Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . . . There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. -Revelation 21:4



I had just finished preaching on the heartaches of life, when a couple approached me at the front of the church. The woman told me about the burden they bore as a family. Their young son had severe physical problems, and the strain of the constant care of this needy little guy, coupled with the heartache of knowing they couldn't improve his situation, sometimes felt unbearable.

As the couple shared, with tears in their eyes, their little daughter stood with them-listening and watching. Seeing the obvious hurt etched by tears on her mother's face, the girl reached up and gently wiped the tears from her mother's cheek. It was a simple gesture of love and compassion, and a profound display of concern from one so young.

Our tears often blur our sight and prevent us from seeing clearly. In those moments, it can be an encouragement to have a friend who cares enough to love us in our pain and walk with us in our struggles.

Even though friends can be a help, only Christ can reach beyond our tears and touch the deep hurts of our hearts. His comfort can carry us through the struggles of our lives until that day when God Himself wipes away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). -Bill Crowder

He knows where the hurt is the deepest,
The tears of the night and the day,
And whispering softly, "I love you,"
He brushes the teardrops away.  -Anon.


The God who washed away our sins will also wipe away our tears.

[Judy Harder]

Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. -Exodus 18:24



In 1959, when Lee Kuan Yew assumed the position of Prime Minister of Singapore, his leadership began a long process of national transformation. Initially, disagreements between ethnic groups and a weak economic base made the future of this tiny nation uncertain. By 1990, when Lee stepped down from his position, Singapore had become a model country for ethnic harmony and a thriving economy. After serving as Senior Minister, Lee became Minister Mentor in 2004. Since then he has been an invaluable resource to Singapore's cabinet and to other leaders around the world.

Insights from the older generation can greatly benefit the younger generation. Although Moses had been used by God to perform miracles and deliver Israel out of bondage in Egypt, he still listened to the advice of his father-in-law Jethro (Ex. 18:24). Jethro had watched his son-in-law care for the concerns of the people and observed: "Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you" (v.18). Moses followed Jethro's advice to select, train, and delegate others to share the workload (vv.22-24).

Whom has God placed in your life to advise you as a "minister mentor"? -Dennis Fisher

Following Through
What are your weakest character traits?
Do you know a fellow believer who is strong in these areas?
Could that person become your spiritual mentor?


Those who are mature in the faith can help others to mature in their faith.

[MarineMom]

you must use the same devotional that I do

[Judy Harder]

I get it from the Gospel Highway on the Internet.....and enjoy it and the gospel music, too.
Here in Longton we don't have good radio reception and the only station I know of to get Christian music is out
of Tulsa and just to far to get it on my radio........So I am very happy for the Internet.
AOYP

[MarineMom]

the best Christian radio station I know is KJIL/KHYM out of Meade but it is also too far away for the radio. It streams onto the internet but dial up doesn't work well for music

[Judy Harder]

Dare To Be Different

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:12-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. -2 Corinthians 5:20




Since my dad was a pastor, I got stuck with the label known to every pastor's kid: PK. But, much to the congregation's disappointment, the title didn't stop me from being my mischievous little self. I can't count the times I heard, "Little Joe, you're the pastor's son. You should be an example." But I didn't want to be an example! I was only 5 and wanted to have fun with my friends!
Let's face it, being an example is often about being different. But most of us don't want to be different. We want people to like us, and the safest way to do that is to blend in. But following Christ has never been about blending in. Following Him means to be like Him, to respond to life and relate to people as He did. It's a little risky and uncomfortable to be different. But that's what being an "ambassador for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20) is all about-bringing the wonderful difference of your King to bear on the territory you've been assigned: your home, your office, your friendships. Representing the King is not just our calling; it's a great honor.

In retrospect, I can see how my antics as a PK reflected poorly on my dad. It's motivating to remember that our non-Jesus attitudes and actions also reflect poorly on our King.

Make a difference by daring to be different!
-Joe Stowell

Show me the way, Lord, let my light shine
As an example of good to mankind;
Help them to see the patterns of Thee,
Shining in beauty, lived out in me.  -Neuer


Dare to be different-for the Father's sake.

