Marshmallows

May 30

… while we wait …

Titus 2:13

The Sunday school teacher placed one marshmallow in front of each of her ten

students. “Please wait to eat your marshmallow until I say it’s all right. Once

I give you permission, you are free to eat it. I must leave the room. If you wait

to eat your marshmallow until I return, I will give you a second marshmallow.

If you choose to eat it before I return, you will not receive a second one.” With

that, she left the room.

Six of the children immediately grabbed and ate their marshmallow.

Three children sat patiently, hands in their laps, watching their peers enjoy

the tasty treat.

As time passed, the wait showed on one little boy. Just as he grabbed his

marshmallow, the teacher opened the door! The boy slowly placed it back on

the table.

The teacher acknowledged the four children’s restraint. “You didn’t give in

to a desire to eat your marshmallow.” Placing a second marshmallow in front

of them, she continued, “Here is your reward for waiting.”

She then announced, “I must leave again. If both marshmallows are

uneaten when I return, I will give you two more.” The kids who had eaten their

marshmallow were visibly disappointed. “For those who ate their marshmal-

low, if you will remain seated and silent until I return, I will give you one more

marshmallow.” With consequences versus reward fresh in their minds, the six

remained quietly in their seats.

h

The temptation to eat our marshmallows is great. Without hesitation, many of

us devour them without a second thought. The hope within the promise isn’t

tangible enough to discipline our desires. But once we witness the reward of

self-discipline, we gain new perspective, one that gives us hope.

“While we wait” is not a passive proclamation. It is an action-filled oppor-

tunity to bring ourselves under the control of Someone else in the hope of

being rewarded with a life more like Christ’s, full of love, joy, and peace.

Watching someone else do it gives us hope. Our struggle gets easier as we

experience the reward.

Prayer

“The temptation is great, Lord. I can’t do this

on my own, I need Your help. Teach me to wait

on Your reward. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Being Busy For Jesus!

May 29

and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

1Corinthians 3:13

Tom and Galinda were exhausted. Misguidedly, they believed that laboring for

the Lord was meant to be that way. “After all,” Tom was fond of saying, “the

Bible says, ‘each will be rewarded according to his labor’ so the more we labor, the

bigger the reward!” And with that mindset they went about being busy for Jesus!

They had a plan and disciplined themselves to stick to it. Their satisfaction at

the end of each day began to wane but they pushed on, knowing things would

get better if they just stuck to their plan. After all, Jesus expected them to stay

busy … didn’t He?

After ten years of non-stop being busy for Jesus, they felt more like under-

appreciated and underpaid employees than servants of the King. Serving had

gone from a labor of love to hard labor. They couldn’t remember the last time

they’d actually enjoyed what they were doing. To the best of their recollection it

had been years. And weren’t they supposed to be compensated for their labor?

Hadn’t God promise them an exciting life of service with reward? This cer-

tainly wasn’t rewarding! They had even forgone having children so they could

commit more time to God’s work!

Disgruntled and disillusioned, they resigned as committee heads of every

group they were involved in, and left the church.

h

God’s people are designed to serve Him with zeal and passion. Yet sadly, many

equate busyness to quality of service. Spurred on by this mentality they set to

work, not understanding that what they’re doing is not what God wants.

Failing to ask God what’s important to Him will lead to spiritual frustra-

tion and a sense of overwhelming disappointment. Many Christians live in

perpetual turmoil, never understanding they are laboring in vain, and their

works will be consumed by fire. They themselves will be saved, but their work

will be consumed.

Being busy for Jesus isn’t God’s idea of service. If we make time each morn-

ing to ask for instruction we will remove a lot of stress from our lives, and our

works will stand the fiery test.

Prayer

“Good morning, Lord. I want to do what You want me

to do today. What would You have me do? Amen.”

 The Chrysalis

May 28

Behold, I make all things new.

Revelation 21:5 (kjv)

Sitting alone in the woods, contemplating her life, Bryanna wondered how she

could have slipped so far from the life she’d envisioned for herself as a child.

Only now did she understand the destruction she’d caused and realize her

inability to atone for her mistakes. “Lord, if You’re really here, now would be a

good time to show Yourself,” she said aloud, thinking there was about a one in

a billion chance of Him showing up.

