I’ll Never!

October 18

Children, obey your parents in the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1

“I hate you!” Benny screamed at his dad. “When I have kids, I’ll never treat ’em

like this!” And with that, he slammed his door.

Geneva looked at her husband and impishly said, “Sounds like the boy I

met in high school. Whatever happened to him?” she teased, hoping to ease her

husband’s frustration at having his son stomp off in rebellion.

“For two cents … ” He decided not to finish a statement he knew he didn’t

mean. “Yeah, I was an awful lot like him, wasn’t I?” He reminisced. “I even

remember saying the exact same thing to my dad.” Then it hit him. “Am I just

like my dad?” he asked.

“Well, I happen to love your father—” she began.

“You weren’t his son.” He parried.

“No, but he’s a good man, Paul. And you could do much worse than to

emulate your father. As a matter of fact, you are very much like him: kind,

compassionate, loving, tender, thoughtful, and considerate. Those are wonder-

ful attributes, and I hope Benny inherits every one of them,” she said with

conviction.

Paul knew she meant every word. “I guess those traits got lost in the dis-

cipline. Yes, Dad is a good man. I guess Benny is just like me; I never liked the

word no either,” he lightheartedly said.

h

Our parents love us. And because they do, they seek to keep us from harm.

Rules serve a necessary purpose. That we don’t like them remains irrelevant to

the fact we need them.

Sometimes the rules can be imposing. And in the midst of that imposition,

we can get out of sorts, forgetting that although everything is permissible, not

everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Most, if not all, of us have made the claim, “I’ll never treat my kids like

this!” And with few exceptions, we’ve treated them exactly that way: with love

and concern for their well-being. To do otherwise would be to fail them. So

when you find yourself facing an obstinate child, consider this: you were once

just like them; then try to smile as you enforce the rules.

Prayer

“Father of grace, teach me to be the parent I

need to be. Guide my actions and help me to not

exasperate my children. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Abstinence Is Work

October 17

Abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:11

“I feel like I’m in this constant battle,” Carlene said incredulously. “It’s like I’m

constantly faced with decisions of right and wrong,” she confided.

Rochelle understood her friend’s quandary. “I know. You see, before you

came to Christ, you lived your life apart from God; you were ignorant of His

ways.” Rochelle let that sink in.

“When we give our lives to Christ, He gives us His Holy Spirit. The Spirit

convicts us of actions we failed to recognize as sinful before.” Rochelle watched

as the realization of what that meant dawned on Carlene.

“This isn’t easy,” Carlene remarked woefully. “It’s like this constant battle

rages inside me. I feel”—she paused, searching for just the right word—”dirty

when I do some of the things I used to do. Does that make any sense?”

“It makes perfect sense,” Rochelle answered. “Living a godly life comes

with its battles. It’s all part of learning to live for God instead of ourselves. The

things that we want are filtered through God’s Spirit. When it’s something

God considers sin, it registers on our heart, letting us know we should resist

and not give in to the desire.”

“I’m gonna need a lot of help,” Carlene said, a mixture of wit and worry

in her voice.

“God always provides assistance when we ask for it,” Rochelle assured her.

“But it’s our responsibility to ask. God isn’t some genie Who makes life easy

for us. He’s a loving Father Who instructs His children in what’s best and then

allows them to make informed choices.”

h

Sin is sensual and seductive. And Peter instructs us to engage in the battle

instead of passively giving in.

The Christian life is not one of ease; it demands a life of physical and

spiritual discipline, one of abstinence in which we actively war against Satan

and his tempting offers.

Although our salvation may be complete when we give our life to Jesus,

we’ve only begun to take on His likeness. The more we abstain from sinful

temptation, the closer the resemblance gets.

Peter encourages us to be built up into a spiritual house, one that looks

like Christ.

Prayer

“Lord, give me wisdom and strength to wage war

against the enemy. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Selfish Trinity

October 16

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.

Romans 12:3

During a work session to repair a parishioner’s house, the pastor pulled one

volunteer aside, away from listening ears. “John, I need to speak with you about

something.”

Having John’s undivided attention, he forged ahead. “God wants to use

each of us, and your assistance here is very much appreciated.”

He noticed a look of boredom dawn in John’s eyes. “John, your attitude

and actions scream, “Look at me!” You make people uncomfortable, and you

effectively steal the blessing God—”

“Look, Pastor,” John cut him off. “I hear you. But quite honestly, I do

things the way I want, or I don’t do them. Is that a problem?” You could tell he

expected the pastor to back off, believing they couldn’t get along without him.

What happened next took John by surprise. “It’s a big problem, John. And

I surely won’t force you to make changes you’re not willing to make. But if you

choose to continue treating others with disdain, I must ask you to leave. And I

mean our church, John, not just this project.”

Taken aback, John responded in anger. “Fine! I don’t need your high-and-

mighty church!” he said forcefully and left, slamming the door on the way out.

The mood in the house changed almost immediately; it was as though a

dark cloud had been lifted.

h

John suffers from a case of the selfish trinity: me, myself, and I.

Some would say the pastor was too strict. On the contrary: pride is a

sinister root, which if allowed to propagate, will pollute and choke out healthy

roots.

It led to the fall of mankind; Satan decided to elevate himself above the

throne of God and in doing so set in motion a series of events that led to his

and a third of the angels’ eviction from heaven; thus sin entered the world.

It is so subtle that we rarely, if ever, realize our own pride.

So in His mercy, God sends His Spirit to convict us. When convicted of

any pride in our lives, we should humble ourselves before God and deal with

the issue.

Prayer

“Is there any pride in me, Lord? If so, help me put it to

death so I might be humble before You. Amen.”

 Extinguished Flames

October 15

The devil prowls … like a roaring lion

1 Peter 5:8

As the pastor and his family returned home, he found an envelope tacked to

the parsonage’s front door.

Curious, he pulled it from the door and read. As he read, his face turned

ashen; the shock and confusion on his face caused his wife to ask what was

wrong. There were no words to soften this blow:

We, the leadership of the church, no longer require your services. We

therefore inform you that you have one week to vacate the parsonage.

We will find your replacement in due time and do not wish any future

contact with you.

Signed,

The Leadership

With no further explanation forthcoming and in total shock with inexpli-

cable heartache, they complied with the request, leaving the little church God

had called them to.

The young pastor agonized. Haven’t I spoken the true Word of God? Hasn’t

the community responded affirmatively since my appointment? And hasn’t God

shown me areas of needed growth I’ve been addressing? 

With astounding clarity, he understood; he had made the leadership uncomfortable, 

requiring growth. and a new level of commitment. He had become a threat to their 

little church.

Rumors spread by his accusers followed the young pastor, and he was

unable to secure future appointments. Jaded, he returned to secular work, never

to minister again from the pulpit.

h

What a profound loss. What an egregious act of abhorrent behavior. What an

insidious use of God’s children by Satan. Our enemy prowls, just as today’s

text tells us, like a roaring lion. But he also slips subtly in and out of our lives,

undetected and unidentified, using good-willed people to extinguish the fire of

God from the hearts of men. 

Failure to recognize or admit Satan’s influence in our lives will prolong our struggles. 

Without giving evil more power than it deserves, we must be aware of Satan’s 

willingness to use us against each other.

Satan is real; he hates the things and people of God, and he will use us to

attack each other. We must learn to recognize his tactics and then resist him!

Prayer

“Lord, make me aware of the enemy’s subtle

attacks. Help me to resist them. And use me as an

instrument of grace. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 In Times of Need

October 14

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will

inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14

Lew had outlived his three-month life expectancy by two years before hospice

was called in. For those two years, Lew lived: visiting museums, taking walks

with his beloved, Patty, and working in his garden from time to time.

On the eve of his death, Lew kept calling for Judy. Judy was, as she put it,

Lew’s wash girl; her ministry had been to tenderly meet Lew’s bathing needs.

Knowing Judy wasn’t scheduled to work that day, Patty called hospice, asking

that they send her anyway. “Lew is asking for Judy. Please tell her.”

When later the doorbell rang, Patty was pleasantly surprised to find

Brenda, Lew’s RN, smiling through the door at her! “I just left the Healing

Hands of Christ seminar and felt led to stop by and see Lew. Would that be

okay?” she asked.

“Oh, yes!” Patty exclaimed, welcoming Brenda with a hug.

After simmering a pot of hyssop, frankincense, and myrrh, Brenda anointed

Lew with the spices, salving his hands and feet and head while hymns softly

played. As she finished, Lew lifted his right hand, pointing toward the corner

of the room.

“Do you see someone, Lew?” Brenda asked. His head nodded yes. “Is this

someone you know?” she prompted. He shook his head no. “Is this someone

speaking to you?” she asked.

