Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals March 7, 2008

A New Career

READ: Matthew 4:18-22
Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. -Matthew 4:22
For some guys, the annual fishing trip is the highlight of their calendar. They stay in cozy cabins and spend long days fishing just for the fun of it. You can be sure it wasn't that way for the disciples. They weren't on vacation when they met Jesus. Fishing was their career.

Our careers often demand much of our time and attention. But Jesus has an interesting way of interrupting our business-as-usual agenda. In fact, He invites us to join His business.

Notice the sequence of His statement to the fishermen: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19). We are tempted to think that we should make something of our lives and at the same time follow Jesus. Wrong! He calls us first to follow Him, and then He makes something of our lives. He leads us to prioritize so that we see the needs of people and their eternity as the goal of all our endeavors.

And while God may not require you to give up your career, following Him will guarantee that you will never see your career in the same way again. Where you "fish" is not important. But if you follow, you must fish.

What are you waiting for? Drop your nets, follow Him, and let Him make something of your life.  - Joe Stowell

"Take up your cross," the Savior said,
"If you would My disciple be;
Take up your cross with willing heart
And humbly follow after Me."  -Everest

Drop your nets and follow Jesus.

We Have Met the Enemy . . . By Tony Beckett and Woodrow Kroll

Deuteronomy 1-3, Mark 10:32-52
Key Verse: Mark 10:38

The old cartoon character Pogo rephrased the words of Admiral Perry: "We have met the enemy and he is us." The struggles and failures so many people experience have as their root nothing other than self. In today's reading, self-focus clashes with the kingdom agenda.

Jesus gave the agenda. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he announced (v. 33). He spoke of His upcoming betrayal, condemnation, mocking, death and resurrection.

Having heard this agenda, James and John made a request-to sit on either side of Jesus in His glory. The clashing of agendas occurred as they shifted focus from Christ's passion to their desired positions of honor.

Just as the request in the Numbers 32 reading (March 5) affected the nation as a whole, so this request affected the disciples as a group. The others became "indignant with James and John" (v. 41). Jesus had to call them together to calm them down.

Consider James 4:1. "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?"

Choose to focus on the kingdom agenda. Take the focus off yourself.

Try to see others before yourself. Perhaps today you will be able to put someone in front of you. Learn to live for others.

Living Free Every Day®
Today's Scripture
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV

Thoughts for Today
If your child or someone else you care about  is struggling with a life-controlling problem, the goal should be to place that person in God's hands and allow Him to work with your loved one on His time frame. As much as we might want to, we cannot manipulate or demand that a person change, only Jesus can change a heart.

As helpers, we can do these three things to help struggling people:

Direct them to focus on Jesus. 
Model honesty for them.   
Hold them responsible for their own choices.   
Consider this
Today's scripture makes it clear that we can plant seed we can water the seed but only God can give the increase. It is good to know that although we can create an environment for change by doing those things God has called us to do, it is ultimately He who makes the change in our loved one's life.

Prayer
Father, my loved one is struggling with a life-controlling problem. Teach me how to create an environment for change and help me trust you for your will in my loved one's life. In Jesus' name

These thoughts were drawn from
Close But Not Too Close by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee. This 36-page booklet is written primarily for those who want to help someone close to them who is enslaved by the stronghold of a life-controlling issue. It is also designed to help someone who is suffering the consequences of a loved one's problem   

PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.


The Source of Abundant Joy
Oswald Chambers
In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us -Romans 8:37
Paul was speaking here of the things that might seem likely to separate a saint from the love of God. But the remarkable thing is that nothing can come between the love of God and a saint. The things Paul mentioned in this passage can and do disrupt the close fellowship of our soul with God and separate our natural life from Him. But none of them is able to come between the love of God and the soul of a saint on the spiritual level. The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of the love of God that was exhibited on the Cross of Calvary; a love that is not earned and can never be. Paul said this is the reason that "in all these things we are more than conquerors." We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.

Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let's apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against- tribulation, suffering, and persecution- are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. "We are more than conquerors through Him" "in all these things"; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. A saint doesn't know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4 ).

The undiminished radiance, which is the result of abundant joy, is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, are powerless to "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ( Romans 8:39 ).

God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals March 8, 2008

A To-Do List
Our Daily Bread

READ: Galatians 5:16-26
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. -Galatians 5:22
What's on your to-do list today? Cleaning out an overstuffed closet? Calculating a financial report at work? Paying your monthly bills?

We all have things we need to get done today, whether we've written them down or not. They're important for us to accomplish.

