The Extra Step

April 29

Bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed

you.

Deuteronomy 16:17

“La Biblia!” the people whispered in reverence. Their heartfelt gratitude was

apparent to those passing out Bibles.

Despite the fact that these were supposed illegal immigrants, this group

felt that God was leading them to introduce them to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Midway through their mission, the group began to realize they had not

thought this through completely. These Bibles were printed in English, and

unless these refugees not only spoke but also read English, this act of love and

generosity was simply that. It showed they cared, but the gift was virtually

useless.

Realizing their mistake, one woman wryly asked, “Does anyone here speak

English?” From behind her came a shy, yet clear voice. “I do,” said a young girl.

Turning, the woman ruefully spoke. “I apologize for our oversight. We

didn’t think about the language barrier before we set out today. We only

thought to bring Bibles, not Spanish Bibles.”

In awe, the young girl spoke, “La Biblia in any language is precious. And

there are enough of us who can read English that we can read to those who do

not. Your gift is received in the spirit it was intended. God bless you for bring-

ing us His life-giving Word.”

h

Although it is a wonderful beginning, caring, in itself, is not enough when we

are reaching out in the name of Jesus. We must speak the other’s language, if

not in voice, then in consideration. Good intention is only part of reaching out

in the name of Jesus.

As this story reveals, we must think deeper than our own tribe or nation,

including our customs, when we bring any gift so it may be better utilized. We

must take that extra step.

We see and interpret through the lens of our own experience. If we do not

expand our attention to include those things we do not encounter on a daily

basis, we are only reaching out superficially, not wrong, but not complete in our

ability to reach others for Christ.

Prayer

“Lord of every nationality, help my gift to be considerate

of other’s true needs. Help it say, ‘I care’ in a way

that is thoughtful. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 His Wonderful Light

April 28

… A people belonging to God … who called you out of darkness into

his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

As they gathered around Jerry’s hospital bed, what happened next could only

be described as something otherworldly. Jerry had been battling cancer for two

years, and the doctors had called the family together, sure he would not live

through the night.

As they prayed, a smile appeared on Jerry’s face, and he began to chuckle.

His countenance changed from one of unrest to serene peace. Jerry’s chuckling

grew into joy-filled laughter, his smile a tooth-exposing grin. In the span of

thirty seconds, the laughter became so contagious that everyone in the room

was affected. 

Tears appeared at the corner of Jerry’s eyes, and as suddenly as the laughter began, it subsided. His body became still, his smile transfixed. His eyes snapped open. It was evident to everyone in the room Jerry was looking directly at something or Someone. His vision narrowed momentarily, then recognition crossed his face. Tears flowed like rivers down both cheeks; they fell past his ears and onto his pillow. Two words escaped his lips in the briefest of whispers: “My Jesus!” Jerry closed his eyes, took two more breaths, and was still. His spirit had departed, yet the smile remained.

h

Dying is when time ceases to exist and eternity is met face to face.

Many people testify to loved ones speaking the name of Jesus or seeing a

bright light at the moment of their death.

The hope we have in Jesus transcends this world. It is the promise that

we will spend eternity with our heavenly Father. In Him there is no darkness.

The antithesis of that promise is an eternity void of our Creator, and with

that void comes a knowledge of our need for salvation due to our sin, yet

never receiving it. Faced with the understanding that we will not escape this

world alive, the choice we make today will determine where we spend all our

tomorrows.

For those who believe and call on the name of Jesus, death is when you

close your eyes and walk into His wonderful light.

Prayer

“Lord of light, send your Spirit to testify to the truth of

eternity. Work in the hearts of men and women, boys

and girls, unto salvation. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Stocking the Shelves

April 27

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in

my house.

Malachi 3:10

Grace didn’t understand this “tithing thing,” as she put it. Yesterday’s sermon

had been titled, “Stocking God’s Shelves.” The pastor had spoken about giving

God the first fruits of our labor as an act of love and obedience. He spoke of

God’s instruction to the Israelites on this matter, referencing Old and New

Testament Scripture. He said, “In reality, everything we have is God’s. But

because He loves us so much, He doesn’t force us to tithe.” He spoke about

reciprocity and how we can’t outgive God, reading from Malachi where God

says, “Test me in this.”