[Judy Harder]

Best In Show?
READ: Matthew 23:1-12

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. -1 Samuel 16:7




Dog shows on TV can be entertaining. The dog owners are impeccably dressed and trot along with their pedigreed pooches as they show off their unique canine beauty. The dogs have been trained to stand confidently with chins lifted high, their shiny coats carefully brushed and styled. To me, they all look like winners.
But I wonder sometimes, when their audience is gone, what are these dogs really like? Do they ever relax and let their sleek fur get so matted they're mistaken for mutts? Does their doggie breath start smelling foul?

More important, what are we really like when nobody's watching? In Matthew 23:2-7, Jesus rebuked those who were interested in how they looked in public rather than how they were seen by God. He wants us to be obedient, faithful, and committed to Him-even when nobody else sees. The Pharisees focused on the way they were perceived by other people. God's focus is on what we're like inside. His desire is for us to look like His Son.

We're not in a competition with other Christians. God will never ask us to compete for "best in show." He measures us by the perfect standard of His Son (Eph. 4:13). And in love, He provides the righteousness we need so that we can be blameless before Him (Col. 1:21-23). -Cindy Hess Kasper

Just live your life before your Lord,
It matters not what others do-
Your actions will be weighed by Him
Who metes out judgment just and true.  -Roe


Living for God's approval is better than living for man's applause.

 
Fighting a Spiritual Battle by Dr. Warren Wiersbe


Read Psalm 17:1-15

Prayer is essential to the Christian life. God commands us to pray (Luke 11:2;18:1; I Thess. 5:17), and He uses people of prayer. What are the elements of an effective prayer life? First, we need God's ear--"hear me." David was praying for "a just cause"; he was concerned about God's will. But God won't hear us if we harbor deliberate sin in our lives, if we pray with "deceitful lips." He loves us too much to pamper us in our sins. To get God's ear, we must pray honestly, fervently and submissively. We must prepare our hearts for prayer.

Second, we need God's eye--"examine me." David could have killed Saul on two occasions, but by faith he left his vindication with the Lord. God knew David's heart. He probes our hearts when we pray. Often we are like Jacob; we pray and then meddle and scheme. We must not pray and then gossip. God's Word and prayer go together. If we live by the Word of God, it keeps us in the will of God.

Third, we need God's hand--"deliver me." The word save (vv. 7,13) means "deliver." Notice that David's response is one of submission, and God's response is one of service. King David asks the King of kings for help, and He responds to David's faith. His enemies think they have David, but God's power goes to work for him.

Finally, we need God's face--"satisfy me." If our praying doesn't make us more like our Lord, our praying is in vain (Josh. 24:15). God's goal is that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). But we don't have to wait for the resurrection; we can be changed daily through God's Word and through prayer.

The purpose of prayer is to accomplish the will of God, for us to become like Jesus.

God uses your prayers to accomplish His will, both in your life and in the lives of others. To be effective, your prayers need God's help. Make your prayer time an alignment to His Word and His will.






 
 

February 2
The heart of the issue
For reading & meditation: Job 21:11-16
"Yet they say ' 'Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?' ' But their prosperity is not in their own hands '" (vv. 14-16)


We come now to the heart of the issue with which the psalmist is struggling in Psalm 73: "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning" (Psa.73:13-14). Permit me to paraphrase what I think he is saying: "Here I am, living a godly life, keeping my heart and hands clean, avoiding sin, meditating on the things of God and devoting myself to a life pleasing to God, yet despite this I am facing all kinds of troubles. What's the advantage in serving God if He doesn't protect me?" The problem, then, is not so much the prosperity of the wicked as the fact that he himself is passing through a period of great trial while they are getting off scot-free. We begin now to see the roots of the envy to which the psalmist referred earlier: "For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (v.3). Envy is born out of two things: ignorance and a wrong comparison. Take, first, a wrong comparison. "Almost all our problems," said Dr W.E. Sangster, "begin in a wrong comparison." How true this is. We compare our looks, our height, our income, our homes, our training and our abilities with those of others and soon we lose sight of our own individuality and specialness. To compare ourselves with Christ is a healthy spiritual discipline, but to indulge in comparison with those we think are more prosperous and fortunate than we are is the direct road to envy.

