What's In Your Closet Part 4 of 6

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV)

Ahhh.don't sweat the small stuff. Can you imagine if God would not have created all the different colors of hair, eyes and skin? Think of the beautiful colors of fall; the little black dots on a ladybug. Just pause to consider anatomy - the mysteries and incredible functions of our bodies. Everywhere we look there are details that separate, magnify, and literally give us life.

Our fourth letter in the acrostic CLOSET is S - Sweating the small stuff. After renovating our cluttered closets and obeying some simple rules, we are able to work on the details. Putting shoes in a clear box, hanging scarves together in the same area, organizing your clothes by color, or deciding today what you will wear tomorrow. These details; this principle of sweating the small stuff, is not so hard when we have our closets free of clutter. Do you add a necklace and earrings to your outfit or keep a tube of lipstick in your purse? Did you know wearing a pair of heels instead of flats can increase your height and decrease the appearance of your weight by five pounds? When we pay attention to the details we look good. And, when we look good we feel good.

The spiritual application of this principle - sweating the small stuff - does the same for us in our walk with God. All throughout the Bible there are examples of how details added to the message. The creation story, the life of Noah and the intricate planning of the ark, Proverbs - the book of wisdom packed with truth for living are a few examples. How many of us would not be able to put a sinful past at the feet of Jesus without reading the story of the thief Jesus forgave while both were dying on the cross? What if God did not place blessing and joy in our lives when we obey? It is impossible to imagine how different our lives would be without the many details. God chose to sweat the small stuff in order for us to live more abundant lives!

Once our closets are clean, we are ready to take it to another level and add some extra details. Our verse tells us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable; excellent or praiseworthy. After we have taken care of sin in our lives and choose to obey these simple thoughts, we can take our walk with God to a new level. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. What is the reward? The God of peace will be with you. There is no greater feeling than the peace of God!

Heavenly Father, help us to maintain a life free from sin and give us wisdom in order for our lives to be praiseworthy. We desire to learn from you and practice what you have taught us.

Janet Stutzman

Resting In Our Hurts

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39 (NIV)

I always enjoy the Christmas season. I love getting Christmas letters from old friends and seeing what they have been doing over the past year. As I pulled out one particular letter, tears began to stream down my face and my five-year-old daughter asked what was wrong. I don't remember how I answered her, but these were the thoughts going through my mind. "Lord, here are some old friends of ours celebrating the birth of their twins. How did I not know she was pregnant, how did I not know she was having twins, why did you allow my twins to die?" Our friends had something that was lost to us forever. As I sat there with the tears still rolling down my cheeks, I desperately needed an answer from God. I was searching for comfort.

There are so many of us that have had hurts and losses that can't be fixed. But as children of God we can rest in our salvation. We can be comforted in knowing that this one thing cannot be taken from us. So, take those pains, losses and hurts and lay them before the feet of Christ. Then clothe yourself with the Scriptures, knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God

Lord, thank You for the gift of Your salvation. There are hurts and losses that I have experienced and I know more will come. I lay those at Your feet today. May I be comforted by Your love and salvation that can never be taken away from me. Amen.

Suzanne Nolt

The above devotional is an excerpt from the COF devotional at the right side of the page.

With Eyes Wide Open

Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember Mark 8: 17b-18 NKJV

This morning I went to pour myself a bowl of cereal and found that all of my regular bowls were in the dishwasher. My son would have simply poured the milk in the box and probably tipped it up to eat it, and although I am all about conserving on the amount of dishes needing to be washed, I am a woman and even if I had thought of that I probably wouldn't do it. I searched for another bowl and found a small white one that would have worked, but digging a little further, I found a smaller crystal bowl and poured the cereal in. As so often in my life my attention was drawn to another task leaving the dry cereal unattended for a brief period. When I came back to eat my breakfast I could not find the bowl! The counter was cluttered with some things from the night before, but not nearly as bad as you might think given that I could not see that bowl anywhere! As often happens to me in these situations I immediately think of the most reasonable reason for my problem and I thought "dementia! I am getting dementia." My mind raced, would I need prescription medication or would an herbal supplement work. I began to list all the herbal supplements I knew that were good for memory loss but I couldn't remember any of them! And then I saw the bowl sitting on the stove and I was stymied. I had been focused on seeing the white bowl I had originally thought to use; I never could see the crystal bowl. I could not believe how much time I had spent looking for something that was right in front of my face and wondered what else in my life, having eyes, I was still not seeing.

