Blocks

May 16

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.

1 Peter 2:5

John’s mind was filled with questions. He’d received a call from his mother say-

ing she had something to give to him. He, his wife, Marilyn, and their grand-

daughter were on their way there now.

As John walked into the foyer of the old farmhouse he grew up in, he spot-

ted a long-forgotten metal ammunition case painted with tan porch enamel

sitting on the side table. A deep chuckle escaped him as the distant past came

rushing into the present.

Opening the lid, John pulled out a wooden building block. He was trans-

ported sixty years into the past when he’d last held these building blocks; back

to the days spent on the sewing room floor building some of the most world-

changing architecture. The older he got, the more intricate the structures

became. What began as three blocks stacked upon each other had evolved into

foundations for shopping centers, skyscrapers, and train stations.

Tinker toys, Lincoln Logs, and of course, these beloved wooden blocks

had occupied much of his time during the long winter months. A sense of

nostalgia, accompanied with emotion, surprised John. He thought of how he’d

learned about building a life by playing with these simple blocks. “You had to

lay a good foundation in order to raise a strong structure.” He smiled as he

turned and handed the block to his granddaughter, letting her get the feel of it.

h

It is impossible to build anything of substance without a solid foundation. John

remembered the lessons from his childhood well; how he’d always made sure

the bottom row of blocks were set just right before building higher. This had

become true of his spiritual life. And his foundation remained solid.

If we are to grow and become the person God intends to use in His king-

dom, we must first build our lives on the chief cornerstone … Jesus.

Peter emphasized the need to crave spiritual milk that we might grow up.

And grow up we will. Our stability will be determined by the nutrition we

ingest and the foundation upon which we stand. It is imperative to be nour-

ished correctly, and only on Christ will we stand against the storms of life.

Prayer

“On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand! Amen.”

 Who Says?

May 15

For when you eat of it you will surely die.

Genesis 2:17

The boys had been friends since Carp’s family had moved in beside Benny’s.

Growing up together in a small-town subdivision, they shared troubles and

triumphs, bumps and bruises. For six years they’d been exploring life together;

today they were in the woods that bordered their backyards.

“If you eat that thing, you’re gonna get sick,” Carp said.

“Who says? It’s only a stupid mushroom, Carp,” Benny fearlessly replied

as he popped the pinkish-looking mushroom in his mouth and began chewing.

“See, I told you. Harmless. Here, try one,” he dared.

“No way! My dad said to leave the pink-colored mushrooms alone. He said

they’d make me really sick, maybe even kill me.” No sooner had Carp made

his declaration than Benny got a funny look on his face and started choking.

“My lips and tongue are getting numb. Help me, Carp. I’m gonna die!” he

blurted out in fear.

“Spit it out! Spit it out! C’mon, we gotta get you home quick!” Carp said,

grabbing his friend’s arm and slinging it over his shoulder.

Fifteen minutes and two shots later, a scared and remorseful Benny was

loaded onto a stretcher, an IV in his small arm to offset the anaphylactic shock

he was experiencing.

h

Carp and Benny represent two general mindsets within society. One believes

what they are told and follows the rules set before them; the other must figure

it out for themselves. Many of us fall into the latter, causing ourselves and those

we love a multitude of problems.

There is within us an incessant need to discover, lay claim to, and control

the issues of life. God created us to go forth; but in some areas, such as today’s

example and text, we are forbidden to proceed. One step across the line can

result in death, physically and/or spiritually. Who says? God says!

We are given free will. His Spirit tells our spirit which things are off limits.

Even in our mistakes, His grace will chase us to the ends of the earth. He leaves

it up to us to respond.

Prayer

“My independent mind-set leads me to places I shouldn’t

go, Lord. Please help me rein in that insatiable desire

to explore places that are off limits. Amen.”

 The Greatest Treasure of All

May 14

When a man found it, he hid it again … and sold all he had and

bought that field.

Matthew 13:44

Chris turned off the trail and struck out in a more direct line toward home.

He’d never been through this part of the forest, but he was tired and wanted to

get home. As he ventured on, he recalled stories from childhood his father had

told about people getting lost in this part of the woods.

Pressing on, Chris came upon an old stone foundation. It appeared to have

been a large structure in its day. His weariness momentarily forgotten, Chris

decided to investigate.

Walking the foundation’s perimeter, Chris discovered the entrance to an

old cellar. It appeared to have been covered by dirt and weeds until recently

when the rotting wood had given way, sagging into the stairway and revealing

the cellar’s existence.