Grace and her husband, Reggie, were new Christians. All this stuff was

foreign to them, but they wanted to do the right thing. So, out of obedience,

Reggie and Grace began giving fifteen percent of their income—ten percent

for tithe, five percent of offering—to help stock God’s shelves. It was difficult

at first, sitting down each payday and writing that first check to God. But

they did it. And within the first two months, things began to happen. Reggie

received a pre-evaluation raise, and Grace received an insurance settlement

she knew nothing about. God was responding to their obedience to keep His

storehouses full.

h

The subject of tithing makes many people uncomfortable, and many get

offended every time the collection plate is passed.

Taking into consideration that there are those in ministry who pollute

what God has ordained, Scripture is clear on our financial responsibility to

God’s church. Building the kingdom requires finances. Whether we make a

contribution or not is up to us.

When Jesus said, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” He was

saying that we either trust in Him for what we need or we trust in ourselves.

When we hoard our money, we are stealing our own blessings because God

cannot and will not bless those who do not sow into His kingdom. “Bring” is a

command with both a choice and a promise attached.

Prayer

“Lord, teach me to trust You and believe. Help money

to become a tool for the kingdom and not a vice

that seduces my heart. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Stop Getting Saved

April 26

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Romans 7:18b

Evan sensed movement and looked up to see Kenny, his twelve-year-old son,

heading for the altar. Concluding a powerful message, the pastor had given an

altar call. “If you need Jesus, then I want you to get up out of your chair and

come stand at the altar and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Come right

now while we wait.” That’s what Kenny was doing—for the third time this

month.

Following the service, Evan asked him, “Why’d you go to the altar today,

buddy?”

Kenny timidly answered, “I called a girl a bad name at school the other day

and needed Jesus to save me again.” Evan sought the right words to reach his

son’s tender heart. He opened his Bible and read Romans 7:14–25 to Kenny. He

read it in its entirety, then reread each verse, explaining, “Kenny, Paul, a mighty

man of God, struggled with sin all his life. It did not make him unsaved each

time he sinned.”

He finished by explaining that when we sin, it does not negate our salva-

tion; it means we made a mistake we need to repent of and then do our best

not to repeat it.

h

Kenny is not alone in his Christian walk. Many Christians walk around with-

out a true understanding of sin versus salvation, thinking that God is this mean

bully keeping track of each offense in order that He might hold them against

us.

God knows what is in the heart of man, yet chose to forgive us. He does

not expect Jesus to be crucified over and over again, nor does He need to be.

When we truly give our lives and hearts to Jesus, our salvation is complete

at that moment; no one can take it away.

Understanding that we will sin and when we do, it’s not resaving we need,

but a heart of repentance. This is a picture of reshaping and renewing our mind,

not our salvation.

Prayer

“Lord, help me understand that once I’m Yours,

I only need to turn away from the sin and not

be saved again. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Hypocrite? Not Me!

April 25th

God, thank you that I am not like other men.

Luke 18:11

Set free from the ravages of drug addiction, Jamaal had been out of prison for

two years. He had re-surrendered his life to Christ, and his rebellion was over.

He’d made a complete turnaround, his life becoming a positive influence on

those around him. But recently his wife had observed another tempter enter

her husband’s life: the spirit of judgment!

He seemed able, and willing, to spot every small offense in others. It was

as if Jamaal noticed things at the seed stage, and felt compelled to ‘set things

straight’, as he put it, ‘before they got out of control’. No one could offend God

without Jamal becoming aware of it.

For six months, Jamaal intervened for the Lord, keeping score of every

transgression, remarking to his wife about other’s shortcomings. One day

his wife felt led to call him on his righteous behavior, saying, “When did you

become the Holy Spirit, Jamaal?”