The Jewish people had been waiting for a Messiah and they believed they knew exactly what the Messiah would look like, exactly how He would act and what He would do for them. They were staring their Redeemer right in the face and they never saw Him. Sometimes I think of those people and wonder "how is it possible that they did not recognize Jesus as their Savior?" In the scripture verse Jesus is admonishing his disciples, the very men who were traveling with Him, seeing his power at work and yet somehow they were still missing the truth of who He was.

How often do I long to see my Savior working in my life and I am so focused on what I think that should look like that I completely miss where He is working. I have heard it said if we want to move into the things of God, look to see where He is working and then move in there. Where are those places the Lord is working? He is working at the point of our need, but if I am too focused on looking for a burning bush or a parted sea I will completely miss it. I don't want to be frustrated by my relationship with Jesus, I don't want to spend time focused on what is not there when He is drawing me into deep places with Him and I cannot see it, because I am looking for an image of Him, and not the reality of Him.

Lord, I pray that you will open my eyes to see those places where you are working, that I would join you in a sacred partnership for your glory. Amen

Monica Mueller

What's In Your closet? Part 3 of 6

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:9-11 (NKJV)

Recently I attended a class where we learned how to clean out our closets. There are certain guidelines to follow as you clean, and even more on how to keep your closet clean after the renovation. The one principle that remains in my mind is that everything has a home - a place where it belongs - so put it there! That means every day I have to make an effort to hang up the clean clothes and put the dirty ones in a laundry basket. If I haven't worn it, I need to get rid of it (a re-sale store is great so someone else can enjoy it). And, no pile of shoes in the middle of the closet! If I want my closet to stay clean, I must follow these easy guidelines.

Part three of our CLOSET acrostic is the letter O - Obey the guidelines. In our spiritual lives, we can be successful at cleaning out the sin in our lives by obeying guidelines God has written for us in His Word. Our verse asks, "How does a young man keep his way pure?" The answer is that he must live according to God's Word. It takes effort on our part. Instruction does not just come our way, neither does knowledge. We have to seek out information and solutions and continually be learning from our experiences. The most important and reliable instructions can be found in the Bible. Are we reading it? Are we tucking away the things we are learning so when we find some clutter building up in our lives we can quickly clean it up and maintain a clean closet - a pure and holy life before God?

How would you describe your feelings as you procrastinate cleaning the closet? I feel lazy, annoyed, defeated, with a gray cloud looming above. Those same feelings of doom are present when we allow sin to clutter our lives and we do nothing to remove it. How do you feel after you have accomplished cleaning out a closet? Delighted, free, a burden lifted? Those same feelings can be ours when we repent of the present sin in our lives and replace it with holy living.

Deuteronomy 11:26- 27 shows us a clear choice God has allowed us. "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you."

Isn't it amazing that God gives us a choice between blessing and curses, obedience and disobedience? Knowing there is blessing for obedience, why do we so often choose to disobey? It is our sinful nature that draws us to disobedience. That little bit of clutter that slowly grows into something larger and keeps us lost in our sin.

Today, every day, let's choose obedience. Obey the simple guidelines God has and find blessing!

Lord, thank you for clear instructions for us to live pure lives. Help us to obey and not stray from your commands.

Janet Stutzman

Deep Roots

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Matthew 13:6 (NIV)

Not a gardener, I have always joked that my thumb is not green, but red (opposite on the color wheel from green). My spring planting strategy is "plant and see," meaning I plant flowers, fairly randomly, and see what grows. This year I invested in food for the flowers, and they actually grew better than before! Amazing, I know, that a little time and effort can actually pay off.

Horticulturists also say that a strong wind does a young tree's roots well. The wind gives the tree something to fight against, causing the roots to grow deep. The parable that the verse above is from is about a farmer scattering seed. Some lands on rocks, some is eaten by birds and others land in shallow ground and grow quickly, yet die because of their lack of roots. I have seen young trees in windstorms stick it out, where their older, larger counterparts were quickly uprooted, thanks to shallow roots. We, too, can become quickly uprooted when we fail to develop our God-roots. We can live years without developing our "underground" network of support. Busyness shifts our focus from the unseen roots to the here and now, centering our priorities on the things we can see. We may grow up to be beautiful trees, but like my neighbor's giant pine, we quickly tumble over in even a mild windstorm.

