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Heaven’s Grocery Store

As I was walking down life’s highway, I came upon a sign that read “Heaven’s Grocery Store.” When I got a little closer, the doors swung open wide and I walked through the entrance. I saw a host of angels. They were standing everywhere. One handed me a shopping cart and instructed me to fill it.

I headed down the aisles and noticed that everything anyone would ever need was in that store. Just when I began to wonder how I would every carry everything, an angel approached me and said, “Whatever you can’t carry, you can come back for.”

I first grabbed some Patience. Then I found a huge box of Understanding. Can’t have too much of that, I mused. So I grabbed an extra box. Then I noticed Love in the same row and put an oversized load of that in my cart.

Next I got some Wisdom and a couple of bags of Faith. I couldn’t overlook Charity, so I grabbed that, too. Oh, my goodness, I thought, the Holy Spirit’s here! He’s all over the place — plentiful as can be! So I took a generous helping and then came upon Strength.

Realizing I’d need that to help me through the tough times ahead, I didn’t hesitate to put Strength in my cart. And then I came upon Courage. Gotta have that, too. So I placed a healthy portion between Patience and Love and continued my shopping.

My cart was getting full, but I remembered I needed Grace. So I asked the angels to help me find it and stored up on that as well. Then I chose Salvation and rejoiced inwardly that it was free. I headed toward the counter to pay my grocery bill. Wow! I thought. I’ve got everything I need to do God’s will.

But as I moved toward the cashier, I noticed Prayer. I’ll need a lot of that, I reasoned, because when I step outside this store, I’ll be stepping right into a world of sin. So I stocked up on Prayer and couldn’t help but notice Peace and Joy. They were plentiful, so I helped myself. And right next to the cashier’s counter, I noticed Praise and Worship, so I placed them on top.

Then I said to the angel working the cash register, “How much do I owe?”

But he just smiled and said, “Take them everywhere you go.”

So I repeated the question: “Really. How much do I owe?”

“My child,” he said, “God paid your bill a long, long time ago.”

Know It!
Isn’t it exciting that God gives you — for free — everything you need for living a godly life! You don’t have to wonder and question how He wants you to live. He’s already told you to live a holy life. And instead of frustrating you by making you guess how to do that, He simply gives you everything you need to become all He calls you to be!

Read It!
1 Corinthians 4:20; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:16; Revelation 22:11.

Pray It!
Spend some time thanking God for paying the bill for everything you need to live a holy life. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you may be empowered to be the godly person He wants you to be.

Are You Whom You Claim To Be?

If Jake refuses to basketball the way it’s meant to be played, he really shouldn’t call himself a basketball player. If he’s going to tackle his opponents, throw and kick the ball, he needs to identify himself as a football player.

God has a high calling on your life. And He dreams extremely BIG dreams for you! He loves you more than you can imagine . . . but be honest, okay? Don’t identify yourself as His follower unless you’re willing to live in obedience to Him — which is an attitude of the heart and soul.

What does it mean to live in obedience to Christ? Two important things.

No. 1: You’ll accept the Bible as God’s Holy Word — absolute Truth. There are religion professors in Christian colleges who tell their students that much of the Bible really isn’t true. Someday they’ll have to answer to God for that!

When Jesus spoke in parables, He always made sure His listeners knew it. In other words, He let them know that a specific story was only an example to explain the meaning of what He was saying.

But to choose not to believe the Garden of Eden actually existed and to doubt that Eve was tempted by Satan and ate the forbidden fruit? Then why call yourself a Christian? If you can’t accept the fact that the Bible is true and that all of it is God’s Truth, you’re not really identifying with the Author of the Book, Jesus Christ.

No. 2: You’ll obey God. Yes, that means you’ll live as He wants you to live. You’ll give Him the ultimate control of your life. To say you’re a Christian . . . but to continue living however you want . . . is stupid! That’s not Christianity. But what if I blow it? Is there room for failure in the life of a Christian?

Yes, there is! God understands your humanness. But there’s a huge difference in defiantly going against God’s will and blowing it and approaching God with genuine sorrow. God loves a repentant heart and will always forgive a repentant heart. To consistently live it utter defiance of His will, however, is not living with a repentant spirit.

I recently spoke at a youth conference and a teen girl approached me who said, “Susie, if I love my boyfriend, there’s nothing wrong with us having sex. It’s love that makes the difference. Sex is the ultimate act of love. And I’m a Christian.”

Sex is the ultimate act of love? No, it’s not! Sacrificing your needs and desires and being willing to wait; wanting what’s best for the other person; submitting to God’s will — those are the ultimate acts of love!

An assistant youth leader at this same conference later approached me and said, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t believe much of anything you’re saying.”

“That’s interesting,” I replied. “Because everything I’m saying is coming from the Bible.”

“I don’t believe the Bible.”

“And you say you’re a Christian?”

“That’s right,” he continued. “I’m a Christian, but I don’t believe the Bible. It was just written by human men, and humans make mistakes.”

Know It!
God wants to make His Holy Word — which is absolute Truth — come alive in and through your life.

Read It!
2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Timothy 16-17; Hebrews 6:1; James 4:4.

Pray It!
Ask God to show you any areas of hypocrisy in your life. If you have any doubts regarding His Holy Word, ask Him to replace those doubts with solid faith.

Tickling Ears

A teen girl approached me recently and said, “Hey, I'm only 14! I'm not going to give God all of my life right now. I'm too young. I still wanna have fun.”

My heart broke for her. She calls herself a Christian, yet she knows in her heart of hearts that she's not following Jesus as Lord. And you know what Jesus says? He says that some day many people (really good people) will approach Him in heaven and say, “Lord, Lord!” And He'll respond, “I never knew you. Depart from me.” Yikes! That's scary.

A high school senior approached me and said, “I'm a Christian, but I know God doesn't have all of my life. And I don't want to give it to Him. I'm still going to sin with my friends, because it's fun. So what do you think about that?”

Well, again . . . it doesn't matter what Susie Shellenberger thinks. All that matters is what God SAYS. And God has made it crystal-clear that those who call Him “Lord” but don't live according to His will aren't Christians. And He also makes it clear that those who aren't Christians will spend eternity in hell.

Yeah, but I'm a good person. I can't believe that just because I don't live in obedience to God, that I'll actually go to hell.

And that's Satan's biggest lie. How could good people go to hell? And if you have trouble believing this, you're probably one of the people the apostle Paul is talking about in 2 Timothy when he says that people will no longer want to hear the truth but will look for churches with pastors who will simply tell them what they want to hear.

This devotional book isn't mean to tickle your ears. Yes, we've had a lot of fun inside these pages thus far, but we've also dealt with issues straight-on. And we'll continue to do that. I'm not going to tickle your ears. I'm not going to say, “Well, it's okay. God understands your sin.” I'm going to tell you the Truth. He'll forgive your sin if you come to Him with a repentant heart, but He expects you not to return to that sin.

In other words, don't call yourself a Christian, if you're not willing to try with all your heart to live up to the definition.

It's going to get harder and harder to maintain a godly life. Know why? Because we're living in a heathen world that's going downhill fast. The apostle Paul told Timothy that in the last days it would be extremely tough to live a Christian life.

We're living in a day when it's tough to believe that good people-cool people-will actually spend eternity in hell if they don't know Jesus Christ. It may be hard to believe that people as fun, cool, creative and articulate as your favorite celebrities are actually living in sin simply because they're not following Christ.

What's wrong with their choices? They're not hurting anyone! But again, the bottom line is: If someone hasn't sought forgiveness for his sins and doesn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, he'll spend forever in hell. This is the absolute Truth.

Know It!
Maybe you, too, have given God 100 percent and are living in obedience to His will. Great! But if you're not, I invite you to surrender right now. If you're calling yourself a Christian-yet not living up to the name and definition-now's your chance to make things right with the Creator of the universe.

Read It!
Matthew 7:21-23; James 3:11-13; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:1.

Pray It!
Seek God's forgiveness for your hypocrisy and ask Him give you a brand-new start. Confess your sins and accept Him as your personal Savior.

Beware of Friendly Snakes!

There's an old tale about a peasant who was working in his field during the spring. As the ground began to thaw, he noticed a snake. He raised his hoe to kill it, but the snake begged for compassion. “I'm too frozen to do you any harm,” the snake whined. “Please don't kill me.”

The old farmer took pity on the snake, picked up the half-dead reptile and put it inside his overalls next to his chest. He continued to hoe his field, and the snake got warmer and warmer as the day progressed and the heat from the sun shone brightly on the old man. Suddenly, the snake bit the farmer.

The man frantically reached inside his overalls, pulled the serpent out and threw it to the ground.

“Why?” the peasant asked. “I believed you. I befriended you. I saved your life and trusted you.”

“True!” the reptile hissed and it slid away. “But don't blame me! You knew I was a snake when you picked me up.”

Many people fall into the easy trap of picking up sin, befriending it and even holding it close to their heart. We can work overtime to dress it up or give it another name, but sin will always be sin. We can make excuses and rationalize why we carry it around with us, but again . . . sin is sin. And eventually-if not confessed with a repentant heart-it will kill us.

Is it possible to know if you have sin in your life? Absolutely! God will work through His Holy Spirit within you to let you know something in your life isn't right. And the exciting thing about our God, is that He's not into making you play games. You don't have to guess and work for the right answer: “Is it this, Father? Or what about that? Could this be it?”

If you ask God with a sincere heart to point out any unconfessed sin in your life, He'll do exactly that. And He'll be very specific, so you won't have to second- guess Him.

But we often become so comfortable with sin in our lives, we don't bother asking God to point it out to us. That's a dangerous place for a Christian to live! It's like sleeping through a storm. When God allows the lightening to flash into your soul, don't snooze through it. Allow His Holy Spirit to wake you up and bring to your attention those things in your life that are keeping you from becoming all He wants you to be!

Know It!
God is extremely faithful. You can trust Him. He'll always respond to a sincere heart asking for discernment and forgiveness regarding sin.

Read It!
Hebrews 10:26; James 4:17; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 22:18.

Pray It!
Rewrite Psalm 139:23-24, inserting your own name into the verse, and make it your prayer right now.

What's Your Faucet Saying?

Have you ever tried to concentrate on something and you couldn't . . . because of a dripping faucet? That constant drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. It's enough to drive a person nuts! It's not really the sound of water that's annoying. In fact, a babbling brook or the sound of a waterfall can actually relax us and lull us to sleep.

Many people buy CDs with nature sounds on them, because it helps them forget about the day's problems and drift into sweet dreams. But chances are, you'll never find a CD with dripping faucet sound effects.

Instead of allowing a dripping faucet to annoy us, maybe we should let it teach us something. Think about it: A dripping faucet is saying, “Something's not right here. There's a leak that needs fixing.” A dripping faucet is a signal that something's wrong. Most of us can't relax during the drip, because we know there's something that needs to be fixed, or we worry about the water that's being wasted.

In the same way, God sometimes allows “dripping faucets” in our lives to signal us that something is spiritually off-center. We often try to ignore those spiritual signals by cranking the volume on our CD player or flipping through a variety of channels on our TV. But the truth is, a dripping faucet won't quit on its own. We actually have to get up and do something about it.

Is God trying to signal you that something wrong in your life? If so, listen to the drip and be willing to do whatever it takes to fix it. Is there a wall in one of your relationships? Have you not forgiven someone who hurt you?

Has it become too easy to be critical, negative and to make remarks that cause dissention among those around you? Are you jealous of a friend who got what you had your heart set on? Have you become bitter because someone rejected you?

Perhaps God is saying through your broken heart, “This isn't right. Let's fix it.”

Or through a critical, negative spirit, maybe God is saying, “This can no longer continue. I love you too much to allow you to remain this way.”

Could God be trying to speak through your jealousy . . . saying, “Instead of feeling insecure about what someone else has, will you refocus your attention on Me? I dream BIG dreams for you!”

A dripping faucet won't fix itself. But our all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God can even masquerade as a Master Plumber. And He can provide exactly what you need to stop the leak.

Know It!
God wants you to experience life abundantly! If dripping faucets are keeping you from clearly hearing His voice, call the Master Plumber immediately!

Read It!
Proverbs 14:10; 1 Corinthians 10:11-13; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:31.

Pray It!
Ask God to make you aware of any dripping faucets in your life that need to be fixed.

The World's Largest Backpacking Group Part I

They were sort of like a huge youth group. There were approximately 500,000 students! When they played “Capture the Flag,” it was all-out war! And car washes? Well, let's just say the whole city got wet.

Their youth leader was Yo-Mo. Well, that's what the youth group called him. Everyone has a special nickname for his youth minister, right? His real name was Moses . . . but Yo-Mo just seemed to fit him better.

Anyway, these teens (the world's largest backpacking group) had worked forever (okay, three months) to earn enough money to go on the world's longest backpacking trip. They'd had the car washes, spaghetti dinners and even tried selling M&Ms.

Now they were arriving at their weekly youth meeting, and Yo-Mo who was usually greeting kids and asking visitors to fill out address cards, had his head buried instead inside the youth bank account books.

“You've done it!” he screamed. “You've finally done it!” A few of the guys murmured, “I didn't think anyone saw us put those goldfish in the baptistery. How'd he find out?”

Then Yo-Mo grabbed the microphone and said, “I'm so proud of you guys! You've finally earned enough money for us to go on the world's longest backpacking trip.

Boy, were they excited! They shouted and clapped and screamed and made so much noise the adults (who were meeting in the sanctuary) complained about how much noise the youth were making again.

Yo-Mo didn't waste any time. He quickly grabbed his travel notes and began his trip-talk. “I've already mapped out the place for our adventure,” he began. “We're going to the Promised Land. They have some great deals on milk and honey there, and it should only take us about 40 days to backpack it.”

(Well, some of you have heard this story before, and you know it actually took a little longer than 40 days! But that's what happens when we get sidetracked from God's path. It takes us a lot longer than it would have if we'd just continued following His direction.)

He then passed out parent-permission forms, so no one could sue the church if something happened to his teen, and Yo-Mo continued with his instructions. “Since this is a backpacking trip, obviously that means we'll be carrying everything in our packs on our backs. So you know what that means, girls? No curling irons, electric rollers or blow-dryers. Nobody bring anything extra.

“And guys . . .” Well, he stopped. He was going to tell them the same thing. But he knew these guys. He knew they never brought too much stuff on trips. In fact when they went to youth camp or special retreats, they usually didn't even bring enough stuff-just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. And if it got dirty? No prob. They just turned 'em inside out and kept wearing them!

Know It!
Just as God lead the children of Israel into a land promised specifically for them, He'll lead you into plans that He's creating uniquely for you!

Read It!
Exodus 13:20-22; Exodus 14; Exodus 15.

Pray It!
Ask God for faith to obey and follow Him even when you can't see ahead.

The World's Largest Backpacking Group Part III

Meanwhile, the youth group had turned into a mumbling, grumbling bunch of complainers. “Where is he?” Brad asked. “Can we go ahead and eat, or do we have to wait on him?”

Someone sent a messenger to find Yo-Mo, who returned with the sad news that their leader had died. THEN the youth group changed its tune. They moaned, cried, refused to eat and didn't sleep very well. “What will we do?” they asked. “We've left everything to enter the Promised Land, and now we have no leader!”

Well, God never ever ever asks us to do something (or leads us somewhere) without providing everything we need to get the job done. He always meets our needs. And God had been consistently working behind the scenes. He already had His hand of direction on a young man in their very own youth group. His name was Joshua.

