Left at the IGA

March 31

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does

he not leave the ninety-nine … and go after the lost sheep until he

finds it?

Luke 15:4

They were headed for the nursing home to visit Gramma. Sally, one of five girls,

was asleep in the back seat when Momma stopped at the IGA. Living twenty-

plus miles from the grocery store meant taking the opportunity to shop when

it presented itself.

Awakening, Sally found the car empty. Getting out of the car, Sally entered

the store undetected. Drawn to the shiny aluminum strip along the display

cases in the cold-food section, Sally momentarily forgot her objective. The cool,

variegated silver bar (at just the right level for a four-year-old) called to her,

inviting her to run her fingernails against its irregular surface. Sally giggled as

she ran to the meat case at the back of the store. From one end of the store to

the other she went, fingernails gliding over the shiny, diamond-plated surface.

It tickled her fingers!

As she turned to make her next pass, she could see up the long aisle and

out the doors at the front of the store. She froze! Momma’s car was mov-

ing! She was being left behind! She ran for the front of the store screaming,

“Momma!” As she reached the doors, she was gently scooped off her little

feet by a kindly woman. Comforting Sally and holding her close, she tenderly

whispered, “Momma will be back, hon. Don’t you worry.” She knew the young

mother would return. And sure enough, ten minutes later, through bullet-sized

tears, Sally saw her Momma jump from her car, running, arms extended toward

her.

h

Everything changed when Momma realized her child was nowhere to be

found. Her purpose shifted from a visit to Gramma to a mission of finding

her lost child.

Jesus feels the same way about those who have strayed from the flock. He

will not rest until they are safe in the fold. Like Sally, we can become side-

tracked by the things of this world. And like the kindly woman, Jesus will send

one of His own to comfort and embrace the lost child until, through the tears,

he sees Him coming.

Prayer

“Thank You, Jesus, for always looking

for us when we’re lost. Amen.”

 He Knows My Name!

March 30

The Lord knows those who are his …

2Timothy 2:19

Ricky was on his way to his in-laws to pick up his wife. It was a warm spring

day so he drove with the car windows down. As he passed by his Amish neigh-

bor’s farm he was surprised to hear one of the boys holler, “Hi Ricky!” I had no

idea any of these kids knew my name! 

He waved and hollered, “Hi Guys!” to the passel of kids, and thought back to a day almost two months ago, when he and his wife had stopped by to introduce themselves to their new neighbors.

Ricky had to admit he was a bit chagrined that he couldn’t remember the

name of the boy who’d just called his; it was kind of disconcerting … and hum-

bling. Yet there was another sensation, one deeper and more meaningful, which

surfaced and remained: It felt wonderfully validating for someone to know and call

him by name! It was as if the young boy had pronounced a blessing over him by

speaking his name in the presence of his brothers and sisters. He was saying,

“I know you, Ricky Miller. You matter enough to me to have remembered your

name from that first day you stopped at my house.” 

It was then Ricky remembered the boy had been standing beside his father when he’d introduced himself. Abe! That’s his name! Ricky made a mental note to return the blessing … as well as learn the names of all ten of Abe’s siblings.

h

To be hailed in this manner is akin to being handed a glass of ice-water on a

hot summer’s day when you’ve been working all day in the hot sun. Its wel-

comed coolness penetrates every part of your being, bringing pleasant relief;

and this from a mere acquaintance.

Jesus is more than ‘acquainted’ with us. He knows us intimately! His death

and resurrection purchased our salvation! He says, “I know you! You matter

so much to me that I have known your name from before your birth! You are

Mine!” See Revelation 2:17

Prayer

“There is a thrill that runs through me, that permeates

my entire being at this knowledge, Lord Jesus! I am

blessed because You know my name! Amen.”

 A Moment Away

March 29

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing murderous threats against the

Lord’s disciples.

Acts 9:1

Ben had lived a rough life. As a matter of fact, he was still living a rough life.

Six feet two inches tall, two hundred forty pounds of solid muscle, Ben

was an oil-field roustabout, making his living wrestling thirty-foot joints of

steel pipe and pumping oil wells in the dead middle of winter. He was strong

and seasoned. He was also opinionated as far as things related to the God of

the Bible. Quick witted, he always made a derogatory comment when anyone

mentioned God or Jesus, saying things like, “God is an excuse for weak people

who can’t make it on their own!”