So how do we develop a good root system in our life? Taking time to lay the foundation with our relationship with Christ is the first step. We have to invest in reading and studying the Word. Cementing that with solid friendships and support networks with other believers can deliver life-sustaining nutrition to our root systems in times of need. They also help anchor us when the winds of life start to blow. Our knowledge that Christ is our center, that He will carry us through those storms, and that we have friends that also understand us and become His hands and feet during those times will help attach us to the rich soil we have cultivated ourselves in.

As easy as it is to live with shallow roots, making sure our branches and leaves look pretty to passers by, it is dangerous to do so. All those leaves will wither and pass, disease can strike, and without a good root system nourishing the rest of our tree, we can quickly die. Build your spiritual tree, starting below ground, and you will flourish and grow, rooted strongly in Christ's rich soil.

God, grant me the time and patience to develop strong roots in You. Help me also to be a strong root to my friends, giving them a good hold in You in times of struggle and happiness. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

Weeds

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14.15 (NIV)

I'm no gardener; not a green bone or drop of blood in my body, thumb or otherwise, but even I know that weeds are no good for a garden. So when the flower bed in front of our house got about knee high I decided it was time I had to do something

My task seemed to be going well until I turned and looked back at my progress. While I had removed most of the weeds, there were dozens of little, tiny sprouts left just poking through the soil. There were also some that I had grasped at the ground level but still left the roots deep in the soil when I pulled on them. Still, I kept going until I encountered a snake, and decided to let my husband finish the weeding!

Later I came out to check on him and found he had taken the hose and soaked the soil before he began. Two weeks later the evidence was clear; my area was once again full of weeds, while his was blooming flowers.

I've found forgiveness to be a lot like that flower bed. When we try to pull out the weeds of pain inflicted on us by others we often leave the root of the problem deep within the soil. Left un-dealt with those wounds will begin to fester and grow as surely as those roots left in the soil grew back to crowd out the flowers. But if we soak our lives with the word of God it softens the soil for God to remove those things which have wounded us and are choking out the blossoms of His grace and mercy that He so wants to see bloom in our lives.

Father God, You are the Author of forgiveness. It is Your forgiveness of us that enables us to forgive others. It is Your grace, Your mercy, Your love. Take control of our hearts as we yield our emotions to You and allow us to pour out these blessings to others that Your name might be honored and glorified. Amen.

Missy Horsfall

Who's at your table?

Paul was declaring, "I still face problems, but the Lord has given me what I need for the battle. He has refreshed me through Titus." 2 Corinthians 7:4.

I just heard my husband, Jeff speak the phrase "I thought I would be eating at his table, but I never thought he would be eating at mine."

Last week my husband had an opportunity to do something he has wanted to do for many years. He went to another city and met with a man of God that he has admired for years. His hope of just meeting this man and shaking his hand was something that burned in his heart. Not that he (my husband) thought he was anyone special to be able to say anything to this man; he simply wanted to meet this very humble, Godly man. When the opportunity arose, he stepped out, and purchased his airline ticket and hotel and went.

Upon his arrival at the church, approximately two hours before the time of introduction, he went into the sanctuary, sat, read his Bible, and prayed for a time. When the appointed time arrived, he had the opportunity he had waited for, for over 35 years. It was something very different from what he expected. What do you say to someone like that? He prepared nothing ahead of time, but shared his testimony about how this man had been a very important part of his finding Jesus. After a short time, this man asked Jeff a question. You see, after our daughter died in May of 2000, Jeff wrote to this man and shared how God had used our tragic circumstance to help change many lives. They spoke of this letter and the circumstances. He asked Jeff "how were you able to continue to walk in joy despite the circumstances?" Jeff replied, "It was the Peace of God that served as my joy."

It is difficult for a man to do all that he does in serving God, and take care of an ailing wife, as well as everything else he must be responsible for many other things. He was a man in need of encouragement! Just as Paul says about Titus in the above scripture reference, apparently God used Jeff in the same way to encourage this pastor! Jeff went thinking this man could speak something into his life, and it ended up being the total opposite situation, Jeff was the encourager.

After Jeff left the church, he felt completely inadequate, and very humbled. We simply never know what God will do in us when we step out in faith to do something. Step out in faith as you serve God!

Father, teach me to trust that as I go forward in life You will guide my steps and give me the words I need just when I need them. Amen.

Becki Reiser

I'm Going!

Wives, in same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives. 1 Peter 3:1 (NIV)

My niece was graduating from High School in Florida. My parents and sister were making the trip from Ohio by car. I asked my husband if it would be alright if I went along and he said no, we couldn't afford it. I argued back, sure that we could afford it since I was just hitching a ride, He persisted with no, we can't. When he left for work that morning the words "I don't care what he says, I am going!" were the words that spurted out of me as I began my devotions.

