The Parable of the Wig

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:3 (NIV)

As women, we can be pretty quick to criticize.

It reminds me of the time we went to the amusement park with our cousins. We all piled into the runaway mine ride - kind of like a roller coaster that ended up splashing you in a lake. My mom and uncle were a couple of cars ahead of us, and on the first hill, my uncle's hat blew off. Well, mom was having a great time with that one - she laughed and pointed - "Look Bob - there's your hat - floating in the lake!"

And then the unthinkable happened. We went down another hill - only this time - my mom's WIG blew off. That's right. Landing in the lap of a total stranger like some dead animal.

Jesus so wisely taught, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own?"

Our own downfalls can be way more embarrassing than our brother's, or our sister's. Let's show each other . a little grace today.

Show me Lord to take care of my own problems before I worry about someone else's. Amen

Suzie Thomas

The Seeds that I Sow

Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. People harvest only what they plant. Galatians 6:7 (NCV)

In my devotions yesterday morning, I got a bit of a nudge from God. Sunday morning, I got that same nudge. Perhaps God is trying to tell me something. As I read the beginning paragraph in my GRACE FOR THE MOMENT Daily Bible, the opening paragraph is an excerpt from Just Like Jesus, by Max Lucado. In it, Max Lucado states, "Think of your heart as a greenhouse. And your heart, like a greenhouse, has to be managed." Hmmmmm, perhaps I need to read what this says.

My thoughts are seeds, some flowers some weeds. Uh-oh now it has my attention. Do I sow seeds of hope or seeds of doubt? Do I reap optimism or insecurity? Apparently, I need to hear this because I have heard it two times in the past two days. I am a very insecure person. I need encouraged at nearly every turn. I do not want to disappoint anyone, especially God. Yet, I am not good at waiting. I have confessed this to God, and anyone else that will listen. I do not pray for patience, because I do not relish the thought of going through tribulations. (Tribulations worketh patience Romans 5:3 KJV) so I simply seek grace and hope that I can 'eek through' life on that.

Why do some people not get flustered or impatient? Perhaps it is because they have sown the right seeds. I see that, and I whine, "But God, I do not want to be this way" yet, I do nothing to change my heart. I do not go in and roto-till under all of the weeds or rotten fruit, I allow it to flourish. I truly understand this because I have a large garden and I "put up" vegetables, fruits, and other food. I can totally relate. Why then, do I expect to reap a harvest of things that I did not plant? If I plant green beans, do I expect to harvest strawberries? No, it would be nice, but then I would only have strawberries and not the actual green beans that I planted.

The same is true with those other seeds I mentioned at the beginning. I want to have a change in my garden (my heart) I want to have a beautiful, fruitful garden, full of good, positive things (fruits and vegetables). I want to learn how to 'weed out' all of those negative thoughts, and bad seeds and only plant the good stuff!

Lord, teach me how to manage my heart just as a greenhouse has to be managed. I want to learn to do the right and positive things to allow my heart to flourish. Amen

Becki Reiser

Things Fall Apart

In Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17b (NIV)

Did you ever notice the rise and fall pattern of the world? Everything comes in cycles, in seasons. Fall, winter, spring and summer all have their turn. People are born, then they die. Businesses prosper and fail. Governments liberate, then dominate. Cultures are developed, then start to disappear, taking whole peoples, languages and ways of life with them. Ecclesiastes 3 notes that there is a time for everything, even for love and hate.

Our lives tend to reflect this pattern as well. From the rise and fall of our lungs breathing, to the stages of life, the turns we take when we are children, then when we get to be adults: everything cycles. Families grow up together and then grow apart. I am amazed at how some families stick together for generations, where great-aunts and -uncles know their great-niece and -nephew's children well. I am equally stunned by how little some parents barely know, if at all, their adult children. Sometimes families that live thousands of miles away from each other remain closer than those whose houses just span a few minutes drive. Things just fall apart.

Christ, who is the "him" referenced in the Colossians verse above, changes that cycle. In a beautiful portion of scripture (Colossians 1:15-23), Paul outlines the character of Jesus. This verse in particular strikes me. The cycles of life, of earth, of humanity all continue to swirl around us. No one can escape that. But at the eye of this human hurricane we find Jesus. The calm center in the maelstrom of life is our center, our Savior, our Christ. We find Him patiently waiting for us, allowing us to pursue Him. We find Him perfect and without blemish, spotless and without flaw. We find Him waiting to help us rise above the tempestuous life we find in our natural human world, waiting for our seeking hearts to grow weary enough to turn to the one who can stop the spinning. For in stopping the spinning, turbulent way, all things fall away, not apart. But the center remains. Christ remains. Our relationship with Him does not fall away. Our relationship, in the end, is all we have. The Savior saves us, when nothing else makes sense. When all of life spins out of control, what is left? Then Center, Jesus.

Remember what holds your life together. It is not what you make or do that holds it together. The center that holds it all is Jesus.