A friend once asked Ben what he thought he might say to God when he

found himself standing before him on the day of his death. He contemptuously

answered, “Why, I’m gonna ask Him, ‘Where’s the best fishin’ hole?’” Continu-

ing to pray, this friend never gave up on Ben. He constantly spoke to Ben about

God’s love, praying God would draw him into a saving relationship, perhaps on

his own road to Damascus, like Saul. And after thirty years of witnessing, and

interceding on Ben’s behalf, on a warm summer’s morning Ben invited Jesus

into his heart!

h

At times we may be tempted to give up on those who seem to have too rough

an exterior toward the things of God. Tired of their rhetoric, we’re tempted to

distance ourselves from their unseemly actions.

Saul’s story gives us hope. One moment he was cursing the kingdom, the

next he was serving the King. Not everyone who rails against God, breathing

murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, will be changed. But we are

not to give up on them. They might be a moment away from nearing their

Damascus.

Do you know someone like Ben? If so, ask God for another measure of the

grace you were saved by and then extend it to the Ben God placed in your life.

Prayer

“God of grace, give us strength. Show us what the hard cases of

life look like to You. Grant us wisdom to know what to say and

then give us the courage to speak in love. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 T.J.’s Windmill

March 28

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain

understanding.

Proverbs 4:1

T.J. was a Massey-Ferguson man himself. But he didn’t seem to mind his new

six-foot windmill being John Deere green and yellow. The colors were a good

contrast as it stood beside the American flag he displayed every day.

When his grandson erected the windmill, placing it where T.J. could catch

sight of it from his recliner in the living room, no one had any idea of the effect

it would have on people’s lives.

T.J.’s house was situated in the bottom of a river valley running east to west,

allowing the predominant westerly winds unbidden access to the windmill.

Windy days were an event; not because watching the windmill itself was so

interesting, but because something about that spinning windmill stirred T.J.’s

memories, causing him to talk about the past. His ninety plus years spanned

countless changes in our nation’s history. You never knew if you were going

cotton picking in Mississippi, drilling oil wells in the hills of Ohio, or crossing

Germany and France as a medical battalion aide during World War II. As a

matter of fact, you could never be sure of what you were in for when the wind

blew. But if you listened closely, there was wisdom, experience, and instruction

to be gained.

h

Listening is an art form. Listening to the elderly is priceless. Unfortunately, many

of our elderly are discarded as senile and troublesome, despite the fact that their

very presence proclaims they have yet to complete their final earthly purpose.

There is an untapped wealth of knowledge and experience stored within

the memories of our elder statesmen and women.

Solomon instructs us to gain wisdom at our fathers’ knees, not view them

as spent and of little use.

By refusing to listen to them, we forfeit invaluable assistance and under-

standing. We label them of no value. This is foolish at best and at worst is

complete arrogance.

They are not meant to merely mark off each day until they die. We should

avail ourselves of such knowledge before it fades.

Prayer

“Teach us to respect our elders, Lord. Help us recognize

the value of their memories and appreciate their minds.

Show us how to treat them with the reverence they deserve

and the respect You decree. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Spiritual Grit

March 27

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are

you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Luke 6:21

Jenny had given her life to Jesus two years ago in a prison cell and had

learned to trust Him for almost everything—almost. She’d been out three

months now and was still unemployed. She was living out of a homeless shelter,

spending most of each day walking or taking the bus to area employers, seek-

ing work. Her prison record kept her from getting a decent job, and she didn’t

know what to do next. Temporary jobs provided just enough to survive. But she

was tired of just surviving.

On her knees in prayer tonight, she was asking God to direct her to where

she needed to be. She was still learning this praying and listening thing. Jenny

had never cared much about life before knowing Jesus. She’d always gotten

what she’d needed by hustling tricks. This honest living stuff was difficult.

At that moment, she felt God speak to her heart. “You let Me embrace you

in prison, Jenny. Will you embrace Me now?” She crawled into bed, thanking

God that tomorrow would bring her another day closer to Him. She felt peace

descend just as sleep overtook her.

h

There is a misconception that the Christian life should be easy, a life devoid of

misery and pain. But it’s not—and for good reason. If it were, the whole world

would become followers of Jesus. Christianity would be a wholesale religion; it

would have no power or meaning.

God is a rewarder of those who show spiritual grit. He honors those com-

mitments because He knows what following His Son has cost each of us. Fall-

ing down does not make us failures, nor is it fatal. Get up! The bumps we

acquire over our spiritual journey will be put to use for the kingdom. There is

nothing that rivals the satisfaction of a clear conscience and the knowledge we

are following the King. No pain is so great that it can shadow the truth.

Prayer

“Lord, when we weep, catch our tears. When we

laugh, hear our joy; when we fall, take our hand; as

we grow, show us more. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”