Soon after I called my mom and told her that I wouldn't be making the trip. God in his wisdom knew that very day what I would need to hear as I read 1 Peter. Wives, in same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives. 1 Peter 3:1 (NIV)

Recently my sister asked me if I would like to take a trip to Florida to celebrate the 65th wedding anniversary of our aunt and uncle. I ran it past my husband and he said.....that's fine. Sometimes we think that the way things are, are the way they will always be. We are impatient and want everything right now.

My husband's diligence then, means a home with a paid mortgage today. We have the freedom to take trips if we choose to do so. I also understand that he wasn't saying no to be mean, he said no so he could support his family financially. As I reflect on what I could have done back in our early years...by not honoring him, would we still be headed the same direction as we narrow in on our 30^th year of marriage?

Dear Lord, Submission can be so hard. I want what I want, when I want it. Thank you for being patient with me as you teach me to submit to you in earthly relationships. Thank you that the years have shown me that submission to you is what I want. In Jesus Name. Amen

Julia Proper

The above devotional is an excerpt from the COF devotional available at the right side of this page.

Sleepless Nights

He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:3, 4

How many times have you had a sleepless night? As a chronic insomniac, I can tell you I have lost count. Usually it is worry that keeps me awake. Shutting off my mind can be almost impossible sometimes. I keep thinking and thinking (and over-thinking) my problem or concern. Sometimes I don't even know the reason I can't sleep. Once a bad sleep pattern like that is established, it is hard to break. Every night at the same time I wake up, and breaking that brain habit is difficult. I don't seem to have a particular problem I am worried about. Perhaps it was the snack I ate before bed!

But I need not worry like that. Easy to say, I know, but hard to practice. God is never asleep; He is always up, around the clock, watching over us. He protects us, even when we are in the defenseless act of sleeping. He is there to guard our hearts, minds and bodies as we go into one of the most physically vulnerable tasks we do. We can find rest in Him, not only spiritual, but also physical. We can take time to simply sleep. After the verses above, in Psalm 121:5, 6, God is also described as being a shade, protecting us from the sun as well. I take these verses not only as His figurative protection, but also literally. He is concerned about our physical well-being, giving us protection during sleep and wakeful times. He designed our minds and bodies to work together and knows that His creation cannot be completely disconnected from the physical body He put around our soul.

Whenever you face a sleepless night, pray that God will watch over you while you rest. Don't hesitate to ask for restful sleep; He created that as essential to our physical and spiritual welfare. He never sleeps; He is always available to watch over us and protect us. Even during that little afternoon catnap.

God, give me restful sleep at night so that I may be alert to do Your will. I know you will watch over me and protect me. I know that You are already working out the problems that rob me of sleep. Grant me patience as I wait on You.Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

What's In Your Closet? Part 2

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

In part one, the topic of being candid was the C of our acrostic of the word CLOSET. If I were to be candid about the condition of my closet, some days I would be embarrassed. You see, there have been times I have lost items because of the clutter formed over a period of time. I have slightly rolled my ankle on a shoe hidden under a pile of worn clothes. When I get to the point of total frustration, I dive into the mess and sort and organize and clean. The pile of clutter disappears and I feel like I have a new beginning.

L- Lost in the clutter. Sin has a way of entering into our spiritual closets and forming piles of clutter in our lives. All sin creates a barrier between us and God. Our sin makes it so hard for us to approach God. As in any relationship, a broken trust creates tension and a feeling of separation and unworthiness. Suddenly sin becomes a mountain of clutter in our spiritual life and leaves us feeling defeated and hopeless. We are in spiritual darkness and cannot see God anymore, and miss out on the abundant living Christ desires for us. No longer do we have that peace that passes all understanding. We are lost in the clutter of our sin.

How do we conquer the mountain of clutter? How do we find the way back from our lost condition? It says in Psalms 51:1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Because of God's unfailing love for us, He alone can cleanse us. He will find us when we call out to Him. It is our choice to ask Him - to open the door of our closet - to reveal the real me and allow God to change the lost condition of our hearts.

How does He do that? He is light! Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Just as a light reveals the condition of our closets, God is able to shine His light in our lives, revealing the sin. He has provided a light and a path - a way out! Just as it takes time for the clutter to accumulate, it will take time for God to work in us and change us; to sort through the mess. We are no longer lost in sin, or unclean, and our righteous acts become glorifying to God.