Prayer:

O God, save me, I pray, from the habit of wrongly comparing myself with others. Help me to satisfy the impulse I have for making comparisons only in a way that will yield spiritual gain - by comparing myself only with You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For further study:
Psalms 37:1-40; Proverbs 3:31
1. What is envy?
2. What is the result of envy?




God bless 

[Judy Harder]

It Looks Bad
READ: Psalm 12

I will set him in the safety for which he yearns. -Psalm 12:5




King David looked out at the world and was troubled. He didn't need the Internet to paint a bleak picture of society or The New York Times to remind him of crime and suffering. Even without a cable news show to give him all the bad news, he saw the evil.

He looked around and saw that "the godly man ceases." He noticed that "the faithful disappear." In his world, everyone spoke "idly" to his neighbor "with flattering lips and a double heart" (Ps. 12:1-2).

This description may sound like the theme of a TV show, but it was life, circa 1,000 BC. While we may view society's evils as much worse than anything before, David reminds us that evil is not a 21st-century innovation.

But David's words also give us hope. Notice his reaction to the bad news he bore. In verse 1, he turned to God and cried, "Help!" Then he implored God with specific needs. The response he got was positive. God promised that because He rules righteously, He would provide protection and safety (vv.5-7).

When you are discouraged by all the bad news, cry out for God's help. Then bask in the confidence of His assurance. Three thousand years after David, God is still, and always will be, in control. -Dave Branon

When through life's darkened maze I go
And troubles overwhelm my soul,
Oh, grant me, Lord, the faith to know
That You are always in control.  -D. De Haan


We have nothing to fear, because God is in control.

 
A Song of Deliverance by Dr. Warren Wiersbe


Read Psalm 18:1-6

Psalm 18 celebrates David's victory over his enemies. Notice the inscription at the beginning. This is the song David sang "on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul." David did not classify Saul as one of his enemies. Isn't that interesting? David was an enemy to Saul, but Saul was not an enemy to him.

We may not be able to prevent other people from being our enemies, but we can prevent ourselves from being enemies toward others. Our job is not to create problems and make enemies. Our job is to pray, to live for the Lord and to represent Him in all we do.

The Lord delivered David from all his enemies. The Hebrew language contains 23 different words for deliverance. The Jewish people knew something about deliverance. Throughout their history God had delivered them.

Who delivered David? God did. When did He do it? When David called upon Him. "I will love You, O Lord, my strength" (v. 1). As we look at verses 1-6, we find nine different titles for God: my God, my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Strength, my Shield, the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold, the Lord. Don't let that little word my upset you. You must lay hold of God personally and say, "He is my God. He is my Deliverer. He is my Salvation." Who delivers you? The Lord. When will He deliver you? When you call upon Him. "I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies" (v. 3).

David learned how to trust God for deliverance. Although his circumstances were often difficult, God was his Stronghold, and David called on Him for help. Do you need deliverance? Is God your Deliverer? If so, you may call on Him for help.





 
 

February 3

Don't forget the parenthesis
For reading & meditation: Isaiah 11:1-9
"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes '" (v.3)


Yesterday we said that envy is born out of two things: ignorance and making wrong comparisons. Having seen how a wrong comparison can produce envy, we focus now on ignorance. How can ignorance give rise to envy? Far too often our judgments of people are based only on what we see, and we fail to take into account other things that may be going on in their lives. Years ago, A.C. Gardiner wrote a little essay on Lord Simon and spoke at length of his many successes. In one place he described him as "prancing down a rose-strewn path to a shining goal". Gardiner thought that success, in the measure Lord Simon had experienced it, was free of all sorrow. Then he remembered some of the bitter disappointments that Lord Simon had faced and so he added in parenthesis: "I speak here only of his public career." Many of us forget the parenthesis. We see simply the surface of our neighbours' lives and know nothing of their secret sorrows. If we saw beneath the surface of those lives we tend to envy - the hidden hurts, the emptiness, the heartaches, the guilt and the fears - then I doubt whether the emotion of envy would ever rise within us. But even if there were no secret sorrows we would still have no reason to envy others. God is the rightful Lord of all life: "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves" (Psa. 100:3, NKJ). Let us keep our eyes fixed only on Christ and resist all other attempts at comparison. Practise comparing yourself with Him, and only good will come out of it.