But to her utter amazement, He appeared in the next moment. As she sur-

veyed her surroundings, Bryanna noticed something hanging from the small

limb of a nearby bush. Moving closer, she realized with wonder that she was

looking at a chrysalis. A caterpillar had woven its cocoon recently, and had

begun the metamorphosis to its current state. Now, a butterfly was fighting to

emerge from its protection to begin a new life.

She knelt and watched as the struggle culminated with the butterfly’s

emergence. It hung from its transitory dwelling, drying its wings in the bril-

liant sunlight. Then it flew away. As she watched it light on flower after flower,

she heard God whisper, “You too can begin a new life, Bryanna. It will require

a bit of struggle, but the change can be as dramatic as this insect’s you just

witnessed. Would you trust Me to make things new?”

h

How sweet is the knowledge that God makes things new each time we bring

our pitfalls to His throne, laying them before Him, asking forgiveness! And

how many times have we, like Bryanna, made a mess of things, only to seek

God’s intervention? It is beyond human comprehension how God can forgive

the vile things we have done and then forget them. But He does, and He will.

And the life we are able to live following repentance is a life unmarred by past

sin.

Today’s text speaks of God’s loving mercy. It is powerful enough to recre-

ate our lives, making us brand new. But only if we accept His Son as our Savior

and come asking forgiveness. If we do this, He promises we will be changed!

Prayer

“Lord, change me from who I am today. Transform

my life and make me new. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Bitter Rivals

May 27

A brother offended is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bared gates of a citadel.

Proverbs 18:19

Bruce and Mitch were always trying to outdo each other. In childhood the

twins had competed with and against each other in everything. But their high

school years saw an unhealthy change take place. Each competition became

more intense. Their motives shifted noticeably. They became driven by a pas-

sion to not only be the best, but to inflict emotional injury, making the other

look bad in the process.

Mitch and Kara had been dating for several months, becoming high school

sweethearts. Then Bruce stole her away. He dated her for less than a week and

dumped her. It was evident he’d only done it to see if he could; it didn’t matter

that Mitch was devastated and Kara was humiliated.

Mitch never forgot. He vowed he would never finish second to Bruce

again. As the years passed, their sibling rivalry turned into a ‘king of the hill’

showdown; any semblance of decency was thrown out the window. Each set

out to purposely sabotage anything the other became involved in. Eventually

nobody wanted anything to do with either of them—in business or personally.

In the end, they lived sheltered lives behind gated homes, rarely venturing out

so as not to give the other a target.

h

Competition is meant to teach us to excel in life. It is part of our training in

learning how to humbly win and graciously lose. Winning teaches us to suc-

ceed; losing teaches us to be compassionate—both teach us to be tolerant with

wisdom that is more understanding.

Once we learn how to properly do both, we are meant to put this knowl-

edge to use in beneficial ways. Sibling rivalry is supposed to be where we safely

learn to navigate both.

Unfortunately, there are those whose only goal in life is to rise to the top

with a total disregard for others.

God gives us certain strengths so that we might assist others in their

struggles, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a simple backyard ball game or a position

with the biggest firm in the country.

Prayer

“Help me put competition in the right perspective, Lord. Teach

me to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Amen.”

 The Picture On The Box

May 26

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord …

Jeremiah 29:11

Brad and Sharon loved jigsaw puzzles. However, this one was going to be a

challenge. Brad had purchased what he thought was a wonderful acquisition.

He’d picked up a five-thousand piece puzzle at a yard sale. The $1 dollar catch

was that there was no box; only the puzzle in a cellophane bag.

He smiled as he handed his wife the puzzle. Seeing the bag, Sharon asked,

“Where’s the box?” The look on Brad’s face told her all she needed to know.

“I can’t believe you bought a puzzle without the box! You know how crucial

the picture is to figuring out which piece goes where. How do you propose we

assemble this puzzle without it?”

Brad, having prepared for her reaction on the way home, argued, “I’ve

already got that all figured out,” he said proudly. “We’ll lay the pieces out, face

up, set the border by the straight edges, then assemble pieces with the same

colors, and so on; we’ll figure it out. C’mon. It’ll be fun!”

Shaking her head in mock annoyance, Sharon answered with a disclaimer,

“Only if you promise me you won’t buy any more puzzles without the box.”

h

In the natural, we view our lives in terms of a jigsaw puzzle; we see innumer-

able events that have no apparent connection, and the sum of all the parts is

still undefined. Yet, we hope that someday it will portray a beautiful and com-

plete picture.

And as in today’s story, we sometimes blindly proceed, doing the best we

can in view of what we have to work with, sorting through the pieces, trying

to find the ones that fit. Sometimes they fall easily into place; other times, due

to a lack of spiritual perspective, we jam mismatched pieces together in our

attempt to make them fit.

Don’t become discouraged. Instead, relax in the knowledge that God sees

us with Spiritual eyes. He knows what the picture on the box is supposed to

look like.

If we yield the pieces of our lives to His care, He can, and promises to take

each one and make them interlock perfectly.

Prayer

“Take the pieces of my life, Lord, and make

them into something beautiful. Amen.”

 I Want Mercy!

May 25

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7

“I’ll never forgive them!” Jim screamed as he flew out of the pastor’s office. His

anger left no room for reasonable thought.

He had begun having nightmares since being mugged three weeks ago and

couldn’t seem to get a grip on his emotions. He’d tried sleeping pills, even tried

drinking himself to sleep once; neither had the desired effect. Strained to the

point of emotional bankruptcy, Jim decided to speak with his pastor and try

discussing his problems.

But that had been a joke! The pastor had listened and then told Jim he

should try to forgive these men. He had told Jim that forgiving them would

set him free from the memories of that night. He hadn’t said one word about

them asking Jim for forgiveness. Jim was indignant. How dare he tell me I need

to forgive them!

His wife continued to pray, but Jim just became increasingly bitter. Even-

tually it consumed his life; he became morose and died from heart complica-

tions several years later.

h

Forgiving those who have hurt us is not about giving up revenge and getting

even; it is about setting ourselves free from the burden of resentment and bit-

terness. It is about mercy and unmerited favor; it is about grace.

What others do is between them and God.

When Christ hung on Calvary’s cross, it was an act of mercy and unmer-

ited favor for us. He didn’t have to go. He chose to out of a love so deep that

he would rather be humiliated, tortured, and die a pain-filled death rather than

live without us in eternity!

We can choose to hang on to the burden of acts committed against us. But

at what cost do we give up our rights and give it to Jesus? If we want mercy

but struggle to give it ourselves, God can’t provide it. That is a spiritual law.

Remember, we reap what we sow. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the

Lord Almighty.” He meant it, so leave it up to Him.

Prayer

“Merciful Father, forgive me for my pride and arrogance.

Touch my heart with a desire to forgive. Show me how to

forgive others who have hurt me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Who’s to Blame?

May 24

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have

against one another.

Colossians 3:13

He set the VCR on record and went back to reading. He knew she hadn’t

seen this episode. They could watch it together when she got home.

Returning home, his wife noticed the VCR on record and asked in apprehen-

sion, “What tape are you using?” Instantly he knew what he’d done! The look

on his face said what he couldn’t voice. “Nooooo!” she cried in anguish.

They’d been watching home videos of their children that morning—pre-

cious times and events they had cherished for over twenty years—and now

they were gone.

Recorded over them was a meaningless TV show, and there was nothing

either of them could do about it.

For the next few hours they lived under the weight of his mistake, silently

blaming themselves and each other for the destruction of the tape—she feeling

anger and frustration because she’d told him not to worry about recording this

show; he because she left the tape in the VCR after they had finished watching

it; both because they should have removed the tab present on all VHS tapes

to prevent this very thing from happening. Both were responsible, each could

place blame, but both chose to forgive.

h

If we look to place blame, we will find opportunity. Each of us has at one time

or another displayed glaring shortcomings.

What happens following gut-wrenching disappointment at the hands of

another is determined by whether we choose to place blame or forgive. Each

time we face difficulties such as this, we are given a choice: do we ask God to

give us the grace to overcome the temptation to blame or allow our irritation

to foster bitterness?

There will always be someone to blame. Yet, who’s to blame is not as

important as who loses when we blame. The act of blaming sets us up as judge

and jury. The act of forgiveness sets us free of the heaviness and sorrow. We

reap what we sow. Which would you rather experience? Blame or forgiveness?

Prayer

“Set me free of blame, Lord. I know I’ve made

mistakes and been forgiven. Help me extend that

same grace to others. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”