Pay Attention

January 8

If only you had paid attention to my commands.

Isaiah 48:18

As Wendy put her foot on the ice, Bridgette cautioned her, “I wouldn’t go out

on the ice yet, Wendy. It hasn’t been cold long enough to be safe.”

“Oh, you’re just a wuss!” Wendy said and stepped completely onto the

pond.

“There’s no ice in the center of the pond, Wendy!” Bridgette stressed. “It’s

not as thick as you think! Don’t be foolish, please!” she begged.

“Aw, come on, it’s safe enough right here!” she chided and jumped up and

down to make her point.

In the next instant, they heard a loud crack. Fear and panic replaced

Wendy’s bravado as she disappeared through the ice! She came up flailing and

screaming, “Help!”

As Wendy floundered, Bridgette ran to the farmhouse. She was met by her

father who’d heard her screams and come to investigate. Bridgette’s explana-

tion came spilling out in a terror-filled voice. Grasping the situation, he turned

and ran to the barn, grabbed a rope and sprinted for the pond. Hollering to

Wendy to keep treading water, he hurriedly tied the rope to the dock, secured

it to his waist, and crawled out onto the ice. As he neared his frantic daughter,

the ice gave way. Swimming the remaining distance, he grabbed Wendy, then

using the rope, slowly pulled them back to solid ground. Once she was safe, he

verbalized his displeasure, “Now you know why I told you to stay off the ice

until I said it was okay. Next time, pay attention.”

h

It is my belief that God would like us to pay attention. But being the self-

sufficient people we are, we set out on our own when His instructions don’t

lead in the direction we’re headed. We foolishly tell ourselves, “It won’t happen

to me, I’ll be fine!” only to find out too late that it happens to us all at one time

or another.

God is not a domineering Father who doesn’t want us to enjoy life. On the

contrary, His commands have a purpose meant to protect us from ourselves and

others. But free will being what it is, keeps God from enforcing our obedience.

Prayer

“Lord, Help me understand that Your commands

are meant for my own good and not the demands

of a high-handed Father. Amen.”

 The Devil We Know

January 7

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free.

Psalm 118:5

Doug and Cheryl had never been in this part of town. They ran a homeless

shelter on the north side but had felt led to the east side tonight. It was an

especially cold evening, and they’d come here to pass out blankets and coats.

Passing among the men and women huddled around fire barrels, they

shared words of encouragement, speaking of God’s love and how He wanted

to make a difference in their lives.

“Lady,” one man responded in anger, “if God loves everybody so much,

then why are there so many homeless people? God doesn’t give a rip about us!”

He turned his back on Cheryl and walked away.

“Please, sir,” she pleaded. “He does care. He sent us here to help you.”

He turned back momentarily, and in a trembling voice and with bitterness

in his eyes, he said, “Lady, I don’t want your charity! And I don’t want God’s

either!”

Doug tried to follow, hoping to reason with the man, but was cut off by

one of the man’s friends. “He’s been here a long time, mister,” the man said.

“He’s bitter about the past. You mean well, and we appreciate your kindness,

but his memories outweigh your gift.”

Taking a blanket for himself, he said, “Give him time to see how others

respond. Maybe someday he’ll figure out that God didn’t put him here.”

h

Sometimes we prefer the devil we know to the deliverance we don’t under-

stand. Fear of the unknown can keep us from investigating our inner selves

and keep us from finding out there is strength within that would fight to see

ourselves set free.

One of the hardest lessons regarding free will is that God is no more to

blame for our poor choices than He is responsible for the decisions we get

right. He can only suggest. Then we are free to do as we please.

There is no forcing hope on someone who resents his or her circumstances

yet refuses to change. Only when we give God permission to care can we over-

come the devil we know.

Prayer

“Lord, sometimes I feel untrusting and alone. Help me see

these chains of bondage for what they are: lies to keep me

bound. Deliver me from Satan’s lies. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Our Daily Bread

January 6

Give us today our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

The Ryersons were in for the evening. So upon hearing the doorbell, Christian

asked his daughters if one of them was expecting a caller. “No, Dad,” they

answered in unison.

Rising from his chair, he answered the door, surprised to find three young

children pressed against a diminutive woman, trying to hide within the folds

of her skirt. They peeked at him with shy smiles. “Excuse me, sir,” the woman

began. “I saw the light in your windows. My car has broken down, and I would

like to use your phone if I could to call for assistance.” She appeared to struggle

with her own shyness but remained resolute about getting this matter resolved.

“Come in, please,” Christian said, waving his hand for them to enter.

“There’s a fire in the hearth if the kids would like to warm themselves,” he

added, winking at the children, who looked hopefully up at their mother.

“Yes. Go ahead,” she responded. “But behave yourselves, do you

understand?”

