Devotional for 4/30/13

The Eyes Have It

Some years ago I wanted to ride the Yamaha 125 dirt bike my husband was abandoning for a bigger bike.  A few instructions and I was off!   Although the wheelie down the driveway was a surprise, and heading for the wood rail fence was unexpected, neither deterred me from my appointed goal. I rode the neighboring streets for a year. 

Flash forward several years to another place, another time, only now I had a bigger goal.  Said husband bought a long-desired Harley Davidson motorcycle; so now I could have the Honda Shadow all to myself. The motorcycle safety class test was easy, until I had to lean into the turn.  Fear overwhelmed me (where did that come from?). I couldn’t do it.

The instructor saw my struggle and called out, “Look at me, Sandy!”

“I can’t!” I cried in return. 

“Yes, you can, just look at me and the bike will turn toward me!” he assured me.

 The instructor was right. I have been reminded of that scene and those words when facing other situations over the years.

The disciple Peter walking on the water when his eyes were on Jesus and sinking when his eyes were not is another reminder (see Matthew 14:28-32). I wonder if we’re from the same gene pool as Peter?  Actually we are - our genetics trace back to father Adam and mother Eve.

I dare say most of us look at the situation, not at the instructor who would take us through to complete the course. But God, (this is my favorite phrase in scripture!), draws near to us and says, “O, you of little faith, why did you doubt? (v.31) and then in (v.32) - when they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

You, Lord, calm the sea,

 inviting us to be with Thee;

will we ever learn to first look at Thee

and not at our ability or inability?

 

 "Do not fear, for I am with you."

Isaiah 41:10a NASB:

He doesn’t say he’s on his way to me. He doesn’t say he’s watching over me.”  He says, “I AM is with you, Sandy.” 

The great I AM is with me!  He lives in my body (see Colossians 2:27).  My body is the temple of His Holy Spirit, (see 1Corinthians 6:19).  He can’t be any more with me, or you who believe, than that!

   “Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God.

 I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. 

 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  

 Isaiah 41:10b NASB 

WHAT am I looking at? - or - WHO am I looking at? The choice is ours. Which one will be your focus?

Do you see what I see?  The word look has a double “o” - like eyes? 

Now where did I put my Son glasses?

Written by Sandy Schott

Devotional for 4/29/13

Salvaging the Situation

When I find myself in an uncomfortable situation I try to figure out what I can do to fix it. Sometimes it's clear what I need to do, like apologizing for my judgemental words or thoughtless behaviour. Then there have been times when I took a mistep, made a mistake, did something wrong. Instead of turning completely around and running into God's tender loving arms for help and security I freeze. Looking at the mess I am in is sometimes the moment where I truly recognize how far off track I have gotten. Then in my guilt and shame I begin to study and consider the circumstances to see if I can somehow 'salvage' the situation. Do you know what I mean? I want to see if I can somehow make it better than it is.

A bible teacher recently encouraged us to remember that God is our safe place. When we are busy living our lives in the world and we discover that anything at all has gone wrong, we can choose to immediately go to Him. We can go to our safe place. While we are there we can ask God for strength, forgiveness, wisdom, restoration, and anything else we need.

In Isaiah 40, the prophet is giving the people of God this reminder:

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob insert my name here!
    or, whine, Israel (and here!), saying,
“God has lost track of me.
He doesn’t care what happens to me”?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.

Isaiah 40:29-31 AMP

Dear Lord, thank You for being my safe place. No matter where I have been or what I have been doing, I can stop, turn around, and run back to You. Thank You for Your Unconditional love, grace, and Your mercy that is new every morning. Your faithfulness to us is so great! In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

LITTLE LAMB

Devotional for Sunday, 4/28/13

Last week I was at an outdoor event with vendor booths selling all kinds of wares.  It was in a small western town where you never know what you might see.  This day was no exception.  There were the usual sights of people from all walks of life, some with dogs accompanying them, others with children in tow.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something more unusual following a woman from booth to booth.  I did a double take and confirmed what I thought I had seen - a tiny little lamb following close on the heels of it's owner.  It was so adorable!  I was surprised she did not need to keep it on a leash or anything. In her hand she had a bottle of water for it, as it was a hot day in the Arizona desert. With all the activity going on all around, and all the people passing by, that little lamb stuck by her side.  No one tried to take the lamb or hurt it in any way, but lots of folks wanted to pet it and take it's picture!