God, I want to be more like Jesus, who humbled Himself to become obedient to You. Remind me who is at the center of my life and enable me to become more like Your Son. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

Sacrificial Love

Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing. Matthew 10:42 MSG

I was overwhelmed. I had things to do and not near enough time to accomplish them all. Among other things, my visit to an inmate at the local jail was overdue. As hard as I tried, the week was crammed full-family obligations, things to accomplish stemming from my work as well as my husband's and a writing project that I had to keep on top of. The day came that I knew I had to write- it was the only time I had. Ironically, the message I was to write about was sacrificial love and as I prayed about it, I sensed a word from the Holy Spirit. I felt a conviction knowing that writing about sacrificial love is one thing, but writing about it doesn't mean a whole lot if I'm not going to live it. So, I climbed into my van and headed toward the jail. Because I can be the most self-centered woman I know and need some significant improvement in putting others before myself, I wanted to obey and walk in sacrificial love. I wanted to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only. On my way, I not only prayed for the visit but that He would redeem the time that was spent at the jail. Whether that request was selfish or not, I was already behind on the project and wanted to honor Him in that as well.

Once at the jail, I sat and listened to my new friend. Two weeks earlier, I had sat across from the same woman- except she had been weeping. One who was scared, alone and described herself as "lost". Now, I saw a woman who was telling me that she had been in the Word everyday, that the church services they had every week were wonderful, that the job she needed on "the outside" came through. She now had the support of her family where two weeks ago, she didn't know what they thought. When I asked her how she felt compared to two weeks ago, she responded, "I have peace." She acknowledged that for the first time in a long time, she had hope. God had given her hope and a new beginning. God had revealed Himself to her- in a way that this woman could see it was Him.

As I drove home in tears, I praised Him for revealing Himself to her in this way. He is so good, so near, so crazy about us. He wants to give us freedom and hope. He wants to teach us that to draw near to Him is hope and restoration and to turn away is to reject Life itself. He wants to remind us who we are without Him and who He has made us to be through Jesus. He wants us to see Him. What He says, He will do. As I praised Him, I felt so blessed. Not because I had done anything. But because He allowed me to be a witness of what He had done in that young lady's life. What a privilege. If I hadn't taken time to go visit her, I would have missed out on His teaching. Sacrificial love- it is a lifestyle. It is a choice. It is as big as care giving for an aging parent or spouse, or giving up your dreams for God's. It is as small as making an interruption an opportunity- making a phone call, praying for others when nudged or giving someone else a cup of cold water. It is a giving of self to serve others. It is living like Jesus.

Lord, give me a heart like Yours. Give me the desire to put others before myself, to love others like You do. Thank You for the way You reveal Yourself. I praise You and rejoice in You today! Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher

Bragging About My Weaknesses

So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NCV

I could write a book on my weaknesses alone! It is difficult to say that God will use them. It certainly is not fun to think about Paul being happy to say, "I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ". (2 Cor.12:10) When I feel those things, I go running to God and whine about each one of them by name.

In the scripture above this, it says, "My grace is enough". Do I believe that? I try to. While in the midst of one of these sufferings, it is not something that brings much comfort when you are in severe pain, or facing a tough trial. Yet, God tells us that. Paul believed it, but I struggle with it.

When I hurt, I want sympathy. I do not want to hear about how someone else struggled and how he or she overcame his or her pain. I want to moan and groan and I want God to come and wait on me and do my work for me. I want help! Then I remember the rest of verse 10. It says, "When I am weak, then truly I am strong." HUH? How can that be?

When I cannot go on for all of the pain, whether physical, mental or spiritual, the only direction I look is for help. I look to God. Then I understand. He is the strong one and I will lean on Him!

Help Lord, I need to lean on You and Your strength not my own. Teach me to do that daily. Amen

Becki Reiser

Freedom in Trust

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

My husband and I have a tandem - you know, a bicycle built for two.

It took a few tries, but we did come up with a game plan that keeps us from falling over: Jim's in front - I'm in back. He has a handle bar for steering - mine is mostly for hanging on. I do have one little hand break - I guess for some free will; but Jim's breaks will really stop us from going somewhere we don't want to go.

Doesn't this sound like our relationship with God? When we give Him our lives, it's like we hop on a bicycle built for two and go for a ride.

He's in the lead - it's my job to trust and follow.

His handle bars do the steering - I just have to hang on.

And when He puts on the breaks, I can also trust that it was to keep me from going somewhere I really wouldn't want to go.

Enjoy the ride!

Oh Lord, help me to trust you and to know You know what is best! Amen

Suzie Thomas

Pray

Pray for each other.. James 5:16 (NIV)

I would not describe myself as a prayer warrior. I pray regularly throughout the day, most of it is informal communication. But I know those who really can pray. They spend hours at a time, in earnest intercession on behalf of others, deeply connected with God. I cannot say that I am at this level of prayer, or if I will ever possess this kind of gift. But that doesn't mean I, and you, are not called to active prayer.

