“Grace Is For Today”

We urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain…now is the time for God’s favor,

2Corinthians 6:1, 2

Sharon awoke with a migraine, “Lord, I’m not sure I can do this again today…” It wasn’t as much a statement as it was a frustrated plea. Actually, it wasn’t the headache that caused her frustration; it was her four-year-old daughter, Kaylee’s medical condition that continued to wear on Sharon’s resolve.

Knowing what she needed to do, yet not really feeling like it, Sharon prayed anyway, “Lord, give me the grace to make it through this day. Help me be the right example for Kaylee. Please hold her and carry her through these last two chemo treatments. Help Don and me to be faithful in the midst of adversity. Teach Kaylee more about You today than she knew yesterday; and show her favor. Guide our steps as well as our words, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”  

Sharon got out of bed, took a couple Tylenol, and headed for Kaylee’s room, “Rise and shine, Kiddo!” Sharon said brightly. “Only two more treatments and you get a vacation!”

“Oh, Mommy!” Kaylee said, matter-of-factly. “I told you…its no big deal. I’m a big girl; ’member?”

Grateful for her daughter’s positive outlook, Sharon smiled a mischievous smile and dove toward her daughter, knocking her onto her back in the bed. The ensuing pillow-fight was just what they needed. And miraculously, when it was over, Sharon’s migraine was gone!

†

Each day we awaken to many of the same problems we had when we went to sleep the night before. But yesterday’s grace won’t cover things today; it isn’t meant to.

We are to draw anew on the favor of God each day, asking only for enough grace to navigate today.

God did not give us the promise of no adversity. He did, however, promise the grace to make it through each new day as we come to Him for solace, comfort, wisdom, and favor.  

God wants to meet you where you’re at today, with exactly what you need.

Prayer

“Lord, I thank you for each new day You provide. Help me look for the possibilities instead of moping around in self-designated grief. Thank You for Your favor and grace this day. I give You praise in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Elevator or Stairs?

Your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21

As Chris stood waiting for the elevator, he felt God suggest, “Take the stairs.” But I’m in a hurry, Lord he reasoned.  And besides, I’m tired…that’s ten flights of stairs. “Take the stairs.” He heard a second time.

Fine! he silently expressed his frustration.

As he approached to the fourth floor landing, Chris heard muffled crying. Cautiously taking the next few steps, he could make out a woman’s voice, “I can’t do this anymore.” Rounding the next landing, he came face-to-face with a young woman, seated on the stairs, the step below her wet with tears. Chris quickly prayed for wisdom. “She needs to know I love her.” came God’s gentle voice. Chris asked, “Can I help you?”

As the woman’s story unfolded, Chris discovered she had been contemplating suicide. She was trying to get up the nerve to go to the roof and jump, believing this would end her problems.

As Chris shared with her about Jesus’ love and His desire and ability to carry her through her pain, a glimmer of hope appeared in the woman’s eyes. By the time Chris finished sharing, her desperation had been replaced by a desire to know the One of whom Chris spoke so highly. Chris would never forget this morning’s lesson. 

†

Though at first resistant, Chris obeyed, and a life was saved. We’re not sure what his disobedience would have wrought; quite possibly the woman would have taken her life, losing the opportunity to come to know Jesus, and making matters worse for those she left behind. Thanks to Chris’s obedience, we’ll never know.

This lesson applies to us all…in everything we do…at all times of the day or night…whether some else is watching or not…when we feel like it, and when we don’t.

Faith is submitting every decision we make to God for approval, trusting that He always has our best interest, or someone else’s, in mind, while listening for the Voice from behind, ready to safely lead us through life.

Not always, yet sometimes, life hangs in the balance. Wouldn’t it be better to be sure?

Prayer

“Father, guide my steps today and every day, as I bring each day’s choices to You for wisdom and guidance. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Wind and the Waves

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he … rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 8:26

The sky was pregnant with rain. In the next instant, it pounded on the metal roof of the ground floor room of the lighthouse. He was uneasy. Watching as the waves buffeted the side of the building, he sensed this was going to be a bad storm.

The salt spray beat against the windows as the wind whipped the waves into whitecaps. Though he was on dry land in a lighthouse that had stood the test of time, he was afraid.

It was then he noticed the smallish captain of a sixty-foot fishing vessel preparing to leave port. He ventured, “Aren’t those waves too big for your ship? I mean, isn’t it too dangerous to leave just now?!”

The captain took a sip of his coffee and said in the calmest of voices, “Son, those swells aren’t much. By the time we pass the break wall, they’ll be thirty footers.” There was a gleam in his eyes that made the man wonder if he’d taken leave of his senses. “I’ve faced much rougher weather at sea; we’ll be just fine.” The perfect picture of peace with a calmness about him, the captain finished his coffee, nodded at the man, and headed for his ship.

†

Jesus was sleeping right up until the disciples, in fear for their lives, awakened him. He rebuked the winds and the waves, and then he rebuked them. “Why are you so afraid?” Can you hear them? “What? Are you crazy? Look at the situation we’re in!” Seasoned fishermen are used to rough weather. So this was one bad storm.

In an instant, the storm subsides. Awestruck, they asked, “Who is this man that even the wind and waves obey him?” They were to discover that peace is not dependent upon circumstances, but upon Whom our faith rests. Like the captain in today’s story, they knew the One who calms the storm in each of us and tells the wind and the waves, “Be still.”

Prayer

“Please still the storm in my soul, Lord. Help me weather this battle; help me trust that You will never allow me to drown under the burdens of life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Love Your Neighbor

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Colossians 3:12

It was close to midnight and raining hard when they passed the transient as he walked along the side of the road. He blended in to his surroundings, due to being soaked. They had seen him before and knew he was headed for the bridge just ahead. He would spend the night there, tucked in under the bridge, above the river. Hurrying on to the little town just across the bridge, he dropped off his wife and quickly gathered a few items. Back across the bridge, he found the man just reaching the point where he usually dropped off, into the underworld he preferred. Pulling up and rolling down the window, the driver asked if there was anything he could do? The man shyly declined and began to step over the guardrail. The urgency in the drivers voice stopped him, and the rain-soaked man turned, saying, “I could use a little bit to eat if you’ve got something.” Asking him to get in, they headed for the driver’s home, where he and his wife shared conversation and a meal with the man. Finished eating he declined lodging. He was given dry clothes and the offer of a shower. Eagerly accepting the backpack and umbrella and excusing himself, he left the house, opening the umbrella, and walked down the hill toward the bridge.

Neither the driver nor his wife would ever forget the broken-toothed grin that was shyly given in response to the love they had shared with this child of God as he walked out of their lives.

†

Blessings beyond our wildest imagination are both given and received when we step outside our comfort zone in an effort to treat others with respect. We are given opportunities to minister in difficult circumstances. It is God’s desire that we take the time to let our hearts express the kindness and compassion He inherently gave us. We don’t know what their act of kindness did for that man on that rainy night, but we rest in the knowledge that God never leaves seeds unwatered.

Prayer

“Father, please make me an instrument of Your love. Teach me to give of my time as well as my finances. Help me recognize the opportunities for what they really are, Your test of my love for You. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Granddad’s Treasure Chest

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19

As Tom brushed dirt from the miniature treasure chest, he was transported fifteen years back through time to the day he and his Granddad had buried it in the backyard of the family farm. Granddad had said, “Tom, there are only a few things really important in life: the love of family, the feel of a good book in your hands, and most of all, the love and faithfulness of God. Without the latter, the others don’t have any significance.” Throwing dirt over the chest, he had said, “Let’s dig it up on your twentieth birthday and weigh the importance of the things we’re burying today.”

As Tom opened the chest, he couldn’t suppress a sob; he wished Granddad were here to do this with him. The first item he uncov­ered was the medal Granddad had received for service to his country. Next was an old pair of Granddad’s eyeglasses; Tom had always liked them and thought he might need them in the future. There was an old report card, a few old coins, and a pack of baseball cards. The last item Tom pulled from the chest was a pocket-sized Bible. It had been the first item Granddad had placed in the chest.

Tom remembered what his Granddad had said when he’d placed that little Bible in the chest. “Son, everything we have placed in here will have a price placed on it when you dig it up, all except this one; this little Bible is priceless. The words of this book will sustain you when all these other things are gone. Never place a higher value on the things of this world than you do the Word of God. If you trust in God, you’ll never be alone, never be poor, and never be lost.” Tom smiled. He had adhered to his Granddad’s faith.

†

We pay a lot of attention and devote much, if not most, of our time to the things we cherish, placing great value on them. But where do our priorities rank in light of eternity? Are they ‘cherishables’ or ‘perishables’? Are they things of God…or things of the world? If they are perishables we need to reconsider our priorities. Our heart and eternal future hangs in the balance.  

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, I want my heart to be in heaven. Help me live for You here so that I can live with You there. Amen.”

The Spotlight

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

Psalm 77:14

The officer listened as the radio dispatch reported a westbound motorist in the eastbound lanes of the interstate he was patrolling. The driver was traveling in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed, heading toward his position. Enter­ing the westbound lanes, he turned on his spotlight, hoping to alert eastbound drivers to the danger while systematically looking for the wrong-way vehicle. Radio reports told him that he was ahead of the vehicle, so he slowed down.

Scanning back in the direction the vehicle was coming from, he spotted the car’s headlights, a stark contrast among the taillights in that lane. He could see motorists taking evasive action to avoid the oncoming car.

As the vehicle approached, he matched its speed, shining his spotlight on the driver-side window in hopes of getting the driver’s attention. Finally, the driver responded and pulled over. As two other cruisers pulled up, he turned off the spotlight.

Just as the light winked out, he remembered the repair order he’d issued on this car two weeks before for a broken spotlight. Trying the spotlight once again, it failed to work. Exiting the cruiser, he used his flashlight to illuminate the spotlight. He noticed the same broken bulb from two weeks ago lying at the bottom of the lens. The repairs had not been completed!

†

There are those who question whether God still performs miracles. Some feel the need to explain how things happen.

Whether you believe this story or not will be determined by Who you per­ceive God to be. By explaining how things happen, we maintain a false sense of control over them. If we are unable to explain the how of events, we are then required to believe by faith.

God continually displayed His power among the nation of Israel during the exodus, yet they continued to rebel because miracles themselves do not ensure belief.

The story above is true. Events are related exactly as they happened. God is big enough to make a broken spotlight work. He leaves the belief part up to us.

Prayer

“Teach us to have faith, Lord. And forgive us for our doubt. It’s not always so easy to believe without seeing. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Splendor of the Son

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28–30

The rain sounded so relaxing with a cadence that lulled you into restful slum­ber. It fell all through the night. In the early morning hours, when the tem­perature was at its most frigid point, layer upon layer of ice formed, causing tree branches to bow down, almost touching the ground. As the sun rose over the horizon, the boughs glistened with dazzling beauty. And although the rays of sunshine continued to dance on the frozen limbs, the temperature remained at the freezing point.

Some branches that had been shielded from the full cascade of rain began to gently ease upward as droplets of water fell from their grasp. Some remained bent and looked as though they longed for relief.

Unfortunately, the early morning sun hadn’t reached many of the heavier, ice-laden branches, and they snapped, broken and lifeless—branches that had glistened in the splendor of the sun, branches that wished to grow, but could no longer bear the strain of the weight.

†

What a tremendous waste that so many trees would be destroyed because they weren’t strong enough to bear the additional load. And so it is with us as the wounds and disappointments accumulate, causing unbearable strain because, due to embarrassment and pride, we cut ourselves off from the critical help we need. We pridefully believe that no one else could ever understand. And so the wounds continue to build, weighing heavily on us, our emotional and spiritual stability ready to break at any moment. If we refuse to share our pain, it will eventually consume us.

Jesus never meant for us to carry such burdens alone, and we should never allow them to cling to us until they gradually overwhelm us. Unlike the tree, we need not be broken. We can be wonderfully wholehearted, overcoming the seemingly insurmountable pressures of life if we turn to Jesus. Jesus wants to carry our burdens so that through His efforts we will reflect the splendor of the Son.

Prayer

“Jesus, thank you for giving me rest. Help me learn how to give you all my burdens, both great and small, so the things of this world don’t overtake me. Amen.”