DEVOTION JOURNAL 2022 – DON MCDANIEL

MAY 2022

5/1/22 HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW 1

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

Matthew 10:29

COMMENTS: Realizing God has the power to destroy the world or even the

entire world or even universe by simply speaking that command and then

replacing them with perfect sinless versions. He could have done that

immediately after Adam’s and Eve’s first sin but didn’t. He could have

replaced Lucifer when he sinned, but instead He chose to implement a

much harder plan for Him – the plan of redemption. The plan of the cross.

The plan of Easter.

Today’s verse reveals to us the availability and little value one sparrow

was in Jesus’ day, but value God places on each sparrow, as to each

one of us.

Sparrows are worth barely a penny; Jesus said so. Yet of the world’s nine thousand bird species, Jesus singled out the least-noticed and most insignificant of birds to make a point.

If God takes time to keep tabs on every sparrow — who it is, where it’s going, whether or not its needs are being met — then surely he keeps special tabs on you. Intimately. Personally. And with every detail in mind.

The Bible may point to eagles to underscore courage and power, and it may talk about doves as symbols of peace and contentment. But God’s Word reserves sparrows to teach a lesson about trust. Just as God tenderly cares for a tiny bird, even making note of when it is harmed, or when it falls to the ground, he gently reminds you that he is worthy of your greatest trust, your deepest confidence.

How do you approach God today? Maybe you feel like a ragamuffin house sparrow clinging to an empty birdfeeder with no one to care. Stop and remember the facts behind Matthew 10:29. God does care. He notices.

Try trusting the Lord today as would a sparrow. No questions asked. No fears that he won’t come through. Relax in the protection and provision of your great God.

“Father, it’s astounding to think that with so many things to care for, you have a heart for people the world considers small and insignificant. Forgive me for not believing that you not only notice but intimately care for every detail of my life. Help me today to trust you for the small things. May I see every detail as an opportunity to trust you.”

HIDE GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:11

COMMENTS: God’s Word is our best source of wisdom and so much more. It is a resource available today in ways not imaginable just a few years ago. 100 years ago having a family bible to store family lineage as well as for personal and family devotions was such a treasure and priority. Today access to God’s Word in every translation imaginable is abundant at much lower cost than even 20 years ago and now by internet. Not only is the Bible more accessible, but an abundance of bible study materials and search tools to quickly and precisely access scripture on specific topics and issues. The write a blog post and public and be accessible almost instantly and globally. The opportunity to make a difference is far greater today while knowledge of and understanding of scripture is much worse and getting worse especially among young adults and younger. Exposure to scripture and a Christian world view is being so neglected and deprived from children today, while those with their own ambitions and goals are exposing and teaching them to embrace world views in direct opposition to and opposite the Judeo-Christian morality and standard to judge right and wrong. Our verse today reminds us the value and importance of learning and even memorizing scripture because the Holy Spirit can and will help us not only learn valuable life lessons but also remind and bring them back to us just when we need them, especially when we don’t have time or opportunity to seek and search for them in the midst of crisis or need or even tragedy. The time to repair a leaking roof is during warm sunny weather, not in the midst of a rainstorm. We don’t need that repair when the sun is shining but during rainstorms, a good roof is vital. Such is also true spiritually. Putting God’s Word in our soul and heart and mind enables us to access His Word during times of trial and need either personally or when outreaching to help others. Well, we likely already realize that but the discipline and work necessary to do that requires constant reminders and accountability of others to compel us to stay on track but us also to help them stay on track too. Years later, the treasures stored from our youth, when memorizing is more permanent and easier, will be priceless and pay compound dividends. Learning history helps us learn valuable lessons so we won’t repeat past mistakes, which includes turning from God like King Saul instead of remaining faithful like Daniel all our lives.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we, thine unworthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and lovingkindness to us, and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful. Because your Word will never return void, help me to hide it in my heart, Lord Jesus.

5/2/22GRIPPING HEARTS FOR HEAVEN

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

COMMENTS: As I get older, now 71, I am finding the reality of heaven coming closer and clearer and imminent. Death is a reality that can come at any age, young or old, but as get older the certainty of approaching death keeps coming closer and unavoidable. Christ has made assurance of heaven and access to heaven not only possible but easily available to anyone and everyone no matter where and no matter what our economic status. Just as accessible by the weak and handicapped as is to the rich and strong and powerful. Unfortunately, human willingness to admit our need and sinful state becomes easier and more a focus, leading us to Christ, during times of suffering or need or hardship than during times of prosperity and comfort and peace.

Suffering is God’s way of helping us get our minds on the hereafter. And I don’t mean the “hereafter” as a psychological crutch or an escape from reality. God wishes to instill within each of us a strong desire for the imperishable, for the incorruptible, for the inheritance that never perishes, spoils, or fades. To grip our hearts with heaven, God sometimes takes drastic measures. You and I don’t appreciate his method at first, but later we’re grateful for it. The Scottish theologian, Samuel Rutherford, described God’s dealings this way: If God had told me some time ago that he was about to make me as happy as I could be in this world, and then had told me that he should begin by crippling me in arm or limb and removing me from all my usual sources of enjoyment, I should have thought it a very strange mode of accomplishing his purpose. And yet, how is his wisdom manifest even in this! For if you should see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps, and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven. Lord of Heaven, please blow out all the lamps in my life that light up the here and now. Help me to see suffering as your path to heaven.

5/3/22 PURIFY YOURSELF

“We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself.”

1 John 3:2-3

COMMENTS: How do we purify ourselves? Well, the truth is we can’t . But there is something significant that we can and must doin order to be purified. Exposure to temptation weakens us and empowers opportunities of yielding to temptation and sin. As humans, we quickly and easily forget. We forget God and His mercies or blessings and help when we neglect devotion and fellowship with Him. When we neglect meeting together and being accountable to each other, sin subtly but powerfully begins to creep in slowly at first and overwhelming later into our lives. To confront satan alone historically rarely has a good outcome but in community, with support of other believers, the outcome is transforming. The Holy Spirit is a powerful resource but requires an invitation or welcome to come in to fight our battles with satan and empower us to join in the fight. Likewise, when we are in community, our focus is away from temptation and begin to forget about it and gravitate closer to Christ. If we look at Christ’s example, we see the perfect human example but also the example God Himself demonstrated. Yet, if we also look at other exceptional examples like the Apostle John or Paul or Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, we also see those who obeyed well while still shows flaws and sinful shortcomings. But they also demonstrated the difference growth and maturing in the faith brings but also the dramatic difference the indwelling Holy Spirit makes too.

There are precious rewards for those who sit close to self-scrutiny and cut away every sin that entangles. Such a person possesses a livelier, more buoyant expectancy of seeing the Lord face-to-face. Everyone who purifies himself has this hope, and everyone who possesses this hope, purifies himself. Of all the things that will surprise us when we see Christ face-to-face, it may likely being seeing the depth of His love for us on display in His face and voice, knowing He is Almighty God. Is it possible to hold onto sinful habits while at the same time hold the nail-scarred hands of Christ? We cannot consciously clutch sins we know to be offensive and at the same moment express sincere gratitude to our Savior for bearing our sins.

5/4/22REWARDS

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

Matthew 25:21

COMMENTS: Can you imagine how important it will be to hear Christ say “Well done, good and faithful servant”? Think about the eternal ramifications of that one face to face meeting with Christ. Where you and I spend eternity depends on that. Admission into heaven is dependent on admitting and repenting of our sins and receiving Christ’s gift of forgiveness. But what impact does our obedience after salvation gain us?

Pain and problems do one more thing. If in our trials we are faithful, suffering wins us rich rewards in heaven. It’s not so much that the resurrection will be wonderful in spite of all our pain — it will be wonderful because of it. Joni Eareckson as been a paraplyegic for over 50 years. Being confined to a wheelchair, unpleasant as it may be, is what God uses to dislocate her stubborn resentment and dislodge self-centered attitudes. Her wheelchair even forces her to be more faithful to him. She shares that more faithful she is to Him, the more rewards are stored up in heaven. Earthly sufferings don’t simply aid us today: they will serve us in eternity. Oh, to hear my Master say on that resurrection morning, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in trusting through the trials…in obeying despite the hardship…in believing through the doubts. Now come and share your Master’s happiness!” Join me, will you? Yield to God’s method of operating, his plan in your suffering. Allow your suffering to get you ready for the hereafter, permit it to prepare you to meet God, use it to build eternal rewards…then the hope of complete spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical resurrection will throb in your heart with vibrancy. And then, maybe after a short while in eternity, you and I will enjoy a game of tennis on the courts of heaven. Master, I want to hear you say to me, “Well done!” I know that’s only possible if I persevere through my trials by your grace. Help me to be faithful in these few things today. Help me to look forward to greater things in eternity.

5/5/22 GRIPPING HEARTS FOR HEAVEN

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

COMMENTS:

As time passes, I am realizing I know more people in heaven than I know on earth and realizing heaven is no more than a few brief years in the future. Because physical pain and limitations are becoming stronger, causing me to look forward to the time when my body will be exchanged for a new, glorified version. Suffering is God’s way of helping us get our minds on the hereafter. And I don’t mean the “hereafter” as a psychological crutch or an escape from reality. God wishes to instill within each of us a strong desire for the imperishable, for the incorruptible, for the inheritance that never perishes, spoils, or fades. To grip our hearts with heaven, God sometimes takes drastic measures. You and I don’t appreciate his method at first, but later we’re grateful for it. The Scottish theologian, Samuel Rutherford, described God’s dealings this way: If God had told me some time ago that he was about to make me as happy as I could be in this world, and then had told me that he should begin by crippling me in arm or limb and removing me from all my usual sources of enjoyment, I should have thought it a very strange mode of accomplishing his purpose. And yet, how is his wisdom manifest even in this! For if you should see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps, and then throw open the shutters to let in the light of heaven. Lord of Heaven, please blow out all the lamps in my life that light up the here and now. Help me to see suffering as your path to heaven.

5/6/22HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

Matthew 10:29

COMMENTS:

English sparrows. They’re worth barely a penny; Jesus said so. Yet of the world’s nine thousand bird species, Jesus singled out the least-noticed and most insignificant of birds to make a point. If God takes time to keep tabs on every sparrow — who it is, where it’s going, whether or not its needs are being met — then surely he keeps special tabs on you. Intimately. Personally. And with every detail in mind. The Bible may point to eagles to underscore courage and power, and it may talk about doves as symbols of peace and contentment. But God’s Word reserves sparrows to teach a lesson about trust. Just as God tenderly cares for a tiny bird, even making note of when it is harmed, or when it falls to the ground, he gently reminds you that he is worthy of your greatest trust, your deepest confidence. How do you approach God today? Maybe you feel like a ragamuffin house sparrow clinging to an empty bird feeder with no one to care. Stop and remember the facts behind Matthew 10:29. God does care. He notices. Try trusting the Lord today as would a sparrow. No questions asked. No fears that he won’t come through. Relax in the protection and provision of your great God. Father, it’s astounding to think that with so many things to care for, you have a heart for people the world considers small and insignificant. Forgive me for not believing that you not only notice but intimately care for every detail of my life. Help me today to trust you for the small things. May I see every detail as an opportunity to trust you.

5/7/22 The Endless Song
So I will sing praise to Your name forever. Psalm 61:8

Recommended Reading Revelation 4:6-8

Someone just paid a million and a half dollars for a ruined violin that can’t be played. Its value isn’t in its musical quality but in its history, for it was played the last time in April 1912 by a doomed musician named Wallace Hartley aboard the Titanic. Hartley and his fellow musicians reportedly played “Nearer, My God, to Thee” as the vessel slipped beneath the icy North Atlantic. Hartley’s body was recovered ten days later with his violin strapped to him. God’s children never know when we’ll sing our last song on earth; but we know that because of Christ, we’ll be part of an endless choir in the heavens. The palmist said, “I will sing praise to Your name forever.” Since heaven is a literal place, and since we’ll have resurrection bodies, we’ll all be capable of singing and rejoicing and praising. It’s not that heaven is merely a never-ending church service. The New Heavens and New Earth are literal places with never-ceasing meaningful activities. And praise will be a rich part of that activity. Our joy there will be unending and unsinkable. COMMENTS:Humans are strange on a lot of levels. The things we will pay a lot of money collecting – equally as strange – paying and working a lot to acquire things of little value. You probably have heard the poem and song that tells of auctioning off an old violin that was only bringing a few dollars until a skilled violinist picked it up and played it. Then it sold for several thousand dollars. Question was then asked what had changed with response “was the hand of the master” that made the difference. The value of the violin described above was not the violin’s quality or condition but who played it and the sacrifice of playing it. The music played was intended to help prepare those who heard it for death, as am sure it did also for the musician playing it. He chose to play this hymn with his dying breath. Such courage and such faith are what gave this violin such value. It is priceless especially if it still gives it’s new owner insights into the same level of faith. I hope he uses it to spread that message. If he does, than I would say the price he paid was fair. If he doesn’t, I fear his wealth was being wasted and a disappointment to Christ and the message of Hope and Grace He desires for us to share and spread. Ruth Graham came from a missionary family in China. Her roots prepared her to be the wife of Billy Graham and raise children to follow them in spreading the Good News. Oh the rewards she is enjoying now and will enjoy as those she touched, including her family, join her. How do we prepare for heaven? Well, I think praise is what we will be doing the most so really need to get into practice here. Praise is what God desires from us and what we are the healthiest doing because that is what we are designed to give. Our faith/endurance/capacity to love and serve are affected by our willingness and discipline to praise Him daily and often during day. How many more are in heaven because that violinist played instead of running and fight to be on a life boat. He might have saved his life but I am sure now he is so glad he made another choice, a choice to stay and play. What gave him such courage and resolve in the face of certain death? It was “the hand of the Master” on his life. God promises to give us faith and courage sufficient for each situation we face but He doesn’t promise to give us that faith before we need it or before He asks us to step out in faith first. Look at all the examples in scripture – Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Daniel and his 3 friends, David, Mary, Paul, Stephen… the list goes on. In each case, they were asked to obey and follow God’s direction first before evidence came and their faith was strengthened. In each case, they chose to obey before God empowered them. Once they made the choice to obey God’s call, though, the confirmation and strength from God’s hand came with strength and confidence even more than sufficient. Those are the examples God shows us in order to encourage us to follow Him too. Well, you and I will not likely have opportunity to do anything as dramatic as they or might we? There are no insignificant followers of Christ, so let’s go shine and see…

5/8/2022 A Great Shining City
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:23

Recommended Reading Revelation 21:22-27

Recommended Reading Revelation 5:11-14

In his book on heaven, evangelist D. L. Moody quoted an acquaintance who said: “When I was a boy, I thought of heaven as a great, shining city, with vast walls and domes and spires, and with nobody in it except white-robed angels, who were strangers to me. By and by my little brother died; and I thought of a great city with walls and domes and spires … and one little fellow that I was acquainted with … And now so many of my acquaintances have gone there, that it sometimes seems to me that I know more people in heaven than I do on earth.” What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible’s sixty-six books, and the final two chapters of the Bible are a virtual travelogue of our heavenly home. To visualize heaven accurately, study the Bible continually. The more we study God’s Word, the more we can anticipate the features of the fabulous forever home He is preparing for those who love Him. “Remember: the Bible is our only authoritative source of information about Heaven.” Billy Graham.

COMMENTS: I can relate to the experience of author above, but early on I started knowing beloved people in heaven. My Dad’s father died when I was 12 and my Mom’s mother when I was 25. My best friend when 19, my sister when 42, my parents when I was in my 50’s, my wife’s parents when I was 35 & 41. Now I’m 71 and believe I now know more people who are in heaven than I know still on earth. I also am recalling some of my elderly relatives saying they have very few left on earth that they have been close to. I recall a co-worker a few years ago saying “you know you are getting old when you know more people dead than alive”. He said “middle age is when you know the same number alive and dead”. There may be some wisdom and noteworthy insights in those comments. So that means heaven will be more like home when our time comes and even more a place to look forward to moving into. Failing bodies also draw us to look forward to a future there. Her large family got together and convinced her it was time. They are accepting responsibilities of being her taxi, and have given us the opportunity to take her to church, which we are glad to do. She is exceptionally alert and spry but had concluded driving is putting herself and others in needless risk of harm. Knowing our limitations and also learning to rely on those stronger than us is something we need to recognize and even embrace at any age but especially when at both ends of life. We are, hopefully, many years away from facing a similar decision but realize that day will come unless we pass or He returns first. The attitude our hope gives us reflects how genuine our faith and our relationship with Him is. Being a daily witness and being a witness 24×7 involves letting that light of hope and joy shine from us each day, each waking hour, everywhere we go. You and I do not know who or what opportunity God will bring our way that He wants to use for His Glory by helping one of His dear ones who need a hand or a word of encouragement or guidance to the way of salvation. Most of the time all that is needed is a simple word of encouragement and hope, but in those many times may come just one time when someone is open to ask Jesus in their hearts and need someone to pray that prayer for forgiveness with them. How will we know when that time comes if we are not preparing, being available, and taking advantages of those simple brief words of encouragement along the way. That person may actually seek you out because they remember all those words and times you encouraged them in the past. That is how God works and wants us to live. I think every one of us can do that and need not be intimidated by that. God had to convince Moses because of fear of conversation. God often gives us wonderful opportunities to be a encourager or wise councillor good friend simply by listening and sharing personal experiences based on our faith and trust in Christ.

5/9/2022 Tough Questions with RC Sproul 11 Please define a miracle and state whether or not you think God still performs them today. COMMENTS: There is a tremendous difference between the popular definition of a miracle in our culture and the narrow technical definition of a miracle that theologians work with in their science. We can often have serious communication problems when people ask me whether I believe that God is doing miracles today. If by a miracle we mean that God is alive and well and running his world by his providence, affecting the course of human events, then by all means God is doing those things. If the question is asking whether or not God is answering prayers, then I would say emphatically, yes, God is answering prayers. If people are asking whether the providence of God is bringing extraordinary things to pass today, I would say absolutely. Does God heal people in response to prayer? I would say yes to all of those questions because I’m convinced that God is alive and well and doing all of those things. If we define a miracle as a supernatural work of God, then I would say that God certainly does supernatural works today. The rebirth of a human soul cannot be done by natural means; only God can do it through his power, and God is certainly doing that every day. If that’s what people mean by a miracle, then God is doing miracles today. Some people define a miracle so broadly as to say that even the birth of a child is a miracle because it’s a marvelous thing that couldn’t happen apart from the power of God. So they would define a miracle as any wonderful thing that happens by the power of God. If that’s the definition of miracle, then again I would say that, absolutely, God is performing them today. However, we may be speaking of miracle in the technical sense of an action performed against the laws of nature—God circumventing the very laws he put into motion—for example, bringing life out of death or something out of nothing, such as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead when his body was in a state of decomposition after four days in the tomb. No, I don’t think that God is doing that kind of miracle today. I certainly believe God could raise every human being in every cemetery in this world today if he wanted to. But I don’t think he is performing those kinds of miracles today. The chief reason he did those things in biblical days was to certify revelation as divine—to back up what he spoke with evidence of his authority. Since we now have the Bible, other, miraculous sources of revelation are no longer necessary. Our definition of miracles reveals whether we believe in miracles or not. If we think miracles are just things we rarely if ever see happen, then we likely don’t believe in them. Things like the sun stopping in the sky or someone being raised from the dead or someone blind who can see without any medical intervention. If we believe salvation is a miracle – a changed life, we begin to realize miracles are a lot more common than we realize and because they are common doesn’t mean they are not miracles. Miracles are God’s handiwork whether rarely or every day, aren’t they? I think we need to realize things like even the sun coming up are no less a miracle because they happen every day nor would they still come up if God took His Hand off it. Would gravity still hold us on earth or would our hearts still beat if God took His Hand off us? I think not. To consider this helps me realize just how close He is and how involved He is and how much He loves you and me and be motivated to love and be in fellowship with Him all the more!! You too? If our wives had to go to a class so were not at home when we got home from work and wouldn’t see her until she got home from class later but supper was on the stove waiting for us, would we think it just happened because she wasn’t in view and it was there every night or would we realize that was her handiwork and appreciate her faithfulness? Why do we think less of God simply because we don’t see Him? If we realize He is involved, we start to notice how much He is involved all the time from the smallest to biggest parts of His creation. Take time to reflect and notice and see if you agree… Even when God punishes, He doesn’t take His hand of mercy entirely off His creation. Maybe such a reflection will help you notice and better appreciate what your spouse or your parents or friends or church family or even your siblings do for you especially when you are accepting their gifts thoughtlessly. OK, let’s put the shoe on the other foot… How often do you do acts of kindness for others but stop because they fail to thank you.. What if God was like that? Maybe one of the resolutions you and I need to make this Easter season is to begin noticing the acts of Love God does for us every day and begin doing acts of kindness toward others in response of gratitude to Him – not limiting our duration to amount of thanks we get back…

5/10/2022 From Practice to Presence
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Revelation 7:9 Recommended reading: Psalm 100:1-5 When Handel’s Messiah is performed at Christmas, some conductors will invite members of the audience to join the trained choir on stage to sing “the Hallelujah Chorus.” Those bold enough to accept the invitation discover the powerful effect of joining voices with scores of singers and musicians at a “professional” level. It’s one thing to sing alone in the shower or the car; it’s altogether different to join a throng who are lifting their voices in unified praise to God! That transition — from pew to stage — may suggest what it will be like to join the untold number of worshippers who will one day stand before the throne of the Lamb in heaven and worship Him. Imagine the thunderous sound of the voices! That is not to denigrate the worship we offer Him on earth. It is simply to say that life on earth is simply a foreshadowing, a foretaste, of what life in heaven will be like — and that certainly applies to worship. So, “Come before His presence with singing” this Sunday (Psalm 100:2) — a warm-up for what is to come! “Nobody can call himself a Christian who does not worship Jesus.” John R. W. Stott COMMENTS: Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanks to God. As my mentioned at beginning of the year, I challenged you to select a word for the year and mine is gratitude. I chose that believing gratitude opens doors to energize relationships and easier paths to completing tasks especially to God. He has designed and commanded us to praise Him but also opens doors to blessings and to service to those who are faithful in praise. I believe David was “a man after God’s own heart” because David was a man of gratitude and expressed his gratitude to God often verbally. His gratitude positively affected his relationships with others, his ability to lead his country as king, his relationship with God and obedience to Him, and affected his overall attitude towards his situations, both good and bad, and response to them. I believe an attitude of gratitude gives us a clear head to logically manage our lives and to make wiser choices along the way because it opens both our minds and our ears to receive wise council from God directly or thru others. Memory gives us the information to reflect on God’s provision and make gratitude a more sustainable practice in order to prepare for future challenges and choices. Let’s face it, life is a lot more enjoyable when we are filled with a grateful heart than when we are filled with a angry heart or a worrisome heart or a anxious or fearful heart. Our days are easier, we have more energy, we accomplish more, and are more able to enjoy a good night sleep with a grateful heart as well. We get along with each other better, our families are easier to love, we enjoy our jobs and co-workers more and get along better with them. Everything just goes so much better with a grateful heart. OK, when things aren’t going so well or when hardships come our way, how do we maintain a grateful heart in times of adversity? Well, I’m still working on that one, which is another reason why I selected gratitude as my word. It is still far too easy for me to grumble and complain immediately when things go even slightly wrong. However, I am learning that gratitude is a choice and goes far beyond a feeling, much like love is a choice and goes far beyond an emotion too. Therefore, going back to the Psalms helps remind me I need to sustain an attitude of gratitude and need God to constantly remind me of that. Psalms helps do that, but frequently going to scripture and times of prayer do that too. Music is an effective way of raising our spirits. Especially since I’ve retired, keeping our local Christian radio station on (89.5FM and 88.7 FM are two with best reception here), gives us a steady stream of solid bible teaching and uplifting music. We are so blessed to have so many tools to help us, free access to scripture and prayer but also access to one or more radio stations and even thru internet access, which helps keep us in touch with Him. I would encourage you to use all the tools available to help you. How much we depend on so many things and the level of comfort we have grown so accustomed. How much our ancestors and those in most parts of the world endure and even thrive while we can’t manage even the slightest discomforts without complaining. God forgive us…Maybe working on a deeper level of gratitude will provide some better preparation and ability to endure greater hardships than I am capable of enduring and maybe you as well… Be careful about praying for patience, since the path to patience commonly is a path of hardship. I believe gratitude comes most commonly by the same path. Do you thing so too? Well, like it or not God knows and wants what is best for us so it may be time to prepare to receive these gifts thru the path God judges bests for us to achieve and to receive them….

5/11/2022 The River of Life
And [the angel] showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1

Recommended Reading John 7:37-39

The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest freshwater aquifer in the United States, lying beneath eight Plains states. Its waters have been heavily used, primarily for agriculture, and may contain only another 25 years’ supply. This is not good news not only in terms of personal consumption but for agricultural uses as well. Scientists and ecologists agree — water is the most endangered, fastest shrinking resource on the planet. Fortunately, there will be no shortage of water in the New Jerusalem. A “pure river of water of life” (Revelation 22:1) will flow from the New Jerusalem to water all the earth. Jesus made reference to “rivers of living water” which the apostle John said referred to the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39). Just as the Holy Spirit gave life to those in the earthly Jerusalem, so will there be a river of life in the New Jerusalem. Everything we need for life, forever, God will provide. No earthly shortage should be a cause of concern for those who belong to Christ. Eternal provision has been made in the New Jerusalem for physical and spiritual abundance! “Those who have the New Jerusalem in their eye must have the ways that lead to it in their heart.” Matthew Henry

Today’s Prayer Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. — The Book of Common Prayer COMMENTS David Jeremiah continues his series on Angels during this time. He shared scriptural characteristics of angels: They are created beings and not to be worshipped, they are not to be praised and always point praise and worship back to Christ. There are angels of God and “angels of light” which are satan’s angels skilled at deception and coming as “angels of light” to deceive us but not conforming to biblical standards for conduct. They intend for our destruction and not for our well being. Christ’s angels are not working to better themselves or “to earn their wings” or to be promoted but are already in the state and position they were created to be in. They also are not humans promoted into an angelic position. Angels were created for His purpose and humans will never be angels but in heaven will have their own positions and work to perform. All angels revealed in scripture have a masculine appearance. However, it is best to realize angels are designed to worship and guide/help us in our lives and pilgrimage and point us to worship and praise for Him and not for themselves. They are messengers to do God’s bidding, whether it is bringing us a needed message or assisting us in life’s battles or overcoming life’s threats. They will never receive any praise or worship from us but always require us to give such to God Himself. They are given great powers to defeat great armies or do great miracles to fulfill their missions. They have protected or saved humans from great dangers or death in the past. David Jeremiah believes as we enter end times, demons will be more active and evident but God’s angels will likewise be more evident and active. There is increasing evidence Christ is revealing Himself directly to Moslems who do not have opportunity to hear the Gospel for themselves. I think all this is very encouraging and am glad I am privileged to live in this time. That does not make me any less concerned with the eternal wellbeing of my children and grandchildren and everyone, for that matter. The stakes will be great and satan’s deceptions will be powerful – even to point God’s help will be vital to avoid even the elect being deceived. Satan has had a lot of practice and will try to pull out all the stops persuading you and me and all around us to follow him. As though he hasn’t been trying in the past but since he knows his time is drawing to an end, he will put forth his final push. Likewise, God knows his time is ending. Also, scriptures tell us God will allow him a final fling before His return to make things right..

5/12-13/2022 Four Seasons: A Season of Rededication 7
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.
Deuteronomy 30:19

Recommended Reading
Romans 12:1-2 The second law of thermodynamics says that disorder increases over time unless it is interrupted. Not only is that true physically, it is also true spiritually. Left to ourselves, our carnal nature wars against the Spirit to pull us in the direction of spiritual disorder (Galatians 5:17). Moses called each generation of Israelites to affirm their allegiance to God. The Exodus generation dedicated themselves to God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24) and the second generation was called to do the same (the book of Deuteronomy). Moses then instructed Joshua to lead Israel to rededicate themselves to the Covenant before they settled the land (Joshua 8:30-35). And after their expansion into the land, they rededicated themselves again (Joshua 24). Why not let today be when you rededicate yourself to God: to love and obey Him in everything in the coming year. “The year is made up of minutes. Let these be watched as having been dedicated to God. It is in the sanctification of the small that hallowing of the large is secure.” G. Campbell Morgan The Easter season is often marked by spectacular displays of art and public worship—we might sing beautiful Easter hymns at church, attend moving Easter pageants, or participate in public acts of prayer, fasting, or devotion. Today’s Scripture Reading reminds us that in the midst of these outward displays, however appropriate they are, we are called to humility, self-sacrifice, reflection, and quiet suffering. Today’s Prayer O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ’s sake, Amen. — Ambrose of Milan, 4th century bishop Today’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Today’s Quote “When your heart is thus established in Christ, and you are an enemy of sin, out of love and not out of fear of punishment, Christ’s sufferings should also be an example for your whole life, and you should meditate on the same

in a different way. . . . If a day of sorrow or sickness weighs you down, think, how trifling that is compared with the thorns and nails of Christ. If you must do or leave undone what is distasteful to you: think, how Christ was led hither and thither, bound and a captive. Does pride attack you: behold, how your Lord was mocked and disgraced with murderers. Do unchastity and lust thrust themselves against you: think, how bitter it was for Christ to have his tender flesh torn, pierced and beaten again and again. Do hatred and envy war against you, or do you seek vengeance: remember how Christ with many tears and cries prayed for you and all his enemies, who indeed had more reason to seek revenge . If trouble or whatever adversity of body or soul afflict you, strengthen your heart and say: Ah, why then should I not also suffer a little since my Lord sweat blood in the garden because of anxiety and grief? “One can thus find in Christ strength and comfort against all vice and bad habits. . . . And they are called true Christians who incorporate the life and name of Christ into their own life, as St. Paul says in Gal 5, 24: “And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.” For Christ’s Passion must be dealt with not in words and a show, but in our lives and in truth. . . . But this kind of meditation is now out of use and very rare, although the Epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter are full of it. We have changed the essence into a mere show, and painted the meditation of Christ’s sufferings only in letters and on walls.” — Martin Luther COMMENTS: It seems interesting to me that science has accepted the 2^nd law of thermodynamics that order is replaced by disorder unless changed by an external force, and yet has so embraced Darwin’s theory of evolution that basically says life will improve without external forces. The earth and life shout the incredible level of order and God’s constant intervention to sustain His order. There may be conflict between scientists but there is no conflict between science and God’s Word. We just haven’t got either figured out so problem is us, not God… Lent is a good time to stop, humble ourselves, get back into His Word and fellowship with Him, and allow Him to shape and change us to be more like Him. Matt 6 reminds us not to do our good works in public for public praise but in a way so impact will be felt anonymously. Giving, charity, tithing, acts of kindness should all be designed to help and to honor Him and not to honor ourselves. How often has blessing been richer because of that and God did get praise. I can remember one time a co-worker was going thru some hard times and was not able to buy Christmas gifts for his children. I decided to give him some money for that purpose. He wanted to repay it later but I simply told him to prayerfully pick a time and individual to pass on blessing to. It helped him look beyond himself and his needs and to start a new path of generosity but also seeking God’s guidance. We’ve not spoken of that experience til now, but since has been 30 years ago, I felt that example was appropriate to share now. God also used that experience to speak to us and help us draw closer to Him, to each other, and open us up to receive additional blessings responsibly as well. We can’t outgive God but I do think His blessings are depending on our willingness to be obedient and responsible. Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” I am going to make this my prayer during Lent in my search to draw closer to Him seeking closer fellowship with Him and guidance from Him. How about you? Continuing the “Thru the Bible in 90 day” program is helping greatly and will complete reading during Lent. I think it appropriate I will be completed the Old Testament and beginning the New Testament at beginning of Lent (within next couple of days) and will be reading thru the New Testament during Lent. I believe that will make this Lent especially meaningful and am looking forward to insights God will provide during this time. Retirement has made such rich times available but am realizing I really had the time to do so when was working but put other priorities ahead. I could have had time to do what needed done as well as spending more time with Him if I had put Him first by setting more time for Him first. I suggest you to make a similar commitment this Lent and see if God will enable you to have sufficient time to complete your daily tasks and meet your daily responsibilities just as well and likely better than if you hadn’t given Him His time first. How does that work? It doesn’t make sense but I am fully confident you will see it to be true as I have. Yesterday I received a couple of books I ordered from “Christianbooks.com”. One is a complete works of Josephus. He was a Jewish scholar who recorded noteworthy history between old and new testaments and some additional background of Jesus. His works are considered accurate but not divinely inspired so not part of scriptures. I am reflecting on a study of I Maccabees Rev. Jim Kimmel did at our church a few years ago and has motivated me to continue study and thought this book would help as a resource. I am finding this study helped give understanding and background to who the Zealots and Pharisees and Sadducees were and why they acted and believed as they did. Anyway, I might share some of that study now and again in my comments if find them appropriate and relevant to devotion for the day.

5/14/2022 Full Circle
Cursed is the ground… And there shall be no more curse. Genesis 3:17; Revelation 22:3

Recommended Reading Philippians 1:20-26

In a well-crafted novel, a problem is usually introduced in the opening pages, often involving life-and-death matters. A plot then unfolds with twists and turns, all connected with a heroic protagonist. Then the story climaxes and concludes in a way that satisfies the reader. The Bible isn’t a novel, but it is inspired by a Master Author. In its opening pages we’re introduced to a set of terrible problems. The plot unfolds with twists and turns, centered around one heroic personage — Jesus Christ. The book concludes with the story coming full circle in a satisfying way. In Genesis 1-3, humanity is separated from God by a serpent and by sin, and a curse falls over creation. In Revelation 19-22, sin is dealt with, the serpent condemned, paradise restored, and God’s people eternally satisfied. In the New Earth, the curse of sin will be reversed, revealing once again the beauty God designed for us. No curse will spoil the new creation, and no dullness will dim our eyesight. So we will see it. How wonderful to read God’s Book, knowing it is all written for us to claim! “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity COMMENTS:[ Praise to the God of All Comfort ] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4Today’s devotion and scripture guide minister to us at more than one level. Paul, in Philippians 1 shares with us his passion to share the life giving Gospel of Christ yet also desiring to enjoy the eternal presence promised with Him in heaven. The reality and joy of both are expressed in this passage but also reminds us of the reason for us being on earth as well as reward waiting us in heaven too. The above passage from II Corinthians reminds us also that the reason Christ comforts and heals us is in order to be able to comfort others. We are not being fed just to get fat but so we are equipped to feed others. I believe the greatest blessings in heaven will be: 1) Being in full fellowship with our Savior and 2) See others enjoying that blessing and knowing we were obedient in bringing them to Him too. I also believe the regrets of those in hell will be remembering those opportunities they missed to receive forgiveness and missed bringing their loves ones into that knowledge as well. Regrets are so bitter if you have even experienced them. They motivate us to not make same mistakes again. However, the worst regrets are those that can’t be corrected and have permanent consequences. Broken relationships or broken bodies, but how about our relationship with Him if we continue living without seeking His forgiveness? How much worse that regret will be than any regret we have relating to our family or friends. Examples from scripture and it’s warnings as well as Christ’s warnings directly to us show us just how important our relationship and obedience to Him is. The Israelites in the Old Testament suffered horribly because of their disobedience. God pleaded with them to simply worship and obey and love Him and He would bless and protect them. When they disobeyed, they removed themselves from his loving hand because they thought they wanted their independence and fun. They lost far more than they gained, but they only gained suffering, not pleasure or fun. How deceptive satan’s temptations are but they never have given what they promised and they never will. God’s grace that Christ gives us has spoiled us because we are constantly and freely spared from God’s judgment and full consequences of our sinful choices over and over again. If look at Old Testament you will realize how many more times our sins have been forgiven and we have been spared judgment than they have. Yet, His warning is to us that if we choose to continue in sin there will be consequences and judgment. Just because we’ve been spared tens of thousands of times doesn’t mean we always will. The people in Pompeii ignored the shaking ground and mountain noises because they’ve always been harmless but they waited too long to leave.

5/15/2022 Joy to the World!
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Psalm 98:4

Recommended Reading Psalm 98

It might surprise you to know that when Isaac Watts wrote “Joy to the World,” he wasn’t thinking of Christmas. He had been studying Psalm 98 and contemplating the millennial reign of Christ. When Jesus comes again, He will establish a thousand-year reign on earth, and heaven and nature will sing. Fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains will repeat the sounding joy. Only during the Millennium, which comes after the second advent of Christ, will the words to “Joy to the World” really be fulfilled. The Millennium will be an earthly foretaste of the New Heavens and New Earth, which will be our eternal home. If you want to know what the Millennium will be like, read passages like Revelation 20 and Isaiah 11. This is earth’s future. When you hear now of wars and rumors of war, and when you despair over the coarsening of society, and when you worry about global issues, remember: He will come to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found — a joy for earth and a foretaste of heaven. “He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.” Isaac Watts The God Who Stoops… And Stands “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ — ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.'” (John 8:10-11 NLT) Condemnation — the preferred commodity of Satan. He will repeat the adulterous woman scenario as often as you permit him to do so, marching you through the city streets and dragging your name through the mud. He pushes you into the center of the crowd and megaphones your sin: This person was caught in the act of immorality … stupidity … dishonesty … irresponsibility. But he will not have the last word. Jesus has acted on your behalf. He stooped. Low enough to sleep in a manger, work in a carpentry shop, sleep in a fishing boat. Low enough to rub shoulders with crooks and lepers. Low enough to be spat upon, slapped, nailed, and speared. Low. Low enough to be buried. And then he stood. Up from the slab of death. Upright in Joseph’s tomb and right in Satan’s face. Tall. High. He stood up for the woman and silenced her accusers, and he does the same for you. He “is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us” (Rom. 8:34 MSG). Let this sink in for a moment. In the presence of God, in defiance of Satan, Jesus Christ rises to your defense. He takes on the role of a priest. “Since we have a great priest over God’s house, let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience” (Heb. 10:21–22 NCV). A clean conscience. A clean record. A clean heart. Free from accusation. Free from condemnation. Not just for our past mistakes but also for our future ones.”Since he will live forever, he will always be there to remind God that he has paid for [our] sins with his blood” (Heb. 7:25 TLB). Christ offers unending intercession on your behalf. Jesus trumps the devil’s guilt with words of GRACE. COMMENTS: Our hope and confidence of forgiveness and an eternity in heaven rest on Christ and His sacrifice for you and me. Just because His sacrifice is 2000 yrs old and each generation since has heard the same message, including ours, doesn’t make it any less amazing or priceless or less exciting. Isaiah 11 gives us insight of Christ being a decendent of Jesse (King David’s father) and Revelation 20 reveals to us Satan being bound and kept from influencing earth and facing final defeat and judgment after being released briefly 1000 years later. We have read and heard the story Max Lucado from John 8. Jesus forgave the adulterous woman and told her to turn from her past sinful behavior. Her choice was full forgiveness or death as her punishment, a “no brainer”. Did her forgiveness mean less to her as time passed. I trust not but we certainly should not take our forgiveness for granted either. Yet our very nature is to let time diminish or erase our gratitude and resolve to turn from past sinful behavior. That is what the Holy Spirit does for us, abiding with us so we can sustain Christ like behavior and an appreciation for His sacrifice. Yet our wills still define whether we will grow stronger in our faith or weaker. Will we fail and make sinful mistakes, both deliberate and unintended ones? Yes. Well, that doesn’t mean growth and improvement can’t happen or we won’t be more like Christ and less like satan as time goes on. The rest of our lives we will continue to need His Grace and forgiveness and constant help to overcome temptation and natural frailty. Yet as our relationship with Him becomes closer and a deeper part of our daily lives, change will happen. No matter how righteous we live, we will find others living more righteous and all will be living short of Christ’s example. Even though we won’t arrive at perfection til death, we will become more like Him each day and closer to His example. That is what He wants from us and expects us to be. OK, that means we need to keep working and not take for granted our need for Him.

5/16/2022 YARDSTICKS

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following. When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
John 21:20-22
COMMENTS:
Christians know that it’s wrong to compare, yet our culture has more sociological groupings and measurements than you can shake a yardstick at. We struggle to avoid coming out on the losing end as we compare our lot in life with others’. And if we have faced tragedy, we often seek a refuge where our Purple Heart medals shine more brightly. Peter had the same problem. Jesus had just revealed that Peter would be led to a martyr’s death, but not a word had been spoken about John. Obviously, when Peter sized up the situation, John appeared to be getting a better deal. “Lord, what about him?” he blurted out. Jesus’ answer was shocking. He allowed no room for deserved indulgence, no luxury of self-pity. In effect Jesus said, “Look, if it’s my will that John lives until I come again, what is that to you? What I have planned for John is not your business. Get your eyes off him and follow me.” Rather harsh words for a man facing martyrdom! But the Lord knew the greater devastation of competing and comparing. “Envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). Here’s the best antidote for envy I’ve ever read. Romans 12:2 is the prescription to swallow: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Lord, your will for me is good and acceptable and perfect. I have no need to compare myself with others—I have your best for me!
5/17/2022 Relying most on what is most reliable Survival Weapon of Jesus Trust God’s Word. Don’t trust your emotions. Don’t trust your opinions. Don’t even trust your friends. In the wilderness heed only the voice of God. Again, Jesus is our model. Remember how Satan teased him? “If you are the Son of God … ” (Luke 4:3, 9 NCV). Why would Satan say this? Because he knew what Christ had heard at the baptism. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17 NASB). “Are you really God’s Son?” Satan is asking. Then comes the dare – “Prove it!” Prove it by doing something: “Tell this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3 NASB). “If You worship before me, it shall all be Yours” (v. 7 NASB). “Throw Yourself down from here” (v. 9 NASB) What subtle seduction! Satan doesn’t denounce God; he simply raises doubts about God. Is his work enough? Earthly works – like bread changing or temple jumping – are given equal billing with heavenly works. He attempts to shift, ever so gradually, our source of confidence away from God’s promise and toward our performance. Jesus doesn’t bite the bait. No heavenly sign is requested. He doesn’t solicit a lightning bolt; he simply quotes the Bible. Three temptations. Three declarations. “It is written … ” (v. 4 NASB). “It is written … ” (v. 8 NASB). “It is said … ” (v. 12 NASB). Jesus’ survival weapon of choice is Scripture. If the Bible was enough for his wilderness, shouldn’t it be enough for ours? Don’t miss the point here. Everything you and I need for desert survival is in the Book. We simply need to heed it. COMMENTS: I can’t say I ever had a major betrayal from a friend but can recall being hurt at times by someone I respected and trusted. That has happened several times during my working career and can recall it happening when in school as well. I have long since forgotten the details, that happens as time passes without thinking about those experiences. However, they taught me caution to some degree and to choose friends wisely. I must say choosing friends wisely has come from realizing poor friends are more likely a bad influence on me than me being a good influence on them. I guess that is because we tend to expect more from a friend. We expect a friend to be trust worthy and tend to let ourselves be more vulnerable to them. Likewise, that means exposing ourselves more to their influences as well. Yet being a witness for Him also makes us vulnerable and exposes us to being taken advantage of as well as well as varying degrees of ridicule and persecution. I have to admit I’ve been treated pretty well by nearly all who I cross paths with mostly based on the country I live in and respect I’ve tried to give to all I encounter. However, I have encountered some mean spirited folks not kind to many. In some cases, I’ve discovered some to be deeply hurting and only responding out of pain. Reaching out with compassion was therapy during a few of those experiences. I have been grateful when Christ nudged me to hold my tongue when tempted to response with a harsh word instead of compassion. Isn’t it amazing God knows all the billions of us better than anyone else or even ourselves and will work with us intimately enough to discover the needs of others as well as hidden needs of ourselves? I am also amazed how cunning, devious, and sneaky satan is but how easy it is to see thru his schemes if we only let Christ in to show them to us. How often I have been glad when stopped and asked Him before responding to something or someone without realizing satan’s trick at play. Well, this morning was distribution day at Community pantry. Jack Griffin joined us today for first since he retired. We enjoyed his fellowship and was fun working together and being a part of providing this needed help to needy in community. I think it to be interesting observing that working together to an important goal is a viable way of building positive relationships and friendships based on trust and good will. We were all able to enjoy each other’s company and conversation while effectively ministering to 100+ families we gave food to this morning. We all look forward to the work and are encouraged with bonding with not only each other but with the many families we contacted this morning. I pray God will use the pantry to do His will in the lives of both worker and recipient and am confident that will happen in His time and His way but for His honor. The bottom line is we can trust Him knowing He knows best, He has our best interests at heart, He loves us more than any other, He has the power –the knowledge – the wisdom – the perfect plan – and is in complete control of eternity. So He is completely trust worthy and worthy of our love and friendship but also our worship and complete trust. Truth is that He is trustworthy so it is much more important that we put our trust in Him no matter if others are worthy of our trust or not. Likewise, if others do us harm or betray our trust, if we put ourselves in His hands, He will bring us thru better and stronger and more reliant on Him, which is where we need to be! 5/18/2022 Swift to Hear So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James 1:19 Recommended Reading James 1:19-27 The Huffington Post carried an article on the five skills of good listeners: “They give special attention to the one speaking, they listen without being judgmental or reacting too soon, they discern where the speaker is coming from, they interrupt sparingly, and they respond with understanding.”1 Apply those principles to listening to God’s Word. Picking up our Bibles, we should give God our full attention, withhold our opinion until we understand what He is saying, listen without interrupting, and respond with understanding and obedience. When James said, “Be quick to hear,” he wasn’t just talking about listening to each other. The verses that follow speak of being quick to listen to the Lord: “Let every man be swift to hear … and receive with meekness the implanted word … Be doers of the word, and not hearers only … He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it … will be blessed in what he does.” Let’s be quick to listen, swift to believe, and eager to obey! COMMENTS: James is telling us to be doers and not just hearers of God’s Word. Yet we have to really hear His Word before we can act on it. James gives us some pointers on what that means in verses 19-21: Be slow to talk, slow to anger, and turn from sin (repentence) so we will be open to listen. The 5 listening skills mentioned above are part of that too: Listen closely with an open mind, recognize the speaker’s experiences and reason – purpose, and do not respond until information is completed. Then responding with understanding or full knowledge the speaker intended. I tend to get in a hurry when have a clear picture of what I need to do, but drag my feet when not sure. Likewise, I also get in a hurry to complete tasks I don’t like once I get started but am quick to start jobs I enjoy but take my time doing them. Christ does not complete jobs in a linear fashion. Even mathematics reflect His non-linear way of doing things. Math is more than simple addition. Multiplication and especially multiplication with factorials reminds us how quickly God’s will can be done. For example, 1! Is one, 2! Is 2, 3! Is 6, 4! Is 24, 5! Is 120, 6! Is 720, 7! Is 5040…. In other words, a number factorial is the number multiplied by every whole number smaller than itself. I think that describes how God works. He begins with unnoticed actions that seem like nothing is being accomplished until some point with it is very obvious. Spring is like that, isn’t it? We are now seeing an explosion of grass growing, leaves on every tree, and flowers growing everywhere. I love spring in spite of having to mow so often. How often do we think we are doing no good, especially in our witness for Him. Yet, how He uses us to encourage and influence others is likely not be a linear response, especially if He does not work in a linear way, right? His work doesn’t add, it multiplies!! I am glad for that! So taking the time needed to seek Him is essential if He is going to multiply our efforts. That is why He may seek to delay or tarry or be painfully slow in doing His Will or take so long. His timing is better than ours. He often slows down for us to catch up. So what is the difference between taking our time preparing and simply putting off doing what we should. I think we know the answer to that. Waiting for His direction and approval requires actively seeking and preparing with a mindset focused on doing His Will. Putting things off involves trying to put tasks out of our mind and avoidance of reminders of what He is saying to us. He is going to do His Will either with us or without us. We will be in the truck with Him or will be on the outside being run over by the truck. Well, we don’t normally think of it that way, but isn’t that what He is trying to tell us and working so hard to guide us into acting as though we believe that? Today is starting out to be a very foggy and cold (34 degrees) morning but sun is out and fog is starting to burn off (7AM). I am looking forward to playing at all 3 churches (Sylvia Wiegel is on vacation today) so am filling in at Peter’s as well as being my turn at Rankin and Grace. Taking piano lessons was such a drudgery at times during the 6 years I took them as a young boy. I went many years not playing but since had the skill in place was able to start playing and enjoying that ability and using it for His glory in recent years. So many experiences are like that, especially unpleasant ones. We wonder why until God reveals and gives opportunity to use them for His glory. I don’t think you and I will ever get used to that attribute of Him so we can be amazed whenever we see Him work that way every time we do, right? I think there is evidence He works that way all around us if we take some time to notice. It is all around us in nature, but also all around us in life’s experiences with each other as well… 5/19/2022 Cold Love This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12 Recommended Reading John 13:31-35 COMMENTS: Last winter when arctic blasts sent much of America into a deep freeze, a pizza store near Pittsburgh sent its delivery trucks to deliver prescriptions to ill and elderly residents. People across the eastern side of Pittsburgh called the shop’s number to arrange for their medications. And, no, they didn’t have to order a pizza. There were no strings attached. The owner told local media outlets, “You just have to be there for your residents.” Six times in the Upper Room on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus used the phrase “one another.” He told the disciples to wash one another’s feet and to love one another. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” He said. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:14, 34-35; 15:12, 17). That means we have to be there for others, no strings attached. If an arctic chill has blown into one of your relationships, rededicate yourself to loving that person today as you should, and so prove to be our Lord’s disciple. On cold days we can warm others by our love. Today’s devotion shows us the way one man “walked the talk”. To put his business at risk from lost revenue in order to reach out to elderly in need is quite a testament. All too many businessmen would see such acts as foolishness. Yet I would expect such generosity in the community to be very good for business. Who’s number would those elderly people have when they also needed some food? Who would they talk about when their friends or children and grandchildren visited? Yet for that to be the motive for doing good would spoil the blessing and benefit. Likewise, we can’t earn our way to heaven or God’s favor. We are not saved by good works but saved to do good works (Eph 2:8-9). That means salvation is costly but free, only requiring receiving it. Works are motivated by our love for Him, not by wanting something in return, including eternal life. I had a very pleasant surprise this morning. I got an email from a dear college friend I haven’t heard from in 41 years. His name is Junichi Meguro. Junichi came to US from Japan as an exchange student for his senior year. Then he continued college, attending Grove City College the same years as I with the same major in mechanical engineering. I learned he was now living in Sweden and acquired his mailing address from a neighbor, Heidi Phipps, who has written him several times over the years. So I wrote a letter and send him some pictures, which he responded to with a warm email yesterday. I look forward to rekindling our friendship and start catching up with each other over past 41 years that have passed. I am reminded how important it is to maintain our relationship with Christ in order to enjoy the relationship with Him that I was designed to have. When I let time pass and other things distract from my time with Him, I experience regret and a sense of loss. I also miss out taking notice of the amazing things God does and amazing ways in which He does them. I noticed an amazing treasure in scripture today while doing my 90 day thru bible reading. Isaiah 45 gives us God’s prophecy 150 years before Daniel would tell King Cyrus he was the king God chose to allow Israelite to return from captivity in Babylon and rebuild their home in Jerusalem and God’s temple there. Daniel was a most valuable councellor to 2 Babylonian kings, and 2 invading Mede-Persian kings (Darius and Cyrus). I’m sure Isaiah didn’t understand the vision and words God gave him to write down, but Daniel knew the scripture and discovered their truth when Cyrus came on the scene. These amazing words convinced Cyrus to be the king God wanted and be obedience to God’s will. Daniel became Cyrus’s most trusted and cherished advisor as well. I think it so amazing God would include the king’s name when sharing future events. He indeed is not bound by time as we are. As I look back over the 41 years I can see so many ways God’s hand has been at work in my life and am praying I’ll have opportunity to share those ways with my dear friend from college. 5/20/2022 The Five Ships of Opportunity: Fellowship If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. 1 John 1:7 Recommended Reading 1 John 1:5-10 COMMENTS: Hank Williams dropped out of school to pursue his dream of being a country music star, but he ran into problems with alcoholism. He married Audrey Sheppard at a gas station in Alabama. But when the marriage hit the rocks, Audrey threw Hank out of the house. Fueled by heartache, Williams wrote the song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Shortly afterward he died at age 29 in the back of his Cadillac en route to a performance. His songs of loneliness and heartache made him an American icon, for somehow his plaintive melodies touched the hearts of those who are so lonely they could cry. The Bible has a one-word answer for loneliness: Fellowship. That’s our opportunity to be best friends with the Lord and part of His worldwide family. It’s the divine answer. If you feel so lonely you could cry, take the focus off yourself. Think of how much God loves you, and find another person whom you can serve today. When we see the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. I find Hank Williams’ story to be such a sad one, a story that needn’t have been. Yet one that could be ours and would be ours without Christ in our lives. He is our hope and joy and guide to the narrow but solid path. Hank had a successful career and even now is still heard on country radio channels but he didn’t live long enough to enjoy it. His son is a singer too and has even sang duets with his father, using old tapes of his father. How said his father died without knowing him and his son having to settle for singing with his father’s tape instead of singing with Him. Our confidence is we will see and sing with those we love in heaven who have received His grace and mercy as we. A hope based on confidence God keeps His promises along with evidence in scripture over 150 or so generations since Adam of keeping His promises. Days we miss devotions, with its prayer and bible study and meditation and reflection, causes us to miss fellowship with Him. Sundays we miss worship also cause us to miss fellowship with Him but also with each other. We need each other but most of all we need Him. Then we wonder why we feel lonely or empty or worthless or bored or…. Our scripture from I John reminds us we must be in fellowship with Him in order to live in the light (vs5), we must have fellowship not only with Him but with other believers so Christ’s blood can cleans us from our sins (vs7), but if we think we are good and not sinful we deceive ourselves (vs. 8). That is denying sin’s power (vs 5-7), sin’s presence (vs 8-9) and sin’s practice / habit of sin we are guilty of (vs10). Then I John 2:1-2 goes on to tell us God’s word is intended for us to follow so don’t sin but also our provision for forgiveness of sin thru Christ each day even after we first receive His Grace. “He is God’s way of dealing with our sins, not ours only but the sins of the whole world.” Our hopelessness and the futility of our efforts to change ourselves is real. To fight sin alone is futile. To ignore sin in our lives is dangerous. To ignore sin exists or to deny it exists is also futile and very dangerous. Every generation tried this path which ended in destruction. Why would we think we would be different but only need to look around us to see society and most are following that deception again. We are in a time when evil is considered good and good is considered evil. Christians are the most persecuted group in the world today and we are on a path in the US to join that statistic. If we are not founded in Christ’s Grace, we are in danger of being washed away during trials and coming persecution. Will we cave and fall or stay true and grounded in His Word and His Grace scripture tells us of when trials or hardships and persecution come our way? Will we be the house built on solid rock or the house built on shifting sand. Check your foundation and make sure and seek Him to do any changes needed. 5/21/2022 C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading TO DOROTHY L. SAYERS: On the deep lessons in love that Lewis was learning. 