We often thirst for God here on earth, in the midst of toil and troubles, past mistakes and hurts, and worries over what might happen in the future.  Our tongue cleaves to the roof of our mouth for lack of a sip of refreshment.  We seek the Lord for relief.  When our faith is strong, we are like that little lamb I saw.  We are the sheep of  God's pasture, and Jesus is our shepherd.  Our Savior is our "living water", the giver of eternal life, and we follow him despite all the distractions in this world.  Jesus is our protector and will never let us be taken away from him.  God quenches our thirst in this barren land.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."  John 10:27-28  NIV

Dear Father in heaven, please give us your Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith in your son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior.  Quench our thirst forever with your living water, the promise of everlasting life in heaven with you.  Keep us in your eternal care. Protect us from the evil one.  Guide us great Shepherd into a faithful life as witnesses to the world.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Written by Jan Andersen

Devotional for 4/27/13

Believe and You Will Be Able to See

For we walk by faith, not by sight”
2 Corinthians 5:7

Are you walking by faith or sight today? In other words, are you choosing to believe God no matter what your circumstances look like, or are you making decisions and focusing your mind on what you can see.

As believers, we have to remember that we aren’t just subject to this natural realm—what we can see, hear, touch, and smell. No, we have access to the unseen, supernatural realm where all the promises and blessings of God are stored. When you choose to walk by faith, you are opening a door from the natural realm to the supernatural realm and drawing the blessings of God into your life.

Remember: with God seeing isn’t believing; believing is seeing! Throughout the day, begin to declare, “Father, I want to thank You that my payday is coming. You said no good thing will You withhold because I walk uprightly. I believe even right now You’re arranging things in my favor.” As you walk and live by faith, you will live a life pleasing to God. You’ll see His blessing and favor in abundance, and you’ll fulfill the destiny He has in store for you!

Written by
Angie Madison

Friday Devptopma;...When You Are Adopted, You Are Born Again

You get a new parent, a new family and friends

My Sister and My Best Friend

The adoption papers were signed.                       Romans 8:15

I was baptized into a new family.                         Romans 6:3-5

It was like being born again, somehow.               John 3:3

This will be all new to me.                                      Romans 6:4

A gentle someone came along side.

“Welcome to our family.” smiled she

“I’ll be teaching you how to be wise,

But you will have to say very close to me.

I’ll help you to become a strong branch                  John 15:5

That’s what sisters do in this family tree!

I’ll remind you where you are sitting,                     Ephesians 2:6

How to walk,                                                               Ephesians 4:17

And how to stand.                                                       Ephesians 6:11

Your way will be lighted by me.

It takes time to become aware of my voice,

You’re not used to hearing me speak,

But don’t be discouraged – persevere.

I’ll be strengthening when you are weak.                 Isaiah 42:3

I’m usually shouting, 

“People! Won’t you come?                                         Proverbs 1:20-21

Let your ear be attentive 

to the voice of Wisdom!”                                          Proverbs 2:1-12

For that is my name and 

my voice is heard by some.

Then – I felt another beside me.                              Proverbs 4:7

Now there was one on either side

With the same smile and gentleness,

Is this one another guide?

“Yes, I am.” declared the voice

“I will not pass you by.

When Wisdom teaches you something,

I, Understanding, will share the why.                 Proverbs 2:6, 11, 12

I’m here to be your Best Friend

Incline your heart to me till the end.                        Proverbs 2:2

So, I am continually learning  

about my new family                                                    Proverbs 7:4

With WISDOM as my Sister and

UNDERSTANDING as my Best Friend!

Written by

Sandy Schott  

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Thursday Devotional...SHARE THE GOOD NEWS THAT YOU HAVE....

            REMEMBER SOMEONE SHARED IT WITH YOU

Here is some scripture about how people helped other people to find out about what God wants to give us. Read John 1:35-46

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” ³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

HOW WILL WE EVER KNOW?

SHARE THE GOOD NEWS THAT YOU HAVE.

Some of us were raised in Church.
Parents took their children to church. They taught them about God and how they should worship Him. Some of the children listened. Some of them did not pay attention. Either way, someone told them about salvation and they believed. Since God does not have grandchildren, their choice was needed.

Some of us were not raised in Church.
We wandered around aimlessly and in darkness. One fine day a beam of light stopped them. Maybe it was from something they overheard in a conversation, or someone took the time to tell them the joy that they had and they saw the truth. God does not have grandchildren, their choice was needed.

Some of us were raised in a church at which we were not fed.
Maybe there were no “meals” there. Maybe the meals that were there did not touch us. Whatever the reason we could have wasted our lives going round in circles in deep shadow. Without receiving some message about the truth of salvation they would have perished. Someone told them. God does not have grandchildren, so, like the others, the correct choice was needed.

Jesus was the first one to reach one. The apostles followed in His footsteps. And through the centuries others picked up the trumpet and spread the good word. Now in this generation it is our call to go out and reach others. If they are not told how will they know? 

Each on reach one…IN FACT REACH MANY.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa