Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 25, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is
May 1st.

It's Not A Game

READ: Mark 8:31-38

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. -Mark 8:34
My former neighbor often talked about "the game of life," and I can understand why he did. It's part of human nature to approach life as one big game made up of a lot of little games. Competing can be fun, exciting, and stimulating.

But life is a whole lot more than a game-especially for a follower of Jesus Christ. When a believer needs to own the biggest house, drive the largest SUV, get the promotion first, and win every argument, something's terribly wrong from God's point of view. It's not right to run over people's feelings, bend or break the rules, and gloat over victories.

To approach life as one big game that you always have to win is to live in hopeless delusion and fantasy. While material possessions, professional success, and personal victories are enjoyable, they last only for this life. Then they're all left behind.

Jesus instructed His disciples to deny themselves, identify with His cross, and follow Him in self-denial, and for some that even meant death (Mark 8:34-35). He made it clear to His disciples that artificial victories in "the game of life" don't count for much. What really counts is what's done for the Lord.  - David C. Egner

If I have but Jesus, only Jesus-
Nothing else in all the world beside-
O then everything is mine in Jesus;
For my needs and more He will provide. -Olander
© 1950 Baptist Conference Press

Those who live for God are the real winners in life.

Do Not Go Empty-Handed by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 3:17

And she said, "These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, 'Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.'"

Do Not Go Empty-Handed

Recently the Barna Research Group announced its findings that the number of evangelicals in the United States is only about 6 percent (decreasing from 12 percent in 1992). An earlier study indicated that as many as 40 percent of Americans have no religious affiliation and another 31 percent are Christians in name only. That means that at least 71 percent of the U.S. population are living in spiritual poverty. It's obvious we have a vast mission field right in our own backyard. As we send and support missionaries overseas, are we overlooking those in spiritual need nearby?

Many people in Israel lived in physical poverty, and Boaz was known for his generosity. But in his concern for those elsewhere, he didn't overlook those in need in his own backyard. One of those was his own kinswoman, Naomi. As Ruth prepared to go home from her labors in the field, he gave her six ephahs (approximately five bushels) of barley to take home to her mother-in-law. Out of the compassion of his heart, he was burdened that the young Moabitess who gleaned in his fields not go home empty-handed.

Spiritually needy people are everywhere. The majority of Christians, however, are neither able nor called to leave their occupations and homes to serve on foreign mission fields. But that doesn't mean that our neighbors must go home empty-handed. All around us are people living well below the "spiritual poverty line." Next door, around the corner or in the apartment across the hall are men, women and children who need to know about the Savior. The fields are there, and they're ready for harvest.

Make sure your friends and neighbors don't go home empty-handed. Be alert to opportunities to pass on the Bread of Life. Prayerfully ask God to lead you to someone with whom you can share your spiritual bounty. And then be like Boaz: give away what your friends need most.

If you're content to go to heaven alone, you may not be going at all.

April 21
Ed Young Ministries Weekly Devotional

Multiple Choice - A-Maze-Ing
by Ed Young

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness..." (2 Peter 1:5-6).

We face a multiplicity of choices in the maze of life. Whether big or small, highly impactful or uneventful, the decisions that we make form who we are. And inversely, how we are designed, how we are wired will effect how we make decisions.

Our decision making styles and abilities vary greatly - from choosing what we think is best in the moment to stewing over the choices for far too long. Some of us even try to put off making decisions as long as we possibly can.

Christ, though, showed a perfect balance of patience, trust, forgiveness, obedience and decisiveness in choosing his actions and behaviors. The choices he made reflected the way God wants each of us to make decisions today. But how do we do this? How can we reflect Christ in what we decide?

Every time a decision presents itself, we should ask ourselves the same questions that Christ asked himself - some of which are macro questions, others are micro questions. We have to ask ourselves if our decision follows the guidelines of God's written word, if our decision reflects God's love, and if our decision is on God's agenda. After answering these macro questions, we need to ask some micro questions - is the decision the best possible choice considering our past decisions, present conditions and future aspirations.

This week, run your decisions through the macro and micro funnels of the right questions. As you ask yourself these questions, your decisions will filter down to reflect a perfect balance of what God wants - a balance of the decision making styles that Christ reflected. And as you discover the answers that God has in store, you will be much better equipped to negotiate the maze of life.

For more information about making good decisions and other subjects, visit the Ed Young Ministries website: www.edyoung.org

(c) 2005 Ed Young Ministries

INSTANT IN SEASON
By
Oswald Chambers
 
Be instant in season, out of season." 2 Timothy 4:2

Many of us suffer from the morbid tendency to be instant "out of season." The season does not refer to time, but to us - 'Be instant in season, out of season," whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would do nothing for ever and ever. There are unemployables in the spiritual domain, spiritually decrepit people, who refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.

One of the great snares of the Christian worker is to make a fetish of his rare moments. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration and insight, you say - "Now I will always be like this for God." No, you will not, God will take care you are not. Those times are the gift of God entirely. You cannot give them to yourself when you choose. If you say you will only be at your best, you become an intolerable drag on God; you will never do anything unless God keeps you consciously inspired. If you make a god of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life and never come back until you do the duty that lies nearest, and have learned not to make a fetish of your rare moments.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 26, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is
May 1st.

Respect

READ: Esther 1:1-5,9-12

You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. -Psalm 8:5
In 1967, American vocalist Aretha Franklin topped the charts with her hit single "Respect." The song became an inspirational anthem for the civil rights movement and for others who demanded to be treated with respect.

Long before Aretha's hit record, Queen Vashti topped the Persian charts with her own version of "Respect." The book of Esther begins with King Ahasuerus hosting a great celebration. In addition to displaying his wealth and power, he also wanted to showcase his wife's beauty. So he commanded that Queen Vashti be brought before him and his guests.

If she obeyed, she would have allowed the king to degrade and dis-respect her. If she refused, she risked losing her life. She refused. What courage! Vashti didn't want to compromise her character by being reduced to a piece of property. Her desire for respect led to her banishment. We have no record that Vashti feared the Lord. But her courage shows that she understood the God-given dignity accorded to every human being.