25 June 1957 I ought to tell you my own news. On examination it turned out that Joy’s previous marriage, made in her pre-Christian days, was no marriage: the man had a wife still living. The Bishop of Oxford said it was not the present policy to approve re-marriage in such cases, but that his view did not bind the conscience of any individual priest. Then dear Father Bide (do you know him?) who had come to lay his hands on Joy—for he has on his record what looks very like one miracle—without being asked and merely on being told the situation at once said he would marry us. So we had a bedside marriage with a nuptial Mass. When I last wrote to you I would not have wished this; you will gather (and may say ‘guessed as much’) that my feelings had changed. They say a rival often turns a friend into a lover. Thanatos [the Greek god of death], certainly (they say) approaching but at an uncertain speed, is a most efficient rival for this purpose. We soon learn to love what we know we must lose. I hope you give us your blessing: I know you’ll give us your prayers. She is home now, not because she is better (though in fact she seems amazingly better) but because they can do no more for her at the Wingfield: totally bed-ridden but—you’d be surprised—we have much gaiety and even some happiness. Indeed, the situation is not easy to describe. My heart is breaking and I was never so happy before: at any rate there is more in life than I knew about. My own physical pains lately (which were among the severest I’ve known) had an odd element of relief in them. From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III Compiled in Yours, Jack The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume III: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy 1950-1963. COMMENTS: Today’s devotion reveals a surprising fact of Lewis’s personal life. He married Joy late in life. As can see from above, Joy had previously been married to someone who already had a wife. Lewis and Joy were, however, able to be married but their marriage was brief due to cancer. Life has a way of spoiling our dreams. Joy’s choices as a young woman did become a struggle and burden for her later. Regrets are something we all encounter. We can choose good or evil. We have the power to make wise as well as foolish choices. God so wants to helps us make wise choices. We have the power to make these choices, but do not have the power to choose or stop the consequences. All too often we make choices and then suffer consequences of those choices for decades afterwards. The good news is God will forgive sin from our foolish choices and often will also forgive the consequences but sometimes will only soften the consequences a bit. Continuing to suffer consequences after repentence is not uncommon and brings hardship to those we love who may not have had a part of making those foolish choices. Sin has a way of hurting the innocent as well as the guilty. Sin has lingering consequences that are out of our control. Yet even good choices made without God’s wisdom can also bring consequences that come with not choosing God’s best. We become impatient, like Abraham and Sarah who made choices that brought suffering on themselves and every generation afterward. The battles and wars between Ishmael’s and Isaac’s children has continued from then til now and will trigger end time battles in years to come. Such could have been avoided if only Sarah and Abraham had waited for God as they were told to. It is a mystery why God doesn’t wipe out all consequences of sin when He forgives us. Well, sometimes He does but often He only softens them a bit. We humans need to be deterred from sin so often need to feel the pain of our sins. What would we be like if we got off scot t free every time we sinned? I dare say, we would repeat our sins daily without regard of damage or the pain we cause Him. Am I right? We need to trust Him and accept His Grace with any lingering consequences He chooses for us to bear. Afterall, before another 100 years passes (for some of us may be less than 20 or even 10 years) we will be in heaven and will see clearly His plan and all will be worth it. Truth is we are not promised a pain free road, nor a road free of suffering. Some of that suffering will be out of our control and not our own fault. Other suffering is a result of our own poor choices and their consequences. CS Lewis, like we, made poor choices during his lifetime. His life examples show us even those close to God suffer from their own sins but also some from being in the human race. The big difference is FORGIVENESS and the hope of eternal life in heaven with our Savior and God. To not get discouraged and loose hope is very hard at times but remember, WE HAVE THE REASON FOR HOPE AND THE ONE WHO GIVES THAT HOPE CLOSE BY. Today is Debbie and Joe’s 9th wedding anniversary (our daughter and son-in-law). They have had their struggles and continue to have them, but have stayed together 9 years so far and are stronger and closer than when they began. Neither knew the struggles and challenges they would have but are learning He is near to help them thru them. Learning to listen to Him and surrender especially when we don’t want to is a lifelong battle we all continue to fight – winning sometimes and failing at times too. But He is there either way to pick us up and take our hand and walk with us. THE GOOD NEWS AND POWER OF THE GOSPEL IS STILL SECURE. 5/22/2022 Saying Versus Showing But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 Recommended Reading Ephesians 2:8-10 History is filled with people claiming to have seen “Bigfoot,” “Sasquatch,” or the “Abominable Snowman.” A recent claim to make the news was from a man in Michigan who claims to have seen Bigfoot many times over the years. He puts out boxes of pizza at night and finds the torn, empty boxes in the morning. (No explanation is given as to why he hasn’t set up a video camera to record the visitations.) There is a central conflict in all the claims of sightings: verbal claims as opposed to visual evidence. We are asked to take the word of someone without verifiable evidence to back up the claim. That conflict exists in Christian spirituality as well: the profession of faith versus the demonstration of faith. And when it comes to Christian faith, both are important. The apostle James wrote a lengthy section of his letter on this subject (James 2:14-26). In short, he said, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (verse 17). No one is saved by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but every Christian has been saved for good works (verse 10). “We must come to good works by faith, and not to faith by good works.” William Gurnall TURNING POINT–devotion 5/19/14 COMMENTS: I think today’s scripture from Ephesians 2, which I discussed a couple of days ago on 15th, is key. Every other religion teaches some form of redemption by doing good works. Christians do not earn their way to heaven and forgiveness. Yet, it seems to be in our nature to think we can. I think that is another clue to prove to us other religions were the creation of men and not true. Christianity teaching something much different and not what men would create. That is, we are given redemption as a free gift paid for by God Himself. We can’t earn it, so we can’t boast for earning it. Yet, it does not give us a free license to sin and refuse to do good works simply because we accepted God’s gift. The power motivating us to do good is much greater because it is out of a heart of gratitude, concern for others, a heart changed from the inside out, a heart wanting to please the God who we love and worship. Wanting to is a much stronger motivation than having to. Yes, God’s way is much better and enduring than our way. We know that but, since it isn’t a natural thing for us, requires frequent reminders to stay on course. We have more evidence than hearsay or the word of the disciples to prove it to us. We don’t have pictures but have more than the sighting of a hundreds of people who saw Jesus raised. We have evidence in changed lives of millions and millions (maybe billions) over the generations since including our generation and our own lives. We also have evidence in creation and all around us that God loves and cares for us to support His gift thru Christ to us. What more do we need to accept and embrace the Bible, all it’s stories and teachings, and the plan of Salvation given? What else offers as much and shows any evidence of being better? What do we have to lose other than a life and things that will be left behind when we die? I have lived enough to realize I simply don’t have enough wisdom and determination to live the Christian life on my own and barely enough to accept His help consistently enough to live it with Him next to me. Even at that the closer I get to Him the more like Him I see I am but the more unlike Him I can still see I am. That means I still am weak with a sinful nature that still is being influenced by satan to sin and hurtful to myself and others, so I still need to keep my eyes on Him and be on my guard. Scripture assures me everyone in every generation is and has been the same way and could not become or remain faithful without constant fellowship with Him. God knows that and intends for us to have that daily fellowship with Him. We are designed for that and desperately need that… You and I can be as perfect and strive to be as perfect as we envision. He is far more perfect than we envision so He will give us a greater vision as time passes and we continue to walk with Him. So, the path to perfection will grow with us as we walk with Him over the remainder of our days on earth. 5/23/2022 Blessed to Be a Blessing And [if] one of you says to [a believer in need], “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James 2:16 Recommended Reading 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 COMMENTS: A grieving Canadian widower was dining alone in a restaurant for the first time since burying his wife of 43 years. Seated nearby was a young couple who reminded him of the love he and his wife had shared. He quietly gave the restaurant money to cover the couple’s meal and wrote them a note on a napkin. He thanked them for the memories they evoked, related a bit of his own situation, and wished them well in their lives. He could have enjoyed the memories alone. He could have stopped by their table and greeted them. But he went a step further — he took money from his pocket to bless a couple of strangers with a meal and encourage them in their lives. Opportunities to be a blessing to others are fleeting and should be grasped. Wishing someone well is one thing; taking steps to ensure they are blessed is another — especially when they have a need that we can meet. We have been blessed to be a blessing to others (1 Peter 3:9). Commit yourself now to be a blessing to others today. When that fleeting opportunity appears, you will be ready. Our scripture today is revealing to us the heart of a submitted Christian as revealed by a submitted pocket book. How we spend our money can be very revealing. Yet we sometimes make unwise choices that continue to drain our finances for many years to come. Buying a more expensive car or home than we can afford deprives us the options of making wiser choices later on. Likewise, easy credit has put such a burden of debt on most thereby discouraging generosity in giving. Tithing has become even more unpopular than in previous generations to the point it is no longer understood or a compelling subject in Christian churches. Tithing was expected in generations gone by in Churches when families enjoyed so many fewer luxuries, which we now think are necessities. We are showered with things that kings could not have imagined 100 years ago. Yet we have become so accustomed to them that we are willing to accept massive debt for many decades to possess them. Reflect how many possessions we own without debt and how many we own very little of due to debt. Take inventory and see where you are on the debt to ownership scale. If your debt is greater than the value of your savings and possessions, you are like most Americans. Yet the bondage that debt creates is evident by how we cheat God of His tithe and needs of our church and the outreach God is calling her to do. I think a healthy family budget would mean our tithe would not be less than our house payment. If that be true than our house payment should not be more than 10% of our income, right? Maybe if we would limit ourselves to selecting a home based on that limit, we would find God more willing to bless us in other ways because we would be more able and willing to tithe? Maybe the cost of housing would not have inflated as far if consumers would refuse to pay more than 10% of their income on a mortgage payment? Yet that also means managing the rest of our debt load – our car payment especially so we will not allow credit card debt to go beyond the monthly statement balance. Why should we deprive ourselves? Because God wants to bless us with so much better. If we can’t be generous, why should we expect Him to be generous to us? If we value things and are willing to sacrifice better choices in order to acquire them before God’s timing, why would He bless such actions? I do think past generations had a greater appreciation for simple things and inexpensive acts of kindness were more noticed. Expensive gifts are becoming almost expected because we have lost that sense of appreciation for simple things. Well, we are moving into a time where our children and grandchildren will be less well off than we or even our parents were. That will cause pain and hardship but may indeed be a healthy experience. How many times have hard situations drawn people into a closer relationship with God and with other believers. Is that not what is God’s greatest desire for us? 5/24/2022 Powerful Words Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:3 Recommended Reading James 3:1-12 COMMENTS: In the beginning God spoke and it was. His words created something out of nothing. While our words are not as powerful as God’s, Proverbs declares that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (18:21a). Once we accept the power of our words, we must decide on their purpose. Words can be as useful as a strong horse ploughing a field or a spark used to start a warm fire on a winter night. They can also rage uncontrollably, destroying what lies in their path. Caring words of support create a safe and intimate friendship. Truthful words spoken in love can offer a friend the opportunity to grow, but spiteful words destroy friendships, and vindictive truth discourages the hearer instead of inspiring them to grow. Within seconds thoughts become words that slip off our tongue and into the world. Pausing before we speak may seem cumbersome, but it allows us to decide: Is this helpful? Does this need to be said now? What is the best way to say this? Our words reveal what we care about and they influence others. In today’s passage from James 3, we are first told that not many should be teachers since they have more responsibility and will be kept to a higher standard. James goes on to say our words are extremely powerful, causing either healing or destruction to others and even to ourselves. Yet only God has the power to create with His words. Genesis 1 gives us a clear truth that God created by simply speaking His creation into existence. Yet He took His time and enjoyed each act of creation and then paused to reflect on what He had done and judged that it was good before He went on to create more. I think that was significant for us to learn from as we work and do tasks throughout the day. However, let’s go back to James’ lesson about the words we say and their impact. Reflect on how our day is affected, both good and bad, simply by the words we say to others. Their attitude, as well as ours, is affected either by encouraging or hurtful words, aren’t they? Recall examples affected by your words as well as words spoken to you. This is a lesson all too easily forgotten so we need reminded often. Positive healing words can and do change attitudes and courses of action from destructive to productive paths that make all the difference. So our words are very important and are vital to following God’s will and plan. So our words are very important to Him as well. That also means He wants to guide and help us choose our words wisely. Didn’t God tell Moses, when instructing him to go back to Egypt to lead his people out of slavery – He would give him the words to say? Didn’t He also tell each prophet He called that He would give them the words to say? Doesn’t scripture prove to us each time He did give each of them words obviously far wiser than they were capable of saying? Well, how often were you wiser to say nothing instead of saying the first thing that came into your head motivated by strong feeling (good or bad) or by how such feelings were expressed by others? Yes, God does want us to always choose our words wisely and stay in close fellowship with Him so we can glean His help making those choices. Well, it would be really hard to put the level of reflection and prayer into all the words we say but we can do a lot better than most of us do, right? Yet there are some basic guidelines that help greatly. To always put ourselves in other’s shoes and recognize how we would receive the words we are about to speak is a good filter. Likewise, picturing Christ next to us when we say them is another good filter. Being aware of our own attitude and motive is another alert that can help us discern how vulnerable we are to foolish words, right? Well, we all have been around others who think they can create with their words by ordering others to work. Unless they realize challenges and effort needed, they will likely do relational damage and be disappointed with work done . I think, if we reflect on good as well as poor supervisors we have had over the years who had varying skills in this area, right? OK, we can’t fix them but we can make sure we don’t copy poor behavior with our families or with those we influence. 5/25/2022 C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading TO MARY WILLIS SHELBURNE: On the return of Joy’s cancer. 18 October 1959 Will you redouble your prayers for us? Apparently the wonderful recovery Joy made in 1957 was only a reprieve, not a pardon. The last X Ray check reveals cancerous spots returning in many of her bones. There seems to be some hope of a few years life still and there are still things the doctors can do. But they are all in the nature of ‘rearguard actions’. We are in retreat. The tide has turned. Of course God can do again what He did before. The sky is not now so dark as it was when I married her in hospital. Her courage is wonderful and she gives me more support than I can give her. The dreadful thing, as you know, is the waking each morning—the moment at which it all flows back on one. From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III COMMENTS: Is the true test of our faith when we go thru personal or family crisis or when we go thru peaceful prosperous times? Most of us believe crisis is when we are tried the most and certainly they are times of pain and stress and grief. Today’s devotion shares some personal anguish CS Lewis had with his wife’s battle with cancer. Why some are quickly healed and others aren’t is a mystery. A few decades ago some taught a doctrine of “name it – claim it” in the Christian community. They held exclusively to scriptures claiming healing is limited to those who have sufficient faith, and a lack of healing to a lack of faith. Of course, the example of Job and even Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” dispute that claim. There are many other examples in scripture that dispute that doctrine. Yet faith does make a difference and is attributed to many healings both in scripture and in generations before and after. If we reflect, I’m sure we can recognize countless examples of healings in our own lives. I believe what we need to recognize is how important a close loving relationship is between God and each of us. It is more important to Christ than anything else and is the greatest need for each of us. It is more important to Him but also to us that we have and maintain that relationship based on love both ways but demonstrated with obedience on our end. Truth each, it is easier for us to come to Him during desperate times than during peace and prosperity. Over and over again in scripture the Israelites ran to Him when in slavery and persecution and denied and turned from Him during good times. Good and evil kings mostly followed that same cycle. You and I do too. Yes, we may question His love when see evil rampant and pain and suffering around us and especially when it hits us at home, but truth is we have no idea how bad this world would be if He did not have His loving Hand on us every day. Yet scripture foretells a time coming when He will pull His protective Hand back and describes the horror that will result. He promises to not allow us to bear what we can’t, with His help (I Corintians 10:13). That applies to hardship as well as temptations. CS Lewis enduring seeing his beloved wife suffer pain and then had to grief her death. He had few years with her but did join her just a couple of years later. How he enduring her suffering and then grieved her death can be an example of hope and encouragement to help us too. That is why the Bible has both failures and successes, joys and sorrows, disobedience and rebellion as well as repentence recorded from history so we can see and understand how best to approach God both during good and bad times, during times of success and failure, during times of joy and sadness. There is nothing we can or will face that Christians before us have not faced and been sustained by Him thru those trials and hardships to the other side. God is not surprised about what we will do or what we will face and has a plan already in place to guide us thru them. He desires to be in fellowship with us before, during, and after those times and has promised to be if we only walk with Him and let Him. The more you and I live and experience God’s presence and help , the more you and I trust Him, both with the path He guides us thru as well as the destination it leads us to. It’s ok to ask to be spared from those trials – even Christ asked the Father for another way if possible but embraced the cross as the only way for our forgiveness. The Father needed to reassure Christ, in His human state, that His sacrifice and acceptance of our guilt was the only way to redeem you and me. He weighed the cost and accepted it, judging us to be worth the cost and gladly accepted that cost for our redemption. Never grow tired of that gift or lose the sense of awe and gratitude for that gift. 5/26/2022 A LIVING HOUSE COMMENTS: Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said. I think this gives an interesting correlation between you and me and the house we live in and call home. If the roof leaks or a water pipe leaks or there is a crack in the foundation or a rotten place anywhere in the house, then water will cause the rot to expand and will eventually cause the house to collapse if not stopped and repaired. The rotten parts and damaged parts must be cut out and replaced with new materials. The noise of hammering and cutting can be heard for some distance and the house may even shake from the impact of destruction. When the removal process is done, gaping holes in the house seem worse than before work was started. Then the repairs begin. The sound and shaking continue but healing has begun to the house. First the roof is fixed and foundation is repaired to stop any further damage, especially if a storm comes while repairs are underway. Once the roof and foundation are in proper repair, then repairs can continue on exterior, including windows and doors. Once outside is done, then inside repairs can begin. The outside surfaces of the house must be repaired to withstand the affect of weather. The foundation must be repaired so house will not shift or weather penetrate into the basement of the house. Once these have been repaired, then the interior repairs can begin. The house can once again be lived in once interior repairs have been completed. Yet work may continue to make the house more beautiful and more pleasant to live in long after essential repairs have been completed. Some repairs are essential and some more optional but still desirable. Our human bodies can be compared to that weathered old house, but even more our souls are even more like that old house. Likewise, the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives is much like the skilled carpenter. The risk of not allowing the pain of needed repairs to be done to us is just as life threatening as further neglect to a badly deteriorating old house. There is a couple of neglected old houses at the southern end of Clintonville. As a young boy I knew the people who lived there and my parents knew and visited them. Their homes were just as nice as ours. When they passed, their homes fell in disrepair from neglect. Now they are structurally unstable and are only habited by wild animals and snakes. I live in my parent’s house now and have continually put work into that house to keep it in good repair. We must constantly be in fellowship with Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to inhabit and guide and repair us if we want to be in good repair to be usable but also to be prepared for our eternal home. 5/27/2022 The Antidote Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:13-14 Recommended Reading 1 John 3:16-23 We avoid sickness. When an item at the grocery store is recalled or we hear of a friend getting food poisoning from a local restaurant, we avoid the culprits of the disease. If only we were this cautious when it came to our words. Words may seem fragile and weightless, but the truth is that they can harm both the speaker and the listener. Two of the greatest culprits are flattery and gossip. Flattery is lying: we create empty words that contain only a kernel of truth; we delude the person being flattered, blinding them to reality. We also delude ourselves, hiding our real thoughts and beliefs behind a mask. Gossip may seem harmless because it is done in secret, but the ideas spread about another person can damage their reputation, opportunities, and relationships. The person we influence most with our negative words is ourselves. If we are not careful, these thoughts and words create a well-worn path in our hearts that leads us to have a bitter and judgmental spirit. The only antidote is God and His love. It is only as we remember and embrace His generous grace toward us that we can extend it to others. Will you accept and extend His grace today? COMMENTS: Our scripture lesson from I John 3, ties well with John 3:16. John 3:16-17 show us God’s love is demonstrated by His sacrifice on the cross. I John 3:16-23 tells us to demonstrate God’s love by showing compassion and generosity to those less fortunate than ourselves. Taking advantage of others or hindering them so our blessings are more evident is not God’s will nor a demonstration of His love being in us. The contrast is if we enjoy our blessings more when others share in them or have similar blessings or if we selfishly want to enjoy them alone while others go in want. Basically, this scripture is saying actions must speak louder than words. Our actions either give authenticity or deny our faith or confirmation of being forgiven and having Christ in us. CS Lewis once said a man can no more snuff out God’s Grace by denying it than a fool can snuff out the sun by writing darkness on his house walls and shutting the curtains. He only shuts out the sunlight for himself. If we act selfishly and hurtful to others for even good reason in our own minds, we are doing no less foolishly. It is God’s will that everyone come to Him, it is His will that all be forgiven and have a life long relationship with Him. If we don’t, it is by our choice and not His. His desire is that our influence reflect Him and not satan. When we gossip or say hurtful words, what do we intend to accomplish? More often than not it is to try to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. It may even be due to trying to find something to say when we have nothing to say. Whatever the reason, the result will always fall far short of desired result and the damage will be much worse than anticipated. Unexpected damage will be hurt that comes to the gossiper as well as his victim(s). The other unexpected damage will be hurt to innocent bystanders as well. It also means sin being passed on from one person to another. That would not have happened if gossip hadn’t been told in the first place. Good can compound but evil can compound just as quickly. Thinking twice before speaking once is good advice. Much like a carpenter saying measure twice and cut once. Same principle applies. That way mistakes can be avoided as well as their consequences. 5/28/2022 The Power of Prayer COMMENTS: Sooner or later, many of us may ask ourselves (and God): Does prayer really change things? We’re instructed to make our requests known to Him (Philippians 3:6), but can the Sovereign Lord, who knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Isaiah 48:3), really be persuaded to change His mind or alter His plans? Both Scripture and experience teach us that prayer can and does make a very real difference in the course of human events, even in a fallen world. Examples include Abraham’s intercessions on behalf of Sodom (Genesis 18:16-33), Hezekiah’s prayer for the extension of his life (Isaiah 38), or the church’s pleas for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:1-19). Of course, there are also occasions when our petitions seem to go unanswered—or at least, aren’t resolved in our timing, or the way we might choose. The power of prayer is a mystery, which we must embrace by faith. In the final analysis, prayer is not about results. It’s about relationship. God wants us to interact with Him, in order that we might know Him, trust Him, and remember Him in all our ways. He wants us to become involved and play an active role in the mystery of His plan for the universe—and allow Him to work in our hearts in the midst of that process. Respect is critical to the transmission of faith from one generation to the next. The child who disdains his mother and father is less likely to emulate them on the things that matter most. – Solid Answer Today’s lesson addresses the question “Does Prayer change things?” There is plenty of examples in scripture, some of which are noted above, to answer that question “YES!” but prayer changes more than we think. Calvanist Christians would say God’s plan and will are set and we live and respond in ways already determined and established as part of God’s set Will. Armenian Christians would say God’s will prevails and He knows what we will choose and do but choice is ours, good or bad. For either prayer is a powerful way of establishing and sustaining a relationship with God and helping us know and understand His Will / Plan as well as change us to desire and live in harmony with that Plan. Hezekiah’s prayer changed the path of God’s judgment and allowed Hezekiah to live 15 more years. Prayer of repentance changed God’s schedule for judgment and spared that the Israelites many times. Prayer affects families and individuals who both pray and who are prayed for. However, often the affect is not realized or noticed as quickly as we would like or as quickly as circumstances seem to demand. Yet, a wonderful benefit of memories is to help us see how well He does guide and protect and answer our prayers. As mentioned above, God is all about relationship with us and works to establish and reinforce that relationship with each one of us. There is plenty of evidence in scripture of repeated attempts He made to warn those who sin and rebel. Today I will finish reading Jeremiah. I have been noticing how many times Jeremiah warned judgment and offered a way out. Yet, king kept responding with anger and even burned Jeremiah’s letters of warning and had him imprisoned and attempted to kill him repeatedly. Yes, if we face judgment, it is our own fault and our own doing and last option for God, but one He will be swift to implement when other options are completed. Why do we think we can hide our actions and thoughts from Him? Why do we keep enduring judgment when He wants so much to bless and sustain us? Why do we hate being obedient to Him? Why does obedience seem to be so foreign to our will or so unnatural for us to do? Look at your past for that answer. As we get closer to Him, obedience becomes more natural and desirable but is a lifelong battle. As parents we learn first hand the pain and grief of disobedient children. Yet, if we are honest, we will also see times and ways we are likewise still disobedient, not willing to obey when it comes to doing things we don’t like or having relationship with others we don’t like or respect? Have we harbored anger toward someone who hurt or offended us years and years ago so we’ve avoided them all those years? When was the last time we prayed for one of them? When has God nudged you to make contact with them? What if God would have treated you and me that way? We have repeatedly hurt Him but He is still eager to re-establish relationship with us but we ignore Him. Being Christ like likely will cause us to exercise “will over desire” and make contacts we would rather not. Sure it may take a lot of will power and may put it off a few days trying to muster up the right words or attitude, but we won’t be able to shake it off if God is in it… 5/29/2022 The Devil’s Sway You are of your father the devil …. He was a murderer from the beginning … He is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44 Recommended Reading 1 John 5:14-21 COMMENTS: In his first epistle, the apostle John makes a remarkable statement: “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). That would seem to include the whole unsaved geopolitical, economic, entertainment, and educational world — all the world lies under Satan’s sway. He is a murderer and liar from the beginning. In lying to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he led them into sin and, in effect, murdered the whole human race in a single moment. He brought death upon all humanity. The failure of earthly wisdom began in the Garden of Eden. But the power of heavenly wisdom triumphed at the cross and tomb of Christ. In another passage, John said, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). The wisest choice we can ever make is to lean on and learn from our Lord Jesus Christ. As we receive Him as Savior and commune with Him daily in His Word, we’ll be growing in wisdom. The blood of Jesus will overturn the devil’s schemes, and God’s Word will counteract Satan’s lies. Today’s is a dark devotion, dwelling on the power and influence of satan on humans of every generation, including ours and our children’s and grandchildren’s. There have been about 150 generations of 40 years each since Adam and Eve. If think of it that way and if think back 40 years, we start to get some sense of time that has lapsed. Still seems like an incredibly long time ago but a bit less than “6000 years ago”. Sure you and I are only a flash in that span but, of course, God goes back an eternity in the past so even that length of time is less than a flash in eternity past. Such a perspective is too much to comprehend but gives me much confidence in realizing I’m in His hands. Today is Arlene’s birthday. As I think back I can certainly see how His hand was at work in our meeting, thru a mutual Christian friend – Katy Hetzler Campbell. When I realized 46 years have now pasted since we first met (May 1976), that span of time is “one generation” or 40 years in length. The brevity of that time but how much has happened since then is also amazing. Yet what hasn’t changed is God’s faithfulness and all the lessons and teachings and stories and commandments given to us in scripture. God has not changed over those years nor from eternity past. What changed on the cross was a new freedom God has to forgive us since Christ paid the price for our sins. Knowing Christ has given me the capacity to love Arlene in a way and to a depth I would not have been capable of without Him. Likewise, He has given me the capacity to love her more today than I did even on our wedding day. That love is richer with all the memories, mostly good, we have from our shared time together. How sad so many couples don’t have those memories to share because of divorce. Waiting for and submitting to God’s best may not seem the best short term but long term how much richer His blessings are. I think that reflects a pattern that God commonly shows. I believe that is the way God’s wisdom is reflecting – giving us His commands or even just His instruction and waiting to see how obedient we are. Our obedience is then based on love and trusting in Him instead of on picking the most appealing choices at the time. I have to admit Arlene was an appealing choice for me, but that choice was mostly based on confidence of God’s hand and blessing. That foundation has been a secure foundation to build a life of partnering with Him for other choices likewise wise and enduring too. I see so many who did not wait or listen for God’s council nor followed that council and have suffered pain and grief but then when they turned to Him, He was faithful to help them thru the consequences to bring good. Yet how much better would have been following His choices in the beginning? 5/30/2022 C.S. Lewis Daily – Today’s Reading “When the lion said—but I don’t know if it spoke—‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it. “The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know—if you’ve ever picked the scab off a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is fun to see it coming away.” “I know exactly what you mean,” said Edmund. “Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off—just as I thought I’d done it myself the other three times, only they hadn’t hurt—and there it was, lying on the grass, only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me—I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on—and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again. You’d think me simply phony if I told you how I felt about my own arms. I know they’ve no muscle and are pretty mouldy compared with Caspian’s, but I was so glad to see them.” From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Compiled in A Year with Aslan The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. COMMENTS: Today’s devotion from CS Lewis is quite revealing and thought provoking. For Lewis to use a Lion to represent Christ in his works is thought provoking as well. The lion is feared and dangerous but also known as the “king of the jungle”. Aslan is a Turkish name and simply means “lion” so no surprise Lewis chose this name for this character in his works. David sought God to search him and show him his wicked ways and forgive and guide him to freedom from that sinful habit. David was asking God to search him and cut out his sinful habits as well as forgive him. Psalm 139:23-24 gives us David’s prayer. We also have a familiar hymn written by James Erwin Orr in 1934 during a revival series he was giving in New Zealand “Search me, O God, And know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, Know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be Some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from every sin And set me free.” Lewis describes Aslan lovingly removing the torn cloths and picking away the infected scabs and dead skin but essential work for healing to happen. The cutting was painful and fearful but essential. I am reflecting on the surgery Christ has done and continues to do in my life and would encourage you to do the same. You might want to look up and read Psalm 139, especially verses 23-24, and let the Holy Spirit speak to you and minister to you as well. You might also want to look up this hymn in your church’s hymnal and sing it. The words of this familiar hymn will gain a fresh meaning for you, I hope, as they just did for me. Submission to Christ to do spiritual surgery on us is essential to our eternal life. It requires us to submit with complete trust in Him but also requires admitting and exposing our sinful past and hidden secrets for Him to reveal to us as well as remove from us. Such is painful but, as any physical surgery, requires trust in our surgeon and following His instructions completely in order to make full recovery happen or even be possible. I would encourage you to read closely the above devotion from CS Lewis and reflect on how the Holy Spirit speaks to you thru those words. I find these words very meaningful and draws me closer to Christ trusting and submitting to His loving and skillful hand in my life as well as body. 5/31/2022 The Five Ships of Opportunity: Leadership Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me. Psalm 27:11 Recommended Reading Psalm 27:11-14 COMMENTS: All of us have opportunity to lead in one way or another to great or to small groups of people or individuals. Being a leader is a scary place to be because we are accountable and at risk of failure. Those in leadership roles are visible so at risk of criticism as well as failure but certainly to mistakes. It is easy to criticize leaders and notice their failures more than their successes. Yet what is noticed in good leaders is confidence in making decisions and rallying support and help in implementing those decisions. Yet even more important is seeking wise council before those decisions are made. David was a powerful leader as well as warrior and greatly loved by God as well as loved and respected by his subjects. What God loved especially about David was his heart always seeking and following God’s council. David valued his daily walk and relationship with God and depended on that relationship to guide, council, and sustain him with wisdom and discernment. Such served David well his whole life and assured him not only a place in heaven but a place of honor being the ancestor to the human side of Christ. Seeking God’s council and wisdom is just as important for you and me even in the “not so significant” choices and duties we make and do during each day. It is easy for us to get into a routine of daily activity and give little thought to importance of decisions we made, including where we go and who we visit. Yet, past experience should remind us that some of the least significant situations enable us to touch others in need of help. God has a way of using even our least significant acts of faithfulness in a way to do great good for others and for His plan. Being the kind of leader God wants us to be doesn’t mean being a preacher, or running for congress or president or town council representative (but we certainly need more Christ centered people in all these roles), but does mean taking seriously the leadership roles in our families and church and community we do have. Taking seriously those roles means constantly seeking His council so we don’t wonder or become slack in doing what pleases Him and fulfills us. In Psalm 27 David asked God to let him live in His house all his life and be in constant fellowship with Him all his life. David hungered to have God’s wisdom and strength and discernment. He recognized he could not duplicate or sustain the level of wisdom and strength God gives on his own. Neither can we so we should make David’s prayer and focus ours as well. Well, today completes another devotional month. I look forward to continuing the journey with you in June.

As previously, below is the Gideon Bible Reference I have been included in monthly devotions for some time. I decided to continue including this for benefit of new readers and to continue to make it accessible to any and all who read and share this journal. I encourage you to use and share as God directs. If you wish to contact me or access more devotions, below is link to access.

In His Service,

Don McDaniel

Email: dmcdaniel12@zoominternet.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don1951

If you wish, you can access my blog at “https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com“. There you will find 650 blog posts I have made plus a link to my devotional journal material archives from 2013 to present (https://donsdevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/link-to-dons-devotional-journal-entries-2013/ )

You may also access my Facebook page and request to be my friend and automatically receive my daily journal publications daily. My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/Dondevotionals/ Many thanks to a pastor and dear brother in Christ in Nepal who set up the above Facebook page to help and encourage and give opportunity for more to explore and use my devotional blog materials.

My hope and prayer are, my blog and devotional materials will become a source of encouragement

GIDEON BIBLE REFERENCE SCRIPTURES:

HELP IN TIME OF NEED:

• The way of salvation: John 14:6, Acts 16.32, Romans 10:9
• Comfort in time of loneliness: Psalm 23, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 13:5-6
• Comfort in time of sorrow 2 Cor. 1:3-5, Romans 8:26-28
• Relief in time of suffering 2 Cor. 12:8-10, Hebrews 12:3-13
• Guidance in time of decision James 1:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6
• Protection in time of danger Psalm 91, Psalm 121
• Courage in time of fear Hebrews 13:5-6, Ephesians 6:10-18
• Peace in time of turmoil Isaiah 26:3-4, Philippians 4:6-7
• Rest in time of weariness Matthew 11:28-29, Psalm 23
• Strength in time of temptation James 1:12-16, 1Cor. 10:6-13
• Warning in time of indifference Gal. 5:19-21, Hebrews 10:26-31
• Forgiveness in time of conviction Isaiah 1:18, 1Jn, 1:7-8

SUGGESTED READINGS (HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS):

• The creation Genesis 1-2
• The fall of man Gen 3
• The flood of Noah Gen 6-9
• The call of Abraham Gen 12:1-9
• Deliverance of Israel from Egypt Exodus 11-14
• Dedication of the temple 2 Chronicles 5-7
• The Babylonian Captivity of Israel 2 Chr. 36
• Revival of Israel after captivity Nehemiah 8-9
• Promises of the coming Messiah Isaiah 9:2-7, Ps22, Is.53
• The Birth of Christ Mtt1:18-2:23, Lk1:26-2:40
• The Triumphal Entry Lk19:28-44
• The last supper Mk14:2-26
• The Garden of Gathsemane Mtt. 26:36-46
• The Betreyal of Jesus Mtt. 26-47-56
• The arrest and trial of Jesus Jn 18:12-19:16
• The death of Christ Lk 23:26-56, Jn19:16-42
• The resurrection of Christ Lk24, Jn20
• The ascension of Christ Acts 1:1-12
• The coming of the Holy Spirit Acts2:1-21
• The conversion of Paul Acts 9:1-31
• The heroes of Faith Hebrews 11

SUGGESTED READINGS (SPIRITUAL STANDARDS)

• The 10 commandments Exodus 20:1-17
• The sermon on the mount Mtt 5-7
• The golden rule Mtt7:12
• The greatest commandment Mtt 22:36-40
• The righteousness of Faith Romans 3:19-28
• The Royal Law James 2:8, Romans 13:8-10
• Christ’s New Commandment John 13:34-35
• Christian love 1 Cor. 13

DYNAMIC DOCTRINES

• God’s greatness and man’s weakness Isaiah 40
• The two fold Revelation of God Psalm 19
• Man’s universal guilt Rom 1:18-2:16
• Atonement Leviticus 16, Romans 5
• The new birth John 3
• Justification by Faith Eph 2:1-10, Gal 2:16-21
• Christ, the Good Shepherd Ps 23, John 10:1-18
• Christ’s intercession for His Own Jn 17, Heb 7:25
• The High Priestly Work of Christ Heb. 7:25, Heb. 4:14-16
• Christ’s Humiliation and Exhaltation Philippians 2:5-11
• Resurrection of the Christian Dead 1 Cor. 16, 1Thess. 4:13-18
• The second coming of Christ Mtt 24, 2 Thess. 1:7-2:12
• The Last Judgment Rev. 20:10-15
• The New Heaven and New Earth Rev. 21-22

PRACTICAL PRECEPTS:

• Christian Home relationships Eph. 5:22-6:4
• A model wife and mother Prov. 31:10-31
• Marriage and divorce Mtt 19:3-9, Malachi 2:14-16
• The sin of adultery Prov. 6:23-33
• The prodigal son Luke 15:11-32
• Employer-employee relationships Col 3:22-4:1
• Business and prof. principles Ps15, Prov. 3:1-12
• Seperation of worldliness 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, 1 Jn 2:15-17
• Decisions of doubtful things Rom.14
• Christian fruitfulness Jn15
• Heavenly wisdom James 3:14-18
• Christian responsibilities Rom. 12-13
• Christian stewardship 2 Cor. 8-9
• Christian witnessing Mtt 28:18-20, Jm17:18-20
• Prevailing prayer Mtt 6:5-15, Philippians 4:6-7
• Heavenly priorities Mtt 6:25-33
• Brevity of man’s days Ps 90
• The causes of war James 4:1-4
• The value of the soul Mk. 8:36-37

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT:

• ITSELF: 2 Tim. 3:15-16 , Psalm 19:7
• GOD: Psalm 99:9, 1 Tim.1:17, Isaiah 45:21-22
• MAN: Gen. 1:27, Gen 2:7, Isaiah 43:7
• HEAVEN: Rev.21:3-4, 21:27
• SIN: Romans 5:12, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23
• HELL: 2 Thess 1:8-9, Rev. 20:15
• CHRIST –HIS ADVENT Micah 5:2, Mtt.1:21-23, Lk 2:10-11
• CHRIST – HIS PERSON John 10:30, 14:6
• CHRIST –HIS WORK Lk. 22:19-20, 1 Peter 2:24, Col.1:14, Isaiah 53:5-6
• CHRIST-HIS RESURRECTION Lk. 24:36,39, 1 Cor. 15:3-4
• FAITH Acts 20:20-21, Heb. 11:6, Eph. 2:8-9
• LIFE John 3:3, 1:12-13, 3:36, 2 Cor.5:17