“Can’t you hear him?” Lew said in wonder.

“No, we can’t,” they replied.

“It’s the Angel of the Lord, come to take me home.” Trying to sit up, Lew

remarked, “You can’t take a trip lying down!”

h

God’s conspicuous attention through the persons of Judy and Brenda, as well

as revealing His Angel’s presence as He took Lew home, was personal.

And this is the hope we have in Christ Jesus when we choose to accept

Him as our Lord and Savior.

It is appointed unto man once to die; we will not escape this life alive. But

we can take great comfort in the knowledge that having made the choice to

become one of God’s children, in times of need, we will be tended by minister-

ing spirits.

Prayer

“Loving Father, be near to those who are in need today,

regardless of the reason. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Root of Jesse

October 13

From his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Isaiah 11:1

They planted the sapling in the corner of the yard. “Daddy,” his young

daughter questioned, “can we use it for a Christmas tree someday?”

He chuckled at her optimism; she saw potential in this small, vulnerable sap-

ling. “You bet, honey. We’ll nurture it to make it the best Christmas tree ever.”

She cocked her head curiously. “What does nurture mean, Daddy?”

“It means we’ll need to love this tiny tree, honey, and treat it with tender-

ness. We’ll need to cut away dead branches and unwanted growth. We’ll have

to make sure the roots have a chance to grow deep so it will grow big and

strong.”

Then, as an afterthought, he added, “The weather will actually cause the

roots to grow deeper. As the wind and rain, sun, and cold weather beat down on

the sapling above ground, the little tree will tell its roots to grow deeper, giving

it the ability to stand against the harshest weather.”

So for eight years they nurtured the tree, shaping it by cutting back

unwanted growth.

Over time, the pine grew strong and tall. Then something unexpected hap-

pened. Birds began building their nests in the tree’s sheltering branches and ate

its pine nuts for life-giving nourishment.

When the time came to harvest the tree, the girl decided to leave it for

God’s wildlife. And instead of cutting it down, they decorated it right where it

stood, giving the birds the most beautiful home in the neighborhood.

h

Our heavenly Father is also optimistic when He looks at us. He sees great

potential in each of us. He wants to be our refuge when spiritual winds blow,

nurturing us, growing us to maturity.

When we are assaulted by spiritual elements, He patiently waits for us to

seek His assistance. As we come, He prunes away unwanted, sinful growth,

leaving us stronger and better equipped to stand against the trials of life.

As we grow, we can see our roots being anchored in the root of Jesse. Only

there will we find the spiritual nourishment necessary for our own sustenance

and be able to bear fruit for His kingdom.

Prayer

“Lord, grow my roots deeper. Make me a strong branch, able

to bear fruit for those in need. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Coming Storm

October 12

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds beat against the

house; yet it did not fall.

Matthew 7:25

Her husband had always known what to do: stay and ride it out or to seek

shelter inland, away from the fury of the storm. Yet he had died six years ago,

and this decision was hers alone.

As the surf pounded the sand with increasing intensity, she sensed the fury

of the coming storm. And although the storm was still hundreds of miles out,

she realized it might be a direct hit. They’d prepared for storms many times

over the years, closing shutters against the strong winds. They had even rebuilt

twice, saying, “We will not give in to this unwanted aggressor.”

She watched the waves pound with a force that belied the storm’s awesome

power and knew this one would be bad. Having been through some rough

storms in the past, she decided to board up and head inland, taking the kids to

her sister’s, not risking their lives to protect inanimate objects.

The storm bore down on the coast, rending wooden structures as if they

were made of cardboard. When she was finally granted access to her neighbor-

hood, she found only piles of debris shoved up against the palms; not one shred

of the house was left standing.

Only now did she realize with clarity how important the decisions of life

could be. She was thankful for having made the right one.

h

Many times, spiritual storms strike without advance warning, giving no sign

of the coming struggle. They develop quickly, like a tornado out of a supercell

thunderstorm, leaving no time to prepare or run for shelter.

Because of this frequent lack of warning, we must take steps ahead of time

to shore up the structures most vulnerable and valuable: our spiritual being.

Jesus says the only way to assure survival from these storms is to build our

lives on a solid foundation by immersing ourselves in His Word, spending time

with Him in prayer, and meeting with others of like mind. We can prepare for

the coming storm.

Prayer

“I need Your protection, Lord Jesus. Teach me

how to stand on You and Your Word as the

Foundation for everything I do. Amen.”