowed, “Though He slay me, yet will
I hope in him”(Job 13:15).
None of us willingly chooses the battering and crushing of
our hopes and dreams, yet for those who have been there and
have tasted the dregs to the bottom of the cup, there is a rich-
ness of soul that is unlike anything the world has to offer.
October
18
The Addiction Trap

For the creation was Addictions are on the increase. Addictions

subjected to today include food, sex, cigarettes, comput-
frustration, not by itsers, drugs, gambling, pornography,
own choice, but by spending money, and a wide range of other
the will of the one possibilities. How can you tell if you are
who subjected it, addicted to something?
in hope that the “You need to ask yourself some questions
creation itself will beabout your behavior,” says Dr. Jennifer
liberated from its
Schneider, a specialist in addictive medi-
cine.”31 If you have tried to stop, and you
bondage to decay
can’t, in spite of the fact that you know what
and brought into the
you are doing is damaging your health, your
glorious freedom of
job, your marriage, or your relationship with
the children of God.
God, you are addicted.
ROMANS 8:20-21 How do you break the power of an ad-
diction?
GUIDELINE 1: Admit that you are addicted. This is one of the
most difficult tasks. Saying, “I have a drinking problem” is
different from saying, “I am an alcoholic!”
GUIDELINE 2: Confess your failure to the Lord. Ask for His cleans-
ing, healing power to work in your life. At times, God
instantly delivers someone from the clutches of addictions,
but usually He works through people who come alongside
you and hold your arms when you are too weak to lift them
yourself.
GUIDELINE 3: Be accountable to someone. Seek the help of a pro-
fessional or join a prayer group, a men’s fellowship, a small
group where someone will look you in the eye and ask, “Are
you clean? Have you hit any porn sites since I last saw you?”
Refuse to go anywhere alone where you might be tempted.
Put a filter on your Internet. Tell someone you trust what is
happening in your life.
Thank God there’s help available, so ask for it and be will-
ing to take it.
 October
19
Cyber-Cures

From the beginning of recorded history I can do everything

men and women have become entrapped through him who
by habits that lead to addictions. gives me strength.
An addiction is a thirst that, if denied, PHILIPPIANS 4:13
has devastating consequences. When you
are addicted and denied the drugs, work, food, or any other
source of your addiction, you suffer. An addiction is some-
thing you cannot control; it controls you. An addiction is
something that is harmful to your mind, your body, your
relationships, and your spiritual life.
Here are some steps you can take to help you overcome
an addiction:
First, Come to grips with reality. Denial is deadly. James
wrote, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does
not do it, to him it is sin”(James 4:17 NKJV). Society may
call it a moral lapse but God calls it sin. There is help and
hope for those who confess their sin and forsake it.
Second, be willing to get help or allow others to help
you. If you were capable of shutting off your habit, you
wouldn’t be addicted to it. Talking to your pastor, to a trusted
friend, or a counselor is a positive step.
Third, trust God for the strength you lack. There is di-
vine strength for your weakness, forgiveness for your failure,
His help for your need, and His grace for you to overcome.
The God of all hope still sets the captive free and delights in
doing so. That’s the most satisfying solution to our deepest
needs.
October
20
God-Substitutes

Taste and see that Substitutes are never quite like the real
the LORD is good; thing. Artificial sweeteners may save calo-
blessed is the man ries but—let’s face it—Diet Coke doesn’t
who takes refuge quite taste like “the real thing.” The same
in him.
thing goes for salt and butter substitutes.
PSALM 34:8 Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher
and mathematician, wrote that there is a
God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person that can
never be filled apart from a personal relationship with God.
Many folks today haven’t gotten the message. Instead of a
personal relationship with God, they’ve accepted a wide va-
riety of God-substitutes like addictions, travel, wealth, fame,
power and self.
Almost all substitutes have side effects of one kind or
another, and for those people who settle for God-substitutes,
one side effect is that they become indifferent to what is
right and what is wrong. Substitutes never quench the spiri-
tual thirst that is deep within your heart. The world of those
who settle for God-substitutes is often painted in shades of
gray. Their values are obscure, and by and large what they
worship is what they can see, taste or feel.
When Jesus and the disciples drew near to a village in
Samaria where cool water from a deep well could satisfy their
thirst, Jesus asked a woman to draw a drink of water for
Him, and in the conversation which took place, He told her
that if she would drink of the water which He would give to
her, she would never thirst again!
Life at its longest is short, and when you come to the
end, the one thing you never want to discover is that the
god you bought into may have come in the traditional pack-
aging but wasn’t the Living One who created our world, nor
the one whom you will face when you die.
 October
21
A Thirst for God

Everyone has, in one way or another, You will seek me

searched for God. and find me
It’s a religious pursuit that people have when you seek me
done from the beginning of time. Some with all your heart.
may spend their entire lives in this spiri- JEREMIAH 29:13
tual search, studying under various gurus,
and using up all their resources to find God.
Yet why do people end up frustrated, always seeking yet
never finding? Is God hiding where only a few find Him? Is
He playing a game of hide and seek? Or is there something
wrong with how they are seeking Him?
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with
all your heart,” God told His people in Jeremiah 29:13. On
the cross, a thief, believing that the one hanging next to him
was the Messiah, cried out, “Remember me when you come
into your kingdom!” Jesus responded, “Today you will be
with me in Paradise!” His search for God took only a few
minutes (Luke 23:39-43).
In a speaking engagement, I asked a young man, who
was my escort, on how he became a Christian. He replied
that it was in prison that he found God. Though he grew up
in a Christian home, he had drifted far away from God.
Then he was imprisoned for abusing his wife. He even
showed me the scars on his wrists caused by forcefully break-
ing two sets of handcuffs.
Then in one prison fight, he found himself knocked
down, face on the ground, with policemen holding down
his arms and legs and another policeman’s foot on his neck.
Helpless, he cried, “Jesus, save me!” God saved him and
changed his life.
God hears and answers the heart cry of anyone who
throws himself on the mercy of the Almighty.
October
22
Where Do We Find God?

“I am the way When our first father, Adam, disobeyed

and the truth God, something within him died, some-
and the life. thing that can be revived only by God’s
No man comes quiet, powerful presence. The universal
to the Father hunger for God is an indication that God
except through me.” wants to satisfy that hunger.
JOHN 14:6 For some folks the quest for God turns
within—morbid introspection. It’s akin
to searching for something in a dark room, with the lights
out, when the object of your search isn’t there anyway. God
is never found within, but what is discovered is often a cess-
pool of dark thoughts, lust, hatred and evil. Jeremiah, who
knew a lot about human nature, said, “The heart is deceit-
ful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand
it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Others search for God in the obituaries. The God they
are seeking isn’t alive and interactive. The God they envision
is too old, too disinterested, or too far away to worship and
know. The one they are searching for isn’t the God who says,
“Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great
and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3
NKJV). The chronicles of the Living God aren’t recorded in
the obituaries.
So where do you find God? Anyone who comes to the
foot of Jesus’ cross will find his search for God is over. It is
the intersection of time and eternity, of mortal man and
invisible God, of our sins and God’s forgiveness. It’s through
what Jesus did that we find God and make peace with Him.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man
comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6).
 October
23
Experiencing the Power
of the Bible

When Paul spoke of God’s power, the I am not ashamed

word he chose was dunamis, from which of the gospel, because it
we get the word dynamite. The Bible is is the power of God
powerful because it has been energized for the salvation of
by the Spirit of God. “God-breathed” is everyone who believes:
Paul’s term for it (2 Timothy 3:16). first for the Jew,
No other book in the world has both then for the Gentile.
the fascination and the dread associated ROMANS 1:16
with it as the Bible. When customs offi-
cials in a Communist country once informed me that I could
not take Bibles into that country, I asked, “Why do you fear
this book? It only makes people honest and trustworthy. It
results in people being good citizens. There is nothing to
fear in this book.”
“Do you know why the Bible is called holy?” asked Billy
Graham. “I can tell you why. It is because the Bible tells the
truth. It tells the truth about God, about man, and about
the devil. The Bible teaches that we exchange the truth of
God for the devil’s lie about sex, for example, and drugs,
and alcohol, and religious hypocrisy.”32
The reality, though, is that not everybody likes the truth—
whether it comes from their mother, their doctor, or from
God. If we don’t like what we see, we turn off the lights.
When it comes to what the Bible says about your per-
sonal life and your destiny, you have but three choices: You
can abide by it, accepting the truth of what it says; you can
deny it and push it aside, hiding behind a multiplicity of
excuses; or simply ignore the truth of this book.
You can be ignorant of many things and yet succeed in
life but wise is the person who discovers how the spiritual
power of the Bible can enrich his life.
October
24
How You View Those
Who Annoy You

Treat others There is an old Indian proverb that says no

as you want them one has the right to criticize another until
to treat you. he has walked a mile in his moccasins. It’s
LUKE 6:31 TLB
the same principle that Jesus articulated so
clearly when He said, “So in everything, do
to others what you would have them do to you”(Matthew
7:12). We seldom ask, “If I were in his shoes, would I be
doing things differently?”
Ponder the words of a man’s prayer:
“Heavenly Father, help us to remember that the person
who cut us off in traffic last night might be a single mother
who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to
cook dinner, help with her kids’ homework, do the laundry
and spend a few precious moments with her children.
“Help us to remember that the tattooed young man who
can’t make change correctly might be a worried college stu-
dent, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his
fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
“Help us to remember that the old couple walking an-
noyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our
shopping cart are savoring this moment, knowing that, based
on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the
last year that they can go shopping together.
“Heavenly Father, remind us each day that it is not enough
to share love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts to all
humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show-
ing patience, empathy and love.”
This penitent man was praying that God would help him
to love people as they are without having to change them
into something that he is comfortable with.
We need to look beyond ourselves and see others as God
sees them.
 October
25
Born to Worship

I visited Mesa Verde, Colorado when I was God is Spirit,

still a young boy. I will never forget how I and those who
marveled at the Anasazi Indians’ homes, worship Him
their pottery, and their resourcefulness. One must worship in
of the focal points of the settlement was a spirit and truth.
Kiva. On the walls were paintings of spirits. JOHN 4:24 NKJV
In the center of the floor was a small hole,
known as a sepapu. Here, we were told, their ancestors came
forth from the belly of the earth, and there the men would
pray to and worship the Great Spirit.
Pray to whom? Who was this Great Spirit who brought
forth the world and was to be worshiped? And how did
they know that this Great Spirit was to be worshiped? In
the heart of every person, there is a small voice that cries
out to worship God.
Archaeologists and anthropologists have never found a
culture where people did not worship some god. Their gods
may have been the Great Spirit or a distorted image of the
Creator. It quickly becomes apparent that humankind was
born to worship. When God is denied, our hearts find a
substitute, whether it be a rock, a car, a substitute god or
figure, or a cause. Worship deals with the worthiness of
the object of our adoration and praise.
We need to rediscover what worship is all about. It is
more than attending church. It is more than singing songs
or hymns or reciting a liturgy and praying prayers. It deals
more with your heart than your body. It is the submission
of your soul to the Almighty, recognizing His person, His
majesty, and His sovereign will in our lives.
October
26
Born to Worship 2

“. . . We will worship When God asked Abraham to give his son

and then we will as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, he com-
come back to you.” plied without questioning God as to why
GENESIS 22:5 He asked this most unusual thing, espe-
cially when the boy had been a gift from
God. As Abraham approached Moriah, he turned to the men
accompanying him and said, “Stay here with the donkey
while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then
we will come back to you”(Genesis 22:5).
Notice he said, “We will worship and then we will come
back to you.” Abraham’s reference to worship is the first
mention of that word in the Bible, though certainly it is not
the first time people worshiped God. Who taught Abraham
to worship?
A. W. Tozer once asked, “Why did Christ come? Why
was He conceived? Why was He born? Why was He cruci-
fied? Why did He rise again? Why is He now at the right
hand of the Father? The answer to all these questions is, ‘In
order that He might make worshippers out of rebels; in or-
der that He might restore us again to the place of worship
we knew when we were first created.”
What can we learn from Abraham and history itself? The
Hebrew word used here means “to bow, to bend, to kneel,
to prostrate yourself before someone.” The word was used
not only of God, but described what a person did when he
bowed before a king. It always included the posture of hu-
mility.
There is value in worship that we need to rediscover. In
learning to worship we receive the resources of God’s grace
and blessing.
 October
27
Born to Worship 3

“I can worship God much better,” say Come, let us bow

some, “outdoors where I see His handi- down in worship,
work than in a church.” But the question let us kneel before
is, “Do we worship at the beach, on a the LORD our Maker.
mountain trail, on the tennis courts, or PSALM 95:6
driving on a freeway?” Or do people sim-
ply use that as an excuse to avoid going to church?
When you read the Old Testament you quickly notice
that worship was often done spontaneously and in humility
and contrition. It was an immediate response to an encoun-
ter with God. Isaiah had an encounter with God as recorded
in Isaiah 6. He saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and
exalted. He heard two angelic beings in the heavens crying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is
full of his glory.” It is no wonder that he prostrated himself
before God, crying, “Woe to me! I am ruined! I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and
my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”
Worship, as defined by the Bible, always embraces the
recognition of God’s worthiness as opposed to our unwor-
thiness. It involves recognizing Him as Creator, Redeemer,
Sustainer, Sovereign Lord, as well as the Giver of life.
Part of worship involves your physical posture but far
more it concerns the posture of your heart. Jesus said true
worship involves worshiping in spirit and in truth (John
4:24). Worshiping in spirit means your innermost being cries
out in worship—wherever you may be, and worshiping in
truth demands that you recognize who God is, what His
Son has done for you, and that what He has said about our
lives is true. Don’t confine your worship to the cathedral.
Worship every day, giving thanks and praise to the Almighty.
October
28
Born to Worship 4

Oh, worship the Do you ever ask yourself, “What’s the pur-
LORD in the beauty pose of going to church, anyway?” Have
of holiness! we grown bored because the competition
Tremble before Him, is too great or because our focus is wrong?
all the earth. The book of Acts is the exciting his-
PSALM 96:9 NKJV tory of the Early Church. While we don’t
have the entire order of service that was
used in Paul’s day, we do know some of the ingredients that
went into worship. Borrowing from the synagogue worship,
there were readings from the Law and the writings. And fol-
lowing the reading of Scripture, someone expounded on what
was written, helping them understand how to apply these
truths to their lives. Then as letters to the churches were
circulated, these, too, were read. They prayed, and they also
sang the psalms put to music. So how do you worship when
you may be in a church that is somewhat less than exciting?
Worship involves focus. Worship looks to Him who gave
His life for you. Worship is not a performance, neither is it a
party. It’s an encounter. Keeping your focus on God is the
beginning of true worship.
True worship involves posture. Worship is more than kneel-
ing, or lifting your hands before the Lord, though both are
biblical; it also involves lifting your heart in praise, your voice
in song and bowing in humility.
Worship involves your attitude. Your pastor may not be
the greatest expositor, though he may be doing his very best.
But he’s not the one you have come to see and bow before.
Remember, you worship the King of kings, the Lord of lords,
and the Great I AM of Scripture.
Let’s return to the simplicity of worshiping in the beauty
of holiness, with neither program nor pageantry.
 October
29
Born to Worship 5

Some stand while they pray. Some fall face The four living
down before God while others kneel. In creatures said,
ancient days when people worshiped God, “Amen,” and the
they knelt or prostrated themselves on the elders fell down
ground. It represented the acknowledg- and worshiped.
ment of a superior. REVELATION 5:14
Submission to the person and will of
God the Father comes one of two ways. You can yield be-
cause you fear the consequences of not bowing, or you can
bow because you love God. This results in your asking Him
to bend and conform to His purpose and will, letting God
have His way. But how do we do this?
Take time to meditate on God’s Word. To learn more
about worship, take a concordance and look up the many
references to worship in the Bible. Eventually you will come
to Revelation 5 where the twenty-four elders bow before God
in the presence of thousands of angels. “In a loud voice they
sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power
and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and praise!’”(Revelation 5:12).
Singing praises as you worship also enforces your atti-
tude of bending to the will of God—something you can do
while driving a car, working at your computer, or doing the
dishes. Sometimes I will take an old hymnbook and medi-
tate on the words of praise and worship, a reflection of the
bygone generations.
When you pray, “Bend me, O Lord,” you are asking Him
to fashion you according to the image wrought by His hand.
October
30
Stalked Fear

When I am afraid, The person who says he is afraid of noth-

I will put my trust ing is either ignorant or a liar! Fear is one
in you. of our most formidable enemies, and it
PSALM 56:3 NLT comes at us from a variety of sources, ren-
dering us vulnerable, incapacitated and
defeated. All fear is not bad. By fearing certain things, we
protect ourselves against harm. There is a gift of fear called
intuition that does not disable us but rather empowers us.
Disabling fear is what our Guidelines’ listeners express.
“I’m a twenty-six -year-old-mother and I have a terrible fear
of death and sickness. I have a two-year-old daughter, and
I’m expecting another child.”
Another wrote, “My mother died of bilateral breast can-
cer. The fear of contracting this disease hangs over me and is
always at the back of my mind.”
A third writes, “I’m very fearful about the future and the
present world situation. Is there any real hope that our chil-
dren may grow up in a normal world?”
Fears come in all sizes and descriptions. Some are afraid
of heights; some fear death; some fear war; some fear getting
sick; some fear growing old; some fear the dark; some being
alone; some fear running out of money. Many people, when
they are honest, regardless of their age or status in life, admit
to being afraid of something.
Fear is the constant stalker that deprives you of peace of
mind. God said, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not
be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”
(Isaiah 41:10).
Trust these words and you will be amazed how your con-
fidence in God will help you dispel your disabling fear.
 October
31
David on Fear

For centuries men and women have been The LORD is my light
encouraged by the words written by and my salvation—
David in Psalm 23, “Yea, though I walk whom shall I fear?
through the valley of the shadow of The LORD is the
death, I will fear no evil, for you are with stronghold of my life
me” (Psalm 23:4 KJV ). This was written —of whom shall I
be afraid?
by the same one who as a lad confronted
the giant Goliath and succeeded in kill- PSALM 27:1
ing him, to the praise and acclaim of
the people.
Yet was David ever stalked by the dark monster of fear?
Yes, in fact David had been there, staring death in the face,
fearing that he might well go to sleep one night and wake up
in heaven the following morning.
When did he learn that God was greater than his fears?
David experienced one of the lowest times of his life during
the seven years he lived as a fugitive, hunted by Saul. In
despair, David feigned insanity to escape. Writing of that
dark hour, David said, “I sought the LORD, and he answered
me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
David was confronted by the Philistines who threatened
to take his life, and from the horrible dark hour came Psalm
56, when he wrote, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be
afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”(Psalm 56:3-4).
What was David’s secret in dealing with fear? It was his
trust in God. He explained, “The LORD is my light and my
salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold
of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”(Psalm 27:1). He
learned that God is greater than his foes, that God will pro-
tect, that God will deliver, and that God can be trusted.
 November
HEBREWS 4:7
Therefore God again set a certain day,
calling it Today, when a long time later he
spoke through David, as was said before:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not
harden your hearts.”
 November
1
Man’s Greatest Fear

During the difficult days of World War II, . . . I will trust

Franklin Roosevelt sought to strengthen the and not be afraid.
resolve of the American people. In a radio ISAIAH 12:2
message he said, “The only thing we have
to fear is fear itself!”
When my son Steve and two of his climbing buddies
were scaling the face of El Capitan in California’s Yosemite
National Park, one of his partners, Robert Nichols, faced a
near tragedy. The gear holding him securely to the face of
the rock became disengaged, and he plunged downward some
forty feet, or the equivalent of four floors of a building. The
valley below was more than 2,700 feet below them. Finally,
the rope that secured Robert, pulled taut, and the danger
was ended.
Was Robert afraid? Who wouldn’t be? But he didn’t quit.
“I felt drained,” says Robert, “but repeating, ‘God is my
strength and my shield’ managed to displace the fear and
filled me with hope that we would safely reach our goal.”
The book of Hebrews speaks of those “who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:15).
Is there hope for them?
There’s Good News! The Bible says that in dying and
rising from the dead the third day, Jesus Christ became the
Deliverer who frees us from the fear of death. He’s fought
the battle, and He’s won! You will never be destroyed or
defeated forever.
What you may not know is that you can trust God. You
can take the hand of the Shepherd who has been through
the valley and go on when you are troubled because He is
stronger than anything you will ever face, and when He is
your Lord, you can trust Him.
November
2
When the Lights Go Out

It was now about Back in the days when circuses went from
the sixth hour, and town to town, a prominent circus featured
darkness came over an act with ferocious Bengal tigers. Those
the whole land until who live where they roam in the wilds are
the ninth hour. always frightened of them—and with
LUKE 23:44 good cause.
As part of the tiger routine, a trainer
would go into the cage with his whip and a small kitchen
chair. The snap of his whip would prod the tigers into a
routine that was perfunctory yet dangerous.
On one occasion the trainer went into the cage, the door
locked behind him. As he started his routine, suddenly there
was a power shortage and the lights went out. For approxi-
mately thirty seconds, says Tomas Butts in Tigers in the Dark,
the trainer was locked in with the tigers.
When the lights came on, he finished his performance as
though nothing unexpected had happened. Afterwards he
explained that he had remembered that while he knew the
tigers could see him, they didn’t know that he couldn’t see
them, so he continued snapping his whip and talking to
them just as usual.
What an experience! There are times when the lights go
out on you and you are left in the dark. That’s what you do
when you have no choice: You rely on what you know, not
on what you see. You know that God hasn’t singled you out
as a target of His wrath. Everyone faces storms. You know
God will honor the promises of His Word. While the lights
may have gone out on you, God sees the whole situation
very clearly. If you are His child, you also know that nothing
that happens to you is beyond the sovereign care of your
Heavenly Father.
 November
3
Seven Guidelines to
Overcoming Fear

There are seven simple yet powerful guide- So do not fear,

lines for overcoming fear: for I am with you;
GUIDELINE 1: Recognize and admit your fear. do not be dismayed,
Acknowledgment of your fears allows for I am your God.
you to move in a different direction. I will strengthen you
GUIDELINE 2: Analyze your fear. Why are and help you….
you afraid? Whether your fear is valid ISAIAH 41:10
or assumed, you must recognize it and
analyze it.
GUIDELINE 3: Act upon your fear. Not all fear is wrong; but
when fear starts to paralyze you that you even refuse to let
a doctor check you up, then there’s something really wrong
there. Stop thinking about your fear and do something about
your condition.
GUIDELINE 4: Commit irresolvable fears to your Heavenly
Father. As David said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in
you” (Psalm 56:3). God says, “Trust me!” Fear says,
“You can’t count on God so you had better be afraid.”
You decide which it is to be, because it can’t be both.
Committing what you cannot change to the Lord is an
act of your will, a simple act of faith.
GUIDELINE 5: Overcome fear by faith. The Bible is full of prom-
ises of His protection, presence and guidance. When you
believe that God would not lie to you and that He is reli-
able, your fear is replaced by faith.
GUIDELINE 6: Stand on the promises of God’s Word. Mark the
passages in your Bible that speak of His help.
GUIDELINE 7: Never forget the source of fear. The source of fear
is the enemy of your soul, Satan, who is a liar.
Why live in the bondage of fear when through faith in
God you can be free?
November
4
What Troubles Accomplish

Before I was afflicted Trouble is not a single terrorist who

I went astray, quietly stalks you in the night; it rather
but now I obey comes as a series of frontal attacks.
your word. Consider the following ways God uses
PSALM 119:67 difficulties for your benefit:
God uses trouble to redirect your life.
Sometimes it takes some knocks for you to get moving to a
different direction. Joseph was in big trouble when his broth-
ers sold him to Midianite traders, who in turn, sold him
into slavery in Egypt. Many years later, through an incred-
ible series of events, Joseph became Prime Minister. When
he faced his brothers again, he said, “You intended to harm
me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is
now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
God uses trouble to correct your failures. At times we
have no responsibility for difficulty and trouble. At other
times we are completely responsible, and a loving God al-
lows the weight of our failures to speak to us so we do right.
The psalmist cried out, “Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67).
God uses troubles to refine and purify your life. Trouble
and difficulty do for you what fire does for silver.
A paraphrase of what Paul wrote to the Romans puts it
so well. He said, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into
problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—
they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops
strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each
time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and
steady” (Romans 5:3-4 TLB).
 November
5
Your Trouble and
A Good God

God works in and through the difficul- And we know that in

ties and problems that confront you in all things God works
ways unknown to you. You only realize for the good of those
later on, in retrospect, how God was ac- who love him,
tually working in your situation. who have been
That was true of a young man whose called according
jealous half-brothers wanted to kill him to his purpose.
and make his death look like an accident. ROMANS 8:28
That’s when an older brother with more
sense pleaded for his life. “There’s no need to kill him to get
rid of him,” said Judah. “We can sell him to slave-traders.”
Joseph didn’t understand what was happening when he
was sold into slavery, but God did. Joseph might have
brought some of his problems on himself, yet as part of God’s
design, he was to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. When
famine later struck his homeland, he was in a position to
save his brothers’ lives.
If you had God’s perspective, if you could see the end of
the dark tunnel of your life as He does, how different would
the trials and difficulties of life appear? Nahum, the 6th cen-
tury BC prophet, wrote, “The LORD is good, A stronghold in
the day of trouble. And He knows those who take refuge in
Him” (Nahum 1:7 NASB). Notice that he makes three state-
ments: First, God is good—not an impotent, disinterested
deity out there somewhere. He then says that in the day of
trouble, God is a stronghold. He uses a military word that
means an armed fortress, a place of safety where your enemies
can’t get to you.
Then he ends by saying that God knows those who trust
in Him. David affirmed the same truth when he wrote, “For
in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling”
(Psalm 27:5).
November
6
Happiness is a Choice

The king was “Happiness isn’t something that depends on

overjoyed and gave our surroundings,” Betsie ten Boom told her
orders to lift Danielsister in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp.
out of the den. “It’s something we make inside ourselves.”
And when Daniel Betsie died shortly thereafter. Corrie, the
was lifted from older of the two sisters, and the entire ten
the den, no wound Boom family, staunch Dutch Reformed
was found on him, Christians, were involved in the resistance
because he had movement in World War II.
trusted in his God. Feeling that the Jews were God’s chosen
people, the ten Boom family risked their lives
DANIEL 6:23 saving the Jews. Taking the Jews into their
small apartment over the watch shop, the
Dutch family would do everything to protect them: dye their
hair, give them a change of clothes, and send them on their way
with new documents. This family helped hundreds elude the
Gestapo. Unfriendly neighbors, however, eventually noticed odd
events at the shop and reported them.
Space doesn’t allow me to describe the inhumane condi-
tions of Ravensbrück, where women were used for hideous
medical experiments too dark to even mention. Starvation and
brutality, however, took the major toll.
Now knowing the horrible conditions under which Betsie
said those words, focus on what she said: “Happiness isn’t some-
thing that depends on our surroundings . . . . It’s something we
make inside ourselves.”
Can you find happiness or make it, regardless of where you
are or how rough may be your road? What Betsie ten Boom
described is akin to an inner joy that is impervious to adverse
circumstances. The Bible calls it “the fruit of the Spirit,” the
result of the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit.
How do you make happiness within? If you dissociate hap-
piness from having and can confine it to the realm of being,
you then understand that it is a decision and an attitude, not
an acquisition.
 November
7
Ain’t Gonna Study War
No More
Micah was living in Judah, which was part And he shall judge
of the southern kingdom, when the among many people,
Assyrians laid siege to the northern tribes and rebuke strong
of Israel. Assyria was ruthless, domineer- nations afar off;
ing and vicious. History reminds us that and they shall beat
Lenin, Hitler, and Stalin were all disciples their swords into
of Assyrian military policy. It was the plowshares, and their
Assyrians who first used crucifixion as a spears into pruning
method of execution, terrifying their en- hooks; nation shall
emies into submission. not lift up a sword
Micah’s world was in chaos: Armies against nation,
were on the march, and homes and fami- neither shall they
lies were being torn apart by conflict. learn war any more.
Understanding the times in which he MICAH 4:3 KJV
wrote reminds us of the perils of living in
a nuclear age when madmen have the capability of creating
catastrophes of global proportions.
It was during this time, however, when Micah wrote the
words in Micah 4:3.
Micah never lived to see this, and when you look back in
history, that time has not come yet. This promise is yet in
the future. God’s timetable is different from ours, and though
centuries may span the gap between the promise and the
fulfillment, when God says something, you can count on it
as a sure reality.
There will come a time when God says, “Enough!” and
He will again send His Son to rule and reign in our world,
and that’s when He will judge the nations, and men will
beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning
hooks.
November
8
Living Faster and Faster

Teach us to number Living faster than ever before and enjoy-

our days aright, ing it less? Millions of people are like that,
that we may gain living in a pressure cooker environment,
a heart of wisdom. packing more and more into less and less
PSALM 90:12 time, but liking it less every day. Time to
reflect is in very short supply.
A recently published book is a commentary of our busy
lives. It’s title? Thirty-Second Bedtime Stories for Parents Who
Don’t Have Time. Or check out the self-help section of your
local bookstore and count the number of books that include
the “One Minute” term in the title, like One-Minute Devo-
tional Thoughts for Executives on the Go, and so forth.
Let’s face it. Today almost everything is accelerating–how
fast you drive or fly, how much you are able to do, how
many responsibilities you bear, and how far you hit the ball.
Slowing down may result in your accomplishing more that
is lasting and worthwhile, to say nothing of being a better
mom or dad, a more relaxed friend, and someone whom the
spirit of God can direct and use.
There are some decisions that only you can make, and
that includes when you say no, what you can do and cannot
do, and when to refuse to take on one more activity that will
take you away from your family.
Prioritizing your goals means you have to place value on
certain things. The reality is that the good is the enemy of
the best in life, and without taking charge of your life, you’re
going to be on the downhill run, panting harder and harder,
ending up more weary at the end of the day. No wonder the
Bible says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
 November
9
Getting Out
of the Fast Lane

More and more of life is lived in the fast lane. Put your house
Many will take precious hours from you in in order,
the form of phone calls, interruptions, and because you are
endless detours. How do you get out of the going to die….
fast lane? ISAIAH 38:1
GUIDELINE 1: Have a plan and stay with your
plan. You can’t do everything, so list the “must do” items
in one column, “should do” in another, and the “can do”
in the third. Begin with the most important “must do”
item and stay with that until you are finished.
GUIDELINE 2: Prioritize what isn’t negotiable—time with your
wife, family and God. At heaven’s door, you won’t be
asked how much time you spent at the office, but your
relationships and how you’ve spent your time will all be
on the docket.
GUIDELINE 3: Simplify, simplify, simplify. Having more does
not always satisfy; having less usually simplifies.
GUIDELINE 4: Make every day count. That was exactly the
point that Moses made when he wrote, “So teach us to
number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 KJV ).
The person who lives judiciously knows that the days
of our years are numbered, and that’s why he strives to
make each one count, waiting on God at the beginning of
every day to know how to live with purpose and meaning.
GUIDELINE 5: To the degree that you can, live every day with-
out regrets. You should so live that when you die, even
the undertaker would be sorry.
GUIDELINE 6: Slow down and enjoy the flowers. You have no
second chances for some things. So say it now, write it
now, enjoy it now, and leave tomorrow in God’s hands.
November
10
Why Did This Happen to Me?

These things happened Rick Warren, a pastor who speaks to some

to them as examples 12,000 people every week, says that the
and were written down question that people ask more than any
as warnings for us, on other is, “Why did this happen to me?” Has
whom the fulfillment that question ever come from your heart?
of the ages has come. Has a phone call in the night brought
1 CORINTHIANS 10:11 tragic news, were you laid off at work or
has your child gone astray?
Job’s world collapsed as God allowed Satan to sift and
test him. First, his children were slain. Then lightning de-
stroyed his flocks. The Chaldeans stole his camels and killed
his servants, and a great wind collapsed his house. Talk about
your world coming apart!
Repeatedly Job cried, “Why?”
So does God simply ignore your questions? Or does He
answer in ways that you find hard to understand and, there-
fore, you assume He is ignoring you?
First, God understands the anguish of your heart, and,
fortunately, is more understanding with you than you are
with Him. As the psalmist put it, “He knows how we are
formed; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
God eventually showed Job His hand clearly–which refined
him, taught him, and blessed him, taking him through the
adversity.
Second, God is not obligated to explain everything that
happens to us. God is God and He answers to no one. Some-
times we look back in retrospect and understand clearly why
something happened, but in most cases if God should tell
us why something happened, we still couldn’t understand.
Far better it is to know that He cares and will eventually lead
you out of your pain than to know why He allowed it.
 November
11
When the Kid Behind You
Kicks Your Seat

How do you handle petty annoyances? You Therefore, whatever

board a long flight and settle in with a book. you want men to do
Behind you is a six-year-old boy who gives to you, do also
your seat a firm kick, then another, and an- to them, for this
other. You turn around and glare at the kid, is the Law and
who ignores you. His mother is oblivious the Prophets.
to the whole thing, a headset clamped over MATTHEW 7:12
her ears.
How would Jesus handle this annoyance? Would He (a)
ignore the kid, (b) would He quietly get the mother’s atten-
tion and ask her to put a stop to the kicking, or (c) would
He simply get up and move to another seat?
There are a number of incidents in the course of Jesus’
years of public ministry that give us clues as to what He
might have done. There were times when Jesus chose to ig-
nore irritation. Isaiah wrote that He would be oppressed and
afflicted “…yet He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
At other times Jesus urged direct confrontation. He told the
disciples, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him
his fault, just between the two of you” (Matthew 18:15).
Sometimes Jesus simply walked away from people who
irritated Him. After He began His ministry, the Pharisees
increased the rhetoric. Jesus quietly took the disciples and
moved to Galilee.
We also know how He chose not to respond to annoy-
ances. He never retaliated in any way. But He did give us a
rule of thumb, saying “Therefore, whatever you want men
to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the
Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Simply treat the other person–the one who thoughtlessly
irritates and annoys you–the way you would like to be treated.
November
12
Your Last Chance

Man is destined The last person to be rescued from the

to die once, crumbled remains of the World Trade Cen-
and after that ter on 9/11 was a woman by the name of
to face judgment. Genelle Guzman, who was working on the
HEBREWS 9:27 67th floor of Tower One on that ill-fated
day. Genelle was able to work her way
down to the thirteenth floor when the building collapsed.
As the result of God’s mercy, she was trapped in an air pocket
with a steel beam an inch from her head. In the 27 hours
that her body was pinned in the coffin-like debris, Genelle
prayed and thought a lot about her life. At that time she
was living with a man to whom she was not married, and
Genelle knew that this was wrong. “God,” she cried, “if You
will save me, I’ll serve You!”
God heard her cry and she was rescued, the last living
person to be plucked from that horrible pit. And what hap-
pened? She straightened up her life, got right in her relationship
with God and turned her back on wrongdoing.
The psalmist wrote, “You are forgiving and good, O
LORD, abounding in love to all who call to You” (Psalm 86:5).
The prophet Nahum wrote, “The LORD is good, a refuge in
times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him”
(Nahum 1:7). Four times in the Old Testament you find
these words, “I called to the LORD in my distress…”
God is gracious and often gives you a second chance, but
there is a grave danger in waiting too long. For some there is
no time to make peace. Is it any wonder that Paul wrote,
“Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2)? The bot-
tom line is that some things just won’t wait. Making peace
with God is one of them.
 November
13
Calling upon God in the
Time of Trouble

When the going gets tough, people always Call upon me in

start thinking about God, wondering if He the day of trouble;
can make a difference, if He can give them I will deliver you, and
deliverance from their difficulties. you will honor me.
Genesis tells us that in the second gen- PSALM 50:15
eration from Adam, in the days of Enosh,
“Men began to call on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis
4:26). And what does that mean? The same thing it does
today. When you get to the end of yourself, your heart cries
out, “God, help me. I can’t handle this myself!” At that
moment worship was born. The word that was used means
“to call, or to plead for assistance.” There’s intensity in the
word, too. It comes from the lips of people who need help.
Laying hold of God is not a matter of overcoming His
“indifference” to our need but rather overcoming our reluc-
tance to humble ourselves and ask Him to help. God is far
more willing to help you than you are to have Him do so.
In times of great distress God spoke through Jeremiah and
said, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great
and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
There is a limit to human strength. That’s where God’s
sufficiency comes into the picture, where His grace becomes
the provision for your need, His strength the solution to
your weakness. Take time to search out God’s invitation for
you to call upon Him. Mark Psalm 50:15 in your Bible. It
says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you,
and you will honor me.” Tell God your need. You’ll be
amazed what happens when you call on His name.
November
14
Tell Them about Jesus

I want to know When the spacecraft, Columbia, disinte-

Christ and the power grated on its reentry into Earth’s
of his resurrection atmosphere on February 1, 2003, a new
and the fellowship of pantheon of heroes was born—men and
sharing in his women who knew the risks they were tak-
sufferings . . . ing yet chose to take that chance. Yet before
PHILIPPIANS 3:10 their launch, each astronaut was asked to
fill out a questionnaire regarding his wishes
for a memorial service should they not come back.
Steve Riggle, astronaut Rick Husband’s pastor, was given
a small handwritten note that contained Husband’s final
wishes. It read, “Tell them about Jesus. He’s real to me!”
That was it.
To the best of his ability, Pastor Riggle did just that! He
not only remembered Rick Husband as a hero and great
father, but as a man who knew and loved Jesus Christ and
sought to make Him known.
Is Jesus Christ real to you? Or is He simply a religious
figure who lived a long time ago? How does a person have a
relationship with Jesus? Jesus Himself answered that ques-
tion. He said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). No-
tice that it is a living person who knocks at the heart’s door,
a living person who speaks to those who inhabit this house
and a living person who invades our lives in such a way that
we have companionship, warmth, and a relationship. Only
a living Christ can do this.
Jesus Christ never knocks down the door of your heart.
He enters only at your invitation. The good news is that
when Christ comes into your life, He forgives you, enables
you to live a life of purpose and joy.
 November
15
Drawing Near to God

Deep within your heart is there a yearning Draw near to God

to know God better, to draw near to Him, and He will draw
to feel closeness and intimacy? Have you near to you.
ever considered the fact that what you JAMES 4:8 NKJV
feel—that deep longing to connect with
Him—was put there by God Himself, not to make you mis-
erable but to bring you to Him, just as thirst drives you to
the clear, satisfying spring?
Some are driven to that point of wanting a closer rela-
tionship with God by need—say, an illness that makes you
wonder if you are going to pull through, or a challenge to
your safety or finances.
Some are pushed to that desire to know God better
through guilt over wrongdoing. They know better, and look-
ing back over a rather sordid page in their lives, they ask,
“How could I ever have done what I did?”
Others get to that point of wanting to know God simply
because they have found God to be good and want to see
their love for Him increase and grow.
If God put that longing in your heart to draw near to
Him, then how do you do it? First, you need to overcome
your fear of God. It is this that probably stops more people
than anything else. Your feelings of guilt, your sense of inad-
equacy, your thinking that you aren’t good enough, can stop
you from what God desires even for you.
The thirst for God in your heart is the magnetic pull of
your soul that can be satisfied only by connecting with God.
Thank God for that thirst that only He can satisfy.
November
16
Drawing Near to God 2

You will seek me Do you ever wish that you could really
and find me when know God? The old English hymnist Ian
you seek me with McPherson did when he wrote “If I but
all your heart. knew thee as thou art, O loveliness un-
JEREMIAH 29:13 known,/ with what desire, O Lord, my
heart would claim thee for its own.” The
theme is the cry of a heart to know God as He really is, not
as we suppose Him to be.
The New Testament book of James contains a great prom-
ise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James
4:8 NKJV). When those obstacles that keep you from draw-
ing near to the Father are pushed aside, He receives you
with open arms.
Immediately following the statement about drawing near
to God, James has some pretty straight advice. He says, “Wash
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-
minded.” What does that mean? Far more than just soaping
your hands and wiping them clean on a towel. Two steps:
First, “wash your hands” means get rid of the wrongs that
separate you from God—those obstacles you have placed in
the path to God; The Bible calls them “sins.” Then make
the decision to reach out to God. James talks about being
“double-minded”—a kind of spiritual schizophrenia that a
lot of people possess. They would like to reach out to God,
but at the same time they want to hold on to the world.
A. W. Tozer wrote, “The man who would know God
must give time to him.” If you want to know God, take time
to read His Word. If you want to know God, you must also
take time to meditate on Him, to learn that prayer is com-
munion with Him and that He hears the cry of His child
reaching out to Him.
 November
17
The Harvest is Past

When death stares you in the face, you The harvest is past, the
don’t mince words. You say exactly what summer has ended,
is on your mind. Sometimes the dying and we are not saved.
words of people are cruel and devastat- JEREMIAH 8:20
ing. At other times they are like
ointment that brings healing to fractured relationships.
Jeremiah gave us the haunting text above. Jeremiah had
lived to see Jerusalem destroyed by Babylon, its families car-
ried away in chains, and its homes destroyed. He asked, “Is
there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why
then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”
(Jeremiah 8:22). Gilead was famous for a medicinal resin,
called the healing balm of Gilead. We are not saved, said
Jeremiah, in spite of the fact there is a remedy, there is heal-
ing, there is a physician. Jeremiah knew that the people’s
relationship with God, whom they had rejected, was the
reason why destruction lay at their door.
In the northern hemisphere, late August and September
is harvest time. Life has its seasons just as nature does, but
the unknown, uncertain factor in life is, when does the sum-
mer end, and you are confronted with eternity?
Individuals who are unprepared to meet God–using the
terminology of the New Testament–who are not saved, fall
into two categories: Those who know they are not saved,
and those who think they are but really are not. The most
tragic are those who think they are ready to meet God but
who have ignored the clear teaching on Scripture on how to
make peace with God.
Jeremiah also records God’s faithful promise which gives
us hope. “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the
LORD . . .” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
November
18
Investing in Intangibles

We fix our eyes “Do you have investments?” a business-

not on what is seen, man asked me. I explained that I had
but on what is unseen. some rather large investments, but they
For what is seen is were not subject to the whims of mar-
temporary, but what is kets. I told them that I had invested my
unseen is eternal. life in the kingdom of God—in people
2 CORINTHIANS 4:18 around the world, which included my
children and family. From the look that
I got from him, I realized that we had different ideas of what
was important.
In Matthew 25, Jesus told the story of a businessman
who was going on a journey. Before he left, he turned over
his property and resources to his servants. To one he gave
five talents, to another two, and to a third only one.
The one who had received five talents doubled his money.
The one with two gained a 100% increase, so he had four
talents. And the third? He was afraid that he might lose his
money, so he dug a hole and buried his money. He didn’t
lose it, but through fear he gained nothing.
When the master returned he commended the first two,
saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” The third
was sternly rebuked.
Every day you use your resources, talents and time for
something. Here’s how this story applies to you. First, what
you have is a gift from God. Second, what you have is a loan
that can be recalled at any time. Third, you are to invest
your resources, your talents and your time wisely for God;
consider investing in others—not just yourself. Fourth, some-
day you will be held accountable for your investments.
Invest wisely, friend. God expects it of you.
 November
19
Investing in Heaven’s Bank

Jesus illustrated great truths with human Since, then, you have
interest stories. One of them involved a been raised with
wealthy man who turned over his estate Christ, set your hearts
to three men, entrusting each with a cer- on things above,
tain amount of wealth. where Christ is seated
The story, found in Matthew 25 in the at the right hand of
New Testament, is poignant and disturb- God.
ing at the same time. The two who COLOSSIANS 3:1
doubled their investments were com-
mended, but the third who, cowering with fear had dug a
hole and buried his talent, was rebuked. “Throw that worth-
less servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth,” said the wealthy landowner
(Matthew 25:30).
A story such as this always has a deeper meaning, a truth
that Jesus wants us to see clearly. Simply put, He is saying
that God claims ownership of what we have, and that we
will someday be accountable for what we do with what God
has given to us. Few people acknowledge that what we have–
whether money that we can spend or invest, time that we
can use wisely or waste, or talents that can make a difference
in our world or be used selfishly (dig a hole and bury them)—
is God’s gift to us.
Earlier Jesus had taught, “Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves trea-
sures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your trea-
sure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:17-21).
How do you invest in heaven’s bank? Investing in heaven’s
bank goes far beyond giving at church or mailing a check to
a charity. It involves not just your resources, but time and
talents as well.
November
20
Investing in Others

Whoever loves God Jim Towey had always wanted to meet

must also love his Mother Teresa, so U.S. Senator Mark
brother. Hatfield, the man he worked for, arranged
1 JOHN 4:21 for him to meet the saintly woman when
Jim had several days for a stopover in
Calcutta. Mother Teresa invited him to visit her “Home of
the Dying.”
Upon his arrival at the home, he told the home director
that he was there by invitation of Mother Teresa and was
there to see the work. Disregarding his white shirt and tie,
the home director handed him some cotton swabs and a
bottle of disinfectant. “Here,” she said, “go clean the man
with scabies in bed forty-six.”
Jim tells of this experience, “There wasn’t the slightest
bit of me that wanted to touch anybody sick and dying.”
He expected to be taken through the home as a VIP, then
he’ll just leave some money and walk away from the un-
pleasant sights. But Jim was too proud to refuse, so he found
bed forty-six and cleaned the dying man’s infected flesh.
That experience changed his life and his outlook on the
suffering of humanity. Jim eventually invested his entire life
in the currency of heaven.
When we do what Jesus did, we are investing in the bank
of heaven. And what did He do? He healed people. He
taught. He forgave others. He fed people spiritually and
physically. He ministered to the sick and dying. He lifted up
the neglected and fallen—the throwaway people of society
whom we prefer to ignore rather than to touch.
Yes, when we touch the “untouchables,” we reach the
very heart of God.
 November
21
Opening an Account in
Heaven’s Bank

There is a mindset today that paralyzes “She did what she

our good intentions, causing our heads could. She poured
to turn from that which is unpleasant and perfume on my body
causes us discomfort. It’s the mentality beforehand to prepare
that since the needs of the world are so for my burial.”
great, and your personal ability to make MARK 14:8
a difference is so tiny, what one can do to
change anything just won’t count. So the end result is that
one does nothing.
OK, you can’t do everything, but you can do something
about the needs that cross your path. If Jesus Christ is your
Lord, He also wants to be Lord of the resources, talents and
time that He has entrusted to you—to use for Him, not to
indulge upon yourself. What can you do?
First, take inventory of your resources. What are you ac-
tually giving or doing for anyone besides yourself? What
you give isn’t as meaningful as what you keep for yourself.
So you can’t write a large check; then what can you do? And
are you willing to do it?
Next, take inventory of needs that you see around you.
Do you know anyone living in a retirement home alone
without a family? Possibly it’s the one you drive past by,
where the old people in wheelchairs sit under the sun? Or
how about that old man with a walker who slowly walks
down your sidewalk?
Check out your skills and talents as well. Teach immi-
grants the language. Mentor someone who would like to
benefit from your experience in the corporate world. Do
you know a young,single mother could use an occasional
afternoon of babysitting?
Jesus commended the woman who anointed His feet with
perfume, saying, “She did what she could . . .” (Mark 14:8).
And when you do that, it will be more than enough.
November
22
The Book of Fortune

Your word is a lamp Vido Mati, a Ph.D. candidate from

to my feet and a light Barcelona, Spain, was doing research
for my path. when he discovered a document written
PSALM 119:105 in the spring of 1741 by an obscure 18th
century philosopher whose surname was
Hierro. The handwritten, age-yellowed paper appeared to
be Hierro’s actual last will and testament.
Mati laid claim to whatever might still be there, and to
his surprise and joy, discovered that there were unclaimed
assets of more than $250,000. Furthermore, a Spanish court
upheld his claim, and he received the inheritance.
There may well be a volume in your home that contains
even greater resources than those of the will of a Spanish
philosopher—It’s a Bible. Within the pages of that book
you will find the answers to the three most pressing ques-
tions of life: Who am I? Why am I here? And where do I go
after I die? It also answers the most perplexing issue con-
fronting people today—how can I find purpose for my life?
It’s a love story telling how God created humankind to
have fellowship with Him, yet as our forebears turned their
backs toward God, conflict and difficulties came. And then
God sent His Son to show us the way home.
You can be ignorant of many things in the world and get
along quite well.
You can trust the experts. You can get a condensed ver-
sion or a synopsis. But a knowledge of who God is, on the
plan He has for your life, and on how to reach heaven’s shore,
is valuable beyond price. Within the pages of the Bible, you
will find God’s will and purpose for your life. Discover it
and grow rich in grace and wisdom.
 November
23
Jacob—Scam Artist of Old

Get something for nothing. What’s wrong There is a way that

with that? Well, it just doesn’t work. There seems right to a man,
are some laws which are as old as human- but in the end it
kind, and one of them bears repeating: leads to death.
There is nothing free in the world. PROVERBS 14:12
One of the first case studies in scams
is found in Genesis. Two sons, twins, were born to Isaac and
Rebekah. These fraternal twins were about as different as
daylight and darkness. One was an outdoorsman; the other
an entrepreneur wheeler-and-dealer. Jacob’s name meant
“deceiver,” and he lived up to the suggestion of his name. In
time he deceived his father and cheated his brother out of
his birthright. Yes, he got something for nothing.
But he also got more than he anticipated. His decep-
tion drove him from his home, and he lived as a fugitive
for fourteen years. When he was finally about to meet his
brother, he feared for his life.
Yet we aren’t so unlike Jacob: our old natures want some-
thing for nothing. We tolerate the disrespect of the scam
provided the money is enough. Yet there is satisfaction in
knowing that your labors produced honest rewards, that
you had the satisfaction of creating something, and that
you earned your keep and didn’t live off the fat of another
man’s herd.
While Jacob was a “scam artist,” he eventually had his
day of reckoning when he went one-on-one with God, re-
pented, and did an about-face. When God touched him, he
bore a mark—a limp that he lived with for the rest of his
life. But when God touched him, He also changed Jacob’s
name to Israel.
The scam artist is never beyond the convicting voice of
the Holy Spirit or the hand of God, which arrests the wrong-
doer and turns him around.
November
24
Thanksgiving

Oh that men would “The worst moment for the atheist is

praise the LORD when he is really thankful and has no-
for his goodness, body to thank,” so said Dante Gabriel
and for his Rossetti. He’s right. It is impossible to give
wonderful works to thanks without having an object or per-
the children of men! son attached. Give thanks to whom?
PSALM 107:8 KJV The pilgrims who landed on the east-
ern shores of the United States in the year
1620 knew exactly what they were thankful for and to whom
they were thankful. Here history provides a valuable lesson
for us, wherever we live. The Church of England had de-
nied the pilgrims the freedom to read and interpret the Word
of God and worship according to the dictates of their con-
science, so the pilgrims packed up and decided to leave. They
endured the long voyage by sea and survived, and they knew
that it was the Almighty—not chance nor fate—who had
protected and sustained them.
The pilgrim Governor Bradford summarized that first
Thanksgiving, saying, “Thus they found the Lord to be with
them in all their ways and to bless their outgoings and in-
comings . . . “One historian, however, points out the fact that
nearly half the people did not survive the first year. For every
house that was built, seven graves were dug. Yet Bradford’s
proclamation was titled, “For Thanksgiving unto God.”
Regardless of what country you may be reading this in I
want to emphasize that Thanksgiving is simply not an Ameri-
can holiday. It should be the attitude of every child of God
in response of His heart to what God has done.
May I ask, “For what are you thankful?” Take time, friend,
wherever you are, no matter what the condition of your life,
to lift your voice in praise and thanksgiving and to recog-
nize that it is He who has blessed us with our very lives and
salvation.
 November
25
Your Will or God’s Purpose?

If your son plays well in his last big bas- Trust in the LORD with
ketball game, he may be able to impress all your heart, and
the athletic committee and grant him a lean not on your own
college scholarship. And so you pray, understanding;
“God, let him do well.” in all your ways
The first quarter goes well, and then acknowledge Him,
in the second quarter your son gets and He shall direct
shoved and comes down hard on his your paths.
ankle, grimacing with pain. As you see PROVERBS 3:5-6 NKJV
him limp off the court, you mutter,
“God, You sure let me down on that one!”
That promise in Romans 8:28 has two conditions at-
tached: One is that you love God and the second, which is
usually neglected, is this: “and are called according to His
purpose.”
God’s purposes are often different from ours in that He
has a plan which we often overlook. Our view is sees only
the reward of the moment; His sees the reward of a lifetime.
God does have a will for His children, and with that will
comes a purpose for our lives which goes far beyond the
plans of a parent to help his child get the scholarship and
the best place at life’s table.
Make a note of Proverbs 3:5-6 in your Bible and mark
those words. Better yet, commit them to memory. “Trust in
the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths”. Someday you will look back and
see the sure hand of God guiding your life, opening doors,
directing you into a purpose which He determined was far
better than anything you had in mind.
November
26
Bread and Fish

I am the bread After the crucifixion, their hopes dashed,

that came down most of the disciples began thinking of the
from heaven.
future—their own futures. What should they
JOHN 6:41 do now? Falling back on his old trade, Peter
announced, “I’m going fishing!” The six
other disciples with Peter said, “We’ll go with you!” That’s
how the seven ended up on the Sea of Galilee, fishing for a
night’s catch.
Out at sea they heard a strangely familiar voice from the
shore ask them, “Haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
“Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will
find some.” They tossed their net and waited. Suddenly a
heaviness and a thrashing in the net made them think,
“Something very unusual is happening here! Squinting at
the stranger standing on shore, they wondered, “Could this
be the Lord?” The net was full of fish—153 of them, yet the
net was not torn, something that should have happened.
“Come and have breakfast,” called the stranger. Then they
knew—it was Christ, the resurrected Lord.
This story is found in John 21 of the New Testament.
There were only two items on the breakfast menu that morn-
ing—bread and fish. Nothing is more common in the world
than bread nor anything more basic than fish.
Jesus had told the disciples, “I am the bread that came
down from heaven” (John 6:41). Something impresses me
about the simplicity of this in
relationship to my life and our world. Jesus demonstrated
what He had taught: God is sufficient to provide for my
daily needs, my emotional needs, and the bread and fish
that keep me alive.
Bread and fish, so simple, so basic, and so delightful.
Can’t you smell the aroma of fish broiled over an open fire
and bread freshly baked? What more could you ask?
 November
27
Fish

In the Upper Room Jesus and His dis- “I’m going out to fish,”
ciples were at a Passover meal. As part Simon Peter told them,
of that celebration Jesus took a loaf of and they said, “We’ll go
bread and broke it: “This is my body,” with you.” So they
He told them. Then He took the cup went out and got into
and said, “This is my blood . . . which the boat….
is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). JOHN 21:3
If a third element should have been
part of the worship ritual of Holy Communion, I think it
would have been the inclusion of fish as one of the elements.
Why? Think of the number of times in which you find fish
included in the basics of life.
At least three of the disciples—Peter, James and John–
were fishermen. Jesus found them drying their nets and said,
“Follow me and I will make you to fish for men.”
Jesus used fish as an illustration of a basic necessity. “If a
son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give
him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he for a fish give him a
serpent?” (Luke 11:11 KJV).
After the resurrection, fish was on the menu at least twice.
When the disciples were confronted by the resurrected Christ
and thought Him to be a ghost, He asked, “Do you have
anything to eat?” When they produced a fish, He ate it. And
when Jesus prepared breakfast for seven weary fishermen at
Galilee, it was bread and fish broiled over an open fire.
Fish seem to figure large in demonstrating the loving pro-
vision that God makes in meeting our most basic human
needs. God’s blessings and provisions come in just as many
varieties, sizes, shapes and colors as do fish. Take stock of
your blessings and remember, anything from the hand of
the Father is good and should be received with rejoicing.
November
28
Principles of Conflict
Resolution
Be perfect, be of good An aphorism goes: “Living with the
comfort, be of one mind, saints above may be glory, but living
live in peace; and the God with the saints below is quite another
of love and peace shall be story.” It’s true. But maybe you’re
with you. thinking, “I thought Christians
2 CORINTHIANS 13:11 KJV
weren’t supposed to fight and argue!”
That’s not quite the reality of the situ-
ation, nor has it ever been.
The Bible is full of stories of individuals who had con-
flicts. Even the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost didn’t
change human nature.
The progress of the Early Church seemed unstoppable
until Paul and Barnabas came back from their first major
missionary trip and told of the remarkable conversions of
Gentiles in Acts 15.
“Did you say, ‘Gentiles’?” some said. That very word was
inflammatory. “Salvation is of the Jews! We can’t accept Gen-
tiles unless they submit to the Jewish law!”
Thankfully, this issue was peacefully resolved and from
it, we see five steps to conflict resolution:
STEP 1: Have an open discussion. Ignoring issues never
makes them go away; admit there is a problem and confront
the issue.
STEP 2: Acknowledge your differences without blame. Ob-
viously you have different opinions; otherwise, one of you
would be unnecessary.
STEP 3: Seek the mind of God. When you submit your
will to the High Court of Heaven, it is amazing how quickly
what you want pales in light of His solution.
STEP 4: Be willing to form a consensus. Find the middle
ground. Holding onto your views usually leaves you bitter
enemies and divided.
STEP 5: Once an issue is settled, abide by the decision. Once
the early church’s conflict was resolved, Dr. Luke wrote, “It
seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28).
 November
29
Getting along with
Difficult People

C. S. Lewis wrote an article entitled, “How So in everything,

to Get Along With Difficult People.” He do to others what
said that people often tell you that when you would have them
you have conflict with someone you should do to you, for this
go confront that person. The logic is that sums up the Law and
all you have to do is to “explain it to them the Prophets.
in a reasonable, quiet, friendly way.” MATTHEW 7:12
But, countered Lewis, it usually doesn’t
work quite as easily as that. In our frustration, we see people
exactly as God sees them—stubborn, prejudiced, unforgiv-
ing, hard-headed, and most difficult. But Lewis suggested
that there are several differences. God not only sees their
faults but He also sees ours as well, something that is con-
cealed or denied. Lewis also suggests that another major
difference is that God loves the other person in spite of his
faults, and He goes on loving that difficult person—whereas
we reject the person, build a wall and want to walk away
from that miserable individual.
When we see ourselves as problems, we begin to see
ourselves as God sees us and move into the position of under-
standing the one we are in conflict with.
When Jesus talked with the disciples about conflict reso-
lution, He talked about the importance of confronting the
person with whom there is disagreement. But the attitude
you have when you confront has everything to do with whether
your conflict escalates into battle or finds resolution. Admit-
ting that you are one of the opposing forces in the conflict
in your life is a humbling experience. When you allow the
Holy Spirit to humble you, enduring change can take place—
forgiveness is supernatural. When we forgive, it’s amazing
how others appear differently.
You don’t have to take responsibility for that difficult
person—only yourself. Change starts with you.
November
30
Staying in Control

No, I beat my body How different is the man who fights traf-
and make it my slave fic on the morning commute in a major
so that after I have city, from the tribal man in Africa who
preached to others, battles a savage tribesman from a differ-
I myself will not be
ent village? No matter where we are on
disqualified for
the globe, when our space is invaded, we
the prize.
tend to react without thinking of the
1 CORINTHIANS 9:27 consequences, and our reaction may well
be a knee-jerking act of hostility that can
get one killed. Furthermore, in only a moment, we are all
reduced to a combatant who treats the man he dislikes ex-
actly as he is being treated.
When someone does you wrong, do you retaliate with
the same kind of treatment, or do you think, and then act as
God would have you? Simply put, how do you keep from
“losing it?” How do you manage yourself rather than the
one you detest?
The real issue is keeping your cool when your adversary
is hot under the collar. Paul wrote, “See that no one renders
evil for evil to anyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:15 NKJV ), and
again, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do
what is right in the eyes of everybody” (Romans 12:17).
When you start to lose your cool try this:
Think. Think of your family, or yourself, and the conse-
quences of doing something rash.
Take control of yourself. Sometimes you have to stuff your
anger and say, “I refuse to let him pull me down to his level.
He’s not worth it.”
Back off from the situation. You don’t have to prove that
you are stronger, that you can rise to his challenge.
Breath a quick prayer. Say, “God, help me right now!”
And with those five words, you’ll find a peace and a control
that keeps you in command.
 December
LUKE 2:11
Today in the town of David a Savior has
been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
 December
1
December and Depression

The month of December and depression Carry each other’s

seem to go together. Ask any counselor burdens, and in this
or pastor, and they will tell you that the way you will fulfill the
number of people fighting depression in- law of Christ
creases during December. “It’s the GALATIANS 6:2
weather,” some say. “No, it’s too much
alcohol at the Christmas party,” another chirps in. While
both undoubtedly contribute to December depression, I
suspect that there is a cause deeper than the weather or the
amount of alcohol consumed.
The real problem is a sense of disconnection and loss.
Maybe you won’t be home for Christmas, or there may be
no home to go to, or your family has disintegrated. Who
wants to trim the tree when there are no kids running around,
nobody to buy gifts for and no one to celebrate with? Who
wants to listen to an old recording of Bing Crosby singing
“I’ll be home for Christmas” when one is alone?
What do we do? Write off Christmas? Purge it from our
memories? Cry, “Bah, humbug!” like old Scrooge? Part of
the answer lies in rethinking what Christmas is about. It is
not just about family, food and gifts, but a God-connection,
which means that His Son came to earth to touch you at the
point of your loneliness.
Never forget that Jesus wasn’t home for thirty-three long
years during which He was misunderstood and even abused,
longing for the home He had left in heaven. Part of the an-
swer to December depression is to refocus on the meaning
of Christmas.
Another thing we can do is to reconnect with people,
even if you have to force yourself to take this step. Whatever
you do, don’t just sit at home and feel sorry for yourself.
Someone else is as lonely as you are. Find that person.
December
2
Beating the December Blues

“Therefore do not For many people, December is not a

worry about tomorrow, good time of the year. They either get
for tomorrow will depressed or they panic. The financial
worry about itself. stress of the season dampens their holi-
Each day has enough day spirit.
trouble of its own.” Here are five guidelines that will help
MATTHEW 6:34
you beat the December blues:
GUIDELINE 1: Plan ahead. As of to-
day, there are 23 days until Christmas—plenty of time if
you sit down with a calendar and plan your activities.
GUIDELINE 2: Put things in perspective. Since you can’t do
everything, decide what is important. Generally the more
simple things are, the better. Elaborate decorations are won-
derful, but the effort they take usually leaves you tired and
depressed.
GUIDELINE 3: Remember that Jesus is the reason for the sea-
son. If you have children, make sure that they know that the
reality of Christmas focuses on the manger—not the jolly
old fellow in the red suit. If you haven’t bought Christmas
cards yet, don’t fall for the nondescript messages that say
nothing and offend no one. Make sure that the message says
what you want it to say—that in a dark world, light came
through the gift of God’s Son.
GUIDELINE 4: Focus on people. Call your church or parish
and volunteer. Or call the local hospital, mission, orphan-
age or child-care center. You could also adopt another family
this Christmas. For every lonely person (which may in-
clude yourself ), there’s another person somewhere who feels
just as left out as you do. By reaching out to others, you
can beat the December blues and feel better when the New
Year rolls around.
 December
3
The Milk of Human Kindness

Who really counts in your life? The indi- Religion that God
viduals who have influenced you probably our Father accepts as
haven’t won the Nobel Prize or played in pure and faultless is
the Superbowl. No, the people who have this: to look after
made a difference in your life are those orphans and widows
who touched you with generosity, made in their distress and
to keep oneself
you feel worthwhile or helped you up the
from being polluted
ladder one way or another.
by the world.
Paul told the Galatians, “Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to JAMES 1:27
all people, especially to those who belong to the family of
believers” (Galatians 6:10). There is a phrase that describes
this interaction between people quite well. It is “the milk of
human kindness”—that indescribable something that causes
someone to reach out and touch someone else.
In too many cases today the milk of human kindness
seems to have curdled and gone sour. We’re too busy or in-
different to focus on the needs of others. But the good news
is the milk of human kindness has not totally evaporated.
There was an instance when a family began to regularly at-
tend the services at the church I was pastoring. I asked why
they chose to attend there. The wife told me that she had
been sick and confined to bed. A neighbor then began fix-
ing meals and bringing them over. Then she showed up on a
Saturday morning and cleaned the house.
“I thought, at first, she had an ulterior motive, but I
learned that it was her faith that motivated her to reach out
to us,” she explained. “I said to myself, ‘When I get well,
we’re going to her church and see what this is all about.’
That’s why we are here.”
The world doesn’t care about how much you know, but
they certainly want to know how much you care.
December
4
372 Days of Hell on Earth

Do not be afraid of The morning after she was rescued from

those who kill the the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who had kept
body but cannot kill her captive for over a year, Gracia
the soul. Rather, be Burnham turned to a favorite passage in
afraid of the One
the Bible—2 Corinthians 4, beginning
who can destroy both
with Paul’s words, “Therefore, since
soul and body in hell.
through God’s mercy we have this min-
MATTHEW 10:28 istry, we do not lose heart.”
During her captivity, Gracia started
to ‘lose heart.’ In her book In the Presence of My Enemies,
Gracia tells of the struggles she fought with her emotions as
well as her faith. With each day, her hopes grew darker. Sim-
ply put, Gracia was mad at God for letting this happen
Finally Gracia came to a crossroads: Either go with your
emotions and turn your back on God or hold on to what you
know is true regardless of circumstances. “I knew that I had a
choice,” she wrote. “I could give in to my resentment and
allow it to dig me into a deeper and deeper hole both psycho-
logically and emotionally, or I could choose to believe what
God’s Word says to be true whether I felt it was or not.”33
And when she made the decision to believe in God’s
Word, it was a turning point for her, one that enabled her to
endure the terrible ordeal. Gracia’s rescue resulted in the death
of both her husband Martin and a fellow captive, Ediborah
Yap, a nurse.
Gracia learned more about herself during those darks days
than she did about the Abu Sayyaf. She discovered that God’s
grace is sufficient for her to survive without being destroyed
by the hatred that drove her captors.
She concludes by saying, “I resolve to keep living in the
embrace of God’s gladness and love for as long as He gives
me breath.” She learned what Paul knew—the triumph of
the cross alone allows us to endure without losing heart.
 December
5
Come by Winter

Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem. The Lord will rescue

After a long delay as corrupt officials me from every evil
hoped for a bribe, Paul appealed to attack and will bring
Caesar in Rome, and he was sent there me safely to his
under military escort. After being under heavenly kingdom.
house arrest for some time, Paul was re- 2 TIMOTHY 4:18
leased. Then he was arrested again and
thrown into prison.
Being in prison is never a pleasant experience, but in win-
ter it is especially harsh when there is no heat, no hot water
and no hope of release. That’s where Paul was when he wrote
to Timothy asking him to bring the cloak he left at Troas,
the scrolls and especially the parchments (writing materi-
als). And he asked Timothy to do his best to come by winter.
Why winter? Not just because of its harsh conditions. Paul
seemed to despair of ever gaining his freedom. Paul reminds
Timothy that he has fought a good fight, finished the course
and kept the faith. He’s ready for what lies ahead, but he
appeals to Timothy to come, bringing bare necessities.
We’re not certain whether or not Timothy got there be-
fore winter, but when I’ve traveled through winter to come
to aid a friend and to pray together, I’ve never regretted push-
ing a busy schedule aside.
Some things are more important than getting your “to-
do list” reduced by a few items. “Come by winter,” Paul
pleads. It’s a call you must learn to heed.
December
6
Just Leave

When he came to his “Leave today; leave tomorrow; just leave!”

senses, he said, “How reads an advertisement for a resort. When
many of my father’s you hear the invitation to “just leave”
hired men have food what comes to your mind? An unpleas-
to spare, and here I
ant work situation? A home filled with
am starving to death!
arguments? A marriage that has failed?
I will set out and go
Leaving is appealing, but the glam-
back to my father….”
our begins to fade when you face the next
LUKE 15:17-18 question: Where do I go?
Your destination is the answer to a
fundamental question: Are you running away from duty and
responsibility, or going God’s way?
Jesus told of a young man who asked for his inheritance
and left home. He squandered the money on food, women
and entertainment, until he went finally bankrupt. Here’s
how Jesus described it: “When he came to his senses, he
said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare,
and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to
my father…’” (Luke 15:17-18). He left a bad situation and
went home! When you have run from responsibility and
gotten yourself into trouble, leaving it and going home is
the right thing to do, no matter how difficult it may be.
Like this young man—often referred to as the Prodigal—
you may be saying, “If I could only go home.” Going home
requires courage. Saying, “I was wrong; please forgive me,”
may be the hardest thing you can ever do, but it pays great
rewards because God is on your side when you do.
One of the wonderful things about the grace of God is
that He meets us where we are. Leaving always sounds ro-
mantic and exciting, but it’s not always the right thing. So
when you get the urge to leave, ask yourself, “Where do I
go?” and “Am I leaving because I’m running away from home
or going back home?”
 December
7
Those Surplus Pounds

In recent days, an increasing number of Do you not know

individuals are becoming overweight that your body is
from eating the wrong kinds of food and a temple of the
far too much of it, along with not exer- Holy Spirit, who is
cising to burn off the surplus calories. in you, whom you
The better the financial state, the have received from
greater the problem, and often our chil- God? You are not
dren become the victims of prosperity, your own; you were
expedience and busy schedules. bought at a price.
Therefore honor God
So why be concerned with your
with your body.
weight? There are better reasons than
looking good at the beach or having more 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19
appeal to members of the opposite sex. If
you are God’s child, your body is a temple in which dwells
God the Holy Spirit. “Do you not know that your body is
a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God?” (2 Corinthians 6:19) writes Paul to
the Corinthians. The flip side to this issue is that your health
is vitally affected by your weight and your ability to disci-
pline yourself.
Furthermore, developing lifestyle discipline will make
you more successful and enable you to accomplish far more.
Take time to read Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, espe-
cially what is written in chapter 9, and you will recognize
that Paul uses the Greek athlete as a model for believers to
control their appetites, their desires and affections, and to
stay in shape.
Weight loss is becoming a big thing today, and there are a
growing number of resources and diets that are noteworthy,
but frankly there is no magic solution, a diet pill that allows
you to get back into your wardrobe. Lasting changes require
commitment and discipline, and if you want to live to see
your grandchildren grow up, you had better get started today.
December
8
Paul and Discipline

No, I beat my body Paul often drew analogies from well-

and make it my slave known events or individuals to present
so that after I have spiritual truths. When he wrote to the
preached to others, Corinthians, he used the athlete as an
I myself will not be example. When he wrote to Timothy, he
disqualified for used a soldier and a farmer. With all three,
the prize. he stressed something that was necessary
1 CORINTHIANS 9:27 for success—discipline.
All three—the athlete, the soldier and
the farmer— must discipline themselves to accomplish some-
thing different: physical fitness to win a prize, focused
obedience to please his commanding officer, and his first
share of the harvest.
In his personal life, Paul knew discipline without com-
plaint. Speaking of his own body, he wrote, “No, I beat my
body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1
Corinthians 9:27). Paul also practiced self-discipline in his
moral and spiritual life. He knew what it was like to hold a
woman in his embrace, being a Pharisee that required being
at least twenty years of age and married. He then remained
celibate following the death of his wife. He was able to con-
demn sexual promiscuity in scathing terms for he practiced
what he preached.
Paul had an encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to
Damascus and his life was forever turned around. The one
he had hated became his Lord and Master, and he served
Him with diligence.
Don’t think that you can’t do what God expects of you!
Look beyond the sordid examples that often becloud the
issues today, and do what only you can do. Discipline is
your part; grace is God’s. Both are necessary.
 December
9
Responding to the Pain
of the Suffering

Do you remember the story of Jesus’ en- The King will reply,
counter with a Samaritan woman at the “I tell you the truth,
well? This woman was a social outcast, an whatever you did
easy mark who slept around. She was a for one of the least of
half-breed, a Jew with Gentile blood. Fur- these brothers of mine,
thermore she was a woman, which in the you did for me.”
cultural context of Jesus’ day meant she MATTHEW 25:40
didn’t count for much.
Yet Jesus accepted her as a person of value and worth.
Later, Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world,
instructing them to bring healing and help to the afflicted
and neglected. This command is also ours to obey if we are
to be His followers.
Likewise, Paul instructed that the poor of Jerusalem be
fed and taken care of by all the churches he visited. He also
made provision for the widows who had no family to care
for them.
I understand there is the possibility that those in need be-
come dependent upon the dole-out of their more affluent
brothers, becoming lazy and ungrateful in the process. Yet ac-
cepting the needy as brothers and sisters in the faith and equals
in the sight of God means my gift is God’s provision, an answer
to their prayers, not a dole-out which makes them dependent
upon me and subservient to the dictates of my will.
When Bob Pierce picked up an orphan child in Korea
and took him to an orphanage asking that he be fed and
sheltered, the sisters explained that for every rice bowl there
were four people eating out of it. Picking up the child, she
placed him in Bob’s lap asking, “Here, what will you do
with him?” In answering that question, World Vision was
founded.
When you face the reality of a world in need, you have to
ask, “What will I do about it?”
December
10
Move That Mountain

“For assuredly, Perhaps you recall that Jesus talked about

I say to you, whoever moving mountains. He told the disciples:
says to this mountain, “I say to you, whoever says to this moun-
‘Be removed and be tain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’
cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but be-
and does not doubt lieves that those things he says will be
in his heart, but done, he will have whatever he says”
believes that those (Mark 11:23 NKJV ).
things he says will be First note that whenever Jesus said,
done, he will have “I say to you,” what He was saying was a
whatever he says.” sharp break with what was commonly
MARK 11:23 NKJV taught by religious leaders in His day. In
this statement that went against conven-
tional wisdom, Jesus was not suggesting that the disciples
say, “OK, Mount Tabor, be moved into the Mediterranean
half way between Tel Aviv and Cyprus.” Jesus used an ex-
pression of His day, saying that faith moves mountains—
things that should not naturally happen do happen because
God honors the prayer of His child.
It is God’s Spirit who works in the lives of people today.
Like dynamite that moves a stony mountain, God’s Spirit is
the mountain-mover who makes things happen.
Pastor Jim Cymbala says, “When strangers visit our
churches today, they need to see something happening that
reinforces the message of salvation. They need to meet the
reclaimed alcoholic, the reunited family, the former homo-
sexual who has been turned around, the sick person who
was healed—something that bears witness to a living, power-
ful Savior.” And that is the mountain-moving power of God’s
Spirit in the lives of people today.
 December
11
Is There Life Out There?

Jesus knew His hour had come. He poured For God so loved
out His heart to His Father, saying “Abba, the world that he
Father . . . everything is possible for you. gave his one and
Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, only Son, that
but what you will” (Mark 14:36). For a whoever believes in
few brief moments, ponder the elements him shall not perish
of His simple prayer in relationship to your but have eternal life.
own personal prayer life. JOHN 3:16
First, “Abba, Father” speaks of a rela-
tionship. Perhaps the closest English equivalent of “Abba” is
“Papa” or “Daddy.” It is intimate, loving and dependent.
The second element of His prayer is a reminder of the
Father’s capability. “Everything is possible for you,” He says.
He knew the Father spoke the word and brought the world
into existence. He knew that nothing limited God’s power
and, thus, He quietly reminded both His Father and Him-
self that nothing is beyond God’s ability to do.
Then Jesus made His request—“Take this cup from me!”
He knew that He would die in the hands of the Romans.
Death was not His fear. He feared being separated from the
presence of the Father.
Finally, Jesus recognized His Father’s preeminence or su-
premacy—“Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
So is it OK to pray specifically for what you want? Abso-
lutely! That’s what Jesus did. Don’t beat around the bush
when you talk to God. Get specific. Outline your views.
Ask what you will, but—and this is vitally important—do
what Jesus did. Put your need in His hands and submit your
will to His great will. He knows what is best for you.
December
12
Christian Leaders and
Discouragement

David was greatly Among the files I inherited from my

distressed because the father-in-law, Guy Duffield, who spent
men were talking of seventy years in ministry, is an unpub-
stoning him; each one lished, mimeographed survey of seven
was bitter in spirit Christian leaders, all of whom were well
because of his sons known in the 1950s and 1960s. Each was
and daughters. But asked how he handled discouragement.
David found strength One of the seven who responded ad-
in the LORD his God. mitted to chronic and ongoing bouts of
1 SAMUEL 30:6 discouragement and deep depression.
“My emotional range,” he said, “is wider
than that of most people with whom I am acquainted. This
means that I can probably go higher spiritually than a lot of
people and I also have deep depression that I hope most
individuals are not called upon to endure. In other words,
floodtide brings in ebb tide. Ebb tide brings low tide.”
How did he face the day when discouragement was op-
pressing him? “The only way, the Scriptural way, and the
victorious way that I have learned to handle discouragement
or depression (or whatever you care to name it),” he wrote,
“is to walk by faith.” He told how in times of darkness, he
would turn to the pages of Scripture and fall back on the
certain promises of Christ, “I will never leave you nor for-
sake you” and “Lo, I am with you always!”
David was tired and discouraged. With their families held
prisoner by the enemy, David’s own men were in revolt and
even talked of killing him. But he didn’t retreat, run or quit.
The Bible says, “David encouraged himself in the LORD his
God” (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). That’s the ultimate solution. It’s
the one that never fails.
 December
13
What is in Your Hand?

Addie Bee is a woman who has used very Then the LORD said
well what she had in her hands. Addie to him, “What is that
grew up in a dysfunctional home where in your hand?”’
both parents were alcoholics so she was “A staff,” he replied.
placed in a foster home. Wanting a doll The L ORD said,

of her own to love, Addie saved ninety “Throw it on the

ground.”
cents, walked to the five-and-dime and
picked out a black doll she named Bessie. EXODUS 4:2-3
But the foster father, perhaps in a rage of
discrimination, discovered the doll and smashed its head with
his foot. Addie had a funeral for the doll and buried it under
the house.
Many years later, the church she attended asked her to
dress some old dolls as Christmas gifts for underprivileged
children. Addie’s passion for dolls was again ignited. She dis-
covered that what she had in her hands was the ability to
restore dolls and give them to hurting kids who would love
them as she had once loved her doll Bessie.
Addie has refurbished some 272 dolls thus far and earned
the nickname “Busy Bee.” She refers to her dolls as her “ba-
bies.” The thanks she gets is the smile of a child whose eyes
tell the whole story.
When she needed spare parts for dolls, she wrote to the
Syndee Doll Company and asked them if they had a few
extra arms and legs she could have. It just happened the doll
company was getting rid of some of their stock, and the
sewing machine repairman left there with a van full of spare
doll parts that filled Addie’s garage.34
When God asks, “What do you have in your hands?”
Addie may well answer, “A doll!” What do you have in
your hands?
December
14
Taking Time for God

Therefore we do not Have you made it a practice to set aside a

lose heart. Though few minutes each day to meet God one-
outwardly we are on-one, talking with Him through prayer
wasting away, and listening as He speaks to you through
yet inwardly we His Word?
are being renewed “Good idea!” you say. “But where do
day by day. I start, and what do I do?” First, get a mod-
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16 ern edition of the Bible. Personally, I like
the English Standard Version or the New
International Version. There are some Bibles with marked
sections for reading through the Bible in a year.
Another approach is to read through one book at a time.
Study the Psalms or the Gospel of John, reading through it
several times. So how long should you read? Enough to al-
low God to speak to your heart but not so much that you
feel suffocated.
Ask three questions each time you read. “What does it
say? What does it mean? How does it apply to my life?” You
may want to keep a notebook with your Bible and then jot
down your thoughts—just a few words, a sentence or two.
It’s a good discipline.
It’s also helpful to make a few notes of what you want to
pray about. That also helps you remember how you had spe-
cific needs and how God met them as you prayed.
There’s one more part to this discipline that I recom-
mend: it’s reflection—meditation, if you will—and
memorization of Scripture. Then pray. So what do you pray
about? Everything that is of concern to you. Start with a few
items of praise and thanksgiving. Then tell God exactly how
you feel and what you want. He knows you better than you
do yourself, but He says, “Ask and you will receive, that your
joy may be full” (John 16:24 ESV ).
 December
15
Signing the Contract
with God

In ancient days a person could become a You were bought

slave several ways. He could fall into sla- at a price; do not
very as a prisoner of war. He became one become slaves of men.
when he couldn’t pay his debts. Or he 1 CORINTHIANS 7:23
could be born to slaves, thereby becom-
ing subject to his parents’ master.
Exodus 21 tells us of a parallel situation. There were times
when slaves became devoted to their masters who treated
them well. When their time of commutation was completed,
some slaves chose to stay in the master’s household.
Likewise, for the child of God, becoming a servant of Jesus
Christ is a voluntary act of submission. Writing to the
Corinthians, Paul said that when you are free and become
a follower of Jesus Christ, you become His slave. He says,
“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men”
(1 Corinthians 7:23).
The New Testament uses a well-known analogy, the slave
market, as a picture of humanity who has become enslaved by
wrong thinking and sinful deeds. He pictures Christ as com-
ing to buy our freedom by becoming a sacrifice, giving His
life as the penalty for our sin. His life frees us and makes us
new people, but we then become His to command.
When Bill and Vonette Bright of Campus Crusade were
at Princeton, he confronted this truth. One afternoon they
sat down and made a list of everything they possessed. As a
businessman who knew about contracts, Bill made a con-
tract with God, “a contract of total surrender of our lives to
the Lord Jesus Christ—to become His slave[s]” as he put it.
And from the time Bill acknowledged he was a servant of
Jesus Christ, he had no problems—only challenges. No won-
der he could say, “It is the most liberating thing that’s ever
happened to me.”
December
16
Altars

Isaac built an altar Mentioned over 400 times in the Bible,

there and called on altars were places where people sacrificed
the name of the LORD. to God and made covenants.
There he pitched his The first mention of an altar in the
tent, and there his Bible is found in Genesis. When Noah
servants dug a well. and his family safely disembarked from
GENESIS 26:25 the ark, he built an altar of thanksgiving
and sacrifice.
Abraham also built altars. Following his journey across
the barren wastelands of Arabia, he came into Canaan. Moses
recorded, “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your
offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to
the LORD, who had appeared to him”(Genesis 12:7).
There are still those today who build altars. Greg Fisher
tells about building an altar at the Namirimbe Guest House
in Uganda where he was serving as a missionary. When his
wife’s chest cold wouldn’t go away, and a high fever set in, he
feared that she was sinking into pneumonia. With every hour
the situation worsened. “She was getting weaker, and her
breathing was labored,” he said. “For the entire night I called
out to God on her behalf. I realized this was an attack of the
Dominion of Darkness to keep us from establishing a min-
istry here in Kampala. Margaret’s bedside became an altar to
the Living God.”
An altar is where you meet God. It can be a rock you
kneel beside in the woods, in a quiet spot in your home or
beside your desk at the office. The where isn’t important.
Doing it is the vital thing. You can make an altar anywhere
as you lay your life open to Him and meet Him.
 December
17
Sacrifices and Altars

“Altar-building is very common in Africa,” Therefore, I urge you,

says Ugandan missionary Greg Fisher. He brothers, in view of
explains, “The Lord’s Resistance Army— God’s mercy, to offer
operating in the north of Uganda—have your bodies as living
five altars. They are places where the LRA sacrifices, holy and
makes contact with the supernatural and pleasing to God—
renews their covenant with the forces of this is your spiritual
act of worship.
the Dominion of Darkness. These are al-
tars where human sacrifice has been done ROMANS 12:1
to seal a dark covenant. This is one of the
reasons why we continue to contend that the civil war in the
north is, in fact, a spiritual war. Many times,” he says, “as I
visit in the villages I see altars where animals are sacrificed as
a way of confirming a covenant with a local god. These cov-
enants are ways of ensuring the god’s blessing and protection
for the family.”
In the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, altars served
two major purposes: They were contact points where people
had encounters with God, and they were places of sacrifice
where men made covenants with God. In fact the Hebrew
word for covenant literally meant to cut something in two,
suggestive of the sacrifice that was made at an altar.
Altars imply the shedding of blood—something that has
become repulsive to the modern mind. Yet Jesus Christ shed
His blood on the cross and gave His life as a sacrifice for the
sins of the world.
Paul wrote to believers in Rome and told them that their
bodies should be living sacrifices given to God at the altar of
commitment. Giving yourself in commitment to Jesus Christ
and His cause isn’t something that you do in a passionate act
of surrender. It’s something you have to do every day as you
say, “Lord, I’m Yours! Whatever You order today I will obey.”
December
18
Blame God

In all this, Talk show host Larry King listened as his

Job did not sin guest, a well-known celebrity, told about her
by charging God husband’s infidelity, her fight with cancer
with wrongdoing. and her battle to stay financially solvent.
JOB 1:22 “Did all of this shake your faith?” asked
Larry. I am sure that most of his guests, tell-
ing of difficulties in life, would say, “Yes, God let me down.”
Yet why are we so quick to blame God for everything?
Should we take no credit for our own blunders, for evil in
the world, for the fact that we live in a fallen world?
At least one man knew that when trouble knocked at the
door, God had not sent it. His name was Job. In a matter of
days he lost his wealth, all but one of his children, his dig-
nity and the respect of his wife. “Naked I came from my
mother’s womb, and naked I will depart,” he cried, adding,
“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name
of the LORD be praised”(Job 1:21).
His attitude gives us a model for handling difficulty when
we are tempted to say, “God, where are You?” First, notice
He acknowledged that God is sovereign and that what hap-
pens to us is “Father-filtered.” Though he didn’t understand,
Job chose to trust God through his difficulties as he said,
“May the name of the LORD be praised!”
It’s OK to cry out to the Lord and say, “God, I’m hurt-
ing. I don’t understand why You allowed this, but I throw
myself on Your mercy. You are my refuge, strength and hope!
Give me Your grace and strength to go through this dark
hour, and bring me through it stronger, richer and with the
certainty that You will never leave men nor forsake me.”
 December
19
Getting the Most Out of
Your Bible-Reading

The Bible has touched the lives of people Consequently,

more than any other book in existence. If faith comes from
you don’t know anything about the Bible, it hearing the message,
is ignorance you can ill afford. You don’t and the message is
have to be a scholar to understand this book. heard through the
God gave the Bible for ordinary people, word of Christ.
and when you read the text and apply it to
ROMANS 10:17
your life, God guides, enriches and chal-
lenges you to fulfill His purpose. The following suggestions
may help you get more out of your Bible-reading:
GUIDELINE 1: Read with understanding. Pay attention to what
you are reading. If your mind wanders, read the text out
loud.
GUIDELINE 2: Interpret what you read in light of other Scrip-
ture verses. That’s also where the context comes into the
picture. Ask yourself, “Who wrote this, and to whom is it
directed?”
GUIDELINE 3: Resource books are good but should not be a
substitute for the Bible itself. One of the most helpful re-
sources is a little book that’s been with us for a long time,
known as Halley’s Bible Handbook. When you are stumped,
it often explains clearly what the passage is about. But re-
member, what people say the Bible says sometimes isn’t the
same as what it actually says.
GUIDELINE 4: Read with intelligence. Ask three questions of
what you read: (1) What does it say? Rephrase it in your
own words. (2) What does it mean? A rule of thumb is that
it means what it says. Remember, God didn’t give the text
to confuse you but to enlighten you. (3) How can I apply
this to my personal life?
GUIDELINE 5: Read with faith. Paul told the Romans, “Faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Ro-
mans 10:17 KJV ).
December
20
The Living Word

The grass withers There are some truths so profound and

and the flowers fall, meaningful that it is intensely painful to
but the word of our confront them. The implications are too
God stands forever. great, too all-inclusive, too encompassing.
ISAIAH 40:8 In refusing to confront them, we do one
of two things: We ignore them, pretend-
ing that they are not there; or, recognizing that they are there,
we trivialize them, pointing out that there are other options.
If you chose to confront what the Bible says, then neu-
trality about some issues is not an option. In simple terms
the truth of this Book touches life, conduct and thinking.
Many never get to that point. While many people say
they are Christians, in reality they never follow what the
Bible says. They simply ignore the Bible, embracing situ-
ational ethics and hoping they will not be discovered and
embarrassed when society condemns their behavior.
Jesus made a promise. He said, “If anyone chooses to do
God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from
God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). Take the
challenge to find out for yourself. No other book in the en-
tire world makes such claims. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correct-
ing and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Twice
the Bible says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but
the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter
1:24-25).
The greater your knowledge of this Book, the greater
will be your respect for it. When you come to understand
that it is given by God, you gradually begin to recognize
that God gave us these directions, not to make us miserable,
but to show us how to live.
 December
21
The Dash of Your Life

A little child, accompanying his father to Why, you do not

a cemetery, noticed that on most grave- even know what will
stones were two dates separated by a happen tomorrow.
hyphen. “Daddy,” he asked, “what’s the What is your life?
dash between the two numbers?” The You are a mist that
father explained, “The first number rep- appears for a little
while and then
resents the date when this person was
vanishes.
born, and the second represents the date
when he died. “Yes,” asks the little child, JAMES 4:14
“but what’s the dash?” “Oh,” says the fa-
ther, “That represents the person’s life.”
How are you living your dash? Satisfied with what is hap-
pening? Or would you like to have more between those two
dates that someday will signify the length of your existence
on earth? The answer includes how you got here and what
happens to you beyond your dash.
The Bible says that you are not an accident or a product
of chance, but a person created in the image of God. This
means you are body, soul and spirit—not a dash of black
carbon or a mark between two dates. Because of that you
need the element of God’s presence in your life that con-
nects with your heart and soul. When God fills that empty
place in your heart, your dash takes on definition, purpose
and expectancy that goes far beyond the date at the end of
your dash.
How are you living your dash, that is, your life? Satis-
fied? Wishing there was more? Feeling there is something
missing? You can have a meaningful life when you surrender
all to God who alone gives definition and purpose to life.
Don’t be satisfied with a hyphen or a dash that is flat and
empty. There is more to life. Find it.
December
22
Whose Voice is Speaking
to You?

The Spirit told Philip, Does God really speak to His children?
“Go to that chariot Consider the person who wants to add a
and stay near it.” powerful weight of authority to their
ACTS 8:29 plans and says, “God told me to do this.”
It’s hard to fight against God. As Mar-
tin De Haan put it, “Sometimes we talk like this to let others
hear our desire to be in step with God. On other occasions
we use such phrases as a way of writing God’s signature un-
der our ideas to make it difficult for others to disagree with
us.” This creates confusion in the heart of every sincere be-
liever. Reading the account of the infant church in Acts makes
it clear that God does speak to His own through His Spirit.
Both the Old and New Testaments use the phrase, “The
Spirit said . . .” Luke tells us Peter had a vision, and while he
was thinking about the vision, “The Spirit said to him,
‘Simon, three men are looking for you.’”
Today, individuals who say, “God told me . . .” to back up
their argument are powerfully intimidating others, making
them say to themselves, “God never tells me anything, so
this brother must be close to the Lord.” But God has not
grown silent. God’s voice is not so faint that it cannot be
heard today.
The Spirit of God resides in the hearts of His children,
and He does speak to our hearts, prompting us to do His
will, at times leading us from danger. Those who have read
the Word or have prayed about something do sometimes
feel they have heard from God.
How do you know when God has spoken? Paul told the
Thessalonians they were to “test everything,” holding on to
that which is good, rejecting that which is evil (1 Thessalonians
5:21-22).
 December
23
The Myth or the Miracle?

For most people—regardless of where And she gave birth to

they live or what they believe—Christ- her firstborn, a son.
mas is a season for celebration. There’s a She wrapped him in
kind of nostalgic yearning that starts to cloths and placed him
resurrect from deep within about the in a manger, because
time you hear the first notes of “White there was no room for
them in the inn.
Christmas.”
For many today, Christmas is rooted LUKE 2:7
in nostalgia, not in fact or history.
“Through most of its history,” says a news publication, “the
Christmas season has been a time of raucous revelry and bac-
chanalian indulgence more akin to Mardi Gras or New Year’s
Eve than to a silent, holy night.” Most people, so polls tell us,
think that Christmas is too commercial, too brassy and cer-
tainly too noisy. Many would point out that most of what is
associated with Christmas has no biblical basis whatsoever.
Where does all of this leave us, besides confused? Can we
internalize the event and say, “It’s what we make of it”? Or
should we boycott the whole thing and then try to recon-
struct something meaningful?
Why not get back to how things really were, reading the
narrative in the Gospel and pondering the great meaning of
John 1 as we read the marvelous account of the Word’s be-
coming flesh and dwelling among us? Trace the key events
from Matthew and Luke as the angel appears to a virgin
who was engaged to a Nazarene carpenter named Joseph.
Read the account of Mary’s exaltation when she cried out in
praise to the Lord for choosing her as the one through whom
would come the Messiah.
Don’t waste your time knocking the commercialism, but
instead reconstruct the reality: Christ’s coming is the light
shone out of darkness, giving us hope and enabling us to
live in peace.
December
24
Christmas Eve from the
Father’s Vantage Point

When Joseph woke How do you suppose God the Father felt
up, he did what the on that Christmas eve long ago, knowing
angel of the Lord had that His one and only Son was about to
commanded him and emerge from Mary’s womb and join hu-
took Mary home as mankind? Only those who have lost
his wife. But he had someone dear to their hearts can begin to
no union with her understand what God was going through.
until she gave birth Steve Saint has tasted this pain. As a little
to a son. And he gave boy, he lost his father at the hands of the
him the name Jesus. Aucas when he and four other men laid
MATTHEW 1:24-25 down their lives in bringing the Good
News of Christmas. Then later in life, his
daughter, Stephanie, a beautiful and talented girl who loved
the Lord and was also serving Him, died, leaving a very empty
spot in Steve’s life. The following, used with his permission,
describes how he felt at Christmas:
“What significance can there be in gifts and carols when
that happy bouncing little girl with pigtails—grown up to
be our stately and beautiful daughter—is not here to sing
with us? Every tradition of sound and smell that makes this
season jolly, reminds me that my heart has been rent.
“I finally begin to grasp a reality of this season. It took a
Father’s broken heart to make my place at the great Celebra-
tion! That same Father spent the first Christmas without
His Child to buy me a spot at His banquet table. With His
grief He has enfolded my little girl in eternal love. By His
agony I will see my precious little girl again and my heart
will be healed.”
Christmas is more than gifts, tinsel and celebration. The
joy of the coming of Jesus was bought by the loneliness of
His absence in heaven that we might forever be united in
His presence in the Father’s house.
 December
25
Christmas Belongs
to Christ