It took a few days for it to sink in, but Jamaal realized his actions were

judgmental at best … hypocritical at worst. Repentant for his hypocritical

spirit, Jamaal asked God to remove his eyes of judgment, and replace them

with eyes of love.

h

Quoting Oswald Chambers, “The average Christian is the most penetratingly

critical individual.” As Christians we can quickly qualify as Spiritual Supreme

Court Justices if our hearts aren’t constantly surrendered to the One True

Judge. It’s so easy to watch others make mistake after mistake, thinking that

we, like the Pharisee in today’s text, are above such things.

The world loves to call us hypocrites. And sadly, many times they’re right.

We don’t do as we say or should. Hypocrisy is not only saying one thing while

doing another; it can also be veiled behind self-righteous arrogance, unde-

tectable to the one being hypocritical. Chambers also said, “ … in the spiritual

domain nothing is accomplished by criticism.”

What we look for we will find. Hopefully, we are looking for Jesus in those

around us.

Prayer

“Forgive me when I get off track, Lord. I sometimes don’t

even recognize when it’s happening. Help me always

look for the good in others. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Love Deeply

April 24

Love … always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:7

Adrian and Jennifer devised a unique wedding gift for their young friends.

Instead of something traditional, they decided to pass along one of their favor-

ite books. Hidden within its pages were three restaurant gift certificates and

a handwritten note encouraging them to love deeply. The book, written by a

Christian author, gave practical ways in which to enrich our relationships and

fend off complacency in marriage.

There was a catch though; this couple might not read the book immedi-

ately and may not find the certificates for years. In truth, that was exactly how

they envisioned their plan working out. Hopefully, when in times of struggle,

they would remember the book, pull it off the shelf to gain some inspiration,

and there find wisdom, the note, and the gift certificates.

In the note was a simple message: “When it feels like love is ebbing, press

on! Remember the hope you shared in courtship. Use one of the gift certificates

today. Learn to listen to each other; never give in; always persevere, dare to love

deeply!”

Thirty years of marriage had provided Adrian and Jennifer with a measure

of wisdom.

h

God has provided this same wedding gift for us, His bride. Not that we would

only open His Word in times of trouble, but that especially during those times

we would press on and seek to find the wisdom He has buried deep within the

pages of Scripture.

Wisdom comes through experience. Seldom do we learn lessons by hear-

ing about them. Most of the time, events must first happen to us before they

have any meaning in our lives. In those times, we can benefit from the experi-

ence of others, but only if we ask for help. God loves us so deeply that He has

hidden timeless and pertinent treasures in His Word. Just for us, just for now.

Prayer

“In those times when we need a boost, Lord, lead us to

the correct passage in Your Word. And please send us a

messenger of love who has been where we are now. Give

us courage to love deeply. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 What Goes Around

April 23

Give, and it will be given to you … For with the measure you use, it

will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38

Luke smiled as he hung up the phone. God had a sense of humor. Luke had

just been given a new-to-him used car, no charge. It had been a gift from

someone at his church to replace his lately deceased Honda Accord. His smile

was wonder filled, and this was where God’s sense of humor applied, because

now the shoe was on the other foot—on the other foot because in the past,

Luke and his wife, Connie, had given away several vehicles. It had been such

a blessing to see the appreciation in the beneficiary’s eyes, hence God’s ironic

economy: “Give and it will be given to you.”

Luke and Connie had both been raised in homes where helping others

was a way of life. Never well off financially, they learned to love blessing people

for the Lord.

This situation gave them a unique perspective. They went from blesser to

blessee. Being on the receiving end was certainly different—humbling. They

knew what their benefactor would feel each time he saw them driving this car

and that made it easier to accept his generosity.

They blessed God for the gift and asked His blessing on their benefactor,

who had been so generous in their time of need.

h

This couple hadn’t given away vehicles in the hopes that someone would return

the favor someday. They had done it out of a spirit of love and giving, with a

heart that heard the voice of the God whispering, “Someone needs My bless-

ing. Will you be My instrument?”

This incident does, however, point out the truth of today’s text: if you are

a giver, it will not guarantee God’s immediate blessing; it does, nevertheless,

promise God will give to you in the same way you give to others.

Prayer

“Lord, because of Your great love and mercy, I give all

I have freely to You to do what You want. How could

I do anything else? It’s all Yours anyway. Amen.”