Lord, thank you for seeking us and for providing a light for our lost condition. Help us to keep from accumulating sin in our lives and may we live holy lives for your glory.

Janet Stutzman

Of Mice and Men

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NIV

I detest mice. They are sneaky, small, and dirty. I really get mad when they think they are free to come into my house, un-invited. I have traps set in five places. That would mean nothing to a mouse that is outside, but to a mouse in the house it is sure death.

These thoughts made me think of other things that sneak into our homes and lives un-invited. The biggest one is sin. Often times sin creeps in, comes into little holes in our homes (hearts). Frequently, it can build a nest and we have not detected it. It has moved in and has become comfortable. We tend not to notice since it is so small. Then we begin to notice things. Like little 'droppings' left in its wake.

Now, the little critter didn't come in to destroy things completely. It only came in because it is getting cold out, and food is becoming less available. I would choose warmth and comfort over cold and hungry. I must say, I like to be comfortable and I am good at finding food when I am hungry. I doubt there is a single one of you out there that would disagree. So too does this little rodent.

How does this little ball of destruction get into the house? I live on a farm in an old farmhouse. We have no insulation in the walls. It is the old plaster and lathe walls with horsehair holding it together. There are holes in some of the corners, in the laundry room in particular. It is at the back of our house, and about 25 feet away from that room is a corn field and hay field. It isn't to hard for them to scoot around the nine farm cats we have and slip into the house.

The same is true with sin. It often comes in seemingly undetected. It is so small no one seems to notice. Matter of fact we sometimes do not notice for quite a while. Then, we begin to notice little things (droppings) left in its wake. We are not sure where it is hiding, or how it got in. All though occasionally we do leave a door open, and invite it in.

Now, with the five mousetraps I have set, I am determined to get every last one out! I wonder how that heart thing is going. Am I checking every corner for signs of droppings? Am I guarding my heart and not allowing any sin to sneak in? What about you? Is sin having a time of warmth and harvest right under your very nose? Are you allowing it to hide in corners and eat freely from your bounty?

Dear God, please help me to always be watching and guarding my heart against sin. Help me to recognize is for what it truly is, and help me to stop it in it's tracks with Your help. Amen.

Becki Reiser

Trust Him Even When

" I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

Six years ago when my husband, Douglas, was diagnosed with brain cancer we thought it was the worst day of our life.What we thought was going to be a single, devastating event has turned out to be a slow, insidious journey, with a diagnosis of terminal cancer with no known medical treatment to keep the cancer at bay.

We experienced a gamut of emotion and occasionally we still do. Once we faced the reality of what our rational minds didn't want to accept, we had two choices to make. One, we could wallow in a pity party for ourselves, or two, we could once again trust in our God who has taken care of us so many times in the past. He is the One who knows our every need before we even speak it. We could begin to believe with every fiber of our being that He was and is in control and knows what is best for us. We chose to trust in God.

Someone very wisely said to us early in this journey, "Trust God in the unknown." That is what we did and are still choosing to do. Do we know what the future holds, or how long this journey will continue? Of course not, but we know Who holds the future, and our faith, hope, strength, purpose, peace, and endurance come from the promises of His word and His never-ending faithfulness.

Heavenly Father, help each and every one of us be willing to trust you in all things. Help us to understand that Your ways are not our ways and that You will never allow anything to happen to us that isn't suppose to. Thank You. In Your most precious and holy name, Amen.

Carolee Walker

The above devotional is taken from the A Place to Belong devotional published by Circle Of Friends. It is available on the top right side of this page.

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Seasons of Drought

Jesus answered.."whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14 (NIV)

The summer of 1988 will always be remembered by my family as the year of the drought. Everyone in our area of western Pennsylvania was affected by the extremely dry conditions either directly or indirectly - especially the farmers.

Earlier in the spring, we had a lot of rain on our farm. But the summer months brought little to no rain. When the rain stopped, so did the growth of our corn crop. The green corn stalks and leaves soon started to shrivel and dry up. We knew that we wouldn't have a corn crop at all unless we got some rain soon so we prayed and asked God for some relief from the drought.

God heard those prayers and answered them with what we called a little miracle. One day in the middle of June we were blessed with an abundant rain shower - a good soaking rain for about twenty minutes that saved our corn crop! Why we called it a miracle was because we learned that it only rained on our farm that day. None of the neighboring farms reported receiving any rain that day at all.

