One or the Other

August 11

He who is not with me is against me...

Luke 11:23

The young girl stood, trying to make a decision. She thought she’d settled the matter before leaving the apartment, but now, standing in front of the local Planned Parenthood clinic, she wasn’t so sure. She had decided to resolve this unplanned pregnancy by abortion, and had been told Planned Parenthood would provide the procedure at no cost. 

This morning she’d read in the Planned Parenthood abortion pamphlet, that the sixteen-cell mass, called the Morula stage of pregnancy, wasn’t a living being. But something inside her told her they were wrong. Her Sunday School teacher’s words echoed in her mind: “Life begins at conception. Even the female egg and male sperm are forms of life.” If that’s true, she admitted, then this isn’t just ‘a shapeless mass of cells’ inside me, like the pamphlet says!

Turning, she walked slowly back to her car, her earlier decision reversed. One way or another, she was going to have this baby. She’d trust God to work out the details. Right now she had to figure out how to tell her parents.

†

A modern day euphemism found on tee shirts and bumper stickers states, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” In other words, “If you’re not with me you’re against me.” There is no room in that statement for gray areas…you are on one side or the other.

Today’s story sheds light on one such case. Planned Parenthood offers abortions to women, many in their early teens, mindful of the fact they are killing the unborn. In the time it took me to write this devotion there have been over 300 abortions. In a study by the Guttmacher Institute, the website Conservapedia shared statistics stating that nearly 148 abortions are performed every hour in the United States alone.

There is no middle ground on this issue. Jesus told the Pharisees, “He who is not with me is against me.” On whose side do you stand?

Don’t let another child die without your voice being heard.

Prayer

“Father of Life, forgive us for such evil. Give us the courage, wisdom, and strength to handle the legal issues and moral perversion involved in such a horrendous crime. Help us reach those who casually and heartlessly end life without conscience. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 Undaunted

August 10

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

J.J. smiled as she watched Jim approach her teller window using a walker. She smiled because Jim’s ‘never-give-up-or-in’ attitude blessed her, and spoke volumes about the man. His perseverance silently encouraged everyone that knew him. He helped keep their perspective focused on things that mattered.

“Morning, J.J.!” he greeted. “How are you doing this fine morning?”

“Just wonderful Mr.Gault. And how are you?” she asked.

“I couldn’t be better if I was twins!” he replied jovially.

Born with polio, Jim had determined at a young age that he would not be defined by his disease. He’d graduated Valedictorian of a senior class of more than 300 students, and gone on to receive a bachelors, masters, and graduate degree from the Ohio State University. Since then it seemed as though everything he put his hand to had prospered. Many credited Jim’s success to a ‘Midas Touch’ of sorts. The truth was Jim worked harder than everyone else. For most of his life Jim had been the first to arrive and the last to leave the office. He was a dedicated man.

J.J. smiled at his ‘twins’ comment and said, “I’m not sure the world could take two of you anyway, Sir.”

He laughed, finished his banking business, and headed for one of the bank’s offices. He stopped in front of the door marked ‘CEO’. But instead of knocking, Jim opened the door, shuffled his way to the desk, and took his usual position…behind the desk.

Thirty years ago, Jim, recognizing the need for a family-oriented, full-service bank. Undaunted by the challenges such an undertaking presented, Jim founded the credit union, and has never missed a day of work.

†

We have a choice as far as life is concerned. We can either play the hand we’ve been dealt, or we can sit on the sidelines, moping about how bad we’ve got it. It’s kinda hard to do the latter with people like Jim as an example.

If we refuse to be undaunted by whatever hurdles or obstacles we face, we will be amazed at where we find ourselves twenty years down the road. No matter how bad you’ve got it, God can and will give you the strength to carry on.

Prayer

“Give me strength, Lord! Then lead…and I’ll follow! Amen.”

 Remembering God!

August 9

The men of Ephraim…turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God’s covenant…They forgot what he had done…

Psalm 78:9, 10, 11

These neighborhood parents were tired of burying their children. Drive-bys and drug-deals-gone-bad had taken too many lives. Organizers of the community’s ‘Block Watch’ assembled for one specific purpose: to keep the drug dealers and gangbangers out of the neighborhood.