While a to-do list is helpful, another type of list is even more valuable: a "to be" list. Albert Einstein said, "Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value."

The apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian believers, and now tells us, to be concerned with our character. He said that if we're controlled by the Holy Spirit, God will produce in us the characteristics of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (5:22-23).

As you look at those character traits, which are you needing most in your life? More patience with a co-worker or a child? A little more gentleness and kindness toward a neighbor? As you draw near to God, He will enable you to be the person He wants you to be.

Perhaps at the top of your to-do list today you could put: Spend time praying and reading God's Word. That would be a good start in helping with your "to be" list.  - Anne Cetas

The hidden person of the heart
Must take priority
Because our inner character
Determines who we'll be.  -Sper

It's not what you do but who you are that's most important.

The Peril of Prosperity By Tony Beckett and Woodrow Kroll

Deuteronomy 4-6, Mark 11:1-18
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 6:12

When things are going well, it is very easy to forget God. He knew that this temptation lay in the path before the people of Israel.

The way had been rough. For 40 years the people had endured the difficulties of being desert nomads, literally burying a generation (see Deut. 1:35). Only the young, along with Caleb and Joshua, were spared from the judgment of God. Now Moses was preparing them to move into the Promised Land.

God was giving them cities that they did not build, houses filled with good things, wells that were in place, and vineyards and olive groves that they did not plant.

With blessing, however, comes a peril. The peril of prosperity is that we sometimes forget God and His blessings. Instead, we rely on self, enjoying the ease. The words of Moses ring true for us today. He said, "When you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD" (6:11-12).

Solomon's prayer also is vital in this regard: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?'" (Prov. 30:8-9).

Write out a list of God's blessings, and then add to it each day for a week. It will keep you from forgetting the goodness of God.

March 8

Rougher - but more secure
For reading & meditation: Deuteronomy 32:28-38
"If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!" (v.29)

We have been seeing that in the sanctuary the psalmist was reminded of the things he had forgotten, and thus his thinking was straightened out. There can be no real change in our personalities until there is a change in our thinking. Counselling that focuses only on changing behaviour and fails to emphasise the importance of changed thinking is partial and incomplete. We may experience some change when we change our behaviour, but we experience the greatest change, as our text for today suggests, when we change our thinking. In the sanctuary the psalmist's thinking was put right about the ungodly: "Then I understood their end" (Psa. 73:17, NKJ). The next verses indicate how his thinking was also put right about God Himself: "Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors" (Psa. 73:18-19). The psalmist's problem, you remember, was not so much that the ungodly prospered, as that God had arranged it that way. Had it happened by mere chance, he might not have had any difficulties, but the fact that the great Designer had planned it like this filled him with perplexity. Now, however, he sees that the divine hand had purposely placed these men in prosperous and eminent circumstances so that they could fulfil the Creator's purposes: "You" - note the You - "You place them on slippery ground." Note, too, the phrase "slippery ground": their position was dangerous. Therefore God did not set His loved ones in that place, but chose instead a rougher but more secure standing for their feet.

Prayer:

O God, I am grateful that You have set my feet in a secure place and not on slippery ground. Why I have been chosen to be a recipient of such grace and favour I do not know. Yet it is so. I am deeply, deeply thankful. Amen.
For further study:
Psalms 16:1-11; 1 Samuel 2:9; Psalms 18:36; Ephesians 6:13-14;
1. Why are we able to stand firm?
2. What did Paul admonish the Ephesians?

The Surrendered Life
I have been crucified with Christ . . . -Galatians 2:20
To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God's consideration.

Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?

We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.

If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.


God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals March 9, 2008

Wait On The Lord

READ: Psalm 27
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! -Psalm 27:14
In Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior folks in Hong Kong identify themselves as "third-class citizens," which also means "people of three waits." They wait for their children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh of resignation, they wait for death.

In the Bible, the word wait is more an attitude than an activity. To "wait on the Lord" is to trust Him. Psalm 27 is David's exuberant declaration of faith in God. He sees the Lord as his salvation (v.1). In times of danger, he knows for certain that God will hide him (v.5). He remembers that God has asked him to seek His face, so he asks God not to hide from him. For, like a child, he longs to see God's approving face (vv.8-10). In his darkest moments, David declares: "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (v.13).