Prayer:

Blessed Lord Jesus, I see how easily the spirit of envy can filch away my peace and happiness. Uproot this rank weed in my heart and teach me to compare myself with none other but You. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.
For further study:
1 Corinthians 2:13; Psalms 89:6


1. What is it not wise to do?
2. What is the right way to make comparisons?


Becoming the "Filth of the World"


We have been made as the filth of the world . . . -1 Corinthians 4:13




These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us who call ourselves ministers of the gospel is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or "filth of the world." "Fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . ." ( Colossians 1:24 ) is not the result of the holiness of sanctification, but the evidence of consecration-being "separated to the gospel of God . . ." ( Romans 1:1 ).
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you . . ." (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, "I won't submit; I won't bow or bend." And you don't have to- you can be saved by the "skin of your teeth" if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is "separated to the gospel . . . ." Or you can say, "I don't care if I am treated like 'the filth of the world' as long as the gospel is proclaimed." A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but "to reveal His Son in me. . ." ( Galatians 1:16 ).

[Judy Harder]

Unlocking The Gate

READ: Numbers 5:5-8

When a man or woman commits any sin . . . against the Lord, . . . then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. -Numbers 5:6-7

When a man or woman commits any sin . . . against the Lord, . . . then he shall confess the sin which he has committed.  -Numbers 5:6-7
Researchers at the University of Toronto reported in 2006 that people who are suffering from a guilty conscience experience "a powerful urge to wash themselves." To study this effect, the researchers asked volunteers to recall past sins. They were then given an opportunity to wash their hands as a symbol of cleansing their conscience. Those who had recalled their sins washed their hands at "twice the rate of study subjects who had not imagined past transgressions."

The Bible proposes the only effective way of dealing with sin-confession. In the Old Testament, one of the ways the Israelites were supposed to cleanse themselves and maintain purity before God and in their community was by confessing their sins (Num. 5:5-8). To confess means "to speak the same; to agree with; to admit the truth." When the people confessed to God, they were not telling Him anything He did not already know. But their confession was a demonstration of a change of heart. Refusing to confess their sins allowed sin to take deeper root within their lives and community.

Admitting our sin unlocks the gate so that we can have forgiveness, joy, and peace. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). -Marvin Williams

If we would know God's power to heal
And cleanse us from within,
We must acknowledge when we're wrong-
Confessing it as sin.  -Fasick


Confession is agreeing with God about our sin.

Not All Storms Are Bad by Dr. Warren Wiersbe


Read Psalm 18:7-15

These verses present one of the greatest descriptions of a storm found in the Bible. It is a graphic picture of the way God works when He comes to the aid of His children. David was saying in these verses that God the Creator, God the Deliverer, used everything in nature to come to his aid. The earth shook, down to its foundations. Smoke came up, and fire came out. Coals were kindled. The heavens bowed down. The wind began to blow, for God was coming on the wings of the wind. We see darkness, dark waters, thick clouds, even hailstones and coals of fire. Thunder, lightning--the very breath of God was blowing across the fields.

When the child of God is in His will, all of nature works for him. When the child of God is out of His will, everything works against him. Remember Jonah? He ran away from God in disobedience, and what happened? A storm appeared. The wind and waves were violent. That little boat went up and down on the ocean like a cork. Even the mariners were worried. Jonah disobeyed God, and everything in nature worked against him. David obeyed God, and everything in nature worked for him.

God can use the storms of life to fulfill His will. Is the wind blowing? He is flying on the wings of the wind. Are the clouds thick? He will bring showers of blessing out of them. Don't be afraid of the storm. Storms can come from the hand of God and be the means of blessing.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals Feb. 5, 2008


The Atrocious Mathematics Of The Gospel

READ: Matthew 18:23-35

The master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. -Matthew 18:27

From childhood we are taught how to succeed in the world of ungrace. "You get what you pay for." "The early bird gets the worm." "No pain, no gain." I know these rules well because I live by them. I work for what I earn; I like to win; I insist on my rights. I want people to get what they deserve.
But Jesus' parables about grace teach a radically different concept. In Matthew 18, no one could accumulate a debt as huge as the servant did (vv.23-24). This underscores the point: The debt is unforgivable. Nevertheless, the master let the servant off scot-free.

The more I reflect on Jesus' parables proclaiming grace, the more tempted I am to apply the word atrocious to describe the mathematics of the gospel. I believe Jesus gave us these stories to call us to step completely outside our tit-for-tat world of ungrace and enter into God's realm of infinite grace.

If I care to listen, I hear a loud whisper from the gospel that I did not get what I deserved. I deserved punishment and got forgiveness. I deserved wrath and got love. I deserved debtor's prison and got instead a clean credit history. I deserved stern lectures and crawl-on-your-knees repentance. Instead, I got a banquet spread for me. -Philip Yancey

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.  -Flint
© Renewal 1969 Lillenas Publishing Company

Our sin is great-God's grace is greater.

Come Out of Confinement by Dr. Warren Wiersbe

Read Psalm 18:16-19

For several years David had been forced to live in confined places while he fled from Saul. More than once he fled to a cave to save his life. Then God brought him out of the caves and out of confinement and into a large place. "He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me" (v. 19). David was a man after God's own heart, and God delighted in him, just as He delighted in our Lord Jesus. God said of Him, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17).

We often talk about our delighting in the Lord. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:4). That's important to do. But what about God's delighting in us? As parents and grandparents, we enjoy delighting in our children and grandchildren. In a similar way God wants to delight in us.

Because God delights in us, He delivers us. And He uses the difficult experiences of life to make us bigger. "He also brought me out into a broad place" (v. 19). Verse 36 of this chapter says, "You enlarged my path under me." When God puts us into a large place, He has to give us larger feet. But don't stop there. In Psalm 4:1 David said, "You have relieved me." God delivers us so that He can put us into a larger place, so that He can enable us to take giant steps of faith for His glory. David had gone through several years of confinement, difficulty, persecution and sorrow. But when it was over, he was a bigger man.

Let the trials of life make you a giant, not a midget. Let God put you into a large place, where you can take giant steps of faith for His glory.

Life's trials are not easy. But in God's will, each has a purpose. Often He uses them to enlarge you. Are you feeling confined? Be encouraged that God delights in delivering you from confinement. Difficult times build your faith, if you let Him use them for His glory.

February 5

Starting at the bottom
For reading & meditation: Lamentations 3:19-27
"' my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." (vv.20-21)

Now we come to the turning point of the seventy-third psalm - the point where the psalmist takes the first step toward the resolution of his problem. We must not forget that the purpose of this psalm is to show us how the writer solved his problem, so that when we get into the same kind of difficulty we can apply the same solutions. Here, then, is his first step: "If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me" (Psa. 73:15-16). We see in these words what it was that arrested his feelings of doubt and despair - the thought that if he were to speak out of his discouraged heart he would put a stumbling block in someone else's path. "If I did that," he thinks to himself, "I would be untrue to the generation of God's children. So, rather than discourage others with my doubts, I will not say anything at all." Some might regard it as strange that the first step the psalmist took on the road to recovery should be one with such a low motivation. Indeed, there are those who have said it was unworthy of him and that he should not have allowed himself to get into that condition. Similarly, when people in the Church today confess to having "unspiritual" feelings, I am sure you have heard judgmental advice-givers address them with words like: "You ought not to feel like that!" But the point is that they do feel like that, and reality demands that we begin right where they are and not where we would like them to be. Personally, I do not care how low a person's stand might be as long as he or she is standing and not slipping.

Prayer:

Gracious and loving Father, teach me how to handle myself in a crisis and help me not to be too proud to begin at the lowest level. Better to have my feet on the lowest rung of the ladder than to be struggling in the mire. Amen.
For further study:
Hebrews 4:1-16; Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13;
1. Why can we come boldly to the Lord with our feelings?
2. What will we obtain?

Are You Ready To Be Poured Out As an Offering? (1)
If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all -Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer- to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, "I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don't want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, 'Well done.' "

It is one thing to follow God's way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a "doormat" under other people's feet. God's purpose may be to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased . . ." ( Philippians 4:12 ). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket-to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted- not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.

 

God bless