June 29, 2007 Devotional

Waiting and Listening
“Life comes at you fast”, is a slogan used by a national insurance company to advertise their services for helping consumers prepare for life…”whenever it happens”. Humorous as these ads are, they do depict a reality that sometimes things just happen. However, when inevitable delays or unforeseen events upset our universe, it is important to remember that life does not revolve around you–it revolves around the Son!

It is easy to feel anxious and look within our own abilities to create more desirable outcomes, especially when something does not meet our expectations. But it is in these trying times that we can experience God’s work in our lives on a more personal level by waiting and listening. Yes, waiting and listening is difficult. We may want to hear what God has to say, but we don't take time to listen. As a result, we forget that God is not a puzzle to be solved. Rather, He's a friend to be known and enjoyed. And He’s telling us, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, KJV). For it is in stillness that we come face to face with the living Lord who knows and loves us beyond our imagination.

David knew about waiting. Samuel anointed the young David as king of Israel, but he did not automatically become king. As a military leader, few people experienced as much success as ; David. Yet David slew a bear and a lion long before he encountered Goliath. Was David fearful or anxious? Maybe, but God was working in David during his shepherd days, giving him experiences that would build his courage and prepare him for what was to come. As such, his faith grew as he prayed and saw the Lord’s presence during these memorable experiences.

And so it is with us today. True, often we want too much, too soon. It is common for us to become fearful or angry when tragedy strikes, and at times, immediately seek an internal means to conquer or escape the situation. But the Lord works in us over time, helping us to develop and hone certain skills, in the end making us effective and successful. Have you waited to hear what He has to say during times of trouble? Pray and be still. In doing so, you will discover that waiting on God's timing always rewards you with His very best.

Mike Little

June 22, 2007 Devotional

The Courage to Depend upon God

I Kings 19:1-15a

Elijah had exhausted himself serving the Lord. Read chapter 18 of I Kings, and you will find Elijah being incredibly strong in his work as a prophet. He had confronted the 450 prophets of the Canaanite God Baal on Mount Carmel and challenged them to ‘dueling altars.’ They had prepared their altar, but instead of lighting it, had called upon Baal to light it. Nothing happened. Then Elijah had water poured over the Lord’s altar, and prayed for the Lord to ignite it. The altar was completely consumed by fire. Then he had proclaimed to Ahab the King that the drought that had lasted for over three years was going to be broken by rain, and it was. But being the conduit of God’s power and work in that way is exhausting.

Thus it was that shortly thereafter he fled from Israel and went to the mountain of God. It was there that God found him in the cave and spoke to him in the still, small voice after the earthquake, wind, and fire. And as God spoke in that voice, Elijah was strengthened and challenged to return to Israel and to return to the work to which God had called him.

It is a real temptation, friends, to fill our lives with activity, even church activities, that keeps us busy from sun up to sun down, day after day. And yet, without the time for God’s still, small voice to be heard we cannot sustain our efforts. I don’t think any of us have called down fire from heaven or have commanded rain from the clouds lately, but we find all kinds of things to fill our time, and those things are all incredibly important.

But, if we don’t stop and spend time alone with God we won’t hear the still, small voice that gives us strength for whatever lies ahead. Take time each day to listen to God.

…take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord!

Amen.

Joe Shreve

June 15, 2007 Devotional

Our Fathers Love

A parents love...the overwhelming joy you feel as you hold your child for the first time, the trepidation you feel as you realize all the potential that it is your responsibility to shape. The proud swelling of your heart as you watch your child grow and develop. The gut wrenching fear that clutches your heart when your child is in danger...or maybe just a little late getting home. The heart ache of occasionally watching your child stumble and fall. What we wouldn't do to keep our children safe, to spare them pain. Their pain is harder to bear than our own. We would gladly give our lives to spare theirs. A parents love...all encompassing, unconditional love that frees children to explore their world, and gives them the confidence to spread their wings and eventually fly on their own.

Gods love, like a parents love, but multiplied many times, gives us the freedom to make our own choices. How painful it must be for him to watch us stumble and fall, to watch us make poor choices, to have us cut ourselves off from him. How much joy it must bring when we allow his love to be the "wind beneath our wings." Just as we would give our lives for our children God loved us enough to send his son, a perfect son that he loved, of whom he was "well pleased." He sent him to give his life for us, to be tortured for us, to die a horrible death for us. Amazing love, amazing grace...a heavenly fathers love.

Margaret Williams

June 8, 2007 Devotional

"It sticks out like a sore thumb!" So goes the old saying to which I had never given much thought until very recently. I mean, why a sore thumb and why would it stick out?

On the way to our vacation destination in South Carolina we spent two nights at the home of our friends in Charlotte. They are just like family to us and it's very much, "mi casa, su casa".

Saturday morning and I'm in the kitchen looking for a sharp knife to slice this large Panera Bread bagel. I found the sharp knife and sliced the bagel.......and a good portion of my left thumb. OUCH!

I'll spare you the gory details of stemming the flow and not going to the Emergency Room as our friends suggested, but for several days it was definitely "thumb(s) up" for me and the thumb did indeed stick out. That's when I found out how important is the thumb. Try doing simple things like buttoning a shirt or tying a shoelace without using your thumb.

I hope you are still with me because I feel there is a message here. Since we are the body of Christ what happens if one of us cannot be used? For one reason or another there are times when we feel spiritually useless in our prayer life and we may be tempted to stop praying but then we are reminded to "pray without ceasing". (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV)

At times we may be discouraged in our Christian witness to others but then there is the charge to "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1 KJV)

Each and every one of us has a charge to uphold, a part to play, so "let us not be weary in well doing" (Gal. 6:9 KJV). Just like my little sore thumb the part each of us plays in the Christian life will be missed if we don't continue by God's grace to do whatever He has chosen for us to do.

Thanks to Jeff Taylor for the following:
Dear God, by the Power of Your Holy Spirit, create us anew.
Give us the breath to sing your praises and the faith to soar with you.
Give us power to discern what you call us to be and to do.
Come Holy Spirit, come!
Amen

Jean Dean