This simple phrase from James makes a very powerful statement. Merely praying for each other can do so much good, whether we spend several minutes or several hours doing it. I think because we often view prayer as one-sided communication with God, we tend to discount the importance of it. The lack of instant feedback drains some of the excitement. Prayer is not the same as calling your best friend and getting her immediate opinion or response. It is not like asking someone for advice or what to do. Prayer is a private connection between a person and God. It requires faith. It requires patience and discernment. You must be tuned in to God and you must pay attention to some subtle signals sometimes. Rarely do you get an instant response. Yet the importance of it does not diminish. An active prayer life leads, ironically, to a more active prayer life. It is one of those things that feeds itself to some extent, and when you get in the habit of talking to God, you tend to hear him more clearly as well. Prayer is not one-sided. Bringing to the Lord our concerns, our fears and our praises is one way to worship Him. Worshipping Him moves us closer to Him. Our relationship grows when we talk to God, no matter what it is about. Jesus, the very embodiment of God and humanity, prayed all the time!

Talking to God is something simple and easy to do, yet so often we neglect it or do not take it seriously. We mumble off a few well-worn phrases and let that be the total of our conversation. Then we wonder why God does not answer our prayers. Putting energy, emotion and part of ourselves into our communication is important. Submission has an awful lot to do with it as well. Hebrews 5:7 says that Jesus' prayers were heard because He offered them in "reverent submission." God is not our magic wish machine, but the One who is in control of every situation. Being in touch with the Creator of all, yielding to His divine power and will can only help in any situation. He might not give us the answer key for the test He allows us to go through, but He will direct us on how to study for it.

God, grow in me the desire and ability to communicate with You. Open my heart so that I maybe open to You. Remind me that You are there for me to talk to, about anything. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

Our To-Do List

He has shown you, o man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Do lists motivate you? Do you go crazy if you do not have a list to follow? When I was younger, I rejected the idea of making a list of things to do for the day or week. Instead of feeling good about the items I was able to cross off the list, I felt discouraged for not accomplishing everything that was on the list. Now, as I get older, I have to make lists because I cannot remember what I need to do!

Have you ever thought about making a list of what God may want from you? In the first verses of Micah chapter six the people were convicted of their sin and were questioning the prophet as to what was necessary to obtain the favor of God. They were concerned about their sacrifices, burnt offerings, and offering their first-born children to secure God's favor. They had external motives and a false understanding of what pleased God.

Micah made it so clear for them, didn't he?

The first phrase was such a clear answer for them. He (God) has shown you (o man) what is good! Then, Micah goes on to write out the list of requirements. His short list involves three dimensions: outward, inward, and upward. Outwardly, we must 'do justly'. It is so necessary for us to deal righteously with others. Inwardly, we must 'love mercy'. When we commit to living for God, our true character is revealed by our inward passion to have an honorable relationship with God, and respond as Christ would to the people He surrounds us with. The third dimension is an upward response; we must 'walk humbly with our God'. Have a personal relationship with God and be determined to walk in continuous fellowship with Him. How we treat others is a reflection of our true relationship with God. The visible works we do show what is true in our hearts and bears fruit. When our attitudes are right, the things that please God come naturally and are easy to do.

Micah lists the basics that are 'required' by the Lord. His list is short and simple. If you ever feel that living for God is getting too complicated, maybe the list of things you are doing is cluttered with unnecessary and inappropriate actions. Do you have wrong motives? Are you discouraged in your Christian walk? Get out your new 'to-do' list from Micah 6:8. Remember to be fair with others, show mercy to those who wrong you, and walk humbly with your God!

Lord God, help us to recognize the clutter in our lives and remove the unnecessary things. Thank you for such a clear list of what pleases You. We desire to humbly walk with You.

Janet Stutzman

Stealing Your Hope

Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Psalm 62:5 NIV

How often do we give up because we have lost hope? Some things can seem huge and insurmountable from our point of view, yet to God it is simple. When we lose hope and joy, our life seems bleak and at it's end. How many times I have come to that point. I can be so up and excited one moment and the very next breath I take I feel like a weight had planted itself on my shoulders and I am the only one to bear it.

How very wrong that is! Yes, we allow the weights of this world to overtake us, more often that not. Our day-to-day activities or duties can become an entrapment. I wrote a devotional about "Worry and just where it gets us." The answer to that in one word is nowhere! It only causes us pain and more worry and frustration. Then our problems tend to overflow onto everyone around us. Does our joy have the same effect? When we speak words of hope and love and joy how do others react? Oh, some 'pooh-pooh' what we say, but most often it is something that is contagious.

When we talk about our families are we happy, or are we full of unkind words and grumbling? I know that I can be a real wet blanket sometimes. Have you heard the saying "if momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy"? It is actually true. We, as women and mothers are the barometer of the home. When we allow things to get us down, or for Satan to rob us of our hope and joy, we may as well give up. We will not be able to make another move without great pain and sorrow.

We have security systems for our homes, our cars and even on our cell phones, but do we have security on our heart or minds? Perhaps it is time for all of us to think about this. I am preaching to the choir here, so I am just as interested in hearing what is next. In the scripture above it tells us that our hope comes from God, it then goes on to say that He alone is my rock and my salvation; my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:6-8

There we have it, our very own security system. Satan should have no access to our hope or us! We should have a sign posted in our 'front yard' claiming who our security company is.

Lord, teach me to rest and trust. I will let you be my security and guard my hope and joy. AMEN

Becki Reiser

A Bird in a Box

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6: 31

My friend, who is an absolute delight, leads a very active life. She is the mother of six, a part-time hospice nurse, the kind of person who welcomes you into her home at any time of the day. She is full of life and enjoys it at the same rate. She is the type of person who tackles just about anything while admitting the benefits and detriments of her "go-getter" personality. She has taught me much and is one of my favorite people.

One day in particular, she was packing for her family of 8 who were departing for an out of state trip the next week. She was tired of packing and knowing her small group was coming over the next evening, she decided to paint her foyer. She ran down to the basement, mixed all the paint colors together and headed upstairs to begin and finish the job before her husband came home late that evening. She phoned a friend who came to help but also brought along her five children. As time sped along, it was time for dinner. The two mothers then went to work preparing dinner for 11 children while racing the clock to complete their project. Finally bedtime came and with the project finished, her friend departed. She then got her kids bathed and into bed. Remembering that she had been invited to peruse through another friend's garage sale items before the sale tomorrow, she grabbed her purse and turned to leave. Something caught her attention. There on the floor, was a morning dove. It was alive and its big eyes watched her. She noticed it's wing was ruffled and feathers were lying on the kitchen floor. Her cat sat in the corner, apparently the culprit of the bird's injured state. A little intimidated to pick it up, she phoned a friend who was an avid birdwatcher. Her friend immediately came to the house and picking it up, they proceeded to nurse the bird's wing with Neosporin. Her friend volunteered to put the bird in a box and take it home with her for a little while. She would keep him quiet, give him food and water and provide a place of safety and comfort until the bird regained its strength.

As my friend left her house to go view the garage sale items (yes, she still went), she thought to herself, What I would not give to have a box right now where I could go and just get some rest. A place where I could go to be nurtured and fed, to be comforted and provided for, until I regain my strength. Even though she was in her van, her thoughts took her right to the throne room of God. And there she prayed.

Thank you Lord, that you are our Rest, our Comfort, our Place of Refuge from the busyness of life. Thank You that You care enough about us that You invite us, You want us to come quiet ourselves with You. We love you. Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher

In Everything Give Thanks

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I just finished reading a book about the Titanic. Did you know that moments before its maiden voyage, the Titanic almost collided with another ship - the City of New York - while they were both still docked? Now - what if that would have happened? Disgruntled travelers. Reputations damaged. A blot on the record of the White Star Cruise Line. And no one ever would have known the coming tragedy that they had just been rescued from. Oh - if only the New York and the Titanic could have collided that day!

It makes me wonder - in those times when I have crashed, so to speak - when things have not gone according to plan. When I have been stopped before I even began - what greater calamity has God rescued me from?

The Bible tells us to praise Him in every circumstance. How comforting to know that the hardship He allows is also for our benefit - maybe even protecting us from a much greater hardship - one of Titanic proportions.

Lord, help me to trust and give thanks in all things. I know You are there with me always. Amen

Suzie Thomas

The Meaningless-ness of Life

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)

Oh, how I love the book of Ecclesiastes! For those of you who are familiar with it, you might be casting me a strange look. For those of you who are not familiar, the verse above sums it up pretty accurately. Now why would anyone love that? I have to say, it is utterly liberating. Let me explain.

My husband often leaves work carrying all the stress of the day home with him. For several years, it has been a struggle for him to let go of the day and switch his mindset as he comes home. Carrying that burden home everyday took a toll on him, as well as us. But then he discovered Ecclesiastes. All the worrying he did, all the things he thought were of dire importance, all the wrong things he would work so hard to correct, are meaningless in the light of this book. Not that he should not do his job and do it well, but to carry it home and let it affect how he lives outside of the work situation is utter nonsense. The liberating fact of Ecclesiastes is that nothing, outside of our duty to "fear God and His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), is worth worrying about. Yes, this duty we have is great and entails a whole lot of stuff we should be doing, but other things like wealth, advancement, pleasures, even wisdom, will only go so far in our ultimate happiness.

Discarding those things, however, is not the point for me. Putting them into perspective is the key. Work, wealth, wisdom and pleasure are all things we can use in varying degrees, but to elevate them highly enough that they cause us to worry and fret or when they take the place of God in our lives is ridiculous. They are meaningless! We need not fear or worry, which is why this book is so freeing. In light of Matthew 6:25-27, where Jesus tells us not to worry, because God takes care of all His creatures, birds and humans alike, we can experience the true freedom we have been given by God. Problems such as losing a job, death of a loved one or other life-altering situations are serious and warrant action on our part, but we must be willing to lean on the One who created us and trust that He will take care of us. After all, in light of eternity, everything else is meaningless.

God, help me to realize what is important and what is not. Show me the truth of situations so that I do not act in folly but remain true to Your will. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

Angels Unawares

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

Our family has the privilege of hosting an exchange student from Germany. Initially, I was not in favor of this, mostly due to selfishness and insecurity. After all, my youngest of three is a senior. I have worked hard and I am tired; tired from parenting. I did not want any distractions this year; I wanted to focus on my family and the moments of our last high school experiences together. The feeling of insecurity came from the fear of someone living behind the closed doors of our home. She will see us as we are; loving and kind, tired and grumpy, our ups and downs, the good and the bad. I was not so sure I was willing to risk my testimony. If I changed my lifestyle and behavior to entertain this stranger, maybe my Christianity was not real before she came. My kids would be watching. I want my life to leave an impression, but in this situation I was afraid I would be trying to impress.

After three weeks of adjustments for us all, I felt emotionally drained and ecstatic at the same time. As I curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee, I asked God to calm my heart. The words of this verse came to my mind and I scrambled to look it up and figure out the meaning for me. The Greek translation of angel in this passage is messenger; people, not angelic beings. And, entertain strangers means being friendly to those who you don't know. It can be a total stranger you meet along your way, someone who is in your home briefly, or hosting a stranger in your household. What a great reminder for us to show the love of Christ in any role we may find ourselves in. It also brought to mind that we as Christians are to be hospitable. We can be messengers as chosen ones of God, giving of ourselves in a way which few want to give, with the love of God as our example. The feeling of calm began to sweep over me and I was feeling pretty good about my sacrifice, generosity, hospitality, and Christianity.

My prideful moment did not last very long. I did not feel peace about my perception of this passage so I reread it again, this time using names. ".for by doing so, Janet, some people (like me) have entertained messengers without knowing it." Suddenly, I realized I was not the messenger; my exchange student was. She has a message for me! As I reflected on the last three weeks and remembered her profile indicated she had no religious background, I was amazed at the ease of strength and determination she displayed in her new life circumstances. I could not send my teenage daughter across the ocean, yet her mother told me she believed God would care for her. Would I have remained calm knowing I had to enter my host home without any of my personal belongings because the airlines left them in Chicago? Would I be sweet, helpful and outgoing in the home of a stranger, or would I hide away in my room feeling insecure, wondering if I would fit in with the family and with the students in a new school? Who possessed greater character here? I felt sure it was her.

Thanks to the grace and love of my heavenly Father, He hugged me, and I felt His peace sweep over me. I have His example, His Word and His forgiveness. His strength and promises are mine. I will strive to trust Him more because of this message, and pray that the seeds He allows our family to plant in a stranger's life will blossom for His glory.

Heavenly Father, help us to reach out to the strangers in our lives and be messengers of Your love. Keep us aware of the messages You have for us.

Janet Stutzman

The Tender Heart of God

What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:4 (NIV)

Read Psalm 8

I stood in disbelief in my living room as I watched the twin towers fall. I went upstairs, feeling frightened and extremely vulnerable. Was this the end of the world? What does this mean for my children? I fell prostrate before the Lord and began weeping, pouring out my heart to the Lord. I remember the intensity of my prayer as tears fell to the carpet and I cried the words silently to God. I began to pray for my boys as I recalled the verses in 1 Corinthians 9. I prayed that they would run and finish the race He had called them to; that they would keep their eyes on the goal, Jesus Christ. After some time of fervent prayer, I got up and opened the door. Just then, my five year old son, Micah, came running up the stairs holding a napkin on which he had drawn a picture at the table downstairs. It was a picture of himself crossing a finish line with his arms raised. He shouted, "Look Mommy, I won the race!" He had never drawn a picture like that before and he never did since.

The fact that God reached down and revealed Himself to me in such an intimate way melted my heart. His heart is so tender and so gracious towards us. The Psalmist writes, "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" God is so immense and yet comes so near. He desires to be with us, to speak to us, to commune with us.

On the days that your prayers seemingly bounce off the ceiling, keep praying. And when you feel as though you can not hear a word from Him, keep listening. When doubt attempts to creep over you heart, keep believing. He is right beside you.

Dear Lord, thank you for speaking so personally and intimately to us. Enable us to hear your voice. When all is seemingly silent, help us to rest in knowing that you are right beside us. Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher

Getting Bumped

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. Matthew 12:33-35 (NIV)

So a friend of mine was helping us replace the big water jug in our cooler at work, and I don't know what happened, but the poor guy bumped into something and, as he was trying to regain his balance, all of the water was just spilling everywhere.

I know - we should have helped him, but we were too busy... laughing. The whole scene reminds me of a lesson I learned long ago: you can tell what’s inside of something - or someone - by what spills out when it gets bumped.

Oh, It's easy to gush with kindness in the good times. But when the trials come - when we get rubbed the wrong way - when we get bumped - then what is REALLY inside of us is what spills out.

The Bible says that "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."

Sometimes our testimony is far more powerful: not when everything all goes so right ...but when we get bumped, and somehow a kindness still manages to spill out.

Father, fill our hearts with You.

Suzie Thomas

Warts

And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or and other blemish but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:27 NIV


Several months ago I was at a writers conference in Colorado, while I was there the thought of being a "wart on the body of Christ" came to my mind. It got me to do some deep thinking, to look inward in a way that I do not do often. I realized that there are many times that that is just how I feel. I feel like a useless, ugly fungus sticking out on the body of Christ.

What prompted that thought I really do not know. I do know that it had me up during the night in deep thought. I tried to think of just what a wart may signify, what it's purpose is. I wanted to get up and do a word study, or a Bible study, but because I had two roommates I was unable to do that. Later in the week, I found myself alone in our room, and with my borrowed laptop in front of me. I began to write down some of my thoughts.


Warts:

• UGLY
• GROSS
• USELESS
• TURNS PEOPLE AWAY
• FUNGUS
• NO GOOD PURPOSE

Lord, is that me? Is that how I am or is that how I appear to other people? Perhaps that is how I feel about myself sometimes. Am I simply a nasty, ugly growth on the body of Christ? I so desire to be something useful, perhaps a finger, or a hand. How do I function? What kind of positive influence am I? Do I do things that are God driven or God directed? Or do I do what ever I choose when ever I choose?

Can people see God or Jesus in me when I am doing my everyday jobs, or when I am at home? Do I put on a facade? Am I real? Am I real toward God? Or do I pretend I am something else than what I truly am?

That is a lot of questions, but I hope it is something that will make you feel like I did when the thought came to me. I want to be useful. I may not be beautiful or thin as I wish I could be, but I can be the best me that God can make me to be. I can shine for Him. I can reflect Him in everything I do. What do I do when those nasty warts appear? Things like sin? I can make sure I treat them with "wart remover" in the christian world I imagine that would be "sin removal" and allow God to clear up that ugly, unseemly growth! See how closely warts and sin compare?


Sin:

• UGLY
• GROSS
• USELESS
• TURNS PEOPLE AND GOD AWAY
• FAST GROWING
• NO GOOD

Seems pretty strange when I compare warts and sin how closely they are related. Neither is something we are proud of, and both are something we do not desire to have.

Lord, let me see the sins in my life as something ugly and help me want to rid myself of it. Show me Lord the things I need to repent of so I can be without spot or blemish before You. Amen

Becki Reiser

But How Will We Know?

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:5,6 (NIV)

My six-year-old daughter is constantly asking, "Where are we going?" She likes to look at the calendar and point to each day to find out what is going on. She would go through the whole year, but I usually cut her off when we get past a week or two, since I do not usually know what is going to happen beyond that. Then, we usually have to go back through and review the events again, just to make sure we got them right. A few nights ago, we were leaving our church after the calling hours of my husband's dear grandfather, to get pizza for the whole extended family. She had to know where we were getting it, where we were eating it and who was going to eat with us. Not satisfied after we answered her first round of questioning, she had to repeat the sequence again and again until she knew it by heart. Finally, my husband said, "Let's just be surprised!" She does not like to be surprised. She likes to be thoroughly prepared. She will make a good lawyer someday!

The disciples in the passage above also wanted to know exactly where Jesus was going and how they could follow. Jesus just explained to them that He would be going away, to prepare them a place (Heaven) and that there would be room enough for all (v. 2). He also told them they would follow Him, but not right away (John 13:36). Jesus even told them He would come back and get them (John 14:3), and they still wanted to know how to get there. Jesus told them that He is the way, and also that if they know Him, they know His Father, and again they still insisted that he just show them, so they could know for sure.

I can imagine Jesus' frustration with them, because it is like that with my daughter. If she only could rest in the knowledge that I know, and that I will take care of where we are going, she could be free to enjoy the ride. But she has to know exactly, just in case of whatever, just like the disciples. They did not quite trust Jesus; they wanted to have a map to heaven, just in case something happened. At the end of chapter 13, Peter says that he is willing to die to go with Jesus right now. But Jesus puts him in his place.

I know in regard to heaven, I also get this kind of anxiety. How will I know I will go there when I die? Simply put, in Jesus' own words, if I know Him, that is enough. All things follow that. He goes on in chapter 14 to add that if we know Him and love Him, we will obey Him (v. 23), and we will also know the Father. How simple is that? Yet we think this is not enough sometimes. We make it more complicated than that. We have to see things for ourselves, to find out for ourselves. We need a direct map to heaven, just in case we lose the way. But there is no other way than knowing Jesus. How do we know Him? We recognize that He is our Savior, and then we study the Word, which is Him (John 1). Simple? Yes. Difficult? We spend our whole lives trying to work it out. But, blesses be the Lord, His grace is sufficient to complete this task.

God, I want to know You. Fill me up with Your Word, increase my appetite for it, so that I might know You fully. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

Hannah: Confident In Her Commitment

Hannah said to Eli, "As surely as you live, sir, I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me. Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the Lord all his live." And he worshipped the Lord there. I Samuel 1:26-28 (NCV)

I remember holding my newborn son in the little blue rocking chair in our living room. Each time I saw the school bus pass our home to pick up or deliver the neighbor kids, I ached at the thought of someday giving him over to someone else's care at such a young age.

As I read the story of Hannah, her despair was so great. She struggled with her sense of self-confidence because she was unable to have children. She was ridiculed for her barrenness and had good reason to feel discouraged. She struggled with God's timing in answering her prayers for a son. There were days she did not eat. Her loving husband could not even comfort her. In verse ten it says, "She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish."

One day, as she poured her heart out to God, she made a vow. She told God if He gave her a son, she would give that son back to God for all the days of his life. After that prayer, her face was not sad. She was at peace with God and trusted His plan for her life.

We do not know how much time elapsed, but in verse twenty Hannah conceived and bore a son and named him Samuel! And, true to her word, after Samuel was weaned (near age three was the custom), she took him to Eli, the priest in the tabernacle, to serve in the house of the Lord.

We all struggle at times with God's timing in our lives. We receive hurtful words and criticisms. At times we are discouraged and bitter in our circumstances. Weeks, months, and sometimes years go by before we see results in our work, our service, and in relationships. Prayers seem ineffective.

How do we choose to react? Hannah found that prayers of complete surrender open the way for God to work. God took her up on her promise and she kept her part of the bargain; leaving her young son to the care of someone else for the rest of his life. There is no better place to have your child be than serving God!

When we find ourselves in despair, do we run to God in prayer? Are promises made in return for answers? Do we follow through with our promises to God when He answers our prayers? We must be confident in God and keep our commitments, even if it means giving up what is most treasured in our life. God always keeps His promises and He expects us to do the same.

Hannah found herself in complete surrender; empty hands. We have to let go. Everything we have is on loan from God. Joy is found in serving and fully giving back to Him.

Lord, take my life and let it be consecrated to You. Help us all to follow through with our commitments to You, and be confident in Your plan for our lives.

Janet Stutzman

Safe in His Arms

He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

As a chaplain, I hear many inspiring stories from the elderly persons I serve. However, there are some days that are emotionally heavy due to the pain and struggles they face. Loneliness, dementia, and other losses are things they may experience.

On one particularly "heavy" day, I walked into a woman's room who has been there for the past eleven years. Once a vibrant Christian woman, she is no longer able to feed herself, walk or talk and spends her days lying in her bed sleeping. As I quietly prayed over her, I asked the Lord, "Why so much injustice, so much pain?" My eyes left her and moved to a picture hanging above her bed - a picture I had never noticed before. Jesus stood in the center surrounded by sheep. In one hand he held a staff and in the other, a lamb. The lamb was resting securely in its Shepherd's arms, cradled against His chest. At that moment, I knew the answer to my question. It's as if God was saying, "I never intended for the pain and the injustice. This world is broken but I am here through the injustice and the pain. I will carry her through this." It was clear, she was the lamb He held in His arms. We are the sheep that follow Him and when one of us is in need, our Father and Shepherd, picks us up and holds us close. Isaiah 40:11 says that He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.

Today, let's be reminded that even though trials and tears may come, we are not alone. Jesus carries the helpless and dependant. He carries you and me.

Lord, there is so much pain we carry. Whether young or elderly, we must deal with the often unexpected things this life throws our way. Thank you for never leaving us, but for carrying us through the storm.

Jocelyn Hamsher

Our Struggle

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Eph. 6:12-13 (NAS)

My husband is a huge J. Budziszewski fan. He recently read me a quote from Budziszewski's book The Revenge of Conscience that really got me thinking.a lot about evil and how it continually plays out in our world. Budziszewski says, "Evil must rationalize, and that is its weakness. But it can, and that is its strength."

Isn't that so true? Don't we always rationalize our thoughts and actions, whether they are wrong or right...just in case our consciences try to flare up as we're doing something? God gave all humans consciences for a reason...to help us try to follow His moral law. But, when we become Christians, our consciences begin to plague us on a whole new level, and we enter into a spiritual battle that we didn't even know existed before.

Though the verses above are beloved by many and quoted often, sometimes I think we do not realize the full implications that verse 12 has in our daily lives. I think we all realize that Satan tempts us, deceives us, and generally wants to defeat us. But, much of the time, I think we forget how smart, savvy, and subtle he is.

I guess I am a little shocked at the things that distract us, taking our focus away from what is important. Even though I think busyness is a tool Satan can use against us, I think one of the greatest tools he uses against us can be EACH other...fellow believers.

What is that you say? "There is no way Satan can use a fellow believer for his work!" No, Satan has no power over Christ followers...but, I do think that Satan has no greater joy than causing strife in true Bible-believing churches and among Christians. Look at the news lately. There are a wide variety of thoughts among Christians regarding all kinds of political practices and problems. And, it is really no secret that good Christians disagree on many things.from theology and doctrine, to politics, to proper entertainment for Christians and how we should act in social situations. Can't you just hear Satan whispering bad thoughts about one believer into the ears of another one? And can't you just see how easy it is to rationalize our bad thoughts about other believers when we disagree? When we are convinced that we are right and the other person is wrong, we will do just about anything to make ourselves feel like our stance is okay and that our actions are merited.

Maybe the one way to deal with this issue is to take to heart that God is the only One who has all the facts about every situation. A beloved pastor friend of mine once said, "All of us Christians are going to get to heaven and realize how wrong we have been on pretty much everything." Now, that is a sobering thought, isn't it?

It's a good thing that God gives us the armor of God in Ephesians 6:13 to help us battle the Evil One. If you look further in Ephesians 6, we can protect ourselves with Truth and Righteousness, being unwilling to think bad thoughts about other believers and not rushing to judgments until we have the facts of a situation. After all, we need to make sure we are blameless in our own actions before God!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us the armor of God to battle the Evil One and our own sinful natures. Convict us, Lord, when we are tempted to rationalize our thoughts and actions against others.including other believers who belong to You and are working on our side for Your Kingdom. Amen!

Angie Brillhart

Where Is Our Passion?

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:11-12 (NIV)

Being in the presence of someone who has maintained their excitement and passion for God is such an encouragement to me. The sad thing is these encounters are extremely few and far between. Why is it that so many Christians seem to be living with a passion for something other than Christ? How is it possible that the creator of this universe, who sacrificed his only son for the sins of this world, seems to be an after thought?

Zeal and fervor are words that are not used much today. They are basically, a burning intensity of an emotion for something, an eager desire, or to be enthusiastic about. God has given us so much to be excited about. He created us, not because he had to but because he wanted to. He loves us, not because of something we have done, he just does, and he does unconditionally. Christ died, not because he deserved death but so we could be saved from it. 1 John 1:9 says "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (NIV) Is it that we are too familiar with these words to stop and actually take them in? How are we anything less than ecstatic about this?

I have meet Christians who truly do have a burning intensity to serve as a Sunday school teacher, an eager desire to share the gospel with a friend, and who are just enthusiastic about what Christ has done for them. They are also joyful, patient, and extremely faithful in prayer. And after spending any amount of time with them, a conversation with a lukewarm Christian seems so dull and pointless. Living in the society we do makes it hard to stay focused, but that is no excuse. There is nothing more important in this temporal life to be passionate about then Christ.

Father, help us to burn with passion for you, and be a light for the lost. Thank you for all your greatness, mercy, and love.

Sarah Hostetler

Tiger In The Zoo

But if I say, "I will not remember Him, or speak anymore in His name," then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it. Jeremiah 20:9 (NASB)

My family visited the zoo this summer. I always love going and getting to steal a look at exotic animals I would otherwise never see or even known existed. I have got to say, though, I am always disappointed by the lions, tigers and bears (oh my!). Nature's most ferocious beasts, with a God-given ordination to be nothing but killers, and they always just lie there sunning themselves. Seriously, ca not we just release a zebra into their area and let nature take its course?

Okay, I am being a little bit morbid here, but they were born to hunt. They should be out chasing gazelles or water buffalo or whatever, not just lying there. They have things to go after. My point here is that sometimes the realities of life lull us to being tranquil, content and at peace with just lying around doing nothing. We feel a lack of direction, so we put our God-given talents on permanent hold. Like the lion in the zoo that knows his next meal will be thrown at him, we know we don't have to go out and fight for our spiritual food, so we languish in our routine. We cast aside our natural hunter, knowing we will be taken care of by our own income, our family or our government. At least I do. I carry around the attitude that if I cannot do something big, I cannot do anything, so I do not even try. I have lost my bite, my desire to go out and be a ferocious Christian.

Enter the verse above from Jeremiah. The "fire shut up in my bones" is what I feel inside some days, too. I feel as though if I cannot be un-caged, I will burn up! I feel like I could "go.into all the world," (Mark16:15) and "make disciples of all nations," (Matthew 28:19), just give me the plane ticket and I'm gone. Yes, Lord! I say, but when nothing seems to come my way, I start to lose the edge, and the coals start to die out. Then daily life rears its ugly, monotonous head, and I suppress the blaze once again.

So what does it take to be a ferocious Christian? What do I need to do to regain my bite? I am not sure I have the answer. But I know being content with what I am doing is not it. I need to actively search out ways to make little differences, even though the "big one" is still something I look for. I need to understand that not everyone is a Billy Graham, not everyone is a Paul, and maybe Mother Teresa did more good in her daily life in India than she did by being famous for it. It is a succession of little "goods," little "yes, Lord's," that are important. Tending the fire of passionately loving God over a lifetime adds up more than making a big fire once and then being done. So daily life then loses its monotony, because daily life becomes obedience, not decay. So I look for today's "yes." I look for today's opportunity, because tomorrow's will be different. It may be bigger, it may be smaller, but it will be no less important.

God, grant me the opportunity to obey You in small things and in big. Thank You that life does not hold one chance for obedience, but many occasions on which to serve You. Give me the eyes to see them all, and grant me the ferocity to go after Your will, no matter the cost. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher