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 Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:50 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:58 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:13 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 11:42 am
The devotions are going to be a bit different for today, since the website I take these off of hasn't updated for some time.
The Old Tin Can
Read Psalm 15:1-5
"Look!" Joy pointed to a tin can at the curb. "Somebody is a litterbug."
"Yeah," agreed Scott. "Let's kick that old can all the way home and then dump it." AS he drew back his foot to give it a kick, he noticed something sticking out of the end of the can. "What's in here?" he wondered as he picked it up. He pulled out the contents of the can. "Money! There's money in here!" Sure enough-the can was stuffed full of money!
That evening, Joy and Scott eagerly discussed all the things they could do with the money they had found. "Hold on!" Dad said. "I'm sure someone will claim this money. It has to be returned, you."
Joy and Scott looked at one another in dismay. They'd been afraid Dad would say that! "Let's pray about it," Joy suggested hopefully. "Maybe the Lord will show us that we should keep it." But they could see from the look on Dad's face that he didn't think much of the idea.
The newspaper that evening had an article about an old hermit who claimed to have lost a tin can containing his life savings. According to this article, no one believed his story. Even his relatives thought he was lying.
Joy and Scott. looked at each other sadly. "Rats!" said Scott. "That crazy old guy is almost ready to die; he doesn't even need this money. We'd use it for good things and put some of it in the church offering.
Dad shook his head. "Look what money is already doing to you," he said. "I've never heard you talk so selfishly and heartlessly. You're Christians-and if a Christian is anything at all, he should be honest.
Joy and Scott looked at each other. "Yeah, I guess so," said Scott.
"We'd never be comfortable keeping it anyway," added Joy. When Scott nodded in agreement, Dad smiled.
How about you?
When you find something that isn't yours-perhaps a pencil, a piece of candy, or money that someone dropped on the floor- do you try to find the owner? God wants his children to be honest, and he rewards those who do the right thing.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 1:36 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:08 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:41 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:07 am
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Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:12 pm
Is Faith Easy?
A young man asked me last night if it was easier to trust God here in this country, in this comfortable house, than it was "down where all the disasters were," meaning, I suppose, in the jungle. No, I told him, you live by faith wherever you are. The house was robbed last week--a small reminder that all that I am and have belongs to the Lord, to do with as He chooses. There are enough "disasters" anywhere to keep one trusting God. In the jungle there is the immanent presence of snakes, vampires, scorpions, electric eels, etc.--to say nothing of savages' spears. In Hamilton there are thieves, the possibility of fire, plumbing or electrical breakdowns, and hanging over us at all times threats of war, totalitarianism, secular humanism, economic collapse, cancer, not to mention the "small" emergencies which can bring our best-laid plans to a halt.
"I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life...neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow has any power to separate us from the love of God" (Rom 8:38-39 JBP). So wrote Paul, whose life did not represent a series of events in which we would say it was "easy to trust." It was not easy. It was necessary. A life free from suffering would be a life in which faith in God would be a mere frill. A human life, on the contrary, is one in which faith is a necessity. Only a fool tries to do without it.
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:04 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:58 pm
Open Your Spiritual Eyes
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-18 (NIV)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your life? Have you ever felt like the odds were too big? Have you ever felt like running and hiding? I've got some great news for you. God's forces are greater than anything that can come against you. No matter what the circumstances are, no matter how hard something seems to be, NOTHING is too big of a deal for God. When we look at the situation with spiritual eyes, we can see that our God is much bigger.
In this story, the Arameans are some pretty selfish and hardened people. They kept making war with Israel. They would find the perfect place to hide and attack the Israelites, but God would tell Elisha and he would tell the Israelite army so that they could avoid being attacked. The Arameans got really sick of this so they decided they were going to get Elisha. Doesn't this sound a little like something that happens in our lives today? We try to do the right thing and then all of a sudden people come after us or something bad happens to us. If we are looking at things with human eyes (like Elisha's servant) we can get really scared and worked up, but if we look at things with spiritual eyes like Elisha did, we start to see a bigger picture. And realize that no matter how crazy things can seem to us, God is still in control and He still has our backs even when it doesn't seem like it.
Two weeks ago, I gave a challenge to all the readers of TDDM. I challenged you to read the bible for 30 days straight. I'm willing to bet that those of you who tried to do this found out that all of a sudden, your life got really busy or something else happened and you haven't been able to keep up with it. I got a boat load of e-mails asking for reading plans and I actually haven't made it through all of them yet. I posted a reading plan in the forums under "The Next Level", in the topic called "The Challenge". Look at this challenge with spiritual eyes and stick to it. Realize that God has a greater plan in this and know that He is bigger than the forces that are coming against you as you try to do the right thing.
I am about to post the rest of the reading plan up and hope that you follow along. Satan is not very happy about this and so he is going to do whatever he can to stop you. He does that when we make any steps ahead in our faith. No matter what the devil brings against you in your life, I want you to know and be reassured that God is much, much greater and has a much bigger plan. If you are facing troubles in your life today, pray that God will open your spiritual eyes so that you can see His army and so that you can see the bigger picture. God is with you and will never leave or forsake you, even when you have armies sneaking up on you. Put yourself in the story above and I want you to notice how lonely it must have looked to the servant before his eyes were opened. The battles can look lonely to us too unless we are looking at things with our spiritual eyes. As a matter of fact, read the rest of this story on your own and see how great is the God that we serve! Don't be afraid. Don't give up. God is with you always, even until the end of the age.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:51 am
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Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:04 pm
The Letters of Our Lives
Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ prepared by us. It is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on stone, but on human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) NLT
In my personal devotions this past week, the writer asked if people saw me just as "affectionate and unusually moral" or as a Christian. The more I thought about it the more I realized that just because I am a kind person does not mean that people see that that kindness is God in me. In conclusion, I came to see that most probably just saw me as a good person.
So, I began to pray. I prayed that God would give me opportunities to do something that would show that my faith is real, and not just an illusion. I also asked to be tested so that I could be sure that I had a REAL commitment to my God. Well, God answered my prayer. I was asked to say a prayer over the loudspeaker at the football game Friday night for a friend of mine who was in a car accident and is in serious condition. God gave me an opportunity to public show my devotion to Him. What I failed to mention, is that this completely tested my commitment because I am desperately afraid of talking in front of people. So, after being nauseated for hours, I did it. God answered my prayer in less than a week!
We're told that our lives are a letter to be read by all who see us. Our actions should reflect the beauty of our Lord. But, even more, we should be open and willing to show people that it is not just our actions, but God acting through us. God wants to blow you away with His miracles...so start asking! I encourage you to live a life so that you are a letter worth reading!
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Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:49 pm
Staying Too Close To The Edge
Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Hebrews 6:1
There's a story about a little boy who fell out of the bed. His mother came running into the room to find out what happened. When she asked her son, he said, "I don't know, Mama. I guess I just stayed too close to where I got in."
How's your Christian walk? Are you growing daily or are you pretty much in the same place you were a year ago? Hebrews 6:1 tells us to leave the elementary teachings and press on toward maturity. We can't stay baby Christians forever. We have to learn and grow and mature. Take a look back into your walk with Christ...one month ago, three months ago, six months ago, a year ago...have you made any progress or are you still taking baby steps?
If you're still in the infant stage, still suckling on milk, don't you think it's time you progress toward real sustenance...the meat of the word of God? Are you hungry for his word? Dig in...the feast is ready! Remember, there's danger in staying too close to the edge.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:13 pm
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