The Last Supper at Breakfast

August 18

When evening came Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve.

Matthew 26:20

While eating breakfast, Rachel noticed the painting of The Last Supper and

asked, “Do you know what that painting means, Uncle Ed?”

“No,” he responded.

His response caused her to ask, “Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Savior?”

“I don’t know how,” was his strained response.

Continuing to pursue this line of questioning, Rachel asked, “Do you know

Who Jesus is?”

“No, not really,” he admitted. “Did you ever attend church?” she asked.

“No,” he began. “I can’t read, you know, and I was afraid the preacher would

call on me for answers. So I stayed home … ” He trailed off; a note of shame in

his voice.

Where do I start, Lord? she thought. I can’t ask him if he wants a Savior he doesn’t

know.

“At the beginning,” God replied. So for an hour, Rachel related biblical

events: Creation, the flood and Noah, Moses, the exodus to the promised land,

concluding with Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. When she finished, Ed said,

“Come with me.” He led her to the bedroom where he brought out a book of

Bible stories. It contained the very stories she’d just shared!

Taking God’s cue, Rachel asked; “Would you like to ask Jesus into your

heart?” she said.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes!” he responded.

h

Ed is now with his Savior. Rachel’s sensitivity enabled her to present the

invitation.

We should never assume that people know Jesus, even if they have religious

material around the house. Had Rachel accepted the painting as proof of Ed’s

salvation, he could have spent eternity in hell.

The truth is there are many unsuspecting people on their way to hell; many

because we assume they’ve heard about Jesus, so we don’t go out of our way to

ask them, “Do you know Who Jesus is?”

We may be required to give explanation of the events from Creation

through the resurrection; people should understand the decision they’re mak-

ing. And this may require doing some things we’re not comfortable with. In

light of the alternative, we must put aside our discomfort and never assume they

know the truth.

Prayer

“Make me sensitive to those who don’t know You, Lord. Help

me help them to know Who You are. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Never Grow Weary

August 17

Do not become weary … for at the proper time we will reap a harvest

if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

Charles and Lucille had been married twenty-eight years. “Lord, you promised

Charles would come to You if I was diligent in prayer. I have been praying

faithfully all these years. Please show me that my prayers are making a differ-

ence. Just a morsel, Lord!” she implored.

That night, Lucille had a dream. In the dream she saw a lamb. God spoke

to her, “Pay attention. Look!” She looked again; the lamb had become a sheep.

God said again, “Pay attention. Look!” She looked once more to see that the

sheep had become dirty and was peeking around the corner, poking its head

in and out. God then said, “This is Charles at the door, wanting to come in.

Continue to pray!”

Two weeks later, Charles gave Lucille an unexpected gift. Lucille opened

the package to find a praise and worship CD; she was elated! “Thank You,

Lord!” she said, grateful for another morsel.

Lucille listened to the CD repeatedly, gaining inspiration in the knowl-

edge God was changing Charles’s heart. One evening, she walked into the

house to find Charles not only listening to the CD but also singing along! “Oh,

Lord! Thank You!” she whispered.

Three weeks later, Charles began attending church with Lucille; within six

weeks, Charles gave his life to Christ!

h

Lucille’s perseverance in prayer is a lesson for us all. Many, if not all of us, have

unsaved family members. Though they may not respond to our direct influence,

we can affect change by lifting them to the throne consistently, praying for the

veil to be lifted and God’s light to penetrate the darkness.

Today’s text encourages us to not give up in our weariness. God hears our

prayers and responds by drawing them unto Himself.

Twenty-eight years is a considerable amount of time to pray without evi-

dence of an answer. Yet it pales in comparison to eternity and eternal separa-

tion from Christ. We must not grow weary; it is not hopeless.

Do you want a harvest? Persevere in prayer!

Prayer

“Lord, hear my prayer. Draw all those in my family

who don’t know You to Your side. Help me to never

give up on them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Cryin’ Saints

August 16

And he who searches our hearts … intercedes for the saints. 

Romans 8:27

It would be thirty years before the boy would understand what he’d wit-

nessed that night.

It was the church’s weekly prayer meeting, and elders, spiritual leaders, and

many members of the congregation, as well as the senior and associate pastors,

were present in the Fireside Chapel.

The young boy didn’t want to be there. But he was the associate pastor’s

son, and when Dad went to church, he went to church.

As he sat in one of the comfy chairs in the back of the chapel, he watched

and listened. For over an hour they prayed. The boy was beginning to fidget.

Then he heard crying from the altar; he wasn’t sure what to make of that. He’d

never heard anyone cry when they prayed. And this wasn’t just normal crying

either. Whoever it was, they were sobbing!

Curious, he stood on his chair to take a look. His curiosity was rewarded

as he discovered it was the senior pastor.

On the way home, the boy questioned his father. “Why was Reverend

Wilber cryin’, Dad?”

His father paused and then tried his best to explain how the Holy Spirit

moves on the hearts of His saints when they’re in desperate prayer. “When that

happens, the emotion can sometimes be overwhelming. And sometimes people

even cry,” his father had said.

The young boy looked through the darkness at his father and asked in

complete innocence, “So Reverend Wilber is a cryin’ saint?”

h

The Holy Spirit intercedes for His saints when they don’t know what to pray.

And we are His saints.

I’ve known many who believe the term saint is reserved for those who have

gone before us in death or for those whose contribution to the faith has raised

them to a loftier salvation than our own. But plainly, saints are people who

have separated themselves from the world and consecrated themselves to the

worship and service of God.

Many of us have needed God’s urgent intervention and were at a loss for

words. A “cryin’ saint” is someone given over to the Holy Spirit’s examination,

asking Him to take the need before the throne of God when we can’t.

Prayer

“When I can’t pray, Lord, please take over and

speak to the Father on my behalf. Amen.”

 Superficial

August 15

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth.

Proverbs 27:2

Reed had just brokered the largest deal in sports history. His client was now

the Breakers’ newest running back.

Reed had landed Gerald Humphries a multimillion-dollar contract with

the largest signing bonus ever demanded. Not only would his client be set for

life, so would he. But aside from business, no one seemed to gravitate to Reed;

his attitude alienated everyone who knew him, and those who didn’t quickly

learned how big his ego was.

The press prompted Humphries, wanting to quickly get the details of the

contract so they could write their stories and make deadline. One reporter

asked a pointed question about his lightning speed only to have Reed inter-

rupt and make the following statement: “Humphries is fast. But his ability

isn’t unique. There are many athletes with his ability. But nobody on the planet

could have closed this deal except me. I’m the reason this kid’s getting the larg-

est signing bonus this team ever paid!” It didn’t occur to Reed that he was a dis-

tinct turnoff or that they really didn’t want to hear about his personal triumphs.

It didn’t register that he was smugly touting his own achievements instead of

directing questions to his client, who was standing beside him with a look of

complete amazement on his face. And it never occurred to Reed how his arro-

gance was received until, following the press conference, Humphries fired him.

h

When we set out to exalt ourselves, we will, at the very least, be reviled and at

worst, humbled by God.

Our God-given talent is to be used in helping others rise to new levels of

success and service. We should never promote ourselves. Self-promotion is vain

conceit.

And there is no surer way of alienating ourselves from God and the rela-

tionships He intends us to share with others. It is difficult to enjoy the com-

pany of someone who constantly exalts themselves. It reeks of narcissism.

We should instead look for opportunities to elevate others and their

accomplishments, not looking for personal gain or recognition.

Prayer

“Keep me humble, Lord. Help me to seek not to

elevate myself in the eyes of men and to do what

is right in Your eyes. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Understanding Comfort

August 14

Comfort … with the comfort we ourselves have received.

243

2 Corinthians 1:4

Danny was a commercial construction contractor. His firm built low-rise struc-

tures in and around the downtown area. He and his wife, Susan, their three

children, Ammie, Ben, and Chris, lived in the suburbs.

This morning, Danny was running a bit late, but that was okay because

it was Saturday, and he would be the only one at the jobsite anyway. He and

Susan had stayed up late to watch It’s a Wonderful Life last night, Susan gig-

gling at George and Mary’s whirlwind romance, teasing Danny and saying, “If

you treated me the way George treats Mary, we’d never have a bad day.” Susan

would remember, with heart-wrenching clarity, her comment in the days to

come.

As Danny jumped in his truck, Susan waved good-bye through the side

door. Neither of them saw Chris playing behind his father’s truck, and in one

horrifying moment, Danny put the truck in reverse and backed out of the

garage, running over his five-year-old son, killing him instantly.

In the weeks that followed, they were surrounded by friends and family

who tried to comfort them. But no comfort could be found. Danny couldn’t

sleep; Susan blamed herself and Danny for the loss of her son.

The blame would shift from themselves to God and back over the next

two years. Their faith would ultimately hold them together, and grief counsel-

ing would bring a measure of healing. But not before the enemy had his way

for awhile.

h

What do we do when tragedy of this magnitude invades our lives? It seems

so unfair, and the anger over a life taken long before its time runs deep. “How

could a loving God allow something like this to happen?”

We say, “Bad things happen to good people.” And this is true but woefully

inadequate for these situations.

The truth is bad things do happen, and sometimes they happen to us

instead of somebody else. And we need the understanding comfort only God

and those who have lost a child can bring. If you are bearing this grief, reach

out. If you have lived through this nightmare, comfort those whose pain is still

raw.

Prayer

“My life is Yours, Lord. But today that doesn’t

help. Show me how to grieve this unspeakable loss.

Bring healing to my broken heart. Amen.”

 With Jesus

August 13

When they saw the courage of Peter and John … they took note that

these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

Dewey held up his hand, asking for silence. “I understand your doubt, folks.

But”—he paused for emphasis—“if we fail to take this stand, our children and

their children will pay the price of our indifference.”

“What makes you so sure they won’t rule against us anyway?” challenged

one dissenter. “I, for one, am not in favor of rocking the boat. They’ll just use

this as a platform to build a stronger case against us!” the man argued. He

was alluding to city council’s removal of all God-related materials from public

buildings and property over the last year. Tonight’s meeting had been called

because council was now legislating new ordinance against open-air gatherings

of a religious nature.

“Look, I hear you,” Dewey acknowledged. “But I believe you’re dead wrong.

It’s that very attitude that allowed God to be removed from our schools. We

did nothing to stand up for the free exercise of our religious rights the Consti-

tution gives us. We must stand now.”

The man sat back down, red-faced and fuming.

Dewey continued, “Sitting still and hoping the enemy retreats is the equiv-

alent of saying, ‘Go ahead, take all my rights.’”

He finished with, “Look, if we believe Jesus is Who He says He is, then

it’s our responsibility to take the same action He would take if He were here.”

h

Would a stranger know we’ve been anywhere near Jesus? Or do we, instead,

blend in with the world through our words and actions?

As Christians, there ought to be a visible difference, something tangible

that causes others to take notice when they see us, something that causes them

to ask what that difference is. The only way others will know that we have been

with Jesus is by the giving over of our right to ourselves and into the control of

the Holy Spirit, by dying to self so Christ can shine through.

Peter and John displayed a countenance of courage after the Holy Spirit’s

presence was evident in their lives. That same Spirit wants to grow us into the

likeness of Christ.

Prayer

“Help me put to death anything that would keep

me from looking like You, Lord Jesus. Amen.”

 Will You?

August 12

If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well

fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

James 2:16

Quinn had lost his job and hadn’t been able to find suitable employment in

over four months. They had used Charlotte’s most recent paycheck to keep

the electric and gas on, but their mortgage, as well as a signature loan, was two

months delinquent. The slumping economy and Quinn’s disability had only

added to their struggle. This morning found them pouring out their hearts to

God, asking for divine intervention.

Around noon, Charlotte received a call from a couple in their congrega-

tion. They felt God leading them to share some food with them. “How much

room do you have in your freezer?” came the question.

An hour later, the credit union called. Quinn assumed they were notifying

him of collection proceedings and prayed for strength to deal with this situ-

ation. However, when he got on the line, the account manager said, “Mr. R,

an anonymous provider has stopped by our office this morning and paid your

mortgage accounts current. They have asked we not divulge their identity, but

that we inform you so you can best use the finances you have available.” Quinn

was numb with wonder as he hung up the phone. It took a full minute before

he was able to relate the nature of the call to Charlotte.

h

At a time when society trusts their 401(k) or stock portfolio to provide for

tomorrow, God is asking us to trust Him and not yield to the temptation to

lean on ourselves for the future.

Giving God permission to reposition His money through us is not an easy

thing to do. It requires faith that He truly is a debtor to no man.

Today’s text is clear; we are not to stand idly by and give lip service to

situations that demand attention. Giving out of our abundance requires an act

of will. Will you?

Prayer

“Lord, help me to bare the essence of Your love. Help

me hang on loosely to the things You have given

me. May I never see a brother in need and fail to do

everything I can to meet it. In Jesus’ Name, amen. “