That fall at harvest time we had much to be thankful for. Although the corn crop was not as plentiful as previous years, what we harvested was enough to feed our cows through the winter months along with the abundant hay crop we had been able to harvest. We thanked God for His provision and for allowing our farm to survive the difficult year.

Since 1988 there have been many other dry summers. Each time we are without rain, I am reminded of how our lives can become dry or parched when we allow the drought conditions of life to weigh us down. Maybe you're in the middle of some drought conditions right now such as financial burdens, health issues, or broken relationships. Give them all to Jesus - the Living Water - and thirst no more.

Thank you, God that you are always with me - even during the times of drought in life. May I find encouragement and refreshment in the Living Water daily as I pray and read your Word.

Beth Wehr

One Leaf at a Time

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:23, 24 (NIV)

We just completed our yearly task of raking leaves. We have three huge maple trees in our front and back yards which, in my opinion, overproduce leaves. A quick search on the Internet to see how many leaves an average maple tree has turned up one answer: a lot! My husband promises every November that he is going to chop them down, as we both loathe raking and bagging the millions (oh, there are millions!) of leaves. We bagged over 50 bags of leaves, all which are piled in our front yard awaiting pick up. The task when we first begin always seems impossible. We know that even though we start in the morning, we are racing the sun to get done by sundown. Two years ago, we were finishing by flashlight! Last year, our thick gloves were slowing us down, as opening a trash bag through a half inch of Thinsulate and cotton is no easy task. This year, however, the sixty-five degree weather made the task a bit more pleasant. Although I was a big liability as I am 28 weeks pregnant, I did my best as Chief Bag Holder and Leaf Compactor.

Like most long-haul tasks, the leaf raking for us starts out as fun. We have a job to do, and there can't be that many leaves, so we start off energized, confident that it won't take but a few hours. Three hours later, and no end in sight, we get a bit disenchanted with the whole process. When the sun starts dropping faster and faster, talk of giving up starts to enter our conversation. Giving up gets more tempting. But we can also see how far we've come and know that if we stop now, it would do no good.

The same can be said for our Christian walk. We are on a long path when we walk with God. Temptation to give up stares at us from every point. We think we cannot go on, but when we look at how far we have come, we can see that giving up now would do no good. Paul, in the verses above, had been through many horrendous trials. But he knew he had to finish the race of life. He knew the task Christ charged him with and he knew he had no alternative but completing it. He knew his life meant nothing outside of completing the mission of testifying to the Gospel. I am sure that when he started, Paul had dreams of how his life would go. Once his eyes were opened to Christ, he had the call of spreading it around the world. He had no idea what was before him. I am sure at some point, giving up sounded very tempting. Why go through another beating, stoning or just plain being ignored? Why finish an unsavory task? He did it because he knew it had to be done, and he was the one to carry it out. Just like our leaf raking. It has to be done, so we have to just do it. What has to be done in your life? What task has God placed within your life that seems overwhelming? Rake by rake, bag by bag, your task can be done. It may seem overwhelming, you may want to give up, but when you see the completion, the satisfaction of obedience, of your job well done, is worth it.

God, show me the tasks that I need to do for Your Kingdom, so that I may start and finish the mission You would have me to do. Give me the strength to see it completed and the willing heart to stick with it, even when it seems overwhelming. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher

What's In Your Closet? Part 1 of 6

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)

I love acrostics. As I get older, I have noticed more and more I have to play games with myself to learn something new or remember something specific. Using the word CLOSET I found there are some simple but important lessons to be learned by looking at each letter of the word.

C Candid - revealing the real me. How many times do we look into the mirror and have that deep question lurking; the one that causes us to ask who that person is I am staring at? If you were to pretend your life is like your personal closet, what or who would people see? Are there things in your life you would rather nobody ever knows about? Is there anger, selfishness, pride, laziness, or self-gratitude? Take a moment to look into your heart, into that personal closet of yours and be candid. What do you see? Is there so much clutter there that nobody can see the real you?

When was the last time you cleaned out your closet? Is there a pile on the floor and are there years of clothes; mismatched or too small or too big, cluttering it up? Why are you hanging on to some of the items? What is missing in all that clutter? Why don't you clean it up? Our closets reveal the real person to whom the items belong. We can come out of our closets looking pretty good, but when the door closes, the clutter remains inside. Nobody is allowed in. In our hearts, we know we hate being in there.