But gang members and dealers paid little to no attention to block watches. They presented little more than a sign decrying the community’s disapproval. They knew that people were afraid to take an actual stand. Sure, they’d holler from their porches and make threats, but nobody wanted to face-off against them. That is, until Jamal moved into the neighborhood.

Jamal Bennet was a godly man, a peace-loving man. But when God asked Jamal to move to Garland Heights and take a stand, Jamal moved. He understood God was calling on his experience for the purpose of setting this neighborhood free…he knew how to stand. He’d stood on the wrong side of this issue for years. But when God got hold of him things changed. Knowing how gangs operated, Jamal would move into a neighborhood, organize and teach its citizens how to stand in battle. With God’s strength and guidance, he’d cleaned up six communities.

†

There are some who run to the battle when all others are running away. These are people who have a deep understanding of Who their strength comes from, and what their future holds. Having been given freedom through Christ, Jamal had made a decision to use his past in God’s service, showing people how to be set free from tyranny. He could stand in the face of true danger because he stood in God’s strength instead of his own. He had a history with God; one he could call on in battle.

Each of us has at least some history with God. He wants to use it to encourage us when times get tough…for us, and those He would send us to. If we keep His commands and remember it’s God Who delivers, we will never need to run from the enemy.

Prayer

“LORD God Almighty, remind me of Who You are, and help plant my feet firmly in the direction of the battle. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 Wisdom Is Ageless

August 8

Do not forsake wisdom…

Proverbs 4:6

The two mowers droned as they moved back-n-forth in adjoining yards; one pushed by a man in his fifties, the other by a young Amish boy no older than nine. The man had been mowing his lawn since his early teens. Being Amish, the boy had probably been mowing for a few years himself.

Occasionally, the man glanced to watch the boy, observing his ability to push a mower larger than himself, and judged the wisdom of the neighbor for hiring such a young boy to do such a potentially dangerous job.

The boy finished as the man was mowing the final few strips at the back edge of his property. He watched as the boy pushed his mower to the edge of the hill, just above where the weeds were allowed to flourish, tipped it on its side so the handle held the weight of the mower, and used a heavy stick to clean the clippings from the underside of the deck, rendering it ready for future use. Then the boy and his driver loaded up and drove away.

Having always cleaned his mower just prior to mowing, the man decided to try the boy’s clean-up method. Surprisingly, he discovered the clippings were removed with greater ease when done this way!

Young he may be…the Amish boy had been well-taught and had inadvertently passed along to the older man a nugget of wisdom.

†

It would have been easy for the man to dismiss the boy’s actions, believing he knew the better way to clean his mower, and in doing so he would have missed out on an easier, simpler way of completing the task.

When we become close-minded toward learning we have lost the potential to grow and gain wisdom. Solomon called it forsaking wisdom.

As simple as this story is, it makes the point quite well. Are we willing to remain open to learning until death, from someone of questionable age?

Jesus said we must become as a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It applies to gaining wisdom as well.

Prayer

“Lord, may I never be so ignorant as to refuse to learn from whomever You place in my life to teach me something. Help me remain open-minded and observant. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 Counter-Clockwise Christianity

August 7

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

John 6:66

John’s garden consisted of a broad spectrum of fruits and vegetables; from tomatoes and peas to banana and bell peppers; sweet corn and broccoli to melons and potatoes; acorn squash and Brussel sprouts to zucchini and pole-beans. Retirement had its privileges; John could spend as much time as he wanted nurturing each plant, making sure no weeds escaped his notice of eviction.

One day a passerby stopped to comment on John’s hard work, “I love to see someone tending their garden!” he exclaimed. “Those are some of the finest pole-beans I have ever seen! How do you grow them so tall?”

John, pointing to the bottom of the ten foot tripod-shaped bean poles, answered, “When the vines first begin looking for a place to attach their tendrils you have to give them a hand.” He made animated circular motions, indicating how he’d woven the vines onto the poles. “But the most important part is how you wrap them on the poles. You see…” he said, leaning closer as if to say I’m sharing a great secret, “the beans will only grow when wrapped in a clockwise direction. If you wrap them counter-clockwise, the beans not only refuse to grow, they will die within three days.”

†

John’s statement is true: pole-beans won’t grow against their nature. They literally get their own way…or rebel and die.

