Daily Devotional

[Jack_N_The_Green]

April 22, 2005

Hurting And Hearing


Read:
Exodus 6:1-9


I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry. "?Exodus 3:7


Bible In One Year: Psalm 34-36

When we are experiencing deep sorrow or difficult circumstances, we may feel offended if someone suggests that something good can emerge from our adversity. A well-meaning person who tries to encourage us to trust God's promises may be perceived as insensitive or even unrealistic.

That happened to the children of Israel when God was working for their deliverance from Egypt. As Pharaoh hardened his heart toward the Lord's command to let His people go, he increased the Hebrew slaves' workload by forcing them to gather the straw they needed to make bricks (Exodus 5:10-11). They became so discouraged, they couldn't accept Moses' assurance that God had heard their cries and promised to take them to a land of their own (6:9).

There are times when our hurts and fears can close our ears to the hopeful words of God. But the Lord doesn't stop speaking to us when it's hard for us to hear. He continues working on our behalf just as He did in delivering His people from Egypt.

As we experience God's compassion and His loving care, we can begin to hear again even as the hurt continues to heal. "?David McCasland


O yes, He cares"?I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares. "?Graeff

Even when we don't sense God's presence, His loving care is all around us.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

April 23, 2005

We Can't But God Can


Read:
John 3:1-16


Unless one is born of . . . the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "?John 3:5


Bible In One Year: Psalm 37-39

Pastor Craig was having an intense conversation at a health club with Jacob, a man he had befriended. It started after Jacob climbed onto the exercise bike beside him. Craig asked, "Are you going to see the movie The Passion of the Christ?" "No!" came the quick response. As the two men pedaled side-by-side, they had a half-hour discussion about the purpose of Jesus' death. When they parted, Jacob said, "I still don't think I'll see the movie."

Craig felt frustrated. Nothing would please him more than to see Jacob open his heart to Christ. But he could see no evidence that Jacob would ever budge.

As believers in Jesus, we sometimes become frustrated when people who are not believers refuse to trust in Him. When that happens, we must remember that our role is to obey the command to tell others about Christ; the Holy Spirit's work is to convict and save them. People need to be born of the Spirit (John 3:5,7); we can neither believe for them nor redeem them. He is the One who convicts of sin, forgives, and imparts new life from above. We are powerless to do more"?except pray.

We witness faithfully and pray, and God performs the miracle of salvation. "?Dave Egner


Lord, help me make my witness clear
And labor faithfully,
So friends and neighbors turn to Christ
Through what they hear from me. "?Anon.

We plant the seed; God gives the harvest.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

April 24, 2005

Worship And Obey


Read:
Psalm 95


Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! . . . Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion. "?Psalm 95:1,8


Bible In One Year: Psalm 40-42

Millions of Christians gather each Sunday to worship God as their Creator and Redeemer. Whether formal and liturgical or casual and spontaneous, church services are occasions to declare God's worthiness and to give Him praise. But centuries of church history reveal how quickly worship can degenerate into empty ritualism. This occurs whenever God's people harden their hearts and fail to obey His Word.

The psalmist knew this to be true from Israel's experience. Under the leadership of Moses they had been miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt and had fervently praised the Lord (Exodus 12-15). But almost immediately they began to doubt God's goodness and trustworthiness. They complained bitterly and found fault with the Lord and His servant Moses. They ignored His instructions, and their worship became hollow. This angered God and resulted in their wandering for 40 years in a desert they could have crossed in a short time. Most were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Lord, fill us with wonder and gratitude for Your marvelous salvation. Help us to give You the praise You deserve, and enable us to be faithful in our love and obedience to You. "?Herb Vander Lugt


Praise the Savior, ye who know Him!
Who can tell how much we owe Him?
Gladly let us render to Him
All we are and have. "?Kelly

Our worship is right only when we are right with God.

.........................

[Jack_N_The_Green]

sorry for the month-long haitis...been real busy

i'm not gonna be posting on here anymore, but feel that i do need to continue these devotionals...

May 31, 2005

Touched By A Stranger


Read:
Romans 12:3-16


Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. "?Romans 12:10


Bible In One Year: 1 Kings 1-4

Marsha Burgess was a complete stranger to us, so we were touched by the note she sent. She knew my husband Carl's mom who had recently died. She had often seen her when visiting her own mother at a local nursing home.

So when Carl lost his mother, Marsha took the time to share her memories with us. She closed her note with these words: "Your mom always had a big smile on her face and was happy to see us. How wonderful to have such precious memories! We just loved your mom. We'll never forget her." Marsha is a Christian, and her words brought comfort in our grief. They reminded us of the joy of being part of Christ's body (Romans 12:5).

Every believer has been given a specific gift or gifts by God to use in building up others"?prophesying, ministering, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, and showing mercy (vv.6-8). But all of us are to "be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love" (v.10) and to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (v.15).

Sometimes we hesitate to reach out to someone we don't know. We wonder if it is appropriate or if it will mean anything to the person. But that note from Marsha reminds us how much it means to be touched by a stranger. "?Anne Cetas


Like refreshing rain in summer
Or the gentle breeze in spring,
Just a little gift of kindness
Joy to someone's heart can bring. "?Hess

Opportunities to be kind are never hard to find.

[Jack_N_The_Green]

wow...it's been a whole 2 months...graduated, busy as heck, vacation after vacation after vacation....leaving again tomorrow to go see Ben Folds, Rufus Wainright, and Ben Lee in Vienna....


July 31, 2005

Bridges Of Grace


Read:
Acts 5:33-42


They departed . . . , rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. "?Acts 5:41


Bible In One Year: Nahum 1-3

Imagine for a moment that you are driving through the desert in Southern California and you see the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge spanning the dried-up bed of "Three Frogs Creek" on the outskirts of "Turtle Soup Junction." What a ridiculous sight that would be!

So too, the Lord never displays His power and grace at an inappropriate time or place, but He always provides according to the difficulty of the hour. He does not impart strength until it is needed.

We shudder when we think of what some of God's children are enduring because of their faithfulness to the Savior. Many have chosen the path of intense suffering rather than following the line of least resistance. I wonder, would we do the same?

Of course, the Lord does not ask us to make such a commitment before it is necessary. And we can be sure that when we "suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29), He will provide whatever we need to endure the pain.

As servants of Christ, we can take one step at a time and be confident that whether we come to a dried-up gulch or a surging river, the Lord's bridges of grace will be just right to allow us safe passage to the other side. "?Mart De Haan


Each day God sends His loving aid
To strengthen you and me;
We need to use today's supply
And let tomorrow be. "?Anon.

God gives enough grace for each trial we face.