.....quick

Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer... Ruth 4:14

A wise person once told me, "Never be quick to judge whether something is a blessing or a curse."  The story of Naomi reminds me of this.  

The name Naomi means "my delight".  But when bad things happened to her, Naomi wanted to change her name to match her circumstances.  After her husband and sons died, Naomi concluded. "The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!" Ruth 1:13  when people greeted her, she said, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me v. 20 

Rather than judge her circumstances in light of her identity as a follower of the one true God who had proclaimed unfailing love for His  people, Naomi did what most of us tend to do.  She judged God in light of her circumstances - and she judged wrongly.  

The hand of the Lord had not gone out against her.  In fact, Naomi had a God-given treasure she had not yet discovered.  Although Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she was given something totally unexpected - a devoted daughter-in-law and a grandchild who would be in the lineage of the Messiah. 

 

As Naomi's life shows us, sometimes the worst thing that happens to us can open the door for the best that God has to give us.  Remember, God's purpose for today's events may not be seen until tomorrow.

- dave langerfeld 

....song

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Ephesians 2:10

A church organist was practicing a piece by Felix Mendelssohn and not doing too well. Frustrated, he gathered up his music and started to leave. He had not noticed a stranger come in and sit in a rear pew.

As the organist turned to go, the stranger came forward and asked if he could play the piece. "I never let anyone touch this organ!" came the blunt reply. Finally, after two more polite requests, the grumpy musician reluctantly gave him permission.

The stranger sat down and filled the sanctuary with beautiful, flawless music.  When he finished, the organist asked, "'Who are you?"  The man replied, "l am Felix Mendelssohn." The organist had almost prevented the song's creator from playing his own music. 

 

There are times when we too try to play the chords of our lives and prevent our Creator from making beautiful music. Like that stubborn organist, we only reluctantly take our hands off the keys. As His people, we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand" Ephesians 2:10. 

But our lives won't produce beautiful music unless we let Him work through us.

God has a symphony written for our lives. Let's allow Him to have His way in us.  

God's ability is not limited by our inability.              

-dennis j dehaan

 

.....divided

Solomon was the third king of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba. And although not the eldest son, he was chosen by David to be his successor. As David was about to die, he gave Solomon some final counsel for ruling the kingdom.

Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in His ways, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 1 Kings 2:2-3

David knew that Solomon would influence an entire nation - influence it either toward the good...or the bad. This was an awesome responsibility which would require a deep commitment to God.

Solomon initially established a God-centered kingdom; "Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David" 1 Kings 3:3. He ruled with great wisdom and spent seven years building a magnificent temple in which God would be worshipped. Yet Solomon failed to demonstrate total commitment to the One True God.

Solomon married many women from the surrounding nations and allowed these wives to turn his heart toward other gods; "His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God" 1 Kings 11:4. God was greatly angered at Solomon's lack of commitment and rose up enemies who would eventually divide the kingdom and create civil war.

In a sense, every believer in Jesus has been given a kingdom. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you" Luke 17:21. This kingdom is established when we believe, in faith, that Jesus died for our sins; it is therefore a kingdom of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" Romans 14:17.

The kingdom we have been given is more precious than ANY other. But, as with Solomon, it is also a kingdom which must be "ruled" with an absolute, undivided love for the Lord, with a commitment to walking in the ways He establishes for our life and worshiping Him with the pure focus of our heart.

If we desire God's kingdom to remain firmly established and at peace in our life, then we must keep our heart fully devoted to Him and guard against the influences which seek to pull us away. Let's not become distracted by the other "gods" of this world. Let's make the necessary adjustments to our priorities and schedules which will allow us the time to continually draw closer to the one true God and prevent a divided kingdom.

-steve troxel

.....above

Those who wait on the Lord... shall mount up with wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31

One of the pitfalls of living in our troublesome world is that we can become problem-centered rather God-centered. When this happens, we lose the proper perspective. Gradually, all our problems begin to look huge and the strength of almighty God seems small. Instead of moving mountains by faith, we become constant worriers, creating mountains of needless pressure for ourselves and others. 

Isaiah 40 is an effective prescription for those of us whose God seems small. God reminds us that He is much bigger than the world He created.  He points out that compared to him, "the nations are as a drop in the bucket." v. 15 and the inhabitants of earth "are like grasshoppers." v. 22. His words aren't meant to belittle us, but rather to encourage us to look to Him and gain His perspective of life.  

Yet, God offers us more than a new perspective. He offers us something that will enable us to live by that view.  If we will depend on Him instead of brooding over our problems, He will renew our strength, and wings of faith will lift our hearts above our difficulties. Some of them may be huge, but we can see them as smaller than our great God. And that makes all the difference.  

Worry ends where faith begins!

-joanie yoder

....clean

What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'  Mark 7:20-23

Our heart pumps life into all the other parts of our body. If our heart is made clean through the forgiveness of Jesus, the rest of our life will also become clean as His life flows through us; "First clean the inside...and then the outside also will be clean" Matthew 23:26. But if our heart remains soiled by an unrepentant sinful nature, no amount of outside scrubbing and polishing will ever make us clean.

In the above passage, Jesus presented a list of "evils" for our self evaluation, as an outward test of inward cleanliness. Our lives may be free from the obvious stealing, murder, and adultery, but the rest of the list requires us to look a little deeper. 

Folly is the lack of good sense. 

Arrogance is an overbearing confidence. 

Slander is making false statements against someone. 

Envy is discontent due to another's good fortune. 

Lewdness is indecent language or action. 

Deceit means to conceal the truth. 

Malice means to cruelly tease, and greed is excessive desire.

A transformed believer in Jesus Christ, one who is "circumcised of the heart" Romans 2:29, should never be characterize by this type of behavior. As the Spirit of Jesus makes us into a "new creation" 2 Corinthians 5:17 and begins to flow through our life, these old sins ought to slow to a trickle and eventually pass away. Though sin will never completely disappear, it no longer should define who we are.

Is the cleansing power of Jesus flowing into all areas of our life? Or are there still areas we claim as our own? If we desire to offer our lives as "living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" Romans 12:1, then we must allow our sacrifice to be completely cleansed; we must place our heart more fully in His hands. Let's come before our Heavenly Father and allow the transforming and absolute forgiveness of Jesus to make us clean from within

-steve troxel

.....faithful

Your faithfulness endures to all generations. Psalm 119:90

Jim and Carol Cymbala prayed and praised and preached their way through a personal two-year nightmare. Their teenage daughter Chrissy had turned her back on the God they loved and served so faithfully. Although their hearts were breaking, Jim and Carol continued ministering to the people of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City.

Some people think that Carol wrote the song "He's Been Faithful" after her daughter's dramatic return to God, but she didn't. She wrote it before. Carol refers to it as "a song of hope born in the midst of my pain." While hurting deeply, Carol said that her song "became like a balm to my heart, strengthening me once again."  The words she wrote during that time helped her to move forward.  Although her daughter had not yet come back to the Lord, Carol could praise Him for His loving faithfulness in her own life.

Later, when Chrissy showed up at home and fell to her knees begging forgiveness, the truth of Psalm 119:90 became real to Carol. God is faithful not just to our generation, but to all generations! Carol also experienced in a new way a line of her own song that has blessed so many: "What I thought was impossible, I've seen my God do" 

When we have nothing left but God, we find that God is enough.

-dave langerfeld

....rend

Every prophet in the Bible proclaimed a message which called the people to repentance. From Moses to John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles, the message was consistent; "Repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19. Repentance is essential to a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. Repentance is a condition of our heart whereby we recognize our sin and, in desperation and sorrow, turn and cry out in faith to God for help...the help of forgiveness which only comes through Jesus Christ.

Even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love Joel 2:12-13

In the Old Testament times it was common for someone to tear (or rend) their clothes when they were expressing great sorrow. For example, when Jacob thought that Joseph had been killed by wild animals, he "tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days" Genesis 37:34. When the Israelites were beaten when attacking the city of Ai, Joshua "tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord" Joshua 7:6.

Tearing your clothes was an outward expression of sorrow. But all through Scripture, God makes it abundantly clear that He looks deep into our heart; "These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men" Isaiah 29:13. Jesus referenced this exact passage when He confronted the hypocritical worship of the Pharisees Matthew 15:7-9.

We must never even hint that repentance is determined by "right" outward behavior. Repentance is always a condition of the heart, and doing right in the eyes of God is only accomplished by allowing His Spirit to transform us into a "new creation" 2 Corinthians 5:17. It is only through His power that we can ever be set on a right path of being "conformed to the likeness of His Son" Romans 8:29.

God has more grace to forgive than we can possibly imagine; but our loving Father expects - even demands - our heart. He is fully aware of the many ways we sin and fall short of His glory, but until we understand how far we have fallen and genuinely desire to change, we will never appreciate His grace in making us clean - never experience His "times of refreshing." Let's seek His forgiveness and walk in closer harmony with our Heavenly Father. Let's confess our sins and, with repentant sorrow, stand before Him today, and rend our heart.

-steve troxel 

...poverty

God has blessed each of us with gifts, talents, and abilities. We are now to be good stewards by faithfully giving our blessings back to God with a pure heart. But what determines a pure heart?

When Jesus saw the widow offer her two small coins, He said she had given "out of her poverty" Mark 12:44. It required great humility to offer those coins, a true lack of self-importance. She knew her coins had no real value, but with a deep devotion for God and a strong desire to obediently serve she gave what she had. The widow offered her gift with a pure heart!

We are all called to this type of pure giving - a giving motivated by love, and "valued" by obedience. Our gifts to God may appear big or small in our eyes and in the eyes of the world, but when lovingly given in response to His leading, every gift is received as a sweet and fragrant offering.

As we give back to the Lord by ministering to the needs of others, we often perceive the results to fall far below expectations. To keep from being discouraged, we must always remember that our true offering is in our obedience and love. Our offering must never be judged by the outward appearance of how it is being used.

This truth is even more crucial when the results of ministry begin to exceed our expectations. The great danger of "success" in any ministry effort is the tendency to shift our focus to what WE have accomplished and given with OUR abilities. But again, our offering must never be judged by the outward appearance of results!

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"1 Corinthians 4:7

God deserves the glory for ALL the results. He gave us our ability as well as the opportunity to minister and give. We fall into sinful pride anytime we forget the One who has provided all; "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" 1 Corinthians 5:6. We must always maintain a sense of poverty as we give back and minister to the Lord. We can give nothing of real value; indeed, we are very poor! Yet, we can continue to give our all and love Him with all our heart.

Let's give praise and glory to the Potter who continues to shape and mold us into a vessel of great beauty. Let's guard against every attempt to place a value, large or small, on what we offer our Heavenly Father. And, with a spirit of humility, let's continue to abundantly give out of our poverty.

-steve troxel 

...excuse

Charles Spurgeon once said that as Christians we should become "addicted to prayer".

We know how important it is to pray. We also are excellent at finding excuses why we don't have the time. Primarily, our lives are structured around the things we consider important. When God is important enough to us, the end result will be prayer. The decision to pray is the battle. Once that decision has been made, most of the battle is over.

Common excuses to put off prayer:

I'm too tired

Being tired is really common. You can still spend time in prayer despite your weariness. If you allow weariness to keep you from prayer, you will always be kept from prayer because fatigue is part of this fast-paced life.

I'm too busy

You need to develop an attitude about time that is similar to the one you have about money. The more time you give God, the more time you have from God. Following the principle of sowing and reaping, God will give back what you give to Him, then He increases it. Most people are busy, but not too busy to pray.

I'm too dry

You might not feel like praying. If you waited until you felt like praying you would pray very little. Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and not give up Luke 18:1. Should is an act of the will. Simply make yourself do it. It's a spiritual discipline. Certainly you should pray every time you feel led to pray, but for the most part, you lead yourself to prayer.

I'm too lazy

This is not something you'd like to admit. Prayer itself is not difficult. You will never run out of things to pray for. The biggest obstacle is making the decision to pray. Once you are in the place of prayer, it's not that difficult to pray. The struggle is getting yourself in that position. Getting up out of the easy chair or out of that warm bed in the morning, turning off the TV or smart-phone, and putting yourself in a position to pray is where most of the battle lies.

Give God the best time of the day

Choose the time of day when you can be the most effective. David would often pray at night Ps. 63:6; Abraham got up early to pray Gen. 19:27; religious Jews liked to pray at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM; Daniel prayed at three different times each day: morning, noon, and night Dan. 6:10.

Pray audibly

Praying out loud helps you stay focused.

Stay Committed

If you've ever fallen asleep in prayer - simply pray when you wake up.

-ron auch

......how

As Jesus watched people place their offering into the temple treasury, He noticed a poor widow who put in two coins valued at less than a penny. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on Mark 12:43-44

This passage gives us a wonderful example of faith and how God must be the Lord of our finances, but the real message actually goes much deeper.

We have all been blessed in so many ways, and we are called to be good stewards, or managers, of all our blessings. As a good steward, we must present all we possess back to our Heavenly Father as an offering of love. Yes, this relates to our financial resources, but it also means we are to offer our gifts, abilities, talents, and time back to God through service and ministry to others. God created us (the complete package of who we are) for a purpose. And though we may need to spend good quality time with God to fully understand our purpose, we can be absolutely sure that God has NOT blessed us so we can advance our own selfish agenda!

Every one of our blessings, no matter how small, are given so we can bless God in return. We often hold back from ministry opportunities because we feel our "offering" is insignificant. We feel inadequate to serve or unworthy to make a true contribution to the work of God's Kingdom, but God is never concerned with the magnitude of a gift. He is, and always has been, concerned and blessed by the condition of our heart: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" 1 Samuel 15:22. 

How we give is much more important than what we give.

God does not need our money, time, ability, or anything we accomplish or produce. But He loves us dearly and desires to receive the complete love and devotion which is given with our offering. Jesus was blessed by a widow who gave from her heart, even though the actual gift carried very little earthly value.

If we want our service or ministry to have significance in the eyes of God, we must focus on the One to whom we are giving rather than on the value of the gift in the eyes of man. With our eyes focused, we must then give with all the love in our heart. If our heart is pure in the giving, God will receive our offering as a true blessing. There are no worthless or insignificant gifts when the gift is given from a pure heart.

-steve troxel

....reflectors

You are the light of the world Matthew 5:14

In an article entitled "Reflect the Light," Roble Nebres tells about the time he drove to the summit of Mt. Haleakala in Hawaii.  After watching the sunset it became dark and he became anxious about the descent down the steep, winding road. When he left the parking lot the median strips on the road suddenly came alive with reflectorized lights. They provided a much needed directional guide on the mountain road.

The reflectors illuminated the way for Nebres, who made his descent safely down the treacherous mountain road. The reflectors, however, were useless without his headlights shining on them. The light they gave depended on the light from another source. Otherwise they could not help him see.

When Jesus told his disciples they were the "light of the world," he meant they were to be reflectors of the light of God. God is the illuminating source. God provides the light that is reflected from us. And God needs us to be reflectors of God's light to a world of darkness.

-keith wagner

...as

God loved us long before we ever knew Him, and loved us far more than we deserved; "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Our Heavenly Father sent His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sins "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16. And He sent His Spirit to comfort, guide, and strengthen us all the rest of our days.

God's love has created a debt we can never fully repay, but it's a debt of love we now honor by loving others; "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" Romans 13:8. As we reach out to those around us, we are actually reaching up and loving our Heavenly Father; "He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people" Hebrews 6:10. We know we should love one another, but what is the proper expression of our love?

Jesus had gathered with His disciples for what would be their last meal together. While they were eating in the upper room, Jesus "showed them the full extent of His love" John 13:1.

In this, His clear demonstration of love, the Creator of the Universe lowered Himself to the position of a common house servant and washed the feet of His disciples. His example of love was completely void of pride or selfish motives. There was no agenda in His actions other than to pour out pure love. Only moments later Jesus told His disciples; "As I have loved you, so you must love one another" John 13:34.

Jesus was able to love with true humility and self-sacrifice because He was absolutely secure in His Heavenly relationship; "Jesus knew He had come from God and was returning to God" John 13:3. Jesus knew who He was and where He was going; His self-esteem was independent of feedback from the world, independent of any appreciation He may have received in return. Jesus was sent to love, so He loved!

We are now sent to love with this same servant's heart - a heart that simply considers the needs of others and then reaches out to "take care of My sheep" John 21:16. Let's secure our Heavenly relationship through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus and then live each day with a humble heart that only His security allows. Let's love our Heavenly Father as we reach out to the world and love as Jesus loved.

-steve troxel

 

.....best

....call

Abraham was a man of great faith who was chosen to begin the covenant relationship between God and man.  Through Abraham's son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, the nation of Israel was born.  However, when God's Word first introduces us to Abraham, he is already 75 years old and settled with his family in the land of Haran.  Then, with absolutely no warning, God calls...

Genesis 12:1  "The Lord had said to Abraham, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.'"

God wanted Abraham to move to the land of promise; "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you" Genesis 12:2.  We're not told that Abraham was searching for God's will or even preparing for the call, but he was definitely ready.  Abraham had no idea where he was going, how long he would be gone or how he was going to get to where God directed, but he trusted God's promise and went.

It's interesting to note there was no further discussion or clarification from God after the call was made - God gave direction, and Abraham obeyed; "So Abraham left, as the Lord had told him" Genesis 12:4.  Abraham may have left with a slight uncertainty in his decision - a slight hesitation in his step - but he had faith enough to trust and obey.

God has a promised land to which He's calling us today.  It's a land where we find contentment in all situations Philippians 4:12, where we rejoice in our trials James 1:2, and where we give thanks in all circumstances 1 Thessalonians 5:18 because we KNOW God is working all things together for the good Romans 8:28.  It's a land of united families where marriage vows represent an unbreakable covenant; a place where children honor their father and mother; and a land where parents lead their children by following Christ. Most of all, it's a land where we love Him with ALL our heart in ALL we do, say and think!

He's calling us to trust Him and follow where He leads.  Sometimes His call is very specific - and we must diligently prepare to hear and obey this call - but often His call is simply to let go of our own understanding, search His Word for truth, and follow Him to the Promised Land.

-steve troxel

? worrier

 "Don’t be anxious (don't worry) about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

The graphic on Facebook grabbed my attention with its all-caps, bold orange letters. It read, "Prayer is the most important conversation of your day. Take it to God before you take it to anyone else!"

That was a great reminder as I began my day.

Nearly 100,000 others had seen it by the time I did.  At least one person was so touched by those words that she wrote, "I so believe in this magnificent power! This power saved my daughter from having to have major life altering surgery. Praise God and all my prayer worrier friends who joined me in asking for Gods intervention in the matter! Glory Be To God! Amen! Thank You God!"

Yes, you read that correctly. She meant to write "prayer warrior," but it came out "prayer worrier."

I laughed out loud when I read that. But then I realized that "prayer worrier" may be closer to the way we actually practice the art of conversing with God. We take our requests to God and pretend that we are leaving it with Him.

At least that is what we intended to do.

Many times, though, as we come away from prayer, the burden stays with us, and we spend a great deal of time worrying about the very thing we supposedly left with God.

But the Bible says that we can cast all our anxiety on Him, because He cares for us 1 Peter 5:6-7. Jesus said that we cannot even add a single hour to our lifespan by worrying Matthew 6:27. And we are told that as children of God, we have a special privilege: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” Psalm 55:22.

According to the Scriptures, we can be "prayer worriers", or "prayer warriors". 

I know which I’d rather be.

-rocky henriques

.....small

On May, 1995, a 34 year-old construction worker by the name of Randy Reid was doing some final welding on top of a nearly completed water tower in one of Chicago's suburbs. At one point, Randy unhooked his safety belt so he could reach for some pipes. But at that same moment, a metal beam slipped off a nearby crane, and bumped the scaffolding Randy was standing on. The scaffolding tipped, and Randy lost his balance. He fell 110 feet to the ground below.

In landing, he just missed a pile of rocks and construction debris on the ground. Instead he landed face down on a pile of dirt. A fellow worker saw the whole accident and immediately called 911.  When paramedics arrived, they couldn't believe their eyes. They found Randy completely conscious, moving, and complaining that he had a sore back. 

 

Even though he went through such a horrendous fall, Randy still maintained his sense of humor. Because as paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Randy asked one thing. He said, "Hey guys, be careful, will you? Don't drop me."  When he arrived at the hospital and was examined by the doctors, and they discovered that the only injury he suffered was a bruised lung. 

 

Friends, I think sometimes our faith resembles Randy. God protects us from harm in a 110-foot fall, but we're still nervous about three-foot heights.  By that I mean, we have faith that God will save us from hell and death, but sometimes we're afraid that He won't be able to protect us from the smaller difficulties that we are going to face this coming week.

 

“In him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28

“In him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

"Now to You, O Lord, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us."  Ephesians 3:20

Trust Him today with ALL THINGS - BIG and SMALL!!!

-tom rietveld

....footsteps

My three year-old was on my heels no matter where I went.  

Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him.

I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, "Oh that's all right, Mommy. I'd rather be in here with you." Then he continued to bounce happily along behind me.

After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose patience. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet green eyes and said: "Well Mommy, my teacher told me to walk in Jesus' footsteps! I can't see Him, so I'm walking in yours!"

"Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." 1 John 2:6

-dave langerfeld

....want

 Dear Friend,      The facility has more inmates than bunks.

      More prisoners than plates.

      More residents than resources.

Come to me to the world's most oppressive prison. Just ask the inmates; they will tell you.

      They are overworked and underfed.

      Their walls are bare and bunks are hard.

No prison is so populated, no prison so oppressive, and, what's more, no prison is so permanent.    

      Most inmates never leave. They never escape. They never get released.

      They serve a life sentence in this overcrowded, underprovisioned facility.

The name of the prison? You'll see it over the entrance. Rainbowed over the gate are four cast-iron letters that spell out its name:

                                                    W  -  A  -  N  -  T

The prison of want. You've seen her prisoners. They are "in want."

      They want something.

      They want something bigger. Nicer. Faster. Thinner.

      They want...

They don't want much, mind you.  They want just one thing.

      One new job.

      One new car.

      One new house.

      One new spouse.

 

They don't want much. They want just one.

      And when they have "one," they will be happy.

      And they are right -- they will be happy.

      When they have "one," they will leave the prison.

 

But then it happens.

      The new car smell passes.

      The new job gets old.

      The neighbors buy a larger television set.

      The new spouse has bad habits.

      The sizzle fizzles, and before you know it, another ex-con breaks parole and returns to jail.

Are you in prison?

      You are if you feel better when you have more and worse when you have less.

      You are if joy is one delivery away, one transfer away, one award away, or one make-over away.

      If your happiness comes from something you deposit, drive, drink, or digest, then face it

              -- you are in prison, the prison of want.

-max lucado

....day

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

The guests at a certain hotel were being rendered uncomfortable by repeated strumming on a piano, done by a little girl who possessed no knowledge of music. They complained to the proprietor hoping to having the annoyance stopped.

"I am sorry you are annoyed," he said. "But the girl is the child of one of my very best guests. I can scarcely ask her not to touch the piano. But her father, who is away for a day or so, will return tomorrow. You can then approach him, and have the matter set right."

When the father returned, he found his daughter in the reception room and, as usual, thumping on the piano. He walked up behind the child and, putting his arms over her shoulders, took her hands in his, and produced the most beautiful music.

So it may be with us, and so it will be some soon coming day. Just now, we can produce little but clamor and disharmony; but, one day, the Lord Jesus will take hold of our hands of faith and prayer, and use them to bring forth the music of the skies."

- e.m. bounds

....prize

As the Winter Olympics are fast approaching, I am reminded of one of my favorite illustrations that I have used many times.  There is an old story about the Greek Marathon. Muscular, conditioned runners paced nervously near the starting line for the long-distance race. The time was near. They "shook out" their muscles, inhaled deeply, and put on their "game faces."

In the midst of it all, a young stranger took his place at the starting line. His physique was awesome. Taking no notice of the other contestants, he stared straight ahead. Two prizes would be awarded the winner of the Marathon: a magnificent bouquet of flowers and the honor of standing beside the king until the conclusion of other contests.

There seemed to be no question among the runners about who would win the prize. It is alleged that the stranger was offered money not to run. Someone else attempted to bribe him with property. Refusing the offers, he toed the mark and awaited the signal to run. When the signal was given, he was the first away. At the finish line, he was the first to cross, well ahead of the rest.

When it was all done, someone asked the young man if he thought the flowers were worth as much as the money and property he had refused. He replied, "I did not enter the race for the flowers. I ran so that I could stand beside my king!"

Those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are "running the race" 1 Cor. 9:24-25. It is a race that has a prize for those who finish (notice, not those who finish first, but all who finish). This prize, according to Paul, is an "imperishable crown." The rewards for those who enter heaven are described in scripture with a lot of terms - "many mansions", "streets of gold", "tree of life" - and the list goes on and on. All of those things are attractive. That's why God tells us about them.

But I would be willing to give up all the streets of gold and settle for a small corner of a shack as long as I can know the reward of being able to stand beside my King. That's what I look forward to more than anything else. It is the one thing that will make heaven the wonderful reward that it will be.

"...The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." Rev. 22:3

Run the race with diligence. 

Your King is watching and He waits for you at the finish line!

-david langerfeld

....diligence

The late Peter Marshall, an eloquent speaker and for several years the chaplain of the United States Senate, used to love to tell the story of "The keeper of the spring," a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps.

The old gentleman had been hired many years ago by a young town council to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water.

By and by, the village became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the millwheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, in the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.

Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semi-annual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid to the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer!" By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.

For several weeks nothing changed. By early autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A couple days later that water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.

Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they hired back the old keeper of the spring... and within a few weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps once again.

It does not matter what the job is that you are fulfilling, but it is very important that you continue in that job as long as God has placed you there. Never allow the enemy to discourage you to think that your tasks are all in vain and not making a difference. God is the judge and He would not place you in a certain position, unless that position needed your input to make it better. 1 Corinthians 12:18-23, Romans 12:3-8

If you have been tempted to give up and quit the job that you are doing because you are not being recognized, I encourage you to endure and continue on because it is the Lord that sees your task and it is God that blesses and promotes. Never look to your boss for your promotion, but rather do your job to the best of your abilities and you will see God promote and prosper you to heights you never thought possible.  1 Corinthians 2:9

-chuck swindoll