God created us in His image and crowned us with glory and honor, having made us "a little lower than the angels" (Ps. 8:5). Out of love and reverence for Him, let us treat ourselves and others with honor, dignity, and respect.  - Marvin Williams

Man's crowning glory lies in this:
God stamped on him His image rare;
No other creatures have that gift,
Nor living things with man compare. -D. De Haan

Even the most difficult people we know bear the image of God.

Sit Still by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 3:18

Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day."

Sit Still

American culture is built around the oft-quoted phrase, "Don't just stand there, do something!" As a result, our lives are filled with busyness. We rush from meeting to meeting. We chauffeur our children from hockey practice to tennis lessons to shopping at the mall. We pull in to the nearest fast-food drive-through, place a quick order, and then we're off again. It's no wonder we can identify with Blaise Pascal, who said, "All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly."

Naomi knew better. Her advice, sit still, stay quiet, was filled with the wisdom of experience. Ruth had come to Naomi and told her all that took place at the threshing floor. It was obvious to Naomi that God was at work. How things were going to turn out, however, she didn't know. But she did know that this was not the time to rush here and there to find the answer. Instead, it was the time to sit quietly and listen intently for the Lord's response. At the right time, God would bring everything to pass.

When much is at stake, do you have difficulty sitting still? If you will remember to wait patiently, you will see a number of positive things happen. In stillness you'll discover God in new and deeper ways (Ps. 46:10). You'll also be able to hear God when He speaks to you in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). Furthermore, you'll have the wisdom and strength to act when the time is right (Isa. 30:15).

Sit still and let God work in your life. Trust Him to accomplish what is best for you in His own timing. Listen quietly and you will hear His answer.

While you rest, God will work.

Anvil Time
by Max Lucado

On God's anvil. Perhaps you've been there.

Melted down. Formless. Undone. Placed on the anvil for reshaping? (A few rough edges too many.) Discipline? (A good father disciplines.) Testing? (But why so hard?)

I know. I've been on it. It's rough. It's a spiritual slump, a famine. The fire goes out. Although the fire may flame for a moment, it soon disappears. We drift downward. Downward into the foggy valley of question, the misty lowland of discouragement. Motivation wanes. Desire is distant. Responsibilities are depressing.

Passion? It slips out the door.
Enthusiasm? Are you kidding?
Anvil time.

It can be caused by a death, a breakup, going broke, going prayerless. The light switch is flipped off and the room darkens. "All the thoughtful words of help and hope have all been nicely said. But I'm still hurting, wondering."

On the anvil.

Brought face to face with God out of the utter realization that we have nowhere else to go. Jesus in the garden. Peter with a tear-streaked face. David after Bathsheba. Elijah and the "still, small voice." Paul, blind in Damascus.

Pound, pound, pound.

I hope you're not on the anvil. (Unless you need to be, and if so, I hope you are.) Anvil time is not to be avoided; it's to be experienced. Although the tunnel is dark, it does go through the mountain. Anvil time reminds us of who we are and who God is. We shouldn't try to escape it. To escape it could be to escape God.

God sees our life from beginning to end. He may lead us through a storm at age thirty so we can endure a hurricane at age sixty. An instrument is useful only if it's in the right shape. A dull ax or bent screwdriver needs attention, and so do we. A good blacksmith keeps his tools in shape. So does God.

Should God place you on his anvil, be thankful. It means he thinks you're still worth reshaping.

From On the Anvil:
Stories On Being Shaped Into God's Image

This is a new edition of Max's first book.
It contains an updated forward, written by him, as well as thoughtful questions for each chapter.

© (Tyndale House, 1985, 2008) Max Lucado

THE SUPREME CLIMB
By
Oswald Chambers
 
"Take now thy son . . and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Genesis 22:2

Character determines how a man interprets God's will (cf. Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God's command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this tradition behind by the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditions that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs to be got rid of, e.g., that God removes a child because the mother loves him too much - a devil's lie! and a travesty of the true nature of God. If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of wrong traditions about God, he will do so; but if we keep true to God, God will take us through an ordeal which will bring us out into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great point of Abraham's faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter to what belief he went contrary. Abraham was not a devotee of his convictions, or he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you straight through every barrier into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself; but there is always this point of giving up convictions and traditional beliefs. Don't ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did - "I will do anything, I will go to death with Thee." Abraham did not make any such declaration, he remained true to God, and God purified his faith.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 28, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is May 1st.

God's Refreshing Word

READ: Isaiah 55:8-11

My word . . . shall not return to Me void. -Isaiah 55:11
When I was a boy, our family would occasionally travel across Nevada. We loved the desert thunderstorms. Accompanied by lightning bolts and claps of thunder, huge sheets of rain would blanket the hot sand as far as the eye could see. The cooling water refreshed the earth-and us.

Water produces marvelous changes in arid regions. For example, the pincushion cactus is completely dormant during the dry season. But after the first summer rains, cactuses burst into bloom, displaying delicate petals of pink, gold, and white.

Likewise, in the Holy Land after a rainstorm, dry ground can seemingly sprout vegetation overnight. Isaiah used rain's renewal to illustrate God's refreshing Word: "As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isa. 55:10-11).

Scripture carries spiritual vitality. That's why it doesn't return void. Wherever it encounters an open heart, it brings refreshment, nourishment, and new life.  - Dennis Fisher

God's Word is like refreshing rain
That waters crops and seed;
It brings new life to open hearts,
And meets us in our need. -Sper

The Bible is to a thirsty soul what water is to a barren land.

Nearsighted by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 4:5-6

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance." And the near kinsman said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it."

Nearsighted

Myopia is an eye condition in which visual images come into focus in front of the retina, causing distant objects to be blurred. We commonly call this being nearsighted. We can see things close up but not far away.

People also can be nearsighted in their understanding of God's plan for their life. The relative who was closest to Naomi and Ruth turned down the opportunity to redeem Naomi's land and marry Ruth because he feared it might jeopardize his own inheritance. He could see clearly what he had; however, he failed to discern what might be in the future. He chose to protect his current possessions, and thus missed the opportunity to be the grandfather of a king and the ancestor of the Messiah. Consequently, he passed off the scene without even a mention of his name.