“Okay, Mommy!” they hollered over their shoulders, running for the

warmth emanating from the den.

Christian ventured, “Perhaps I can take a look at your car while you and

the children remain here? I might just be able to repair it.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to put you out,” said the woman quickly.

“It’s no problem.” He assured her, grabbing his coat. “Which way down

the lane and how far is it?”

h

God sends our daily bread as we need it in myriad forms.

Are we ready, like Christian, to be used to meet a need at an unexpected,

and possibly at an inconvenient time in the name of kindness and compassion?

Or more aptly defined, in the name of the Lord?

The Lord’s Prayer is not an empty petition to be recited by memory with

no thought of its depth or meaning. How better to show the love of the Father

than by the giving of ourselves rather than our possessions?

It’s far easier to offer our phone than our services. And being used as a

blessing is not a requirement. But if this were your wife and children, would

you not pray they find their daily bread?

Prayer

“May You find me willing to be used as someone’s

daily bread today, Lord. Amen.”

 Against All Reason

January 5

The flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

Ten-year-old Nancy and her older sister, Rachel, jumped off the school bus and

ran into the house. It was a frigid winter afternoon. The house was cold!

“The furnace is out,” Nancy said, her disappointment evident. “Your turn,”

Rachel responded. With Mom working all day for a church-affiliated confer-

ence center, the girls were responsible for restoking the furnace.

Nancy headed to the basement. Tossing some kindling on top of the few

remaining coals, she opened the damper a bit to get a draft going, adding larger

pieces of coal and wood on top of the kindling.

Twenty minutes later, she checked on the fire; it still hadn’t caught. So,

opening the damper completely, she watched until the wood began to burn.

“Finally!” she said, closing the furnace door and heading back upstairs.

Fifteen minutes later, it hit her. I forgot to shut the damper! Running to

the basement, she saw the furnace glowing red hot! I’ve got to cool the fire down

somehow!

Grabbing the garden hose, she opened the furnace door with gloves, stood

back, and sprayed. Foohm! The fire’s reaction was immediate; Nancy’s reaction

was instinct-driven. Her eyes slammed shut, just as hot ash, soot, and flames

shot out the furnace door!

Having heard the roar from upstairs, Rachel ran to the basement. There

stood Nancy—covered in soot from head to toe, except for her eyes, which

she’d managed to open again—miraculously unharmed. Rachel broke into hys-

terical laughter.

h

It was a miracle the furnace hadn’t exploded the instant the water hit it. It

defied the laws of physics. Flames and hot embers had been ejected from the

furnace and had landed on her, and though blackened, even her clothes had not

been singed. Nancy had not received a single burn.

Through the hand of God, Nancy was spared tremendous pain and injury,

horrible disfigurement, and possible death. The realization of what could have

happened has been spoken of fondly during the ensuing forty years. The pic-

ture of that little ten-year-old girl, assaulted by fire yet unharmed, speaks of

God’s protection as loudly today as it did back then.

Prayer

“You, God, are the God of promises and

miracles, and we give You praise. Amen.”

 The Sunday Paper

January 4

Cast all your anxiety on him, for he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

One minute Stevie was laboring through snowdrifts, the next he was flat on

his back.

A rural paperboy, Stevie was held captive under the weight of two hundred

Sunday edition papers jammed into the bags crisscrossing his shoulders. It was

3:15 a.m., and there was no one he could call on for help.

Slight of build, it was all he could do to hoist the bags in place before leav-

ing the house on his early morning trek. His route usually took him an hour

and a half to deliver. The deep snow would increase that by fifty percent. But

right now it stood to be several hours! He realized he had to extricate himself

if he didn’t want to spend several hours waiting for someone to miss him and

come looking.

Spurred on by the thought of freezing to death at the tender age of eleven,

he managed to dig himself out from under the bags. Free of his predicament,

he left one bag lying there, returning for it in a circuitous route after emptying

the first bag.

Stevie learned two valuable lessons that morning: never carry more than

you can handle, and fear is a great motivator!

h

God never intends us to carry the burdens of life alone. We make that choice

ourselves. Today’s headline speaks of sharing the load. Too often we try to

extricate ourselves from the burdens of life. We struggle under intense, self-

inflicted weight, not understanding that God is right beside us, waiting for us

to ask for help. 

As with Stevie, we sometimes try to carry more than we are

meant to. Succeeding on our own in the beginning, we come to believe that it

is God’s plan for us to do it ourselves. If we do that enough times successfully,

we end up like Stevie—with the weight of the world on our shoulders.

As we learn to become God sufficient instead of self-sufficient, we find

that our burdens decrease as our dependency on God increases.

Prayer

“Teach me to share, Lord. Sometimes I’m not so good

at it. I’ve been told to be self-sufficient in order to be

strong. Show me the benefits of giving You the heavy

weight of daily living. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”