The birth of Jesus Christ has been cel- Therefore the Lord
ebrated more than that of any person who himself will give you
has ever lived. Why? What is so unique a sign: The virgin
about the birth of Christ? will be with child
First He is the only one who was ever and will give birth to
born without a human father. Matthew a son, and will call
reads: “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ him Immanuel.
came about: His mother Mary was pledged ISAIAH 7:14
to be married to Joseph, but before they
came together, she was found to be with child through the
Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).
Second, He is the only one who ever lived without sin,
the only one who could challenge His detractors, saying,
“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?”(John 8:46).
Third, He is the only one who ever did the works that
He did. He spoke the word and healed the sick. He raised
the dead on three occasions. He commanded illness to de-
part, and He did so with absolute authority.
Fourth, He is unique in what He said. He spoke with
power as one who had all knowledge.
Fifth, He is the only one who personally claimed to be the
atonement for the sins of the world. Only one who is without
sin would qualify to be the substitute for our sins.
Sixth, He is the only one who literally rose from the dead!
His life, prematurely cut short at age 33, resurrected in new-
ness of life such as we will someday have.
Seventh, He ascended to heaven and promised to return
again to establish His Kingdom and to rule and reign forever.
Summarizing, John wrote, “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That’s
why this day is unique and should be celebrated.
December
26
Sheep and the Shepherd

May the God of Have you spent much time around sheep?
peace, who through Little lambs are cuddly and cute, but the
the blood of the full-grown sheep are something else—
eternal covenant smelly, obstinate, bull-headed pieces of
brought back from mutton on four legs.
the dead our Lord Of all the creatures God ever created,
Jesus, that great sheep are among the least intelligent. The
Shepherd of the size of their brain in proportion to the rest
sheep . . . of their body is quite small. Yet that is the
HEBREWS 13:20 image to which God’s children are likened.
“We are His people and the sheep of his
pasture,” says Psalm 100:3 (NKJV ).
The more you ponder the similarities between sheep
and people, the more you recognize how meaningful the
parallels are.
Sheep will follow almost anything that moves—a human,
another sheep, even black sheep who lead them astray. Like-
wise, many people shut off their brain and get involved in
cults, unhealthy relationships or business scams. We won-
der if their brain went out their ears for a drink of water and
didn’t come back.
It’s the relationship of the shepherd to the flock that in-
sures their safety, well-being and happiness.“I am the good
shepherd,” Jesus told His followers. His intention was to
find the lost sheep, lead them to the green pastures of heaven,
bring them to the still waters of cleansing and refreshment
and ultimately give them the joy of everlasting life.
The most important thing the shepherd does is to come
looking for the lost sheep and lead them back to safety. If
you find yourself identifying with one who has wandered
far from the fold, lift up your soul and cry, “Lord, here I am!
Be my Shepherd and lead me home.” He will come.
 December
27
Hearing God’s Voice

Does God continue to speak to His own? While Peter was

If so, how do you know if it is His voice still thinking about
or the voice of your old nature telling you the vision, the Spirit
to do what feels good? Could that said to him,
prompting you feel within be from Sa- “Simon, three men
tan? Has God gone back to heaven, closed are looking for you.”
the door and shut us out? ACTS 10:19
There are times, no matter how diffi-
cult it may be to explain, when you know you have heard
from God. Like a sharp blow to the stomach, or an elbow in
your ribs, you know God got your attention and is trying to
tell you something. How do you know when it is God who
is speaking?
First, God often speaks through His Word. You have a
situation that confronts you and as you read Scripture, your
thinking becomes focused. You see something that leaps from
the page and stares you in the face. It is obvious that you are
to obey the principle of God’s Word.
At other times, God speaks to us through circumstances.
Here the voice of God is less distinct and less obvious. When
a door closes, instead of moaning and groaning, take Paul’s
advice and give thanks, accepting this as the will of God.
Clearly your conscience, when you know right and wrong
and understand God’s Word, can be considered as an echo
of God’s voice, prompting you to do the right thing no mat-
ter what the consequences.
God’s voice is a quiet one. Though He could send bolts of
lightening hurling across the skies, He speaks quietly and softly
to His own, so softly that His voice is often drowned out by
the confusion of life today. But be sure of this. He still speaks
to His own. Listen to Him and follow His counsel.
December
28
The Prince of Peace

Glory to God in the Of all the passages in the Bible relating

highest, and on earth to the coming of Jesus Christ, none is
peace to men on more hopeful and inspiring than Isaiah’s
whom his favor rests. words, “For to us a child is born, to us a
LUKE 2:14 son is given, and the government will be
on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Does the Prince of Peace have much sway in our world
today? When Jesus was born, angels hovered over the fields
of Bethlehem and spoke of peace. The old King James trans-
lation records the message: “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14
NKJV ). The Prince of Peace can make your heart His king-
dom no matter how much conflict there may be in the world,
your neighborhood or even your home.
There are times we are tempted to think that God’s Son
went back to heaven and closed the door, turning His back
on what happens in the streets. Nothing is further from the
truth. The story isn’t finished. Someday the Son will return
with all His glory and power and establish a kingdom of
peace that will last forever.
It would be a waste of time to talk about the psychologi-
cal hazards of holding on to your bitterness, envy and strife
that wound you and make you a prisoner of the one you
dislike. How much better to remind you that the peace of
God can rule in your heart, and on this Christmas season
wherever you are, and whoever you may be, the Prince of
Peace cares about you and knows how you feel.
 December
29
Peace in the Storm

As we rapidly approach the end of the He will cover you

year and think of what may lie on the with his feathers,
horizon, many people have hearts filled and under his wings
with unrest and turmoil. The director of you will find refuge;
a counseling center recently wrote, “The his faithfulness
dark side of human experience, and a will be your shield
global culture of hatred and chaos, and rampart.
punctuated recently by large-scale acts of PSALM 91:4
atrocity . . . have left many adults and chil-
dren with post-traumatic stress symptoms. It is not unusual
to experience disrupted sleep patterns, irritability, difficulty
sustaining attention, hyper-vigilance, and a general sense of
vulnerability.”35
So how do you face life’s uncertainties? Here’s a more
important question: Are you God’s child? If you are, and
your heart is overwrought with turmoil, you need the peace
and tranquility that comes from knowing God is still in con-
trol, that He loves you and has not forsaken you.
With His crucifixion only hours away, Jesus met with
the disciples and calmly instructed, “Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”
(John 14:27).
A contest was held to find an artist who could best repre-
sent peace in the midst of a storm. The winning painting
depicted a raging storm with the boughs of trees bending in
the wind and rain. But on a branch of a tree was a bird’s nest
and a mother bird with her feathers of protection spread
over three tiny birds, oblivious to the storm because of their
mother’s wings. As God’s child you can face the storm, know-
ing that you are sheltered by the Almighty no matter how
strongly the wind blows.
December
30
Success in New Year

I want to know Another year is almost upon us. How has

Christ and the power this past year treated you? Would you con-
of his resurrection sider yourself to have been successful? Or
and the fellowship of would you rate it as one of the worst of
sharing in his your life?
sufferings, becoming I would like to share with you three
like him in his death. guidelines to turning this past year’s hard-
PHILIPPIANS 3:10 ships into a stepping-stone for next year’s
accomplishment. They are devotion, dis-
cipline and determination.
First—devotion to God’s purpose and will for your life.
John said, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good
health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is
getting along well” (3 John 2). Just as that is my personal
desire for my children, so I am convinced it is God’s desire
for His children.
Before us is a new year unencumbered by yesterday’s
losses, mistakes and failures. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that
we are not consumed,” wrote Jeremiah the prophet, “be-
cause his compassions fail not. They are new every morning;
great is thy faithfulness”(Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV ). Make
a fresh commitment to God’s will for your life, realizing that
life’s greatest blessing comes from being in His will.
The second guideline is discipline, not the kind that cor-
rects others, but the kind that corrects yourself. What caused
you difficulty this past year? Pride? Stubbornness? Rebel-
lion? Deceit? It is possible that you will take into your
marriage or your next job the same personality traits or seeds
of failure that resulted in difficulty this past year unless you
discipline yourself against these.
Finally, practice determination. The real test of your char-
acter is what it takes to stop you. Find out which direction
God is sending you, and go with God. This new year can be
an exciting adventure.
 December
31
It’s Really The End—At Least
of This Year

This is it—the last day of December and Brothers, I do not

the last day of the year. consider myself yet to
There’s always something nostalgic have taken hold of it.
about the last day of anything, whether But one thing I do:
it is the last day of school when you Forgetting what is
bid farewell to all of your friends, the behind and straining
last day of your term in the military, toward what is ahead.
the last day of work before you retire PHILIPPIANS 3:13
or the last day you live in a house.
In reality, we would like to hold on to the past, which is
no more realistic than thinking we can stop the future from
coming. Yesterday is your friend; tomorrow is unknown and
uncertain. The unknown tomorrow may hide some dark,
lurking monsters that threaten you. It’s always what you don’t
know or haven’t experienced that appears to be far worse
than what you do know.
Here’s an insight that may help you deal with the un-
knowns of the coming year: Nothing takes God by surprise.
Tomorrow morning when you rise and look out the win-
dow, realizing that a new year is upon you, understand that
God stands there to welcome you and walk with you into
the new and perhaps frightening world you must face.
Taking inventory of where you are and where you want
to go is valid and important. Take time to reflect on this
past year and the goals you want to accomplish with God’s
help in the coming year. What Isaac Watts, the English pas-
tor and hymn writer, prayed nearly 300 years ago is still our
hearts’ cry today. Remember the words of the hymn he gave
us which goes, “O God, our help in ages past,/ Our hope for
years to come,/ Our shelter from the stormy blast,/ And our
eternal home.”
 END NOTES

February
1
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (London: Fontana, 1952),
13.

March
2
Joe Stowell, Following Christ, (Grand Rapids: MI,
Zondervan,1996), 36.
3
Jeff Blake as quoted by Robert Coleman, One Divine
Moment, (Grand Rapids: MI, Revell, 1970), 27.

April
4
Karl Crowe, Personal newsletter, New Tribes Mission, April,
2000.
5
F. A. Worsley, Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure, (New
York: NY, W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2000), 164.

May
6
Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, (Grand Rapids:
MI, Zondervan, 2000), 46.
7
Elisabeth Elliot, “Elisabeth Elliot Newsletter,” Nov-Dec,
2000, 1.
8
Christianity Today, July 10, 2000, 32.

June
9
As quoted by Sherwood Wirt in The Inner Life of the Believer,
(San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1989), 73.
10
As quoted by Sherwood Wirt in The Inner Life of the Believer,
(San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1989), 102.
11
Billy Graham, “The King is Coming,” Decision, November,
1974.

July
12
John Alexander, The Other Side (Jan-Feb 1993) as quoted
by Christianity Today, Feb. 9, 1998, p.78.
13
Alfred Lansing, Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage,
(New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1999), 273, 274.
14
Mark Swed, “The Song of Silence,” Los Angeles Times
Magazine, October 21, 2001, 36.
15
Robert Lewis Taylor, Winston Churchill, (London: England,
Doubleday & Co., 1952), 145, 146.
August
16
Philip Yancey, In His Image, (Grand Rapids, MI, USA:
Zondervan, 1984), 32.
17
Sherwood Wirt, The God Who Smiles, (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House, 2001), 30.
18
Think, July-August, 1968, p. 25.
19
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22, 2002, p. U9.

September
20
Nien Cheng, Life and Death in Shanghai (Grafton Books,
1987), 180, 181.
21
Christianity Today, January 7, 2002, 62.
22
Roy Lessin, “Do You Know How Valued You Are?” http://
www.dayspring.com/easter/.
23
Vance Havner, “Things I’ve Learned in the Night,” Moody
Monthly, (Chicago: June 1974), 28.
24
Lee Green, “The Indisputable Mr. Scruples,” Los Angeles
Times Magazine, March 10, 2002, 11-13.
25
Jeff Struecker, Reader’s Digest, April, 2002, 137.
26
Susan Vardon and Jim Radcliffe, “Family man’s fatal flaw,”
Orange County Register, June 23, 2002, 1, 4.

October
27
From God’s Candlelight, as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in The
Elisabeth Elliot Newsletter, July/August, 2002, 3.
28
Doug Herman, What Good is God? (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2002), 212.
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid.
31
Ken McAlpine, “Escape the Addiction Trap,” Southwest
Airlines Spirit, September, 2002, 109.
32
George Sweeting, Who Said That? (Chicago: Moody Press,
1995), 95.

December
33
Gracia Burnham, In the Presence of My Enemies, (Tyndale
House Publishers, 2003), 14.
34
Lori Basheda, “She warms hearts with her art: building doll
parts,” Orange County Register, Nov. 12, 2002, 1, 4.
35
Joan Burgess Winfrey, “Do You Love Me? Feed My Lambs,”
Focalpoint, summer, 2002, 11.
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