Cat Gate
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Posted:Mar 9, 2015 9:07 am
Last Updated:Mar 10, 2015 4:54 am 16631 Views
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I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9
Read: John 10:1-10
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 8-10; Mark 11:19-33
My husband, Jay, and I have a new family member 2-month-old tabby cat named Jasper. To keep our new kitten safe, we]ve had to break some old habits, like leaving doors open. But one thing remains a challenge: the open stairway. Cats like to climb. Even as kittens, they know that the world looks better when you're looking down on it. So whenever I have Jasper downstairs with me, she is determined to go upstairs. Trying to keep her confined to a safe place near me has tested my ingenuity. Gates that work with and dogs do not work with cats.
My cat gate dilemma brings to mind the metaphor Jesus used to describe Himself: I am the gate for the sheep, He said John 10.7 . Middle Eastern sheepfolds were enclosures with an opening for the sheep to go in and out. At night, when the sheep were safely inside, the shepherd would lie in the opening so that neither sheep nor predators could get past him.
Although I want to keep Jasper safe, I am not willing to make myself the gate. I have other things to do. But that's what Jesus Christ does for us. He places Himself between us and our enemy, the devil, to protect us from spiritual harm.
Thank You, Jesus, for being my gate. Through You I have salvation and by Your power I am safe from spiritual harm. Surround me with Your protection. I trust in You.
The closer to the Shepherd, the farther from the wolf.
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Solving The Mystery
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Posted:Mar 6, 2015 2:11 am
Last Updated:Mar 8, 2015 2:11 pm 16694 Views
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But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5.8
Read: Romans 5:1-11
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 10:1-31
One of the most popular tourist attractions in England is the giant stone pillars of Stonehenge. These massive pieces of granite are also a great source of mystery. Every year, people travel to Stonehenge with questions such as: Why were they erected? Who accomplished this extraordinary engineering marvel? And perhaps we wonder most of all how they did it. But visitors leave having received no answers from the silent stones. The mystery remains.
The Scriptures speak of a greater mystery the fact that God came to live among us as a man. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:16, Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
This brief overview of the life of Christ the mystery of godliness is remarkable. What prompted the Creator of the universe to come and live and die for His creation, however, is not a mystery. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8. God's great love for us is at the root of the mystery of godliness, and the cross has made it plain for all to see.
Lord, we may not understand everything You have done for us, or how You have done it. But we know You love us and sent Jesus to die for us, and that is all we need to know.
How Christ became a human being may be a mystery, but God's love isn't.
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Start With Me
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Posted:Mar 5, 2015 2:03 am
Last Updated:Mar 5, 2015 2:06 am 18421 Views
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Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50
I call them Mell Notes little comments my Melissa made in her Bible to help her apply a passage to her life.
In Matthew 7, for instance, she had drawn a box around verses 1 and 2 that talk about not judging others because, when you do, with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Next to it she wrote this Mell Note: Look at what you are doing before you look at others.
Melissa was an others-oriented . She lived the words of
Philippians 2:4. Her classmate Matt, who knew her from church nursery through her final days in the eleventh grade when she died in a car accident, said of Melissa at her memorial service: I don't think I ever saw you without a smile or something that brightened up people's days. Her friend Tara said this: Thanks for being my friend, even when no one else was as nice and cheerful as you.
In a day in which harsh judgment of others seems to be the rule, it's good to remember that love starts with us. The words of Paul come to mind: Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love 1 Cor. 13.13.
What a difference we'll make if, when we look at others, we say, Love starts with me. And wouldn't that be a great reflection of God's love for us?
Lord, thank You for the great love You lavished on us when You sent Your to die and be resurrected so that we could be with You eternally. In response, help us to love others. Lord, we want to be like You.
Embracing God's love for us is the key to loving others.
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House-Hunting Ants
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Posted:Mar 4, 2015 3:46 am
Last Updated:Mar 4, 2015 3:48 am 19721 Views
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Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Psalm 90:1
Read: Numbers 13:25-14:19
Bible in a Year: Numbers 31-33; Mark 9:1-29
According to researchers from the University of Bristol, the European rock ant may be better than we are at staying on top of the housing market. The researchers found that the ant colonies use scout ants to continually monitor their colonies living conditions. Using social skills complex enough to stun the scientists, the rock ants work together to find the right living space, darkness, and security needed to give the queen mother and her larvae the best available housing.
In the days of Moses, the families of Israel were looking for a new home. The slave yards of Egypt had been brutal. The wilderness of Sinai was no place to settle down. But there was a problem. According to Israelite scouts, the homeland to which God was leading them was already occupied by walled cities and giants who made the scouts feel like grasshoppers in their own eyes
(Num. 13:28,33).
Sometimes it may be helpful to compare ourselves to insects. House-hunting rock ants instinctively follow the ways of their Creator. But we often let our fears keep us from following and trusting God. When we rest in the assurance of His presence and love, we can say, Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Father in heaven, please help us to see that today there is no better place to live than in Your presence and love. Help us learn to settle in and be comfortable with our place in You.
Finding ourselves at home in God is a good place to be.
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A Season For Everything
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Posted:Mar 3, 2015 2:51 am
Last Updated:Mar 4, 2015 3:46 am 19571 Views
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To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Bible in a Year: Numbers 28-30; Mark 8:22-38
If you're like me, you've struggled with having to say no to taking on a new responsibility especially if it's for a good cause and directly related to helping others. We may have sound reasons for carefully selecting our priorities. Yet sometimes, by not agreeing to do more, we may feel guilty or we may think that somehow we have failed in our walk of faith.
But according to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, wisdom recognizes that everything in life has its own season in human activities as in the realm of nature. There is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven (3:1).
Perhaps you are getting married or becoming a parent for the first time. Maybe you are leaving school and entering the workforce, or moving from fulltime work to retirement. As we move from season to season, our priorities change. We may need to put aside what we did in the past and funnel our energy into something else.
When life brings changes in our circumstances and obligations, we must responsibly and wisely discern what kind of commitments we should make, seeking in whatever we do to do all to the glory of God
(1 Cor. 10:31). Proverbs 3:6 promises that as we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will guide us in the way we should go.
Heavenly Father, give me Your wisdom to know what priorities I need to have at this season of my life. Guide me in all that I do. I only want to bring You the honor You deserve with the way I live.
Commitment to Christ is a daily calling that challenges us.
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A Deadly Weapon
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Posted:Mar 2, 2015 4:19 am
Last Updated:Mar 3, 2015 2:53 am 19314 Views
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Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; . . . they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Read: Nehemiah 4:1-10
Bible in a Year: Numbers 26-27; Mark 8:1-21
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali used several ring tactics to defeat his opponents; one tactic was taunting. In his fight with George Foreman in 1974, Ali taunted Foreman, Hit harder! Show me something, George. That don't hurt. I thought you were supposed to be bad.Fuming, Foreman punched away furiously, wasting his energy and weakening his confidence.
It's an old tactic. By referring to Nehemia's efforts at rebuilding the broken wall of Jerusalem as nothing more than a fox's playground
(Neh. 4:3), Tobiah intended to weaken the workers with poisonous words of discouragement. Goliath tried it on David by despising the boy's simple weapons of a sling and stones
(1 Sam. 17:41-44).
A discouraging remark can be a deadly weapon. Nehemiah refused to surrender to Tobiah's discouragements, just as David rejected Goliath's diabolical teasing. Focusing on God and His help rather than on their discouraging situations, David and Nehemiah both achieved victory.
Taunting can come from anybody, including those who are close to us. Responding to them negatively only saps our energy. But God encourages us through His promises: He will never forsake us
(Ps. 9:10; Heb. 13:5), and He invites us to rely on His help
(Heb. 4:16).
Lord, it's easy to let discouragement sap my energy
and joy. Help me to reject all agents of
discouragement in my life and to trust in You for comfort and strength.
If you're in a tunnel of discouragement, keep walking toward the Light.
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A Consistent Life
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Posted:Feb 27, 2015 1:38 am
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2015 2:57 am 19540 Views
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He knelt down on his knees . . . and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. Daniel 6:10
Read: Daniel 6:1-10
Bible in a Year: Numbers 17-19; Mark 6:30-56
While studying the book of Daniel, I was struck by how easily he could have avoided being thrown into the den of lions. Daniel's jealous rivals in the government of Babylon laid a trap based on his consistent practice of daily prayer to God (Dan. 6:1-9). Daniel was fully aware of their plot and could have decided to pray privately for a month until things settled down. But that was not the kind of person he was.
When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days (v.10). Daniel did not panic, nor bargain with God. Instead, he continued just as he had done before
(v.10 niv). He was not intimidated by the pressure of persecution.
The lesson for me was the power of Daniel's
life of consistent devotion to the Lord. His strength came from God, whom Daniel wanted to please every day. When a crisis came, Daniel didn't need to change his daily practice to meet it. He simply stayed committed to his God.
Father, I want to stand for You when persecution
comes as Daniel did. Give me that same bold
commitment to pray and not to be ashamed of
knowing You. Help me to live my faith publicly.
God empowers us to stand for Him as we bow to pray.
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Changed Perspective
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Posted:Feb 26, 2015 3:10 am
Last Updated:Feb 26, 2015 3:11 am 19732 Views
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Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. cts 17.16
Read: Acts 17:16-23
Bible in a Year: Numbers 15-16; Mark 6:1-29
As an early riser, my wife enjoys the quiet moments before the house wakes up and uses it to read the Bible and pray. Recently she settled into her favorite chair, only to be confronted by a rather messy couch left there by someone watching a football game the night before. The mess distracted her at first, and her frustration with me interrupted the warmth of the moment.
Then a thought hit her, and she moved to the couch. From there, she could look out our front windows to the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. The beauty of the scene God painted that morning changed her perspective.
As she told me the story, we both recognized the lesson of the morning. While we can't always control the things of life that impact our day, we do have a choice. We can continue to brood over the mess, or we can change our perspective. When Paul was in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols (Acts 17.16 . But when he changed his perspective, he used their interest in religion as an opportunity to proclaim the true God, Jesus Christ vv.22-23.
As my wife left for work, it was time for someone else to change his perspective for me to let the Lord help me to see my messes through her eyes and His.
Dear Lord, grant us the wisdom to change
our perspective rather than linger over messes.
Help us to see and fix the messes
we make for others.
Wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective.
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His Choice
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Posted:Feb 25, 2015 5:14 am
Last Updated:Feb 25, 2015 5:16 am 19672 Views
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God from the beginning chose you for salvation.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
Read: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Bible in a Year: Numbers 12-14;
Mark 5:21-43
When our were small, I often prayed with them after we tucked them into bed. But before I prayed, I sometimes would sit on the edge of the bed and talk with them. I remember telling our Libby, If I could line up all the 4-year-old girls in the world, I would walk down the line looking for you. After going through the entire line, I would choose you to be my . That always put a big smile on Libby's face because she knew she was special.
If that was a smile-worthy moment for her, think of the grace-filled fact that the Creator-God of the universe from the beginning chose you for salvation 2 Thess. 2:13. Before time began, He desired to make you His own. This is why Scripture often uses the picture of adoption to communicate the amazing reality that, through no merit or worthiness of our own, we have been chosen by Him.
This is stunning news! We are beloved by the Lord v.13 and enjoy the benefits of being part of His family. This glorious truth should fill our lives with humility and gratitude. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us . . . establish you in every good word and work vv.16-17.
I will be forever grateful that I am Your ,
Father, and that You love me! Teach me to remember
all the benefits of belonging to You, and may I
serve You faithfully as part of Your family.
It's God's choice to love you and to make you part of His family.
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Longing For Rescue
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Posted:Feb 24, 2015 4:25 am
Last Updated:Feb 24, 2015 4:28 am 19737 Views
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She will bring forth a , and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
Bible in a Year: Numbers 9-11; Mark 5:1-20
The movie Man of Steel, released in 2013, is a fresh imagining of the Superman story. Filled with breathtaking special effects and nonstop action, it drew crowds to movie theaters around the world. Some said that the film's appeal was rooted in its amazing technology. Others pointed to the enduring appeal of the Superman mythology.
Amy Adams, the actress who plays Lois Lane in the movie, has a different view of Superman's appeal. She says it is about a basic human longing: Who doesn't want to believe that there's one person who could come and save us from ourselves?
That';s a great question. And the answer is that someone has already come to save us from ourselves, and that someone is Jesus. Several announcements were made regarding the birth of Jesus. One of them was from the angel Gabriel to Joseph: She [Mary] will bring forth a , and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins Matt. 1:21
Jesus came He did so to save us from our sin and from ourselves. His name means the Lord saves and our salvation was His mission. The longing for rescue that fills the human heart ultimately is met by Jesus.
Shout salvation full and free,
Highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Jesus name and mission are the same He came to save us.
INSIGHT: When the angel spoke to Joseph about Mary's baby, he said that the 's name would be a clue to His identity: You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins Matt. 1:21. Jesus would also be called Immanuel, which means God with us(v.23). Jesus came to rescue us.
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