Mark 7:21-23 gives us a list of some pretty disgusting sins that come from within a man's heart. It goes on to say that all these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.

We all love looking at a picture with a lake reflecting the beauty of the surrounding nature. If we were to hang our head over the end of a dock and look into the water, we would see a reflection of our face. Our verse says, "so a man's heart reflects the man." The heart reveals the real me; the real you.

If you were to be candid - honest, is your personal closet holy, pleasing to God? Are the things of the world important to you; more important than God? It is hard to see and know God's will when our vision is cluttered. Just as we lose sight of things in a cluttered closet, we can lose sight of God when we allow sin to clutter our hearts. Sin is anything that does not please God. Allowing our minds to dwell on evil, and having wrong thoughts and desires will lead to sin.

God's desire for us is this. Romans 12:1-2 says "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So, let's be candid. What does your heart reflect about you?

Heavenly Father, may it be our desire to be honest with You and honest with ourselves. Reveal to us the sin and clutter, and help us to live lives that are holy and pleasing to You.

Janet Stutzman

I Have Called You By Name

I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3 NIV

On October 24, I attended the Circle of Friends "A New Name" Seminar. It has already been mentioned by two people in the past week and a half,(on this websites blog and devotional) and I too will share what I felt God spoke to me.

While I was sitting there listening to Jocelyn share, I had a flashback to an old TV program I saw years ago. It was the old Dick Van Dyke show. He was a writer, and was married to Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and had a son, Richie. The program was about the middle name his son had, and how it came about. Richie said he didn't want his friends to find out his middle name, because it was stupid. He asked why his middle name was "ROSEBUD".

His parents began to explain why he was given that middle name. The story went on to say that everyone in the family had suggestions, and they simply could not make up their minds. They didn't want to offend their families, so they came up with the idea of naming him all of the names suggested, but only using the first initial of each name. Hence, ROSEBUD. I thought about it and I came up with names that through God, we can be called. Here is what I came up with:

R- Reedemed : Colossians 1:14

O- Overcomer : 1 John 5:4

S- Saved : Matthew 16:16

E- Encouraged: Colossians 2:2

B- Blameless: 1 Corinthians 1:8

U- Upright: Psalm 33:1

D- Delivered : Psalm34:4

Lord, help me top believe that You know me, that You love me, and that I am a child of God! I am a ROSEBUD. Amen

Becki Reiser

We Need Each Other

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)

As I am sure we have all realized by now, life is never simple. It is filled with complications, things that can bring us to our knees in desperation. Even when we know God holds the world in his hands and everything is actually going according to plan, it still is hard. God understands this, even though he has told us time and again that he has everything under control, he knew it would still be hard for us and that we could not do it alone.

The verse above talks about meeting together and encouraging each other. Many of us meet together, every Sunday. However the act of encouragement is not always taking place within the church walls. It is so much simpler to slip out the doors unnoticed than it is to spill your guts about how hard your life is. When we take this easy way out we are living our life all alone. We need one another, to be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and a friend who will simply be there for us. Pay attention to the people around you, you may be sitting next to someone in church who desperately needs some encouragement.

Let's be honest with ourselves, I'm sure you can think of one thing in your life right now that you are troubled with. You may think you are being a bother to someone by telling them all your problems, or that you may sound too negative. But when you allow someone to pray for a difficult time you are going through, when God answers your prayer, they will also get to experience the victory.

In Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, "when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them". (NIV) God wants us to come together and pray to Him, to lean on Him and each other. He will met us there, and what better place to be than in the presence of God.

Father, surround us with people who we can lean on. Give us a humble heart to be able to share our lives with one another. Thank you for your design so we do not have to live life all alone.

Sarah Hostetler

Always in His Eyesight

O Lord, You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise..Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Psalm 139:1-2, 7-8 (NIV)

Every summer my husband and I enjoy going to county fairs and farm shows. However, each time we walk through a poultry barn, I become very uncomfortable as childhood memories of life on a farm with a rooster come back to haunt me.

Growing up on my grandparents' dairy farm, I was used to being around lots of animals such as cows, chickens, dogs and cats. But being around that large, mean Rhode Island Red rooster was something I never wanted to get used to. When we first got the rooster, things were okay because he usually stayed near the chicken house with the chickens. But as time passed, the rooster started exploring more areas of the farm and thought he was boss. He started investigating the sheds, the barn, the front yard, and even the back porch!