Though no one knows how life will unfold, we can decide to trust God and to focus our mind on Him. For to those who wait on the Lord, the promise is given: Our heart will be strengthened (v.14).  - Albert Lee

I know not what the future holds-
What in one hour may be;
But I can wait while it unfolds,
And trust implicitly.  -Elliott

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. -Isaiah 40:31

Three Levels by Dr. Warren Wiersbe

Read Psalm 32:8-11

Did you know there are three levels on which God can deal with you? You must decide whether you want Him to treat you as a thing, an animal or one of His own children. God had to treat David as a thing (a sponge), and His hand was heavy on him (vv. 3,4). David was rebelling. He was not acting like God's child. Instead of confessing his sin, he was covering it. But the Bible says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper" (Prov. 28:13). So God had to treat David like a thing. He put His hand on David and began to squeeze all the life out of him. David finally woke up and confessed his sin.

God also had to treat David like an animal. He warns us, "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you" (v. 9). David had acted like a horse--impulsively, he rushed ahead and sinned. And then he became stubborn like a mule and would not confess his sin. So God dealt with him as He would an animal.

But God wants to deal with us as children. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye [on you]" (v. . He doesn't want to control us with bits and bridles, although sometimes He has to do that. Sometimes He has to send us sickness or a handicap or an accident to break our wills. He says, "I'd much rather guide you with My eye on you. I'd much rather instruct you." You can instruct a horse or a mule to a certain extent--but not the way you can a child. Decide today: Is God going to treat you as a thing because you are rebelling or as an animal because you are stubborn? Or will you let Him guide you as His own child? Oh, how much He loves you! He wants to work in you and through you and for you to bring about His best in your life.

God loves you and wants to guide you as His child. The way you live decides whether or not He can. Rebellion and unconfessed sin in your life will change the way He works in you. Are you living as a child of God? Decide now on which level He will treat you.

March 9

He never leaves the helm
For reading & meditation: Psalms 76:1-12
"Surely your wrath against men brings you praise '" (v.10)

We touched yesterday on the truth that the reason why the ungodly are set in eminent places is because God arranges it. The psalmist goes on to say that not only does God raise up the ungodly, but He also brings them down: "You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed '" (Psa. 73:18-19). The hand that led them up to the top of the slope is the hand that also casts them down. Why does God act in this strange and mysterious manner? One reason is that God is able to demonstrate how unreliable and insecure are the ways of those who choose not to walk with Him. This explains why we so frequently read of some prominent godless person, such as a film star whom everyone is acclaiming, being suddenly removed from the face of the earth. The feet of such people were set in slippery places. Some reading these lines will remember how everyone stood in dread of Adolph Hitler. He had the whole world frightened, but now he is gone and almost forgotten. The psalmist's words "You cast them down ' how suddenly are they destroyed" are really an exclamation of godly wonder at the suddenness and completeness of the sinner's overthrow. God makes a spectacle of those who persist in rejecting His love and grace. They make a splash for the moment of their lives, but after that they are gone and soon forgotten. Keep that fact before you as you look out upon the world. It may sometimes seem as if God is not in control, but in actual fact His hand is ever upon the helm of human affairs.

Prayer:

Gracious and loving Father, my heart bows in silent wonder as I contemplate the awesomeness of Your ways. Open my eyes that I might see that You are at work all around me and that Your face is constantly set against evil. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For further study:
Romans 1:18; Romans 3:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:1-19; 1 Peter 4:18;
1. What does the law expose?
2. How is God's wrath averted?

God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Today's Verse For Monday, March 10

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Psalm 139:1-8 NIV |

March 10, 2008

Fast Feet

READ: Philippians 4:10-19
The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. —Habakkuk 3:19While in Chile for a Bible conference, I was resting at the hotel when a rugby match came on the television. Though I don't fully understand rugby, I enjoy it and admire the courage it takes to play such a dangerous sport.

During the match, one of the French players was injured and had to be taken to the sidelines. As the trainers attended to him, the camera showed a closeup of his shoes. With a black marker the player had written the words: "Habakkuk 3:19" and "Jesus is the way." Those expressions of faith and hope were a strong testimony of that young athlete's priorities and values.

The verse cited on that rugby player's shoes is not just one of heavenly hope and persevering faith. It is one of practical value—especially to an athlete dependent on speed for success. It says, "The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."

In all of life, we need the strength and supply of our God. He alone can give us "feet" that are swift and strong. He alone can equip us for all of the uncertainties of life, for He alone is our strength. With Paul, we can be assured: "My God shall supply all your need" (Phil. 4:19).  — Bill Crowder

In You, O Lord, I take delight,
My every need You will supply;
I long to do what's true and right,
So, Lord, on You I will rely.  —D. De Haan

We always have enough when God is our supply.