Many individuals today do the same. They pour everything they have into this life, all their time, talent, energy and money. Yet they fail to invest in eternity, as Jesus instructed us to do (Matt. 6:19-20). They clearly discern what they have, but they fail to see that there's something even more in store for them. They focus on the present and neglect the future. They give up all the wonders of heaven for the temporary security of earthly treasures. And when the winds of history pass, even their names are forgotten.

Don't suffer from spiritual myopia. As a good steward, take care of what God entrusts to you today. But don't let today's possessions blind you to eternity's possibilities. What lies ahead is worth far more than anything you hold in your hands today. The best is yet to come.

Don't let what is good rob you of what is best

Living Free Every Day®
Today's Scripture
"So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."Luke 15:20 NIV (Prodigal son returning)

"Then his father Isaac said to him, 'Come here, my son, and kiss me.' So he went to him and kissed him." Genesis 27:26-27 NIV (Isaac and Jacob)

"So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him." Exodus 18:7 NIV

"Jacob was half blind because of his age and could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Jacob kissed and embraced them."Genesis 48:10 NLT (a grandfather's kiss)

Thoughts for Today

This week we have been looking at five types of dysfunctional families (described in The Thin Disguise by Pam Vredevelt) that can lead to the development of eating disorders. Perhaps you or someone you know has a loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Or perhaps you will identify some potentially harmful characteristic that needs to be addressed in your family.

Healthy families are warm and affectionate. Rules, as well as people, are flexible. In dysfunctional "Rigid Families" flexibility is a nonexistent concept, and affection is seldom expressed. The father especially tends to be obsessive about the standards in the family. There is no warmth, no emotion. Each family member should be able to take care of himself or herself. This emotional neglect leads the child to believe that emotions and longings are wrong.

(Note: We are grateful to Pam Vredevelt for her keen insights.)

Consider this
We serve a loving God who demonstrates his love for us in so many tangible ways. And so he wants us to show love through our words and actions. This is especially important in our family relationships. Our children need physical demonstrations and verbal expressions of our love. Nurturing-hugging, kissing or saying 'I love you'-is so important.

Today's scriptures are examples of family members showing their love for one another with embraces and kisses. Appropriate, healthy demonstrations of our love for each other can mean so much in our relationships and in the emotional and spiritual development of our children.

Prayer
Father, I thank you so much for my children. Thank you for demonstrating your fatherly love to me in so many ways. Help me to be warm and affectionate with my children. Help them to develop emotionally and spiritually in a way that is pleasing to you. In Jesus' name

These thoughts were drawn from
Seeing Yourself in God's Image: Overcoming Anorexia and Bulimia by Martha Homme, MA,LPC. Written by a counselor with experience helping those with eating disorders, this study is born from her own struggles in adolescence. The group challenges members to find their identity in Christ as they overcome this difficult struggle. This guide offers understanding of distorted body image, denial, and the family systems influence. It also explains how to break free of social pressures and how to restore the temple and tie the recovery process together.

A companion booklet Seeing Your Loved One in God's Image, can be used as a quick reference guide dealing with issues associated with eating disorders.   

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.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?
By
Oswald Chambers
 
"Seekest thou great things for thyself?" Jeremiah 45:5

Are you seeking great things for yourself? Not seeking to be a great one, but seeking great things from God for yourself. God wants you in a closer relationship to Himself than receiving His gifts, He wants you to get to know Him. A great thing is accidental, it comes and goes. God never gives us anything accidental. There is nothing easier than getting into a right relationship with God except when it is not God Whom you want but only what He gives.

If you have only come the length of asking God for things, you have never come to the first strand of abandonment, you have become a Christian from a standpoint of your own. "I did ask God for the Holy Spirit, but He did not give me the rest and the peace I expected." Instantly God puts His finger on the reason - you are not seeking the Lord at all, you are seeking something for yourself. Jesus says - "Ask, and it shall be given you." Ask God for what you want, and you cannot ask if you are not asking for a right thing. When you draw near to God, you cease from asking for things. "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." Then why ask? That you may get to know Him.

Are you seeking great things for yourself? "O Lord, baptize me with the Holy Ghost." If God does not, it is because you are not abandoned enough to Him, there is something you will not do. Are you prepared to ask yourself what it is you want from God and why you want it? God always ignores the present perfection for the ultimate perfection. He is not concerned about making you blessed and happy just now; He is working out His ultimate perfection all the time - "that they may be one even as We are."

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 28, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is  May 1st.

The Greatest Gift

READ: Job 2

They sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him. -Job 2:13
We rightly disparage Job's three friends for their insensitive response to his suffering. Yet when they came, they sat in silence beside Job for 7 days before speaking. As it turned out, those were the most eloquent moments they spent with him.

Instinctively, I shrink back from people who are in pain. Who can know whether they want to talk about their predicament or not? Do they want to be consoled, or cheered up? What good can my presence possibly do?

Tony Campolo tells of going to a funeral. By mistake he ended up in the wrong parlor. It held the body of an elderly man, and his widow was the only mourner present. She seemed so lonely that Campolo decided to stay for the funeral. He even drove with her to the cemetery.

At the conclusion of the graveside service, Campolo finally confessed that he had not known her husband. "I thought as much," said the widow. "But it doesn't really matter. You'll never, ever, know what this means to me."

Most often those who suffer remember the quiet, unassuming person. Someone who was there when needed, who listened, who didn't keep glancing at a watch, who hugged, touched, and cried. In short, someone who was available and came on the sufferer's terms, not their own.  - Philip Yancey

In our shattered times, anguish relents
Not at mere idle words spoken in vain,
But rather from the silent eloquence
Bestowed by those rare souls who share our pain. -Evans

Often, the best comfort is just being there.

Twice Owned by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 4:9

And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi."

Twice Owned

A father and son built a toy sailboat. Before launching it, the father tied a string to its stern to keep it from sailing too far. The boat performed beautifully, but before long a motorboat crossing the lake cut the string, and the sailboat drifted out of sight. The boat couldn't be found anywhere. A few weeks later the boy passed his favorite toy store and saw his lost sailboat in the window. He ran inside to claim it. The store owner replied, "You may have been its maker," he said, "but as its finder, it now belongs to me. You may buy it back for fifty dollars." The boy was stunned at the cost, but he set about earning the money.

Months later he walked into the store and handed the owner $50. As he left the store, he held the boat up to the sunlight. Its colors gleamed. He mused, "I once owned you, but I lost you. Now I've bought you back. That makes you twice mine.

The land that Naomi's husband owned had been lost, perhaps sold to provide food during the famine. According to Jewish law, the nearest relative to her was responsible to buy back that land if possible. Boaz agreed to be that redeemer after the nearest kinsman refused.

This is a picture of what Christ has done for us. As our Creator, He made us and owned us, but by our rebellion we sold ourselves into sin. It took Jesus' death, an unbelievable price, to buy us back. Thus, for those who receive Him as Savior, we are twice owned.

We do not belong to ourselves; we have been bought with a price. That price was the blood of Christ. Rejoice at the willingness of Jesus to buy us back. With gratitude, give your life to Him in worship and service.

To be twice bought is to be forever owned

Living Free Every Day®

Today's Scripture
"Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD." Psalm 105:1-3 NLT

Thoughts for Today

Problems and strife and turmoil. Everywhere. Around the world. In our country. In our community. In our homes. In us.

Our focus is naturally drawn to all these negative things. We worry. We get angry. We get frustrated. And if we leave our focus there  we lose hope.

And so we need to change our focus. To our loving heavenly Father, who loves us unconditionally and cares about everything that concerns us. To Jesus, who gave his life that we might have the hope of eternity with him.

God is greater than any problem or circumstance.

Consider this

Count Your Blessings, an old hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr., calls us to "Count your many blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings. See what God hath done."

And that's exactly what we need to do. Every day. And even more when we are sad or depressed. We need to change our focus  to thank the Lord and tell of his greatness. To let the whole world know what he has done. To sing praises to him. To worship him and rejoice.

When you do this, your circumstances might not change but you will.

Prayer

Lord, thank you so much for all that you have done in my life. Help me to focus on all those wonderful deeds  and on your love and your greatness. And doing this, help me to rest in you even in these present circumstances. I thank you that your love never fails. In Jesus' name

These thoughts were drawn from
A Passionate Pursuit of God: Drawing Nearer to Him by Dr. Mike Chapman. This study shows you how to move into God's inner circle, how to listen for the voice of God, how to enjoy the freedom of worship, and how to embrace the mission of worship. This Facilitator's Guide includes reproducible group member study sheets and an audio CD designed to help facilitators prepare for each session.

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.   

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.

WHAT YOU WILL GET
By
Oswald Chambers
 
"Thy life will I give thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest." Jeremiah 45:5

This is the unshakable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him - "I will give thee thy life." What more does a man want than his life? It is the essential thing. "Thy life for a prey" means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life, nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in the shows of things, not in the way of property and possessions, but of blessings. All these have to go; but there is something grander that never can go - the life that is "hid with Christ in God."

Are you prepared to let God take you into union with Himself, and pay no more attention to what you call the great things? Are you prepared to abandon entirely and let go? The test of abandonment is in refusing to say - "Well, what about this?" Beware of suppositions. Immediately you allow - What about this? - it means you have not abandoned, you do not really trust God. Immediately you do abandon, you think no more about what God is going to do. Abandon means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions. If you abandon entirely to God, He says at once, "Thy life will I give thee for a prey." The reason people are tired of life is because God has not given them anything, they have not got their life as a prey. The way to get out of that state is to abandon to God. When you do get through to abandonment to God, you will be the most surprised and delighted creature on earth; God has got you absolutely and has given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 29, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is
May 1st.

The Lamb Is My Shepherd

READ: Psalm 23

The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. -Revelation 7:17
The writers of the Old and New Testaments used many different metaphors for the Lord Jesus Christ. These word pictures vividly describe the marvelous aspects of Jesus' life and ministry.

While visiting a friend, hymnwriter Albert Simpson Reitz saw the following motto hanging on a wall: "The Lamb Is My Shepherd." How foolish, he thought. Then he realized that a smudge on his glasses had distorted the second word of the motto. Actually it read: "The Lord Is My Shepherd."

His mistake started him thinking. He remembered that the Scriptures present Jesus both as the Good Shepherd and as the Lamb of God. Reitz said to his friend, "I've just seen the glorious gospel of our Lord in a new light. I'm reminded that the apostle John on the island of Patmos saw a vision, assuring him that the resurrected 'Lamb who is in the midst of the throne' will guide His people even when they get to heaven. Misreading that motto on your wall has given me a rich blessing. It could actually read, 'The Lamb Is My Shepherd.'"

It's reassuring to know that our Shepherd will guide us safely through this life, and that He will continue to feed and lead us throughout eternity.  - Henry G. Bosch

The Lord of hosts my Shepherd is-
O sweet these words to me;
And Thou, dear Lamb, will be my Guide
Throughout eternity. -Kendrie

The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to lead us.

The Path to Fruitfulness by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 4:12-13
"May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman." So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

The Path to Fruitfulness

Fruitfulness doesn't just happen by chance. Some time ago, an agricultural school in Iowa reported that the production of 100 bushels of corn from one acre of land, in addition to the many hours of a farmer's labor, required four million gallons of water, 6,800 pounds of oxygen, 5,200 pounds of carbon, 160 pounds of nitrogen, 125 pounds of potassium, 75 pounds of yellow sulfur and other elements too numerous to list. It takes a lot of elements working together to produce fruitfulness.

Ruth discovered the same truth. Her life in Moab had been empty. The years of marriage with Naomi's son had been barren. But when she committed herself to the God of Israel, her life began to bear fruit. By faith she left her homeland and God gave her a new home. In simple trust she went out to the harvest fields, hoping to find someone who would allow her to glean after his reapers, and she found favor in the eyes of Boaz. Seeking to follow God's leading, she married Boaz and bore a son through whom the Messiah came to redeem the world. From a life of barrenness, God brought her, through faith, to great fruitfulness.

Faithfully trusting the Lord is still the only pathway to true fruitfulness. Jesus promised, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." The world offers other options, but none result in lasting fruit. Only as we place our faith in Christ for daily guidance will we bear fruit for eternity.