Pulling a flashlight from his pack, he carefully descended the rickety steps.

Chris stood in shocked awe. The beam illuminated shelves lining all four

walls. On those shelves were crates of paintings, firearms, stacks of Confederate

money, and silver tea sets.

“Someone’s Civil War plunder!” he said in hushed amazement.

Determining to keep this a secret, Chris gently placed the old door back

in place and sifted dirt over it. He would find out who owned this property and

do whatever was necessary to purchase it!

h

Like the man in today’s parable, Chris had to sell everything he owned to

purchase his hidden treasure; his investment was but a fraction of the return.

Chris was quite fortunate; he hadn’t set out looking for treasure, only a

quicker way home. He could have continued on in his haste; instead he chose

to investigate. The cellar door could have remained covered, or the cellar could

have been empty. But they weren’t, and a great treasure was discovered!

God’s Word reveals the greatest treasure of all: salvation with eternal life!

God’s desire is that we would stop along life’s journey, investigate the trea-

sure’s value, and then decide for ourselves if the return is worth the investment.

Prayer

“Lord, lead me into my inheritance. Reveal its

value to my heart that I would seek nothing

more and settle for nothing less. Amen.”

 Finders Keepers?

May 13

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for

someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

As he exited the parking garage, Leon noticed a moneybag lying on the side-

walk. It was from the bank up the block. Looking inside, he couldn’t believe

his eyes. “There must be ten thousand dollars in here!” Looking around, Leon

closed the bag and stood there, contemplating his circumstances. He knew the

right thing to do was return it to the bank. Yet there came a quiet whisper. “Just

take it back to your car. Stick it in the trunk. Nobody will ever know; finders

keepers, right?”

Leon didn’t know so many thoughts could occupy his mind at the same

time.

Then, one thought surfaced to quiet all the others. “It’s not yours.”

He started toward the bank. “To keep it would be stealing. Even if I didn’t

get caught, I’d have to cover this up for the rest of my life. Nothing is worth

that.”

Leon noticed the TV news crew as he entered the bank. There stood a

cameraman, tape rolling, while the reporter walked toward him, microphone

in her hand, “Excuse me, sir. We’re doing a special on honesty. We planted that

bag on the sidewalk to see how people respond to finding the money. Would it

be all right if I asked you some questions?” At that moment, Leon was never so

glad to be a man of integrity.

h

Satan is no respecter of men. His only desire is to devour as many people as he

can. He consistently leads people into a life of moral and spiritual debauchery

because his lies are so cunning.

Have you ever watched a cat sneak up on a mouse? It does not announce

its intentions. The mouse never knows it was being stalked until it’s too late.

In the same way, Satan counts on our not recognizing the package until

we’ve opened it and it’s too late. He’s banking on our inability to see past the

wrapping paper.

Life is full of difficult choices. We will draw our conclusions from the well

in which we hold our beliefs. We should examine those beliefs prior to the

attack.

Prayer

“Show me when the devil is about to attack, Lord. Don’t

let me fall for his schemes. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Lies

May 12

You belong to your father, the devil … for he is a liar and the father

of lies.

John 8:44, 45

Larissa stood on the edge of the diving platform, asking herself, “Why did I

lie?”

She had boasted to several girls at her new school that she could perform

a one-and-one-half somersault off the ten-meter platform, the highest in the

school’s aquatic center. Larissa had no idea that two of the girls in the group

were on the school’s diving team. To her surprise—and horror—they had asked

for a demonstration. They thought it was great that the new girl was a profi-

cient diver!

Well, she had boasted, and now it was either admit to the lie in shame or

jump off the platform, revealing her inability to deliver on her claim.

Larissa decided she would rather jump and fail than admit she had lied.

So, knees shaking violently, she threw herself off the platform, plunging to the

water below. She managed to complete the first rotation of the somersault, but

did not enter the water head first, as intended. Instead, Larissa landed on her

stomach in what was commonly known as a belly flop. Shaken, Larissa climbed

from the pool to hear one of the girls declare, “I kinda figured you were lying;

I can’t believe you went through with it.”

Ashamed, Larissa said, “I’m sorry I lied. I just wanted you to like me.”

h

In every case, lying is wrong and will only cause negative consequences. Once

begun, another lie is usually perpetrated to prop up the first. Soon we find

ourselves forgetting what we told to whom. So we continue to lie, building a

precarious tower of lies, living in constant fear of being found out. And eventu-

ally all the props come crashing down.

As in Larissa’s case, Satan always fathers the first lie. He told Larissa that

she would be rejected unless she lied about herself. Larissa desperate desire to

be accepted by her new classmates became the vessel by which Satan tempted

her. And by giving in to the temptation, Larissa painted herself into a corner

and was caught in her lie.

Jesus says that when we lie, we belong to the devil. So the question is, “Do

I care who I’m being used by?”

Prayer

“Lord, You are the truth. Lead my heart, my mind,

and my mouth to always speak the truth. Amen.”

 Voice Recognition

May 11

And his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

John 10:4

“Hello?” Marvin greeted as he answered the phone.

“Hey, Marv! Been a while, man! How you doin’?” came the voice from the

other end of the line.

“I’m doing fine; how about you?” Marvin responded, his mind trying to

link the voice to an identity. Whoever this was, he expected Marvin to know

him without introduction, even though it had been a long time since they’d

spoken.

Marvin knew he should know who this was; the man’s voice was so famil-

iar. He knew he’d heard it many times. Yet, try as he might, recognition wasn’t

coming.

As the conversation progressed, Marvin tried to steer it in such a way that

the caller would reveal something that would give away his identity.

Then, as in answer to his silent prayer, the caller said, “You remember when

Buster and I had to carry you home after you stepped on the limb of that

thorn tree? Man, that thorn musta been three inches long and half of it stickin’

through your sneaker and into your heel! I still remember you tryin’ not to cry.

Lord, how that must have hurt!”

Instant recognition! It was Danny!

Without hesitation, Marvin responded, “I was cutting a way through that

mess when you pushed me into it, Danny! You shoulda carried me back by

yourself !” They both broke into laughter, Marvin thankful his childhood friend

hadn’t seemed to notice his lack of voice recognition.

h

For us to recognize someone’s voice, we must have some history, a bond that

connects our lives. In recalling one memorable event, Danny brought immedi-

ate recognition of who he was.

In the same way, once Jesus becomes our Savior, His Spirit makes a con-

nection that relates to our spirit. Early in our relationship when He calls to us,

the Holy Spirit reminds us of the day we became God’s child.

As we grow into a deeper relationship, we learn to recognize His voice a

little sooner.

Today’s text speaks of a time when we will know the Shepherd’s voice. The

more we share our lives with Jesus, the easier it becomes to recognize His voice.

Prayer

“Lead me into a deeper, voice-recognizing

relationship, Lord. In Your Name I pray, amen.”

 Ill Conceived

May 10

After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is

full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:15

He wasn’t thinking logically. As a matter of fact, Mason hadn’t had a rational

thought in three days. “If I can just get a couple thousand more, I can turn this

thing around.” He’d maxed out three credit cards, taken out a signature loan

yesterday, and now there was no money in his children’s college accounts.

Driving to the nearest check exchange, Mason wrote a predated check,

knowing he could never hope to cover it, and took the five hundred dollars cash

the teller handed him. After repeating this process at three other check cashing

establishments, he headed back to the casino. He returned to the same table,

believing his luck had to change.

Two hours later, Mason watched the dealer drag away the last of his chips

and stack them on the house tray.

“Oh, God. What have I done?” he said just above a whisper. “It wasn’t sup-

posed to turn out like this! I was supposed to win.” Looking at the dealer he

asked, “What do I do now? I’ve lost everything.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the dealer replied. “Sometimes you get the beast, and some-

times the beast gets you.”

h

When we allow ourselves to be led into ill-conceived plans without counting

the cost of our consequences ahead of time, we usually find ourselves sitting

among the ruins of our lives and the lives of those who depend on us. The beast

doesn’t care.

Sin is like that; it comes wrapped in the appearance of something wonder-

ful, promising us everything we desire. Without spiritual discipline, we will be

led astray. The initial thought comes; it looks so easy. If we give the thought

room, sin has been conceived. If not dealt with immediately, it has the potential

to lead us away from rational thinking into a full-blown craving that leads to

death.

Paul said, “‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is beneficial” (1

Corinthians 10:23).

To those who know the beast firsthand, there is help. Whether it’s gam-

bling, alcohol, drugs, pornography, lying, cheating, or stealing, tell someone;

reach out. When you do, you’ll find that Jesus has been reaching out for you.

Prayer

“Help me, Lord. Help me do what’s right. Amen. “