[Judy Harder]

Today's Verse For Tuesday, March 11

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2:14-18 NIV

March 11, 2008
Agents Of Grace

READ: Luke 15:11-24
When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck Jesus' most memorable story, The Prodigal Son, ends with a banquet scene, featuring as its hero a good-for-nothing who has soiled the family reputation. Those judged undesirable by everyone else—like the prodigal son—are infinitely desirable to God. When one of them turns to God, a party breaks out (Luke 15:22-24).

In the Old Testament, levitical laws guarded against contagion. Among the things that would contaminate a person were contact with certain animals, carcasses, or the sick. But Jesus reversed the process. Rather than becoming contaminated by what was unclean, He made the unclean whole.

I sense in Jesus a fulfillment, not an abolition, of the Old Testament laws. God had hallowed creation by separating the sacred from the profane, the clean from the unclean. Jesus did not cancel out this hallowing principle; rather He changed its source.

Because of God's great grace, we can be agents of His holiness, for He now dwells within us. We can seek, as Jesus did, for ways to be a source of holiness. The sick and the maimed are not hot spots of contamination but potential reservoirs of God's mercy. We are called to extend that mercy, to be conveyers of grace, not avoiders of contagion. Like Jesus, we can help make the "unclean" clean.  — Philip Yancey

For Further Study

According to Philippians 2:14, how should we "do all things"? What is the result for us, and what does that mean for our world? (v.15).

No one is beyond the reach of God's grace.

God Bless

[Judy Harder]

Prayer's Effects

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. -James 5:16
For many years, researchers have tried to determine if prayer has any effect on physical healing. An assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine says that "trying to scientifically determine prayer's effect on health is nearly impossible."

Even Christians who agree that God heals may differ widely on how, when, and why He does. We struggle to understand why the Lord restores some to health while others suffer and die.

James addressed the matter in a way that is worthy of careful study and attention. He discussed healing in the context of a fellowship of believers and said: "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

James' purpose was not to stir up controversy or to prove a scientific point. Instead, he focused on the privilege and power of prayer. While speaking of physical healing, he also included a call for restoration to spiritual health through repentance and confession (v.15).

Science tries to prove cause and effect. Faith directs us to call on the power of our loving God, whose ways we can rarely understand but can always trust.  - David C. McCasland

My prayer is a simple one, Lord:
Whatever is best for me, do;
In sickness, in health I desire
What brings the most glory to You. -Fasick

Prayer is the soil in which hope and healing grow best.



God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals March 12, 2008

For Better Or Worse?

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. . . . Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church. -Ephesians 5:22,25
Within a chip shot of our house is a golf course. When I stand in my backyard, I see ponds waiting hungrily for my next errant shot. At times I can imagine sandtraps and trees joking about my bad days.

I mention the sport with mixed feelings. I like to golf occasionally, but living so close to the course reminds me of my failures in playing the game, which has its disadvantages.

A similar problem can occur in marriage. Sometimes a husband and wife can lose sight of the hopes and dreams they once shared. Then the very presence of the other becomes a source of irritation, a reminder of past failures and disappointments.

When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he asked husbands and wives to turn their thoughts to their relationship with the Son of God (5:22-33). In Him we find undying love and forgiveness for our failures. In Him we find Someone who loves to forget the worst and bring out the best. He reminds us not of what we've lost but of what we have yet to find.

Forgive us, Father, for focusing on our flaws and failures rather than on the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to rediscover our spouse in the light of our Lord's great love for us.  - Mart De Haan

REFLECTING ON MARRIAGE
As a couple, recall the hopes and dreams you had when you were first married. Name some that have come true. Share with each other your hopes for the future.

Marriages may be made in heaven, but they have to be worked out on earth.

God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Today's Verse For Thursday, March 13

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:14-17 NIV

Our Daily Bread

Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. —Acts 5:4Ask the friends and families of six people buried in a collapsed subway tunnel about complete honesty. Their loved ones' rescue was delayed for hours when the contractor didn't report the disaster to the authorities immediately. Instead, the company sealed the site and confiscated cell phones. It wasn't an outright lie, but it was a cover-up. This dishonest act showed disregard for life.

In the book of Acts, God gave us a sobering example of how He views dishonesty (4:32–5:11). Some believers had sold their land and shared all the proceeds with the church. Ananias and Sapphira decided to do likewise. But the couple kept some money back despite declaring that they had given the whole amount. Expecting commendation, they were struck dead instead.

Was their punishment too harsh? After all, their "slight" lie wasn't life-threatening. "Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain," warns Proverbs 25:14. The apostle Peter asked Ananias, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" (Acts 5:3), adding, "You have not lied to men, but to God" (v.4).