Begin each day with reading God's Word. As He reveals His mind to you, faithfully obey everything you understand and ask for more wisdom when you don't. That's the way to bear fruit that will last forever.

Fruitfulness is the natural by-product of faithfulness.

Spring Sharathon 2008 starts today on TheGospelHiway.org

This is the time we raise the funds necessary to keep the Gospel Hiway on the air and to expand the ministry. As you know KGHY in Beaumont is only dollars away from being on the air but we cannot do it without your support. We're asking you to be in prayer for Sharathon and for what God would have you to do to support The Gospel Hiway during Spring Sharathon 2008.  GIve us a call today at 888-47-SHARE or visit the website, www.theGospelHiway.org
 
HEART PROBLEMS

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. 
Proverbs 4:23

Do you remember the basketball great Pistol Pete Maravich?  He was an incredible basketball player, setting records in college that still stand today.  In his college career at LSU, he scored more points than any collegiate player in history with a scoring average of 44.2 points per game... and that was before there was a three point shot!  AMAZING!

At the age of 40, Pistol Pete, a young, on-fire Christian, died suddenly during a pick-up basketball game with Dr. James Dobson and some other guys.  The cause of death was a rare heart defect.  Although he was seemingly in great shape, his heart was not.  Pete died because his physical heart had a serious problem.     

SPIRITUAL HEART PROBLEMS

When it comes to heart trouble, pastors see more of it than the most sought-after cardiologists.  So many Christians are walking around with serious heart issues.  To be sure, "The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart." 

God does not see as man sees, "for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).  What does He see when He looks at yours?  Does He see a heart that is truly on-fire for and in love with Jesus... or one that is a little cool and lacks passion?   

DEVELOPING A HEART FOR GOD

Focus on the Cross.  "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  Keep your mind fixed on the sacrifice Jesus paid for you when He died on the cross.  Read in the Gospels everyday.  It is in the Gospels where you learn to fall in love with Jesus and develop a passion for Him.  If you forget the price for your redemption, your heart will begin to cool (2 Pet. 1:9). 
Be Honest with God.  Honesty and openness with God brings intimacy with God.  The more you and I pour our hearts out to Him, the more we draw near to Him and begin to truly see Him as "a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24).
Invest in God's Kingdom.  Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).  Your heart will follow your treasure.  If you want your heart on fire for the things of God, start investing by faith in the things of God.  If you would begin to get serious about bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse and honoring God from your wealth, you would see God do amazing things in your life in response to that obedience.  He promises to open the windows of heaven when you crown Him King of your finances.
Let me encourage you in your walk with the Lord Jesus to focus on your heart.  Seek Jesus with all your heart.  Death often comes suddenly, like it did for Pistol Pete.  God tells us to be ready.  The best way to be ready to meet the Lord is to make sure your heart is right and wholly devoted to Him.  Does that describe your heart?

Love,

Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

From His Heart Ministries can be seen on LightSource.com. This is another opportunity to reach people throughout the world with the love of Christ. Tell your friends and check us out.
Jeff Schreve is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas. He and his wife Debbie have been married for over 20 years and are blessed with three wonderful girls. Jeff began From His Heart Ministries, a radio and television ministry, in January of 2005. This ministry is completely listener/viewer supported. It continues only through the faithful and generous gifts of people like you. Pastor Jeff takes no salary from this ministry. All gifts go to further the broadcast. Click here to become a ministry partner.

THE GRACIOUSNESS OF UNCERTAINTY
By Oswald Chambers
 
"It doth not yet appear what we shall be." 1 John 3:2

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We imagine that we have to reach some end, but that is not the nature of spiritual life. The nature of spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty, consequently we do not make our nests anywhere. Common sense says - "Well, supposing I were in that condition . . ." We cannot suppose ourselves in any condition we have never been in. Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. Immediately we abandon to God, and do the duty that lies nearest, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a creed, something dies; we do not believe God, we only believe our belief about Him. Jesus said, "Except ye become as little children." Spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. If we are only certain in our beliefs, we get dignified and severe and have the ban of finality about our views; but when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

"Believe also in Me," said Jesus, not - "Believe certain things about Me." Leave the whole thing to Him, it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come. Remain loyal to Him.

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals April 30, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is
Tomorrow

A Personal Gospel

READ: Romans 10:13-17

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. -Mark 16:15
In John 3:16 we read, "For God so loved the world." But what about His love for individuals? The rest of the verse reveals the central purpose behind God's sacrifice of His Son: "That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Therefore, without exception, every person may interpret John 3:16 like this: "For God so loved me!"

A. B. Simpson, a great missionary of the past, often hugged a globe to his chest and wept over the world's lostness. Yet his global vision was marked by compassion for individuals. You and I also must feel the responsibility to take the gospel to our world-by sharing the good news with one person at a time.

Unfortunately, we often think of the Great Commission in terms of "foreign missions" only. "World missions" is perhaps a better term, for that includes our nearest neighbors, who are part of the world to which God has called us. And we are already there!

Like A. B. Simpson, embrace your smaller world through earnest prayer as you consider lost individuals in your family, neighborhood, and workplace. Then, as you seek to live and give the good news, expect God to open doors of opportunity.  - Joanie Yoder

Jesus died to bring salvation
For the rich and for the poor;
Those of every tribe and nation-
He includes the ones next door. -Anon.

The light that shines farthest, shines brightest at home.

It is day two of Spring Sharathon 2008 on The Gospel Hiway! 

We hope you have been in prayer for Sharathon and for what God would have you to do to support  The Gospel Hiway.  For current totals and to see our goals for Sharathon just visit the website, www.TheGospelHiway.Org  Let us hear from you today, 1-888-47-SHARE!

Better Than Seven Sons by Woodrow Kroll

Ruth 4:14
Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him."

Better Than Seven Sons

A popular magazine carries a section in which it offers its readers the opportunity to send pictures of their part of the country and tell why they think it's the best. Month after month, people send in beautiful photos from all over the United States, and invariably someone will comment about their particular area, "It can't get any better than this."

That's what the women of Bethlehem were saying to Naomi. To have a son was wonderful. It was the responsibility of a Jewish son to care for his mother when his father passed away. He was her security and companion in old age. But these women agreed; Ruth was better than seven sons. She had done all that any son would have done and more,she had borne Naomi a grandson, the assurance that she would be taken care of in her latter years. It couldn't get any better than this.

This is also what Christ has done for us. Through His blood He has cleansed us from our sins. The past is forgiven. Through His Word we have the wisdom to live day by day. And through His Spirit we have the power to be His witnesses wherever we are. Through His resurrection we have the assurance that we, too, shall be raised beyond the grave to spend eternity in heaven. Everything is taken care of,past, present and future.

Have you thanked Jesus yet today for meeting your every need? There is nothing that can be added to what He has done and will do for you. It just can't get any better than this.

Only a complete Savior can make us complete.

Living Free Every Day®
Today's Scripture
"Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise." Psalm 95:2 CEV

Thoughts for Today
Thanksgiving is recognition of what God has done. Praise is linked to who God is.

As we thank God for specific blessings, we gain a better perspective of his character and then can more fully praise him for who he is.

Thanksgiving says, "Lord, I thank you for healing me of cancer." Praise says, "Lord, thank you because you are my Healer."

Thanksgiving says, "Lord, thank you for comforting me when I suffered that loss." Praise says, "Lord, thank you because you are my Comforter.

Thanksgiving says, "Lord, thank you for helping me pay that bill." Praise says, "Lord, thank you because you are my Provider."

And so, dwelling on our blessings and thanking God for what he has done help us grow in knowledge of who he is. As we praise him for who he is, our relationship with him and our trust in him are strengthened.

Consider this
What challenges or problems are you facing today?

The more you recognize God's blessings and thank him, the more you can grow in your understanding of his character. Along with this growth of understanding comes a strengthening of faith.

As you prepare to ask God to meet your need, first meditate on all he has done for you in the past. Thank him for each thing that comes to mind. Don't rush this time of thanksgiving. Let the thanksgiving naturally flow into praising him for who he is. You will find as you do this, that your faith will be strengthened. You will be more able to trust God and to believe that he will meet your present need.

Prayer
Lord, I do thank you for all you have done for me. Praise you for your faithfulness. You have always met my needs. Sometimes you met them in a different way and time than I had asked, but your way and your time have always proved to be the best way and time. Help me to trust you and your plan for this present need. In Jesus' name 

These thoughts were drawn from
A Passionate Pursuit of God: Drawing Nearer to Him by Dr. Mike Chapman. This study shows you how to move into God's inner circle, how to listen for the voice of God, how to enjoy the freedom of worship, and how to embrace the mission of worship. This Facilitator's Guide includes reproducible group member study sheets and an audio CD designed to help facilitators prepare for each session.

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.   

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 SPONTANEITY OF LOVE
By
Oswald Chambers
   
"Love suffereth long, and is kind . . ." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, i.e., it bursts up in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of mathematical certainty in Paul's category of love. We cannot say - "Now I am going to think no evil; I am going to believe all things." The characteristic of love is spontaneity. We do not set the statements of Jesus in front of us as a standard; but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard with out knowing it, and on looking back we are amazed at the disinterestedness of a particular emotion, which is the evidence that the spontaneity of real love was there. In everything to do with the life of God in us, its nature is only discerned when it is past.

The springs of love are in God, not in us. It is absurd to look for the love of God in our hearts naturally, it is only there when it has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we do not love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, it comes naturally. In looking back we cannot tell why we did certain things, we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God manifests itself in this spontaneous way because the springs of love are in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 5:5.)

God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals May 1, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
The National Day of Prayer is
TODAY!

He's Waiting

READ: Psalm 34:1-15

I sought the Lord, and He heard me. -Psalm 34:4
Jane Welsh, secretary to Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), married him and devoted her life to him and his work. He loved her deeply but was so busy with his writing and speaking that he often neglected her. Some time into their marriage, she became ill and suddenly died.

In a new book by John Ortberg, I read that after the funeral Thomas went alone to Jane's room and looked at her diary. He found these words she had written about him: "Yesterday he spent an hour with me and it was like heaven. I love him so." On another day, she wrote, "I have listened all day to hear his steps in the hall, but now it is late. I guess he will not come today." He wept brokenly, realizing his neglect of her and her desire just to talk with him.

As I read that, I couldn't help but think, God loves me dearly and waits for me to fellowship with Him. How many days do I forget Him?

The Lord welcomes our worship, our prayer, our praise. He has told us in His Word to pray all the time (1 Thess. 5:17). As He did with the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3, Christ knocks on the door of our heart and patiently waits (v.20). He listens attentively for our call, our cry, our prayer. How often does He wait in vain?

  - David C. Egner

We can know that God is watching,
Always present, everywhere,
And with hope and joy and patience
He is waiting for our prayer. -Roworth

Talk with God-He longs to hear from you.
 
Roosting Chickens by Woodrow Kroll

Daniel 1:12
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.

Roosting Chickens

My father often said, "Just wait. The chickens will come home to roost." By that he meant sooner or later, every transgressor will experience the consequences of his behavior. Just as surely as a chicken finds its way back to the henhouse at night, the penalty of sin finally will come home to every sinner.

Daniel lived in a time when the chickens were coming home to roost. The northern kingdom, Israel, already had reaped the results of its transgressions and had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. God spared the southern kingdom, Judah, for more than 100 years after Israel's fall. But the leaders and people of Judah continued in their wicked ways, with King Manasseh (697-642 B.C.) being the most corrupt of all (2 Kings 23:26). Baal worship, divination and even human sacrifices were a part of daily life. God finally used the Babylonians to chastise His people by taking them into exile, first in 605 B.C. (when Daniel, among others, was taken), then again in 597 B.C. and finally in 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was destroyed.

God is gracious and merciful, but He is also holy and just. This requires Him to confront sin, which destroys the people He loves. Unless He can turn the hearts of His people from their wicked ways, they will not only harm themselves but also miss out on an intimate relationship with Him. This is more than God can tolerate.

If you are being chastised for sin, remember that it is because God loves you and wants to turn your heart back toward Him. Be grateful that God cares enough about you to want the very best for you, even if it means temporary pain. Remember, temporary pain can bring permanent blessing.

God's discipline is ultimately an act of love.

