.....grace

As we continue to walk with our Heavenly Father and better understand His love, we ought to experience a sense of awe which we can't help but share with others.

The complete story of Jesus Christ, which began before the creation of the world and continues for all eternity, is a love story whose central theme is grace; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). The moment we believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, God lovingly welcomes us into His Family; this is His gift of Salvation! We are adopted into His Family before doing anything deserving of being called His child. This means our Salvation is never something we earn - it is a gift of grace.

Romans 11:6

"And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."

If we come before our Heavenly Father thinking we can do ANYTHING which makes us deserving of Salvation, then we do not yet understand His gift of forgiving grace. God's grace is extended to all who believe, but we are called to believe His grace is both absolutely necessary AND completely sufficient.

If we truly believe, our life will produce fruit and we will do good works; "Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). But our good works will never save us - Salvation is a gift. If we truly believe, we will desire to obediently follow; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" (1 John 2:3). But our obedience will never save us - Salvation is a gift.

If we have never settled the issue of Salvation, then today is the day to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). We must come before God with empty hands, acknowledge our sin and need for a Savior, and receive the gift of grace offered through Jesus.

As we then continue our walk with Christ, we learn to love Him with all our heart and strive to present our very best as we obediently follow and produce good works, bringing Him glory and honor in ALL we do. But while we walk, love, and strive, we must remember that our "best" is not what earns His favor. Our "successes" will not make us more worthy, and our "failures" will not cause us to lose His love. His gift is everything! Let's give Him everything in return as we continue to live each moment of this wondrous journey by trusting in His grace.

.....faithful

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:13-14

Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa and visiting the so-called "House of Dying," where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention.

Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering that she and her co-workers faced daily. "How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?" he asked. Mother Teresa replied, "My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful."

Is your job to worry and stress about results?  No, you am not called to be successful, your are called to be faithful."

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much..." Luke 16:10

- david langerfeld

.....yeast

When God led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, He told them to prepare for a quick departure by making bread without yeast. He gave instructions to remember their departure through the celebration of Passover, also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During this celebration there was a seven day period when yeast was not even allowed in the home: "For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel" Exodus 12:19.

When God established the various offerings through Moses, yeast became associated with an unworthy sacrifice; "Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast" Leviticus 2:11. About 1500 years later, Jesus used the symbolism of yeast to give His disciples an important warning.

"Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."Luke 12:1

With this choice of words, Jesus warned that hypocrisy has the ability to contaminate our lives, and therefore the offering we present to God. The Pharisees had an outward appearance of godliness, but their hearts had compromised true worship and become contaminated; "On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" Matthew 23:28. When we examine our own heart, does it match how we appear on the outside? Or have we too become full of hypocrisy?

The symbolism of yeast gives another clear warning; "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough" Galatians 5:9. Every day we are tempted to make compromises with the world, compromises which cause us to behave contrary to our professed beliefs. This is hypocrisy and must be avoided at all cost! Each incident seems so small - like only "a little yeast" - but soon the compromises work through all areas of our life.

The only worthy endeavor during our allotted time on earth is to present ourselves, with complete abandonment, as a living sacrifice to God; "this is your spiritual (or reasonable) act of worship" Romans 12:1. Our Heavenly Father is worthy of our very best...a pure and holy offering.

Let's celebrate our release from the slavery of sin by cleaning our home and removing all spiritual compromise. Let's give our whole heart to God in loving worship and guard against ANYTHING which pulls us away. Let's fight the hypocrisy in our lives and diligently guard against the yeast.

- steve troxel

.....confidence

"But there is a God in heaven..." Daniel 2:28

Day by day, the world is unraveling, becoming more frayed and afraid, more unstable and unsteady. We hear of wars and rumors of war, of false christs, of famines, of earthquakes, and of pestilences. Nations are rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. Christians are attacked and slain at an accelerated pace. But there is a God in heaven.

We needn’t pace the floor at night or run around in a frenzy. We shouldn’t faint, fear, or fret. There is a God in heaven.

Daniel, too, lived in a churning world of change, empires rising and falling. His own nation, Israel, was wiped off the earth like a stain. But Daniel’s spirit remained steady because he understood the sovereign providence of the God of heaven. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,” he wrote, “for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings…. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men” Daniel 2:20-21; 4:17.

In the Last Days perilous times will come, but there is a God in heaven - and if you know Christ as Savior, this God is your God. He rules and reigns, and our times are in His hands Psalm 31:15.

"Nothing is too big for [God] to handle, and 

nothing is too small to escape His attention." Jerry Bridges

- david jeremiah 

.....please

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13:15–16 

God can see our hearts. But God wants to hear it from our lips. It doesn’t matter whether we have any singing ability. Our worship pleases God.

Another thing that pleases God is giving to the work of His kingdom. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” Philippians 4:17–18.

Some people get uptight in church when an offering is received. Yet the Bible promises God’s blessing if we will give to the Lord. Jesus said, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” Luke 6:38.

We cannot outgive God. It is a privilege. It is a joy. And it pleases God when we invest in His kingdom.

It also pleases God when we are witnesses for Him. Every Christian is a witness. But before we can effectively witness for God, we must first walk with God. It is the overflow of our lives.

For some Christians, it’s a big deal to talk about their faith. But if we’re walking with God and our lives are pleasing to Him, we will find that Jesus overflows into our lives. One of the greatest compliments a nonbeliever can pay a believer is when they say, “I don’t know what you believe. I don’t know what it is about you that makes you the way that you are. And I don’t know where you get this special something. But whatever it is, I want it.”

That is when we can say, “Let me tell you about my faith in Jesus Christ.”

I came to Christ because of the powerful testimony of a group of kids on my high school campus who truly knew what it was to walk with God. Before I heard a sermon, before anyone talked to me about my need for God, it was their lifestyle that got my attention.

Would your lifestyle reach anyone? People are watching you. 

Are you being a positive witness for Jesus Christ?

- greg laurie

.....testimony

John the Baptist had sent messengers to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Luke 7:19

"At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So He replied to the messengers, 'Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard.'"Luke 7:21-22

While it's good to be able to defend our faith, we will never convince anyone to believe by presenting Biblical "facts." The most convincing argument as to the truth of God's Word is to share how we have seen His Word come alive in our own life; how we have seen Jesus calm the seas and rebuke the storms, heal broken lives and answer prayers. 

We ought to share how we have heard Him call us to test the waters of faith and seen the waters become solid as we stepped; how we have experienced "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding" Philippians 4:7. When God's truths become real in our daily life, they cannot be argued against!

If His truths have not yet become absolute and unquestionably real, then we need to press VERY close into His presence and allow His light to shine in and through you each and every day. There can be no better preparation for sharing the truth than to live the truth and watch God work in a multitude of ways. 

Let's prepare to share the gospel; and when the opportunity arises, let's simply report what we have seen and heard.

- steve troxel

.....backward

O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed Psalm 30:7

It is often difficult to recognize the hand of God when we are in the midst of adversity. We often feel God has hidden His face from us. When the Lord takes us through deep valleys, there will be fruit from the deep valley that we cannot see. You must press into Him with all you have during this time. 

God uses the deep valley to frame our lives to create a change in our nature, not just a change in habits. The depth and width of our valley is often an indicator of the level of calling and influence we will have on others in the future. Our adversity is not just for us, but others who will be in our future path of influence. This is not very comforting when you are in the middle of the valley, but know this is a truth in the Kingdom.

It is often years later when we discover the wisdom of God and why He intentionally led us through the dark valley. Life is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back at through valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life while we were there. 

"He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" Job 12:22. When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.

Do you find yourself in the valley? Now is the time to fully trust Him to guide you to higher ground.

- os hillman

.....messes

"Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Luke 19:45–46

My wife and I are polar opposites when it comes to cleaning. My approach could be summed up by the procrastinator's motto: Never do today what you could put off until tomorrow. Cathe's approach is to constantly clean and organize so that over time, little messes don't become big ones. Obviously, her approach is the better one. 

In Luke 19, we find the story of Jesus' cleaning the house of God as He went into the temple and drove out the moneychangers. They were taking advantage of people and keeping them from God, and this angered Jesus.

I believe there is a parallel to our own lives. When we come to Christ initially, we ask for His forgiveness, and He pardons us of all our iniquities. In fact, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17, what a wonderful thing it is to realize that God has forgiven us of all our sin - we are "new creations". 

But as a little time passes, sometimes some of those old sins can find their way back into our lives. And that so-called "little" sin begins to grow and becomes a problem.

Does your temple need cleansing? Are there some things in your life that shouldn't be there right now? Are there some vices, some bad habits that have found their way back into your life? If so, give them to Jesus, let Him deal with them. Don't let little messes turn into big ones.

....tandem

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 

It was a unique time in human history. Before God’s judgment of the earth by water, people were very wicked—so wicked, in fact, that God was sorry He made them. Here’s how the Bible describes this time: “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” Genesis 6:5.

Yet in the midst of this dark environment was an individual who walked with God. His name was Enoch, and he showed that it is possible to live a godly life in an ungodly world. Enoch also was a prototype of a generation of people who will not see death but will be caught up to meet the Lord in what the Bible calls the Rapture. And we could be that generation.

The Bible says, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” Genesis 5:23–24. When you’re walking somewhere, it means you’re making progress. You’re moving toward a destination, going from one place to another.

In the original language, the word the Bible uses for “walking” carries a lot of meaning. We also find a helpful verse in Amos 3, which says, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” verse 3. Together, these passages give us a good picture of what it means to walk with God.

“Walk together” means walking in tandem or harmony. Think of a bicycle for two, a tandem cycle. If the rider in front is pedaling away while the rider in back is hitting the brakes, that is going to slow things down. The same is true of two people in a canoe. They both have to work together in perfect rhythm. If one person digs in the paddle like a brake, it will hinder both of them from going where they want to go.

The idea is that both need to get into harmony. Both need to move together. And that is what it means to walk with God. As followers of Christ, we need to get into harmony with God. It doesn’t mean that God needs to get into harmony with us. But often we think that is the case. We want God to bless the plans that we’ve made apart from Him.

Jesus said, “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” John 15:7. The second half of the verse about asking for anything we want. But let’s not forget the first half: “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you . . .” If we’re doing that, then we’ll start asking for what is aligned with God’s will. And that’s what prayer is all about. In the same way, to walk with God means to get into harmony with Him. Are you walking with God today?

- greg laurie

......hand

About 2600 years ago, God taught the prophet Jeremiah what it meant to be a sovereign God. He taught that His plan WOULD be fulfilled - one way or the other. Either His children would submit to His gentle guidance, or He would bring discipline to teach them the need for obedience.

Although God has the ability to directly give us understanding, His usual method is to teach us through His Word and then allow us to see the application and gain wisdom through our experiences. In order to give a clear understanding of His sovereignty, God told Jeremiah to go to the potter's house and wait for His message.

"So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the Word of the Lord came to me: 'Can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand.'"Jeremiah 18:3-6

Jeremiah understood that God was the Potter and had total control over the shape of the clay. How foolish it would be for the clay to complain or rebel; "Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows nothing'?" Isaiah 29:16. The Potter will continue to mold the clay. If the clay begins to harden in its unfinished state, the Potter loves the clay enough to crush it down, sprinkle it with water and begin anew.

The only way for us to become all that God desires is to yield and remain moldable. We have no ability to shape ourselves! The Potter is creating something eternally beautiful - we are being "conformed to the likeness of His Son" Romans 8:29. Oh, if we could only trust that His shaping is so much better than anything we could ever create. How prideful to think we can do better!

There may be times when we have rough edges which must be removed. There may also be times when we need to be crushed down so the shaping process can start over. But we must trust the Potter and believe the results will be worth any pain or discomfort; "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" Romans 8:18.

Our Heavenly Father is in complete and loving control. Let's daily be filled with His Spirit and commit our lives to His shaping process - a process which undoubtedly will last a lifetime! Let's remain moldable clay and yield to the shaping of the Potter's Hand.

- steve troxel

.....helpful

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29

I have preached, taught, and written about those words more times than I can count, and I still choose to say things far from good or helpful. Sometimes, it happens when I’m watching sports. Sometimes, it happens when I’m in traffic. Sometimes, it happens when I’m tired and frustrated. Sometimes, it happens after a long and frustrating day.

 

None of those situations allow me to ignore that God wants me to “let everything I say be good and helpful, so that my words will be an encouragement to those who hear them (or read them).” If so, I the following suggestions are offered: 

Pause and think before you speak. 

If I never see this person again, how will they remember me? Will my words encourage or discourage this person? Is what I am about to say worth hearing? 

Make sure that what you say is worth hearing. 

Does anyone need to listen to this? Is there any real value in what I am about to say? Will what I am about to write, speak, or repeat make a difference for good, or does it only feed my ego?

If your words are not good and helpful, and they are not worth hearing, don’t say them. 

“Don’t talk unless you can improve the silence.” Silence might be better. Speaking what is right and good is especially true when wanting to comfort someone who is hurting. 

Let’s work on our speech. Let’s strive to share only what is good and helpful so our words will encourage those who hear them. We may not change the whole world, but it surely will change the world for the people around us. 

By God's grace good and helpful.

- tom norvell

.....youth

All through the Old Testament, God called the people of Israel to worship Him as the One True God. He spoke through Moses, the priests, and the prophets, but the people continued to turn away. Even after the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, God continued to call His Children to return to Him - to return with ALL their heart!

During the Babylonian captivity, God told Ezekiel to proclaim His Word to all the people of Israel. Ezekiel gave the people several illustrations of how far they had fallen, and how much sorrow their sin was causing for a loving Father. Through Ezekiel, God said the people of Israel were like a helpless newborn baby who had been thrown into an open field; "Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, 'Live!'" Ezekiel 16:6.

They had done nothing to deserve His favor, but the Israelites were chosen to become a great nation, set apart and devoted to God. Without His grace, they would have been as lost as the newborn in the field - but God said "Live!" He picked them up, cleaned them off, loved them, and made them beautiful...but His Children forgot His love and abused His grace.

"You trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his...such things should not happen." Ezekiel 16:15-16

The people of Israel forgot all God had done and gave their love to other gods (spiritual prostitution). They used the grace of God for their own benefit and forgot their previous condition: "In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in your blood" Ezekiel 16:22.

God loves us so much...and it breaks His heart to see how we abuse His gifts. Without the saving grace of Jesus, each of us is as helpless as the newborn baby. Without Christ, we have no hope of survival: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. We were lost in our sin until God reached down, picked us up, and said "Live!" Thank You Lord!!

Let's remind ourselves of the miracle of Salvation! Though we have done nothing to deserve God's grace, He reaches down and gives us eternal life, cleansing us of our sin and making us beautiful in His sight. We who believe have been born into God's Family. Let's not abuse His gift by forgetting when we were helpless, "naked and bare." 

Let's give Him ALL our love and always remember the days of our youth.

- steve troxel

.....priest

 "Our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin." Hebrews 4:15

This is how J. B. Phillips translates Hebrews 4:15:  "For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible - he himself has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned."  

It's as if he knows that we will say to God... "God, it's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." So he boldly proclaims Jesus' ability to understand. Look at the wording again...

   He himself. 

        Not an angel. Not an ambassador. Not an emissary, but Jesus himself.

   Shared fully. 

        Not partially. Not nearly. Not to a large degree. Entirely! Jesus shared fully.

   In all our experience. 

        Every hurt. Each ache. All the stresses and all the strains. No exceptions. No substitutes. 

   

Why? So he could sympathize with our weaknesses!!!

Our High Priest understands! He knows!

He knows our temptations.  He knows our weaknesses. He became one of us Philippians 2:6-8; John 1:14 and he understands our every hurt, our every ache, our every pain, our every tear, our every fear and yes, our every weakness!!!

.....gift

We are often encouraged to share the wonders of God's love through the uncompromising truth of His Word. There are so many all around us who are in great need! We live in a lost and dying world full of people who desperately need to know God's plan of forgiveness and restoration. But as we share the truth and minister to others, let's also remember to make the time to personally receive ALL our Father has to offer.

When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water, she thought the request was quite odd since Jesus was clearly a Jew, and Jews did not associate with Samaritans; "How can you ask me for a drink?" John 4:9. Rather than explain His radical views on social interaction, Jesus took the opportunity to introduce the woman to the gift of God.

"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.'"John 4:10

If we only knew! I often imagine a loving Father who has given the greatest gift the world has ever known. We approach and examine the gift. We ask questions and study the gift. We even shake the gift and then proudly display it on our shelf, but we never actually open the gift and receive what's inside. If we only knew! "Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:7. His gifts are perfect; and if we only knew, we would open and receive them with abounding joy!

His gift of living water is still available today. This gift refers to our Salvation by the spiritual transformation of our heart, but it also refers to His on-going gift of a victorious life of peace and contentment; "Everyone who drinks this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" John 4:13-14. His gift of Salvation is free through faith in Jesus Christ, and peace is assured through a humble submission to His will. But we continually rebel and pump from the wells of this world - we drink polluted lies and continually thirst for more.

Approximately 650 years earlier, God gave the same message to the people of Jerusalem: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water" Jeremiah 2:13. If we only knew! We sit beside a Spring overflowing with the best tasting water imaginable, but we turn away and pump sludge into our broken pots.

God has great plans for each of us - plans much bigger and brighter than anything we can accomplish through our own effort. Let's rediscover the gift of living water and put an end to our thirst! Let's return to the Spring and continue our journey in obedience. Let's drink freely and daily receive His perfect gift.

- steve troxel

.....water

"He poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:5

To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into his hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. 

Jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest part of your life - if you let him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. Only when we confess that we are caked with filth, that we have walked forbidden trails and the wrong paths.

We will never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty. We will never be pure until we admit we are filthy.  We will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash ours!

- max lucado 

......faithful

 "God is faithful." 1 Corinthians 1:9

When the X-ray comes back and it doesn't look good, remember... 

     God is faithful.

When you read that hearbreaking note from yuor mate, remember...

     God is faithful.

When you hear the worst kind of news about your children, remember...

     God is still faithful.

He has not abandoned you, though you are tempted to think He has. When we are pressed near to the heart of God, He is faithful and He will hold us!  "In His love... He redeemed them, and He lifted them and He carried them." Isaiah 63:9

   

"He will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

He's Been Faithful  [Lyrics by Carol Cymbala]

   When my strength was all gone

   When my heart had no song

   Even then, He was faithful to me

   Every word He’s promised is true

   What I thought was impossible,

   I’ve seen my God do

   He’s been faithful, faithful to me

   Looking back, His love and mercy I see

   Though in my heart, I have questioned, even failed to believe

   Yet He’s been faithful, faithful to me

......fix

 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:2

Fix your eyes on the Lord!
   Do it once!
   Do it Daily!
   Do it ten thousand times ten thousand times!

When your schedule presses,
   when your propects thin,
   when your hope burns low,
   when dreams die,
   when the walls close in,
   when the prognosis seems grim,
   when your heart breaks,
Look to the Lord - and keep on looking at Him. 

 
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
   Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
   Look full in His wonderful face;
   And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
   In the light of His glory and grace.
 

......bad

 "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2

 Apple-picking is a favorite family activity, but there are a couple of rules to be followed; for example: pick the large, ripe apples only from the trees and not the "drops" (the ones that have fallen to the ground).

When there is a quota to meet, or a certain amount of apples to be picked in a certain amount of time, it can be very tempting to get ahead by picking through those "good" apples that are on the ground. Although the apples on the ground look appealing, when they fell to the ground, they got bruised. Those bruised apples will rot quickly and will most likely spoil the entire bushel.

Many things in life are like those apples. People — even Christians — work so hard to gain many enjoyable earthly things. But, like those bruised apples, earthly things don't keep. The world defines "good" things as having the best clothes and cars, money, popularity, or a good career. Although those things are nice to have, they only last a short time. 

Doing and choosing things that please God will insure lasting treasure. God desires us to work for eternal, heavenly rewards. Your workplace is more than just a way to earn money, it can also double as a way to share Christ with others. Your actions and attitudes are the biggest testimony we have! God isn't opposed to our successes. But when our success takes God's place in our lives we begin to spoil, and at that point we begin to bear rotten fruit instead of good. 

Jim Elliot once said, "Only one life — 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last".

.....eat

Our world is full of people in deep spiritual need. Most have never placed their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and are literally starving right before our eyes. But even many Brothers and Sisters who love the Lord are desperately hungry to know Him more, or they have been wounded and are in need of long term spiritual nourishment.

God's Word tells us to have open eyes and a soft heart such that we can recognize the needs and bring them before our Father in prayer; "In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" Philippians 4:6. But then we are told to carefully listen for God's leading and fully expect to be put to work.

One afternoon, a crowd of over 5000 people had gathered to hear Jesus teach; "He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing" Luke 9:11. The disciples saw it was getting late and would soon be time to eat. They recognized the need of the people, came before Jesus, and "presented their request."

"Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to Him and said, 'Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.' He replied, 'You give them something to eat.'"Luke 9:12-13

When the disciples approached Jesus, they presented the need...but they also presented their solution. They knew the people were growing hungry, but their solution was to send them elsewhere for food. We often make this same mistake when we limit God by our own vision and understanding. Jesus' solution to this need was to bless the few provisions the disciples could gather and then accomplish His work through their hands; "They all ate and were satisfied" Luke 9:17.

God never asks us to do something without also providing the necessary tools to accomplish all He desires. We have been empowered by His Spirit and equipped through His Word. Yes, we must continue to pray; but our prayers ought to be with an understanding that God may very well direct us, you and me, to carry His life-giving food and be a vessel for His healing.

There can be no greater work here on earth than to take part in restoring someone's relationship to our Heavenly Father. Only God can truly heal, but He has invited us to join Him in this awesome work. Let's continue to lift up the many needs to God in prayer, but then let's prepare for His answer - His invitation - which calmly says, "You give them something to eat." 

- steve troxel

.....clear

Several years ago I went to the store to buy four small bricks I needed to complete a project in the backyard, nothing special, just four bricks. After considering the options, I decided on a charcoal black which cost a little more than the standard red brick. The store was busy with several long lines of shoppers intent on completing projects before the end of the day. I chose a line and waited my turn.

The lines moved slowly and there seemed to be an impatient tension all around. When it came my turn, the clerk quickly computed the price and took my money. As I received my change, I felt something was wrong. And as I stepped toward the door, I knew I had been charged a lower price.

My mind knew a mistake had been made, but my feet kept walking out the door and toward my car. I knew I should have revealed the mistake, but my mind raced into high gear justifying my inaction: "I don't want to make others wait while the correction is made!" "The mistake is small - little more than the cost of a bar of candy." "The profit from my other purchases during the year will certainly make up for this small loss." It's amazing how easy it was to find reasons to keep walking.

As I continued, my conscience began to counter my rationalization; and by the time I reached my car, that small inner voice was screaming at me to correct the error - and correct it NOW! I walked back into the store, waited in another long line, pointed to the error, and paid the extra money. My conscience hasn't always been so sensitive - and I confess, it's not always so sensitive now - but on this day it was, and I still praise God!

"I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."Acts 24:16

God has created us all with a conscience deep within our soul. At a very young age our conscience helps us maneuver the complex path of right and wrong. And when we place our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, we are given the Holy Spirit who ignites our conscience and guides us toward the presence of God and a life of holiness.

But when we ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit, our conscience slowly becomes burned. The burning usually begins small - a little lie, a small deception - but over time, our conscience can become "seared as with a hot iron" 1 Timothy 4:2. Then, when needed in a time of great temptation, there is no "inner voice" to keep us from falling. Our conscience is a precious gift, and it's hard to believe I nearly damaged such a gift in exchange for a trivial amount of money.

Is your conscience sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit, or has it developed a hard crust which fails to point the way toward truth? Is there an issue in your life which requires ignoring your conscience and thus causing damage? Let's live so that all areas of our life bring Him glory and honor. In ALL we do, let's listen intently, obey completely, and protect God's wonderful gift as we strive to maintain a clear conscience.

- steve troxel