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Wednesday October 24th

Wanted: More Faith!

You know them . . . the people who just seem to naturally have it together spiritually. They live with a deep faith, and you know their prayers get through. Maybe there's someone like that in your life-parents, pastor, youth leader. And sometimes you find yourself thinking, I want a stronger faith like that.

Some people are just naturally more trusting. For others, faith is more difficult. Remember the apostle Thomas? He wanted to see the nail scars in the Lord's hands before he believed. Faith was hard for him.

But guess what! You don't need a lot of faith. Jesus tells us all we need is a small amount. In fact, He compares how much we need to the size of a mustard seed. Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It's about the size of a pin point. Microscopic!

The fact that you're a Christian and have trusted God to forgive your sins proves you have faith. And yes, there are some things you can do to increase the little bit of faith you have.

1. Read your Bible consistently.

2. Pray daily.

If you're not used to doing these two things, start by setting a small goal for yourself. Start with something you know you can reach. For instance, say, “I'm going to read the Bible and pray for one minute every day.” Anyone can spend one minute with God!

You'll easily meet your goal, and after a few weeks you'll probably want to increase it to two minutes, then three or five. But if you start out saying, “I'm going to spend an hour a day praying and reading the Bible,” you may not follow through. So be realistic and set a goal you know you can easily reach.

3. Surround yourself with other Christians.

4. Get involved in your local church. You may be thinking, If I surround myself with a bunch of Christians, I won't have anyone with whom to share my faith. Yes, you will. God isn't going to take you out of the world. You don't have to exclude the non- Christian people in your life in order to surround yourself with Christians. But the reason it's important to be around other Christians is because they can encourage and challenge you in your spiritual walk.

And what's the big deal about going to church? A church body provides spiritual growth through preaching, teaching and accountability. Corporate worship is essential to mature faith.

If you're already doing all these things, watch that person's life whom you spiritually admire. What is she doing that you're not? Ask her. Close friends should be able to share their spiritual highs and lows. Ask her to pray with you about your concerns.

Know It!
Bottom line: If you truly desire to grow spiritually, you will. You do what it takes to deepen and stretch your faith.

Read It!
Colossians 1:10; Hebrews 19-25; James 4:8; 1 Peter 2:9.

Pray It!
Be open with God. Tell Him your desire to draw closer to Him.

Stuff That Irritates!

God understands the things in your life that irritate you. But sometimes it helps to write them down. So grab a pen and add to this list:

• Having to explain to six different sales people that you're just looking around.

• Reaching under the table to pick something off the floor and banging your head on the way up.

• Losing your keys . . . for the third time in the same day.

• Trying on a pair of sunglasses with that yukky little plastic thing in the middle of them.

• The radio station you're listening to doesn't tell you who sang that song you're dying to purchase.

• Accidentally leaving a Kleenex in your jeans pocket and having to pull the entire load out of the dryer covered with bits of lint.

• You had that pen in your hand just a second ago, and now you can't find it anywhere!

• Setting the alarm on your clock radio for 7 p.m. instead of 7 a.m.

• Having to listen to that one person in class who always knows the right answer.

• Putting lotion on your hands and not being able to open the bathroom door.

• Hearing people crinkle candy wrappers in the library.

• Getting interrupted in the middle of your story.

• Having your glasses slide down your nose when you get hot.

• Leaving your notes in your locker when the test is tomorrow.

• Having 13 people in one day say, “What's wrong?”

You can probably add at least a dozen more things to this list, and as frustrating as the little things in life can be, we can draw encouragement from the fact that God really does understand. Isn't it refreshing to know that Jesus, too, had to deal with homework, misplacing a sandal and possibly forgetting to feed the cows once in a while? He knew what it was like to be human, because He chose to become human and walk through the same feelings of frustration you experience today.

Know It!
Instead of becoming overwhelmed at those little irritating things in life that tend to trip us up, rejoice in the fact that you're not alone. The Creator of the universe knows exactly how you feel!

Read It!
Proverbs 17:22; Proverbs 24:19-20; Proverbs 25:28; Proverbs 27:9.

Pray It!
Ask God to give you His perspective and help you see things through His eyes.

Saturday October 27th

In the Hands of the Father

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. Psalm 31:5

Martin Luther’s morning and evening prayers from the Small Catechism are included in the forepart of this book. Echoing the language of Psalm 31, Luther has us pray, “Into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things” (Luther’s Small Catechism, p. 33). There is no better place to be than the hands of the triune God. He has created us, redeemed us by the blood of His Son, and sanctified us in the waters of Baptism.
It is good to begin and end each day with His name: “In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” His name, spoken over us in Baptism, now marks us as those who belong to Him, marked with His holy cross and loved with an everlasting love.
Beginning and ending each day in the Lord’s name and in prayer reminds us that we are the Lord’s and that nothing in life or death will be able to sever us from the bonds of His loving care. Morning and evening prayers confess that our God gives His angels charge over us (Pslam 91:11) to guard and protest us in ways beyond our understanding. Whether awake or asleep, we are in the hands of a merciful heavenly Father who will not leave or forsake us.

Faithful Lord, bless and keep me in Your favor by night and day, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Feeling Lonely

Jesus knew He didn't have much time left on earth. The time for His crucifixion was drawing near. He took His disciples to a garden grove and told them to wait for Him and to pray. Then He took Peter, James and John a little further and told them His heart was filled with anguish and despair. Those are heavy words from the King of Kings. He instructed Peter, James and John to wait for Him and to cover Him with prayer while He went on ahead . . . alone.

Imagine how Jesus must have felt when He returned and found the three disciples who were closest to Him asleep! He had trusted them with His deepest feelings. He had specifically told them He needed prayer coverage. Yet they let Him down. And Jesus must have felt extremely lonely-even in the company of His closest friends.

A few hours later, when Jesus was arrested and brought in for illegal trials, illegal questioning and horrendous torture . . . He must have felt extremely lonely-even in the midst of a crowd.

When we're lonely, we can be encouraged that Jesus knows exactly how we feel. But we should also be reminded of how He feels when we drift away from Him.

It's easy for us to imagine the emptiness we'd feel if a loved one were to separate from us, but we can't begin to comprehend the loneliness God felt when man was eternally separated from Him, the Father Creator. Out of love, He created a bridge. And that bridge is His Son, Jesus.

He became our bridge so we'll never be separated from our heavenly Father again. In other words, we don't ever need to become consumed with loneliness. We'll experience loneliness, but we need never again become consumed with it, because Jesus forever keeps us from being separated from the One who loves us most.

No one enjoys sitting at home alone while friends are out on dates or feeling as though he has no friends at all. It's important that we realize that our loneliness is sometimes caused by what we do ourselves. Other times, it's caused by circumstances beyond our control or society. Loneliness can be separated into several categories.

1. Loneliness caused by isolating ourselves. We become negative, sarcastic and cynical. We complain, harbor a bitter spirit and eventually drive others away. Do you know someone who fits into this category? Is it possible that you could be guilty of this-of creating your own loneliness?

Know It!
It's possible . . . and you may have experienced it . . . to be lonely even in a crowd. And Jesus knows how you feel. He wants to help you through your loneliness. He may not change your situation, but He can change your outlook.

Read It!
Psalm 4-5; Psalm 37:25; Psalm 43:5; Psalm 66:19.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you know if you're a contributor to your own loneliness by harboring negative attitudes and grudges. Be willing to commit those to Him.

Handling Loneliness

We've established that loneliness is normal, everyone experiences it, Jesus experienced it, and there are a variety of categories of loneliness.

1. Loneliness caused by isolating ourselves.

2. Loneliness caused by circumstances beyond our control. This type of loneliness doesn't happen because you're a bad person or because you're difficult to be around. You don't cause this loneliness-God allows it, not out of anger or spite, but because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. In other words, a loved one dies or a best friend moves away. This usually requires an adjustment period. And that requires change . . . which is never easy.

If you're experiencing this kind of loneliness, begin praying for healing. We're reminded in Psalm 34 that God is extremely close to those whose hearts are breaking. He's also promised to be our Comforter. He can begin the healing process right now if you'll trust Him with the hurt. And it will be a process. Sometimes wounds take a long time to heal.

3. Loneliness caused by spiritual or psychological loneliness. It's strange how you can be surrounded by crowds of people and yet still feel completely alone, isn't it? You've probably heard the saying, “It's lonely at the top.” If you're in a position of student leadership, you've probably experienced the struggle of working hard to make good things happen for others (planning the dance, organizing the class party, etc.) and yet not having someone special to enjoy it with you. It's easy to feel as though you're often standing on the outside looking in.

This type of loneliness often attacks those in positions of spiritual leadership. Remember the Old Testament prophet Elijah? (Flip back to March 12 for a quick reminder.) God did incredible things through this man. He defeated the army of Baal (and the odds were 450 to 1!), he stood up against King Ahab, and he led thousands to believe in and worship the Lord.

Yet after the big Baal bash, he withdrew into the mountains and asked God to let him die. He complained that he was the only godly man left. Loneliness always seems to intensify when we can't find others who share our beliefs. The Lord opened Elijah's spiritual eyes a little wider and revealed to him that there were actually 7,000 godly people around him. When you're experiencing this kind of loneliness, ask God to reveal those around you who share your standards and values.

Know It!
Determine not to exaggerate your loneliness by multiplying your complaints in your mind as Elijah did. Wait for God to nourish you with His strength.

Read It!
Psalm 69:1-4; Psalm 69: 33; Psalm 69:15; 2 Corinthians 4:7-9;

Pray It!
When you're feeling lonely, ask God to show you others around you who share your faith and values.

Loneliness . . . a Gift?

Quick recap: Everyone in the world experiences some kind of loneliness at some point in his life. If we can learn how to handle the loneliness and respond to it in a healthy way, we can offer it as a gift to our heavenly Father. There are different categories of loneliness.

1. Loneliness caused by isolating ourselves.

2. Loneliness caused by circumstances beyond our control.

3. Loneliness caused by spiritual or psychological loneliness.

4. Loneliness caused by society. We live in such a fast-paced, technological world that everyone has been reduced to a number. Even though we carry a collection of cards with our names on them, it's really our number that's important. When you're pulled over by a police office, he calls in your number. When you charge a new pair of shoes at the mall, it's the number off your credit card the store wants. These kinds of incidents tend to make us feel as though we're living in a very impersonal world with no one really caring who we are.

Guess what! God cares about you more than you can imagine. You're way more than a number to Him! We're reminded in Isaiah that He knows your name . . . and that He calls you by name! Find comfort in knowing that you serve an extremely personal God in an extremely impersonal society.

5. Loneliness caused by a particular path we've chosen or a specific decision we've made. This isn't saying we've chosen to be alone or sad, but because we've chosen to go against the flow, we feel isolated.

Likewise, when we take a stand for purity or morality, we often feel lonely because we've decided to go against what the majority believe. We expect to get a negative reaction from the world. After all, they don't share our conscience. They're not striving to live a holy life. But what really hurts is when we're ridiculed by one another. Oftentimes people in the church will criticize each other for taking a stand. Instead of causing dissension, we need to be holding each other up, supporting one another and affirming those around us. (Flip back to September 11 for an example of what the Body of Christ should look like.)

Our Lord felt this kind of loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane. As mentioned in October 27, He brought three disciples with Him. Yet He went farther than they did. While they stayed behind, Jesus went farther physically, emotionally and spiritually. Only He could communicate with God at this particular point in His life.

There comes a time in all of our lives when we to must choose to go farther spiritually than those around us. After all, you alone will answer to God about your spiritual depth. This type of loneliness is essential in a growing Christian's life.

Know It!
Would you consider using this type of loneliness as an offering to your heavenly Father? He would love to accept your loneliness as a unique and special gift.

Read It!
Isaiah 43:1-2; Isaiah 45:3; Isaiah 46:3-4; Isaiah 49:1.

Pray It!
Ask God to stretch you spiritually-even though it may mean experiencing loneliness at times. Allow that to be your gift to Him.

Trivia . . . or Not?

It's interesting how people put value on specific items. Check out the following items and decide if you think they're as valuable as other people do.

• A pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz sold for $660,000 at a Christie's East auction in 2000.

• Reindeer actually live in the arctic and sub arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

• The city of Dallas was named for George Mifflihn Dallas, who was the vice president of the United States when James K. Polk was president, from 1845 to 1849.

• Lake Superior is the largest lake in North America. It has a surface area of 31,700 miles and is the largest freshwater lake in the world.

• In 1900, the most popular names for American girls were Mary, Helen, Margaret, Anna, Ruth, Catherine, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Marie and Mildred.

• Hawaii, Arizona and parts of Indiana don't use Daylight Savings times.

• The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. A beam of light could travel around the entire earth seven and a half times in one second.

• The Dallas International Airport is the size of Manhattan.

• Bibliophobia is the fear of books.

• In 1968, the United States Navy spent more than $400,000 to study Frisbees in wind tunnels.

• The official dessert of Massachusetts is Boston cream pie.

• Joshua Pusey invented the match book in 1892, but he made one mistake. He placed the striker on the inside instead of the outside of the book. People often trying to light one match would accidentally light all 50- and sometimes themselves! It was the Diamond Match Company that first moved the striker to the outside of the book. In 1894, they purchased Joshua Pusey's patent for $4,000.

• The coldest temperature ever recorded was at Vostok Station in Antarctica at -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

• There are approximately 6,000 known languages in the world, and about 1,000 of them are spoken on the island of New Guinea. Nearly half of these languages have less than 500 people speaking them.

Chances are good that you weren't aware of most the above facts. Most people aren't. That's why we refer to information like this as trivia. It seems trivial- unimportant. But there are some facts the world views as trivial that are actually quite important.

Important fact: Christ will return! He promised His disciples He would someday return for His children. Christians refer to this as the “Second Coming.” No one knows the exact time, day or date that Christ will return to earth, but we are given several insights into His coming.

We're told that two people will be at work, and one will simply disappear and be taken to heaven. This is referred to as the “rapture.” The rapture and the second coming are two important facts the world labels as trivial. But someday we'll all face the judgment of God Himself, and everyone will know what is and isn't trivia!

Know It!
Even though the world doesn't put much stock in what the Bible says, those who heed it's warnings are the wise ones.

Read It!
Matthew 24:29-30; Matthew 24:32-42; Matthew 24:44; Matthew 25:31-33.

Pray It!
Ask God to open your spiritual eyes to the important things He wants you to learn.