Many Christians are like John’s pole-beans; they thrive as long as they get what they want, yet rebel, leaving Jesus, to die a spiritual death because what He asks is too hard for them.

Jesus knew he would lose followers, yet didn’t try to stop them from leaving. He understood that some people won’t conform to another’s will. Living for Christ requires our voluntary commitment. Understanding this, Jesus gently reaches out, prepared to guide us in the most beneficial direction. Whether He weaves our lives into something beautiful, or we go our own way, is a choice. Jesus candidly asks, “Will you allow Me to tend your life? Or will you leave me too?”

Prayer

“I want to be a strong, healthy servant, Lord. Shape my life, and when I whine about the bending, help me remember that You know what’s best. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 Drink Deeper Still!

August 6

…let him come to me and drink…streams of living water will flow from within him. 

John 7:37, 38

Grace Community had been looking for property to build on for three years when a wonderful opportunity was presented to them. A local business owner had decided to sell his business. The rural property consisted of a warehouse large enough to house a sanctuary and several rooms; two showrooms large enough for several more rooms and office space; and a twenty-five hundred square foot home; all well-maintained, sitting on six acres.

Having discovered through a mutual friend of Grace Community’s need, the businessman contacted them, offering his property at an amazingly low price. Before long they had signed a sales contract. A few weeks later, with closing under way, the water well gave out. It would need drilled an additional thirty feet to guarantee a sufficient water source.

After considering the additional cost of drilling, the church decided to proceed, and contacted the owner to let him know. They were astonished to find out he had completed the drilling, at no cost to them. To top it off, he had installed a brand new water pump!

This businessman had been blessed by God many times. As far as he was concerned he could do no less than turn over the property in the best condition possible, at the price they had settled on, handling any after-costs himself. He was letting God’s life-giving water continue its course.

†

It may seem unusual to have a deal of this nature find you. Yet, when God is teaching the hearts of men, supernatural things happen. God teaches for the purpose of building relationships. And in seeking to discover His nature He wants us to come thirstily.

The businessman, being well watered, understood the giving-nature of God, and how God uses His children to bless others. God had already established in him a giving heart; doing the upgrade was a no-brainer.

Jesus says, “Come closer; drink deeply!” And as our relationship develops; He beckons us to, like drilling the water-well deeper into its source, drink deeper still, becoming life-giving streams!

Prayer

“Loving Father, when I see the beginning of Your heart, and have experienced some of Your goodness, open my heart, and take me deeper still. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 When Evil Knocks

August 5

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion…resist him, standing firm in the faith.

1Peter 5:8, 9

The heavy tapping sounded odd. With the shades drawn, Nora couldn’t see who was at the door. Getting out of the recliner, she drew back the curtain to get a look. Surprised by what she saw, she involuntarily jumped back, ripping the curtain from the window! Standing at the front door was a full-grown, Herford bull!

Regaining her feet, Nora shoved the recliner in front of the door and headed downstairs to alert her mother.

Her abrupt arrival in the kitchen startled Jane, “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“There’s a bull at the front door!” took a moment to register.

“A what?!” Jane asked.

After assuring her mother she wasn’t joking, they ascended the stairs. The bull was nowhere in sight. That was when they heard the commotion downstairs. Descending the stairs, they found the huge bull shoving at a storage bin on the back porch!

Realizing it was the neighbor’s bull, and he not having a telephone, they weighed their options, anxiously discussing what they should do. Finally, Jane snuck out the upstairs door to her car, and went to get the neighbor. After what seemed like forever to Nora, Jane returned. As the man got out of the car he cautioned Jane to wait in the car until he got the animal back in the pasture, because as he put it, “That’s one evil bull!”

†

It would be great if everything dangerous to our spiritual well-being could be identified this easily. If so, we could imitate Nora’s response by barring the door, refusing danger easy access. Then we could discuss our options with God.

But, for the most part, Satan does not roar; he prowls silently, using more subtle approaches that we fail to recognize. And once inside the door, he is relentless.

Peter says to be alert in our efforts to recognize Satan’s schemes, and to resist his tempting offers.

The only way to recognize such deception is through a constant connection with the One Who reveals evil’s true nature. Then when evil knocks…we’ll know to bar the door.

Prayer

Lord, teach me to discern the enemy’s subtle temptations, and give me the faith to resist his lies. In Jesus’ Name, amen.