If we are completely honest with ourselves, can we say that we are completely honest before God  — Albert Lee

Lord, by Your Spirit grant that we
In word and deed may honest be;
All falsehood we would cast aside—
From You, O Lord, we cannot hide.  —D. De Haan

There are no degrees of honesty.

God Bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals March 12, 2008

Help Is on the Way
" 'Yes, I am coming soon.' " Revelation 22:20

My aging Chevy Tahoe has a nifty little feature the OnStar button. A few years ago General Motors started installing this blue button on many of their vehicles. If you need help, all you do is press it. If you're out of gas, if you're lost, or if you get a flat tire, just touch the blue button and a real live operator is there to talk to you about your problem. In fact, if you get in an accident and the airbags go off, it will automatically connect you to one of their operators to make sure that you get help. Amazing!

Perhaps you've heard the OnStar radio commercials. The ads are usually an audio clip from an actual call. It's usually something like, "Hello? I've just been in an accident and I'm in the middle of nowhere. It's dark out and I can't see anything, and I think there's a guy with an axe coming out of the woods." (Okay, I made up the axe part.) In response, the calm, comforting voice of the OnStar operator, says, "Don't worry, we have your location and help is on the way!" Then as an added measure of comfort, the operator asks, "Are you going to be alright?" and inevitably the frightened motorist will say, "Yes, I'll be fine."

The point is, in the midst of a scary, difficult experience, the promise of "help is on the way" goes a long way in bringing hope and reassurance. It's a great boost to know that someone is coming to your rescue.

Jesus often comforted His disciples with this exact promise. He knew that the temptation to give up in the midst of tough times would be strong, so He reminded them often, "I am coming back help is on its way" (see John 14:3,18,28).

But His promise is not just for the first-century disciples. Jesus' promise extends to us as well. In fact, it is featured in the concluding words of Scripture, as John penned the book of Revelation. Exiled to the island of Patmos, near the end of his life with the promise of Jesus' coming yet unfulfilled, John is nonetheless strengthened and reassured by these words: "Yes, I am coming soon" (Rev. 22:20). John's response, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is simple and profound: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

John knew what it was to experience sorrow. He felt firsthand the pain of persecution. No doubt receiving the incredible vision of a new heaven and a new earth highlighted how barren and difficult life on this planet could be by contrast. But the recorded words of Jesus throughout the book reinforce the truth: You're not alone! I know right where you are, and I'm coming back for you!

Life for us is fragile as well. Inevitably, we find ourselves emotionally and spiritually in the ditch, broken-down, frightened, and wondering if we're going to make it. It happens so fast. One phone call. One visit to the doctor. One broken relationship. But we are not without hope. Jesus promised, "Yes, I am coming soon."

Wherever you are and whatever you're facing today, your trust in the promise of Christ's return will bring you a deep sense of peace that defies understanding.

So, chin up help is on the way and heaven is next!

YOUR JOURNEY

What circumstances in your life have left you spiritually and emotionally in the ditch?
How do you usually respond when you find yourself in those circumstances?
How does it encourage and strengthen you to focus on the promise that Jesus is coming back one day?

God bless 

[Judy Harder]

Today's Verse For Saturday, March 15

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:1-10 NIV

March 15, 2008

READ: Luke 19:29-40
The Lord has need of him. —Luke 19:34As Jesus approached Jerusalem for the last time, He sent two disciples into the city to bring Him a donkey. He told them, "If anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it'" (Luke 19:31).

As we approach our sunset years, we may ask ourselves, "Can I still be useful to God? Is there some service I can render that will fill my days with significance? Am I needed?"

Of course you are! God needs you just as He needed the donkey to carry Him through the streets of Jerusalem. He has always needed something or someone to get His work done. He still has useful work for you to do.

Perhaps your work will be one brief task, like the donkey's single act of service. Or it may be some activity that will fully occupy your years until your Master calls you home. It may be an opportunity to share your faith with someone, to intercede for him, or to love him through quiet acts of mercy, friendly visits, or to extend some small courtesy. There will always be something for you to do.

In the meantime, you and I must stand and wait, preparing ourselves through prayer, Bible reading, and quiet listening—ready for the moment that our Lord has need of us.

Will you be ready when He needs you?  — David H. Roper

I'm available for God to use me,
Available, if God should choose me;
Should it be now or then, it doesn't matter when;
I want to see lost souls be born again.  —Anthony

God has work for all His children, regardless of age or ability.


God Bless