This was when our troubles started. The rooster had a reputation of attacking people. To walk from the house to the barn, it was necessary to carry a stick to defend yourself. He had a habit of running out of nowhere to chase a person to his or her destination. For example, one day as I was walking past the chicken house on my way to the barn, I thought I was safe because I didn't see the rooster anywhere. But suddenly I heard something behind me. It was the rooster chasing me! I ran to the barn as quickly as I could and waited there until someone could come rescue me; someone with a stick!

From that day on I was determined to stay as far away from that rooster as possible. I used different routes to walk from the house to the barn so that the rooster wouldn't see me. These routes included sneaking through the apple orchard, the pasture field, or anything else I could think of. Yet, no matter what route I took, that rooster must have been able to see me and know where I was because he would often be waiting for me when I got to my destination.

As I remember that rooster today, I'm reminded of an important lesson from scripture. Just like I was never out of that rooster's eyesight, I am never out of God's sight. He sees me no matter where I am. I cannot hide from His view. Yet, instead of this being a negative thing like it was with the rooster, it is a wonderful thing! Knowing that I am always in God's sight brings me comfort and assurance as it reminds me of God's love and care. May you know this comfort and assurance also - today and every day.

Thank you, God for watching over me no matter where I am or what I am doing. May I never try to hide from your presence.

Beth Wehr

Memorable Moments

Above all, love each other deeply.Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:8-9

Over the last six months at the retirement community where I work, the team has been working to create memorable experiences for those that live there. Recently, I learned that employees came in on their day off and took several residents out for breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Others arranged a Sweetest Day banquet for various couples and "pulled out all the stops". One employee's example truly blessed me. A woman who needed her bath was not overly impressed about taking it that day, so this young lady asked her what would help make the experience a positive one. Her response was candlelight, soft music and dimmed lighting. And so it was. In her whirlpool bath she relaxed and enjoyed the ambiance of candles, soft music and lowered lights. And the employee never said a word about it to anyone else. Even though it made more work for her, she thought of someone else first and made the memorable experience happen.

How I want to be like this day in and day out! One of my heart's desires is to love and serve Jesus by loving and serving people- and enjoying it! When I empty the dishwasher again, or do another load of laundry, I want to do it joyfully. When my sons walk by me at home, I want to take a minute to stop and hug them, letting them know how glad I am they're mine. When I'm tired and they request something else, instead of a sigh I want them to hear love. These moments may not be impressive banquets or expensive trips, but they leave an impression on their hearts and refine my own. Memorable moments for all of us.

Lord, I give my heart to You again today. Help me to love selflessly like You do and enjoy it! Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher

A Lesson Never Learned

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38, 39 (NIV)

I have been thinking a lot about my grandparents lately. They are getting older and their overall health is waning. They still are active, still travel to Florida every winter and still can drive themselves. But their spiritual health is dire. Neither are Christians. In fact, both have straight-up refused any offers to become one. I have been trying to think of why.

Although I have probably seen them the most of all my grandparents, I couldn't say we are close. They are the only surviving grandparents I have at this point. Although I am not privy to many details of their past, I know they have made their share of mistakes. In thinking about why they haven't accepted Christ, I believe they don't think they deserve His salvation, which is a pretty common thought among unbelievers. My grandparents have lived by the theory that if you're going to go to hell, you might as well have fun getting there. How pervasive is that belief? If you have no hope of heaven, and this life is your one chance to make your own fulfillment, what would you do? I'm guessing I would live to please myself, however I could.

Of course, being a Christian, I realize the ridiculousness of that lifestyle. Sure, I make mistakes, I sin. But I know that the hope I have in Christ, the salvation He has freely given me, is much greater than pleasures offered by this world. I know that living for me is not the way to live. I know that there is more to life than the here and now, and that pursuing this life is an empty existence. I have learned that lesson, but my grandparents haven't. Many people haven't. My dad hasn't yet either.

We often talk about how hard it is as parents to watch our children grow up and reject God. Hard as that is, I find it just as difficult to watch my grandparents age and still reject salvation. Talking to them, praying for them, showing them the love they think they don't deserve is all I can do. I hope it is enough to show them the lesson they have not yet learned. Have you learned that lesson yet? Do you know that nothing can separate you from God, but your own refusal? Have you sought Him, and do you know He is seeking out you? My grandparents have one thing right: we don't deserve His love. Yet He freely gives it! Take a lesson from the verses above, a lesson that not everyone has figured out yet: God loves you, no matter what.

God, thank you for Your free gift of salvation. Show me how to share it with others around me that have not yet seen the love You offer. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher