Poor by Choice

February 24

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

This soon-to-be mother made up her mind and walked into the hospital. This

is the right choice, she told herself. She’d recently been downsized out of a job

and her medical benefits. Thinking only of the baby, she stepped to the registra-

tion counter and said, “I’m in labor. I’m not due for another two weeks, but my

water broke about an hour ago. I have no insurance and cannot promise you

when, but I will pay for this somehow.”

The receptionist called for the doctor on call and had a nurse assist the

young woman to an exam room. “Have you had any prenatal care, hon?” the

nurse asked. “Oh, yes,” she answered with a shy smile. “You see, I only lost my

job six weeks ago, and the coverage just ran out. I couldn’t afford to pay the

ongoing premiums.” With a smile that said she understood, the receptionist

chuckled and said, “We’ll worry about the bill later, hon. For now, let’s concen-

trate on bringing your child into the world. We have programs that will help,

so don’t you worry about that right now. Have you picked out names for the

little one yet?”

h

The self-sacrifice of motherhood wasn’t lost on the receptionist. She’d raised

four of her own. This young girl was putting the needs of her unborn child

ahead of her pride. She instinctively understood that self-sacrifice is the cry of

a mother’s heart, an ingrained willingness to put her children ahead of herself.

Being poor in spirit is not about financial destitution; it’s about making

the choice to go without for the sake of another. We are constantly faced with

this choice during the course of our lives. We can choose to allow pride and

fear to tell us, “Take care of numero uno!” or we can ask for kingdom eyes to

see the true needs around us, to look at others with spiritual discernment and

concern, to be poor in spirit for the sake of another.

Prayer

“Father, help me fight the selfish desire to meet my

needs ahead of those less fortunate. Help me to

see where I might be able to make a difference in

someone else’s life today. In Jesus Name, amen.”

 Timeless Hope

February 23

Plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

“Okay! Okay! I’ve got it!” Leslie said emphatically to her older brother. “Let’s

make Mom a quilt out of all the scrap material from the last ten years, and we’ll

use the rest to make Dad a pair of slippers!” she expressed with excitement.

“Sweeeet!” Kellen answered. “That’s perfect! We’ll use the camo pattern

for Dad’s slippers!”

Leslie said, “This one may take us several nights! We’ll need to get started

early.”

Christmas was two months gone, and they were already planning next

year’s presents. It had become their timeless tradition when they were very

young to lock themselves in their bedroom on Christmas Eve and make this

final Christmas gift out of love for their parents.

Each year their imagination and creativity were put to the test to come up

with the perfect gift. And as each year passed, it became more of a challenge.

Yet each year they elicited huge smiles from Mom and Dad in recognition of

their labor of love.

h

Love from the bottom of a heart is priceless. It speaks a timeless language all

its own.

Leslie and Kellen were not making presents for the sake of tradition; they

did it because they were part of a loving family. The love they poured into their

gifts was immeasurable. They were already looking to the future, anticipating

the time they would spend together creating a gift of love for their parents.

Loving God with this depth of devotion requires spending intimate time

with Him.

Because of the loving relationship with their parents, Leslie and Kellen

eagerly anticipated working together to create something of lasting value for

them.

As God’s children, we can do the same; we can build hope for the future!

As co-laborers with Jesus, we can help create timeless relationships

between the lost of this world and our Father. We can help give them timeless

hope and bring them to the Father Who holds their future.

Prayer

“God of hope, we thank you for the hope we find in Jesus.

Help us to excitedly prepare to help create lasting and

timeless relationships for You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Obedience

February 22

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and

sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is

better than sacrifice.”

1 Samuel 15:22

She had come to the hospital because of God’s urging. She was here to minis-

ter in prayer. She found the family surrounding her friend’s bed. Each face said

they knew their mother wouldn’t last the night. The doctor had said as much.

She looked at them and simply said, “God asked me to come here tonight and

pray for your mother.” With that, she left the room and crouched down in the

hallway.

All through the night she prayed, knowing this friend’s adult children did

not know God. All through the night she asked Him to bring glory to His

Name and draw these men and women unto Himself. Frequently, one of them

would come out to see if she was still there and thank her for what she was

doing. Her presence seemed to bring them comfort. When morning dawned,

there was marked improvement. Several days later, this mother of seven walked

out of the hospital under her own power.

h

Our obedience allows God to work through us in ways we can’t imagine. When

God is involved, the impact of our witness is immeasurable. This prayer warrior

was an instrument of God. He had urged her during prayer that evening to

come to the hospital and pray. She never hesitated. Her presence had opened a

door for those who witnessed her obedience to God.

They didn’t know this woman very well before this night, but they knew

their mother did. Because of her obedience, they were comfortable enough to

ask questions about the One who had healed their mother.

We can show others the door to salvation with one act of obedience. God

wants us to know when we respond, He moves.

Prayer

“Healer of our souls, we give You glory. Speak to us in such a

way that we recognize Your urging. We want to be instruments

that lead others to salvation. Give us courage to do what You

ask when You ask without question. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Time Is Running Out

February 21

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.

Hebrews 9:27

Joe had invited several friends over to watch game four of the NBA finals:

Cleveland versus San Antonio. The Cavs had made it to the finals for the first

time in franchise history; the Spurs were last season’s league champs.

The score was tied at ninety-eight, and the Alamo Dome was alive with

anticipation. It was Cavs ball with thirty-seven seconds left in the fourth quar-

ter and two timeouts. Spurs were up three games to none in the best of seven

series; it was win or go home for the Cavs. 

Inbounding the ball, they moved up into the front court. With eight seconds left, James drove the lane. The screen went blue! “Nooooo!” everybody screamed. “Not now!” Joe was livid. He tried to find the game on another channel, but all one hundred fifty-eight channels were lost; he dropped into his recliner in disbelief. By the time the picture was restored the game was over.

h

In the same way, the clock is counting down on our lives. Time is running out

on each of us, and the game will end without warning. From the moment of

our birth we are headed toward the day of our death. There is no guarantee of

our next breath. Yet some of us live in denial of that truth.

As suddenly as the satellite signal was lost in the basketball game, our lives

will end. We will find ourselves before the One Who offered to set us free. If

Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, we should live in such a way that makes those

who don’t know Him curious about where we get our strength.

We are spiritual beings in a physical body. Our spirit will live for eternity,

either in heaven or hell. Both are real, only one is inhabited by God. In the

other will be realization that any chance of being near your Creator has been

missed forever. Don’t allow the world to feed you lies that imply you have all

the time you need. The clock is ticking.

Prayer

“Father of all Creation, speak the truth of this message

to every heart that reads it. Please draw them into a

relationship with You, now. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Faith, Hope, and Love

February 20

Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of

these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Looking across the room, his gaze fell upon the two candleholders sitting on

the table. They’d been a gift to him and his wife on their twenty-fifth anniver-

sary. Four inches square, the relief cuts on the sides held significance to faith

and love. A lighthouse illuminating the world was the symbol of faith while

a large, flourishing heart, surrounded by stars defined love. It struck him that

there wasn’t one for hope. And right now hope was what he needed because

hopelessness was threatening to beat him into submission. He knew God was

at work. He just wasn’t sure how or where.

Having just been turned down for full-time employment in a job he’d been

doing part-time and way behind on the bills, he wondered what God was up to.

There seemed to be no resolution. Yet his faith in God’s abiding love, and that

of his wife of thirty years, gave him hope. These two constants could never be

taken away. God was not taken unawares. He would work things out.

h

When things don’t go our way, we can become disillusioned, perhaps even bro-

ken. Unless we have a solid foundation built on the knowledge that our lives

are anchored in God’s love, we can lose hope. 

Paul told the Romans at the end of chapter eight there was nowhere they could go that God’s love could not find them. Nothing they could do would separate them from the depth of that love. “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (verse 39).

The events in our lives can bring us low. Whether we stay there is up to

us. God wants to encourage us in our trials. We do well to remember we have

the greatest love of all at our disposal. That love builds faith and hope. God’s

embrace is two moves away—just turn and reach up.

Prayer

“Thank You for the hope we have in You, Abba.

Draw me close to You as I reach up and give you

my heart for mending. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Out of the Blinding Darkness

February 19

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar

paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light.

Isaiah 42:16

Craig had been lost for hours when he saw the light in the distance. “Finally!”

he uttered in relief. A wildlife photographer, he had set out that snowy morn-

ing following fresh elk tracks, hoping to get some good photos. The animal had

entered the dark timber where the snow wasn’t as deep.

In dark timber, things are a lot closer, trees are only feet apart, and land-

marks appear the same in every direction. Taking a new compass reading, he set

out. As he continued trailing the bull, he encountered other tracks. It became

harder to distinguish the original trail. He decided to take another compass

reading before continuing on. That’s when he realized his compass was gone!

Somewhere in the heavy brush, it had been torn from his pack!

With fading daylight, the elk was forgotten; finding his way out took pre-

cedence. He walked for forty minutes as his anxiety mounted. Then he saw

a light in the distance. Heading toward it, he found a hunting cabin. After

a short explanation, the cabin owner said he knew exactly where Craig was

parked. Thirty minutes later, he deposited a weary and grateful Craig at his

vehicle.

h

Craig had been four miles off course. Had the man in the cabin not lighted

the lantern, Craig would have had to rely on his wilderness skills for survival.

During daylight, he might have been able to backtrack. But in the dark, with

failing light, he would have been forced to spend the night where he was, so he

didn’t stray even further off course.

We can lose our way spiritually and get caught up in things that appear

innocent and harmless. In the midst of our hunt, we can become lost. It’s only

a step or two farther into the dark timber. Without a spiritual compass, we

can die. Thankfully, God gave us the Holy Spirit as our compass. But it’s our

responsibility to take frequent readings to assure ourselves we are on the right

path.

Prayer

“Help me see Your guiding light when I stray,

Lord. Please point me in the right direction when

I get off track. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”