Today is the final day of Spring Sharathon 2008  on TheGospelHiway.org

This is the time we raise the funds necessary to keep the Gospel Hiway on the air and to expand the ministry. As you know KGHY in Beaumont is only dollars away from being on the air but we cannot do it without your support. We're asking you to be in prayer for Sharathon and for what God would have you to do to support The Gospel Hiway during Spring Sharathon 2008.  GIve us a call today at 888-47-SHARE or visit the website, www.theGospelHiway.org

Living Free Every Day®
Today's Scripture
"Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name." Psalm 103:1 NLT

Thoughts for Today
When we think of praise and worship, we often think of a church service, but worship is not only a corporate activity. In its essence, it is personal and private. It is not a performance before men but devotion toward God.

In our private times with God, we should feel free to fully express our praise to him. The ways we show our adoration and praise may vary. The Bible encourages us to clap our hands (Psalm 47:1-2), lift our hands (Psalm 134:2), bow down and kneel (Psalm 95:6), praise him with dance (Psalm 149:3), and sing praises (Psalm 105:2).

No matter what posture or expression of praise we use, let us join the psalmist and praise him with all that we are with our whole heart.

Consider this
For many of us, our private times of prayer are rushed and focused on making requests. But, no matter whether our quiet time is a few minutes or an hour, it is vital that we truly separate ourselves from the activity of the day and focus on God. Not just telling him what we need, but also offering him our thanksgiving and our praises. Sometimes this might involve singing or raising our hands or kneeling. Sometimes we might just bow quietly before him and meditate on his goodness. But let us always praise him with our whole heart.

Prayer
Lord, I praise you for your goodness your faithfulness your love. I thank you that you care about everything that concerns me. I praise you for your gentleness, your forgiveness, your grace. I thank you for always giving me what I need and not what I deserve. May I honor you in all that I do. In Jesus' name

These thoughts were drawn from A Passionate Pursuit of God: Drawing Nearer to Him by Dr. Mike Chapman. This study shows you how to move into God's inner circle, how to listen for the voice of God, how to enjoy the freedom of worship, and how to embrace the mission of worship. This Facilitator's Guide includes reproducible group member study sheets and an audio CD designed to help facilitators prepare for each session.

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.   

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.

INSIGHT NOT EMOTION
By
Oswald Chambers

"I have to lead my life in faith, without seeing Him." 2 Corinthians 5:7 (MOFFATT)

For a time we are conscious of God's attentions, then, when God begins to use us in His enterprises, we take on a pathetic look and talk of the trials and the difficulties, and all the time God is trying to make us do our duty as obscure people. None of us would be obscure spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our duty when God has shut up heaven? Some of us always want to be illuminated saints with golden babes and the flush of inspiration, and to have the saints of God dealing with us all the time. A gilt-edged saint is no good, he is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God. We are here as men and women, not as half-fledged angels, to do the work of the world, and to do it with an infinitely greater power to stand the turmoil because we have been born from above.

If we try to re-introduce the rare moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are making a fetish of the moments when God did come and speak, and insisting that He must do it again; whereas what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." How many of us have laid ourselves by, as it were, and said - "I cannot do any more until God appears to me." He never will, and without any inspiration, without any sudden touch of God, we will have to get up. Then comes the surprise - "Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!" Never live for the rare moments, they are surprises. God will give us touches of inspiration when He sees we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never make our moments of inspiration our standard; our standard is our duty

God bless

[Judy Harder]

I need to Beg your pardon, my computer is down (I am using the library's) and won't have it repaired till maybe
Saturday.
So for a time I won't be able to add to the daily devotionals.

If one of you want to jump in and share yours with the forum, please do.

If all goes well, I will be back as soon as Lazy Bear can get me going again.
Sorry for the delay.
God bless you all.

Judy

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals May 2, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.

Living Free Every Day®
Today's Scripture

"I will do right and praise you by learning to respect your perfect laws. " Psalm 119:7 CEV

Thoughts for Today
If we want to truly praise God with all that we are (Psalm 103:1), we are called to praise him with our actions. In the words of the psalmist, we will praise God by learning to respect his perfect laws.

We can praise him with our day-to-day living showing love for others with our actions, not just our words being quick to forgive trusting God and not walking in fear and worry refusing to succumb to the compromising ways of the world telling others what the Lord has done for us.

Picture this;  you spend time in prayer, praising and worshipping God. Your quiet time finished, you head out the door. On the way to work a driver in a rush pulls out in front of you. You glare at the errant driver and mutter unkind words. During the morning at work, you find yourself listening intently to the latest office gossip. You meet a friend for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Getting your meal takes longer than expected and you blame it on the server, who is obviously new. Instead of encouraging the server, you show your impatience and leave a poor tip. And so on throughout the day. Obviously your attitude of praise displayed in your morning quiet time did not prevail in the day's activities.

Consider this
Do your actions throughout the day bring honor and praise to God?

We are all learning. Becoming more Christ-like is a lifetime process, and we will make many mistakes along the way. But ask God to help you become more aware of ways to praise him not only in your prayer times but in all your relationships and activities throughout each day.

Prayer
Father, teach me to have an attitude of praise, not only in my prayer time or at church, but throughout each day. Help me to praise you in my attitudes my relationships  and my actions. In Jesus' name

These thoughts were drawn from
A Passionate Pursuit of God: Drawing Nearer to Him by Dr. Mike Chapman. This study shows you how to move into God's inner circle, how to listen for the voice of God, how to enjoy the freedom of worship, and how to embrace the mission of worship. This Facilitator's Guide includes reproducible group member study sheets and an audio CD designed to help facilitators prepare for each session.

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.   

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 PASSION OF PATIENCE
By
Oswald Chambers
   
"Though it tarry, wait for it." Habakkuk 2:3

Patience is not indifference; patience conveys the idea of an immensely strong rock withstanding all onslaughts. The vision of God is the source of patience, because it imparts a moral inspiration. Moses endured, not because he had an ideal of right and duty, but because he had a vision of God. He "endured, as seeing Him Who is invisible." A man with the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue; he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it; things come with largeness and tonic to the life because everything is energized by God. If God gives you a time spiritually, as He gave His Son actually, of temptation in the wilderness, with no word from Himself at all, endure, and the power to endure is there because you see God.

"Though it tarry, wait for it." The proof that we have the vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have grasped. It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. "What shall I render unto the Lord?" said the Psalmist. "I will take the cup of salvation." We are apt to look for satisfaction in ourselves - "Now I have got the thing; now I am entirely sanctified; now I can endure." Instantly we are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect." If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing; if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience. Beware of the danger of relaxation spiritually.

Spring Sharathon 2008 was a great success!

God bless you for our generous giving and support during Spring Sharathon 2008 on The Gospel Hiway.  We are now only a few hundred dollars from being able to put KGHY-FM on the air, broadcasting the Good News of Jesus Christ to all of SE Texas and SW Louisiana!  Praise God!  updated totals are available by visiting www.theGospelHiway.org
Our Daily Bread-No Good Deed

READ: 1 Samuel 25:32-39

Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach. -1 Samuel 25:39
Playwright and US Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) once said, "No good deed goes unpunished." Sadly, it sometimes seems as if this aphorism is true.

David, soon to be king of Israel, had an experience that corroborates this idea. While hiding from Saul, he and his men watched over the property of a rich landowner named Nabal. But later, when David asked a favor of Nabal, he was met with scorn. "Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has," said David. "He has repaid me evil for good" (1 Sam. 25:21).

Before David could carry out revenge, Nabal's wife intervened and kept David from acting rashly. Soon, God struck Nabal dead (v.38). Then David praised God for keeping him from evil and for returning "the wickedness of Nabal on his own head" (v.39).

Perhaps you've had an experience when kindness was repaid with ingratitude, a generous gift was treated as an entitlement, kind actions were interpreted as an attempt to control, or well-intended advice was received with scorn.

David's story reminds us that even when it seems as if we're being repaid with evil for doing good, we don't have to take matters into our own hands; we can trust God with the outcome.

  - Julie Ackerman Link

This is my Father's world-
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet. -Babcock

© 1966 Singspiration, Inc

One day God will right every wrong.

Only the Best by Woodrow Kroll

Daniel 1:3-4
Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

Only the Best

Thomas Kempis, the German mystic and author of The Imitation of Christ, observed, "The devil does not tempt unbelievers and sinners who are already his own." Satan only wants what belongs to God, and he wants God's very best.

When King Nebuchadnezzar came to deport the first group of God's people, he was not willing to settle for just anyone. He instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring only those young men who were of noble birth, good-looking and intelligent. He didn't want the local shepherd boys; he wanted the cream of the crop. His desire was to take God's very best and turn them into his own servants.

The more determined a Christian is to be the very best God can make him or her, the more such a person should expect and prepare for Satan's subtle attacks. The moment we decide to get serious about having a daily quiet time, we can be sure that Satan will place as many obstacles in our path as possible. When we choose to follow God's call into lifetime Christian service, Satan will make certain that all the reasons why this should not be done will surface.

Are you determined to serve God? Then don't be surprised by Satan's attacks. Instead, take up the shield of faith, which is able to quench the Devil's "fiery darts" (Eph. 6:16). Rejoice that Satan considers you one of God's best, but trust God to take care of you when you become one of his targets.

Satan doesn't target the mediocre; he wants the best.
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God bless

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotionals May 3, 2008

A time for revival! Won't you join The Gospel Hiway as we pray daily for a time of great revival in this world. All we ask is that you pray, ask your friends, pastors, and churches to pray. Our world is in need of great revival and is has to start somewhere, let it begin here.
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China's Billy Graham

READ: Philippians 3:1-11

What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. -Philippians 3:7
In 1927, John Sung boarded a ship from the US bound for Shanghai. He had been in the States for more than 7 years, earning three degrees in that time, including a Ph.D.

As the ship neared its destination, Sung threw all his diplomas, medals, and fraternity keys overboard, keeping only his doctorate diploma to show his father. He had received Jesus Christ and was determined that for the rest of his life he would live only for what counted for eternity.

Many older Christians still living in East and Southeast Asia came to know Christ through the ministry of John Sung, who has been called China's Billy Graham for his evangelistic work. His actions demonstrate what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:7, "What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ."

Not everyone can do what John Sung did. But, like Paul, we all should regard the things of this life "as rubbish" (v., and live our lives so that they will count for eternity.

There are people within your sphere of influence whose lives you can impact for God. He has placed them there for you to point them to Jesus.

Think of someone you can speak to about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you.
- C. P. Hia

Let my hands perform His bidding,
Let my feet run in His ways,
Let my eyes see Jesus only,
Let my lips speak forth His praise. -James

Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last.

Changed Names by Woodrow Kroll

Daniel 1:6?7
Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.

Changed Names

Some people assume new names to disguise their identity. For example, Samuel Langhorne Clemens took the pen name of Mark Twain. Mary Ann Evans took the masculine pen name of George Eliot. Other people change their names when they move to a new country to make them more pronounceable. For example, de Revoire became Revere, and Yitzchak became Hitchcock. Yet others feel a different name will make them more memorable. Thus, Erich Weiss became Harry Houdini, and Betty Joan Perske is better known as Lauren Bacall.

Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, also desired to change the names of the young men taken from Jerusalem. After all, it just wouldn't do to have people serving in Nebuchadnezzar's court with names like Daniel ("God is my judge"), Hananiah ("Jehovah was favored"), Mishael ("who is like God") and Azariah ("strengthened by Jehovah"). These names honored the God of Israel, so Ashpenaz changed them to reflect Babylonian gods. Daniel became Belteshazzar ("Bel protect his life"), Hananiah was called Shadrach ("command of Akur"), Azariah became Abed-Nego ("servant of Nebo"), and Mishael was renamed Meshach (a possible corruption of the name Maraduk, another Babylonian deity).

Society today is also good at changing the name of things that honor God. Having standards is now called intolerance. Taking a stand for what you believe is understood as fanaticism. The change works the other way as well. Adultery is called an affair. Drunkenness is now alcoholism. But don't be taken in by a change in names. God's principles haven't changed.

Guide your life by God's Word, and you will be pleasing to the Lord no matter what the world calls it. After all, what's in a name? Not much if God isn't in it.

Changing the name doesn't change the truth.

God bless