Josh was a solid, godly young man. He didn't compromise. Didn't buckle when the pressure began to mount. Didn't bend when the tension started to rise. He just walked straight ahead and consistently obeyed the Lord.

He took over Mo's maps and called the youth group together. “I've studied the travel plans,” he said. “And we're really not far from the Promised Land at all.” (Everyone cheered) “But there is this big city in the way. It's Jericho. And it's a very wicked city. So we're going to have to go through it and conquer it before we can enter the Promised Land.”

(Back in the days before Christ died for our sins, the way God abolished evil was to destroy it. That's why the guys in the Old Testament were always killing each other. It was the only plan at the time to clean everything up. Aren't you glad Jesus came?)

“Tell you what,” Josh continued. “You've all been through a rough time. Let's just set up camp right here (they were on the shores of the Jordan River) and take a few days off. That'll give me a chance to send our undercover agents inside the city of Jericho to see where everything is.”

Sounded good. So while the agents crossed the river and headed toward the big city, the world's largest backpacking group set up the volleyball nets, got out the jet-skis and started partying.

Know It!
Maybe you, like the children of Israel, have lost someone significant in your life. Perhaps your youth leader moved away, your dad left the family, your friend is gone. God understands the hurt we feel when we lose someone we love and admire. But God never leaves us hanging. He always provides whom and what we need. Can you trust Him to fill the vacuum in your life?

Read It!
Deuteronomy 1:19-46; Joshua 1; Joshua 2; Joshua 3.

Pray It!
Thank God for His promise never to leave you. Tell Him how grateful you are for His constant provision.

The World's Largest Backpacking Group Part V

As soon as the sun had set, Rahab grabbed a rope, made a lasso and tossed it over the wall. The agents climbed down the rope, over the wall and headed back to Joshua's beach party.

“You're not gonna believe it,” Ryan gasped.

“That place is huge!” Eric added. “And we have the footage to prove it.”

“There's absolutely no way we could ever conquer that city,” Ryan said. “It's too big, and there are too many people.”

“And there's a massive wall surrounding the entire city! We'll never get inside. They have a special warrant issued for all non-citizens to be killed. We'd never get over the wall!”

“Someone hand these guys a Pepsi,” Josh said, keeping his cool. “I think you've forgotten something.”

Ryan quickly checked his battery pack. “Nope. All here.”

“Our theme,” Josh said. “You've forgotten our theme.”

“What's that?” Eric asked.

“The fact that God always provides! Guys, listen to me! He would never ever EVER ask us to do something (or lead us somewhere) without providing everything we need. Now remember that! In fact, memorize it. Because we are going to the Promised Land. And we're going through Jericho!”

Plans were made to head out the following morning, but by dawn the Jordan River was flooded. We're talking tidal wave material. Joshua halted his group. “Let's just spend a few days in prayer and wait on the Lord.”

So they waited. And waited. And waited. Finally a couple of weeks passed. The river was still overflowing. It looked like they would drown if they even tried to cross. Joshua continued to seek the Lord. And as he did, God spoke back.

“Joshua, I have commanded that you cross this river, conquer Jericho and enter the Promised Land. What are you waiting on?”

“The river, Lord. It's overflowing! How can we cross?”

“Trust me. I've already told you to cross.”

“But, Lord, are You sure we're supposed to cross right now? I mean, we don't mind waiting,” Josh said. “You don't need to spend time praying about things I've already made clear, Joshua. There may be some battles in life you won't win, but I have already promised this is one you will win! I've already made Myself clear: Cross the river, conquer Jericho, enter the Promised Land. No need to continue praying about it. Simply step out in faith believing that I will do what I have said.”

Know It!
Are you spending precious time going over the same spiritual ground again and again when God is prompting you to move forward?

Read It!
Hebrews 11:1-3; Luke 7:9; 1 Peter 1:21; Romans 12:12.

Pray It!
Ask God to solidify your faith and to stretch your dependence on Him. Tell Him you're ready to exercise your faith even when you can't see the outcome.