THE MASTERS LIST Dean W. Masters

What Does Your Tipping Say about Your Faith in Jesus?
Randy Alcorn

As followers of Christ, we’re to be characterized by generosity, humility, 
and gratitude. That extends to how well we tip those who serve us at 
restaurants
and other places. Scripture says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever 
refreshes others will be refreshed” (
Proverbs 11:25).
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and 
gives” (
Psalm 37:21).
I have heard many stories from restaurant servers, both believers and 
unbelievers, who say that they get the smallest tips from people who come to 
eat
after leaving church on Sunday mornings. This should not be.

Many people, including myself, regularly leave a small book or booklet with 
a waiter or waitress who serves them (I use my
If God Is Good Why Do We Hurt?
and
Heaven
and
God’s Promise of Happiness
booklets). However, when I do, I always leave a tip that's a minimum of 20%, 
usually more like 25%. This is partly because I genuinely appreciate them
serving us, and partly because they likely saw us pray before the meal, and 
when they see a gospel booklet I don’t ever want them to associate the 
Christian
life with a lack of generosity, but with greater generosity. Grace is giving 
and when the gospel of God’s grace touches your heart, it will always 
demonstrate
itself in cheerful giving.

I think it’s vital that Christ-followers not invalidate the message of the 
gospel by leaving a stingy, ungenerous tip and worst of all, no tip at all.
(If you feel like you can’t afford it, you can reduce your bill by just 
having water, choosing less expensive items, or skipping dessert and include 
that
savings in your tip.)

Thom Rainer shares some helpful thoughts on this subject and why it’s so 
important:

Seven Concerns about Christians and Tipping

The following is a true story. Granted, it happened several years ago. But I 
wonder how often such scenarios unfold.

Two
pastors
were at lunch together. The older pastor paid for their previous meal, so 
the younger pastor picked up the tab for this meal. The younger pastor paid
cash for the meal, so his older friend asked if he had included a tip. He 
said he forgot the tip, so he put some cash on the table.

As they were departing, the younger pastor said he forgot something, and 
returned to the restaurant. The other pastor saw him through the window. The 
younger
man went back to the table, picked up the cash, and put it in his pocket.

Hopefully, such stories are rare. But we do have reasons to be concerned 
when church members and Christian leaders treat restaurant servers and other 
service
employees so poorly. Allow me to outline seven key concerns.
This article was originally published on
EPM.org
(Eternal Perspective Ministries). Used with permission.


Choices Determine Destinies
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few 
things; I will put you in charge of many things. (
Matthew 25:21
NIV)

Friend to Friend

One day Jesus told a parable to a group of listeners. We’ve come to know it 
as the Parable of the Talents, but it is really more the Parable of the 
Three
Choices. Jesus was explaining what the kingdom of heaven would be like in 
common terms.

For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own 
slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, 
to another,
two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on 
his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and
traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one 
who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the 
one
talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 
(Matthew 25:14-18)

When the master returned home, he was well please with the two servants who 
had invested and doubled their talents, but he was furious with the one who
hid his one talent in the ground.

‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather 
where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank,
and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 
Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the 
ten talents’
(Matt. 25:26).

This story gives me chills every time I read it. For you see, God has given 
each and every one of us gifts . . . gifts that He has purposed for us to 
use,
invest, and multiply. And I’m not just talking about money, but gifts in our 
inner being. He has given you talents and abilities that He expects you to
use to further the kingdom and minister to others.

So what kept the servant with one talent from doing so? Fear. Giving into 
fear prevented him from investing what he had. I think the master would have
been more pleased if the servant had said, “Lord, I invested the talent and 
unfortunately lost it all.” At least he would have tried. At least he would
have made some effort. But the master saw him as evil and lazy.

Fear makes us lazy. Think about that a minute. A fearful person does little.

Moving forward despite the fear gets the spiritual couch potato out from 
under the afghan and into the life she was meant to live.

So here’s what I want us to think about today: Are we investing the gifts 
and talents that God has given us, or are we hiding them because of fear.

I don’t know about you, but I want to invest all I have and live bold. We’re 
going to pick back up on this in my next devotion, but for now, let’s ponder
which servant we want to be.

Let’s Pray

Lord, thank You for entrusting me with gifts and talents. Sometimes I’m not 
sure what they are, but I pray that You will make them clear to me. Help me
to be brave and share the talents that You have given me with others. I want 
to invest in other people and multiply the fruit in Your kingdom.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Read Matthew 25:14-30 in your own
Bible.
Which servant do you resemble the most? Which servant do you want to 
resemble most?

How did the servants’ choices determine their destinies?

Here is a quote from Take Hold of the Faith You Long For: You either show 
fear the door, or it will bolt the lock to keep you out of the places God 
has
prepared for you to go and do all that He has planned for you to do. Fear 
has no choice but to leave the premises when you stand on the promises of 
God
and say, “You are not welcome here.”

What area of your life do you need to “show fear the door?”


Click over to my
Facebook
page and leave a comment (not a message) and share your answer.

More from the Girlfriends

Today’s devotion was taken from my new book,
Take Hold of the Faith you Long For:
Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold.
A mediocre, mundane faith is not what you were made for! In
Take Hold of the Faith You Long For,
I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our
Christian faith,
living less than what we had hoped. I show you how to break free of all that 
holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the 
adventurous
faith of bold believing. It’s time to TAKE HOLD of all that Jesus has 
already taken hold of for you and placed in you! Click on the book cover to 
download
a sample chapter and view a quick video. And if you’re looking for a new 
study for your women’s group or individual study, Take Hold includes a Bible 
Study
guide in the back.

Seeking God?
Click here
to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070

info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

When 'Good Morning' is a Bad Word
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com Contributor

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken 
as a curse. -
Proverbs 27:14
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for 
building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
-
Ephesians 4:29

I am not a morning person.

My college friends and I still joke about the semester our intrepid
Bible
study (we were studying Romans with just about every denominational 
background represented) decided it was a good idea to change our meeting 
time to Saturday
mornings. My nocturnal habits often made me the least inclined to drag 
myself from repose, and I confess that I used the "I think I'm coming down 
with
a cold" excuse more than once. On one such morning, another member of the 
group decided she would jumpstart my lethargic spirituality. While I was 
groggily
ignoring my roommate's gentle encouragement to come to Bible study, she 
walked the dorm room, threw open the curtains to the sunshine, and loudly 
proclaimed,
"GOOD MORNING, KATHERINE!"

I have no idea what I said in response, but I'm sure it wasn't Christian.

I respect my friend's abiding faith in early bird philosophy, but I was 
delighted a few months later when I discovered Proverbs 27:14. The Message 
clarifies
the verse by putting it this way: "If you wake your friend in the early 
morning by shouting ‘Rise and shine!' It will sound to him more like a curse 
than
a blessing."

I immediately told my friends that my discovery. I had found concrete 
evidence that God was not a morning person.

Of course, the verse's real point deals less with God's waking hours and 
more with speaking wisely. Proverbs once again brings the focus back to the 
power
and timing of our words when we relate to other. The funny illustration 
demonstrates that wisdom is more than a wholesome word or truth. Wisdom is 
also
a truth aptly spoken.

Sunday School has drilled the catchphrase "Speak the truth in love" 
(Ephesians 4:15) into our heads, but even this approach can lack grace. Paul 
himself
encouraged his readers to consider that not every word is fit for every 
occasion. Even the comforting promise of
Romans 8:28
- that God works all things for good of those who
love
him - should sometimes give way to grieving when the cancer diagnosis is 
first announced or a loved one dies. Those are obvious examples, and the 
more
subtle situations are myriad. But here's the lesson I take away from this 
verse: We're supposed to consider the impact on our hearers. Wise words do 
more
than offer the right word and expect our friends to recognize its truth even 
if we choose an inopportune moment. Instead, I have to recognize that the
right word offered at the wrong time might as well be a curse instead of a 
blessing.

I take comfort in knowing that I don't have to spew every nugget of 
knowledge at every pertinent encounter. We're not supposed to be somebody 
else's
Holy Spirit,
convicting them of every errant or off-color word. Nor are we supposed to be 
perpetually perky saints, walking around singing hallelujahs all the time.
There's a place for bold ministry, but too often I confuse boldness with my 
very human need to "say something" - and the results are rarely "good for 
building
up" or "as fits the occasion."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Don't be the neighbor who yells, "Good morning" 
too loudly. Let's encourage each other with words that "will give grace to 
those
who hear" this week. Our goal is not to make others see our point of view or 
our wisdom, but to build each other up with the love of Christ.

Further Reading
Ecclesiastes 3


Stuck in an Elevator

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the 
reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

Talk about a captive audience! When Jenny signed up for evangelism training 
last December, she didn't know she'd get such immediate practical 
experience.
Her unexpected opportunity came when she was trapped in an elevator in the 
hotel where the conference was being held.

She was confined in the small space with ten other people (including Ashley 
and Jessica from her youth group and one of their sponsors). Jenny, who was
standing next to an airline pilot from South Africa, began to talk with him 
about her faith in God.

When he had a question, Ashley and Jessica showed him Bible verses. Before 
the doors of the elevator opened 90 minutes later, the man had prayed to 
accept
Jesus as his Savior.

The young women didn't see him again, but left a Bible and a note for him at 
the front desk of the hotel. When Jenny got home from the conference, she
found an e-mail from the pilot. He wrote that the young women who had chosen 
to share with him would never know how much he needed to receive Jesus.

Opportunities to share our faith are not always planned out. In fact, most 
times they are not. They're unexpected, orchestrated by God. The person you
sit next to in class. An old friend who sends you an e-mail. A relative you 
see once a year at a family reunion. Or even a stranger on an airplane, in
a store ... or stuck in an elevator.

God uses Scripture to change people's lives. Romans 10:17 tells us that 
"faith comes from hearing the message." Your responsibility is to share 
what the
Bible says, then stand back. Let the Holy Spirit do the convincing and 
convicting.

To receive The Daily Encourager FREE each weekday, click on the following 
link:
http://go.netatlantic.com/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=thedailyencourager


It’s OK to Need a Shoulder to Lean On
LYNN COWELL

"While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and 
came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.” Acts 3:11 
(NIV)

Recently I met some amazingly brave young people in a class I’m taking. The 
class is helping me learn more about things I simply don’t understand — 
namely,
mental illness and the struggles of those who deal with it. I’m taking it 
because I’m hopeful that as my knowledge increases, so will my compassion.

Two young people stood to share their stories. They weren't professional 
speakers nor had they rehearsed. They were simply brave and courageous, 
choosing
to be vulnerable about their past struggles and their difficulties of today.

These are the kind of people I learn from.

These individuals had something in common: they both needed others to help 
them reach their fullest potential. Thankfully, both are blessed with 
someone
to support and encourage them as they move forward in life.

We read a story of similar support in Acts 3. Here Peter and John meet a 
beggar at the gate called Beautiful and we witness a miracle: a man crippled 
from
birth is healed. After taking Peter’s hand, he is lifted to a place of 
wholeness, resulting in the ability to walk, jump and praise God!

Just after this amazing miracle is a verse that can easily be overlooked: 
"While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and
came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade" (Acts 3:11).

These words “held on to” in the Greek mean to take hold of, grasp, or hold 
fast. If the beggar was healed in Acts 3:7 and now could walk, why was he 
holding
on to Peter and John?

The beggar had been healed. The evidence of that healing was demonstrated 
very quickly as the entire crowd witnessed him walk and jump. Yet shortly 
after
these miracle movements, this man needed someone to lean on.

The young people struggling with mental illness also needed someone to lean 
on and hold on to. They both spoke of family who stood by them as they 
journeyed
on the long, hard road to recovery.

Not one of us in that room judged them for needing help. They had made great 
strides on their own, but to keep going, they needed others.

I love this story in Acts because it points to a powerful truth: In order to 
move toward healing and wholeness in our lives, we need the supernatural 
power
of the Holy Spirit to set us free, and we will often need someone to hold on 
to.

And that's OK.

Nothing in this passage indicates that the beggar’s healing was incomplete 
because he needed to lean on someone. In fact, later in Acts, Peter 
reiterates
that the man who was crippled was healed. Yet in his healing, he still 
needed a little help.

Sometimes in the Christian life, we'll find ourselves in the position of the 
beggar, needing a Peter or John to support us so we stay on this journey 
toward
becoming more like Jesus. Other times, we'll be Peter and John, the shoulder 
others need in order to find the strength to keep going.

Look around you. Who needs you today to be the shoulder of Jesus? Who needs 
a little support as they move forward on this road called life?

Let’s stand near and be that encouragement today. And if that someone who 
needs a little help is you, don’t be too hard on yourself. The beggar had 
just
experienced a miracle in his life, and he still needed to hold on to 
someone.

Sometimes we’re Jesus’ hands and feet, but other times we are His shoulders 
for others to lean on.

Dear Jesus, You promised us in Your Word that in this life we will have 
trouble. That trouble comes in many different forms. Thank You that in our 
troubles
You are always with us, and thank You for friends and family to help us as 
well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Ecclesiastes 4:10, “For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe 
to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” 
(ESV)Isaiah
35:3, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.” (ESV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Do you know of a young woman who is struggling and needs the reassurance 
that Jesus loves her even in the middle of those struggles? Lynn Cowell’s 
book,

His Revolutionary Love: Jesus’ Radical Pursuit of You,
may be just the right resource for her.

Join Lynn
on her blog
today where she’s giving away a copy of His Revolutionary Love as well as 
sharing “5 Ways You Can Support Someone Struggling With Mental Illness.”

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
How does our key verse (Acts 3:11) impact the way you think of the word 
“healing”?

Think of one person in your life who needs healing from Jesus. Make it a 
point to pray for him or her several times today, and let them know you are 
going
to God on their behalf.

© 2016 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.


Welcome to the Illustrator
Today's Bible Verse:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved 
us." Romans 8:37a
By Answers2Prayer

Eyes Right

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved 
us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor 
things
present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything 
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in 
Christ
Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

It was World War I and the British lieutenant was leading his soldiers back 
to the front.

His men had seen considerable action in the trenches and all of them had 
lost friends and close comrades. They had been given a two-week furlough, 
but
the time of rest and relaxation was over, and their orders said they must 
return to the conflict.

The soldiers' shoulders sagged because they knew ahead of them lay mud, 
blood and possible death.

Nobody talked. Nobody sang. It was a heavy time upon their hearts, made 
heavier by a dark sky and a steady, cold drizzle. As they marched, they 
passed
the remnants of a church. The lieutenant's eyes were drawn inward. Although 
the walls of the church had been blasted by cannon and small-arms fire, the
altar of the church was still intact.

And above the altar, miraculously having escaped damage was a statue of the 
risen Christ.

The lieutenant, a Christian, remembered His Redeemer who had suffered, died 
and victoriously conquered death with His third-day resurrection. He 
recalled
how the knowledge and faith in the living Lord had given him forgiveness and 
eternal life. He knew, no matter what else happened to him, because of 
Jesus,
he would also be victorious.

Although the lieutenant was not prepared to preach a sermon to his marching 
men, he did what he could. With faith in his heart, he barked out the order:
"Eyes right!"

Every head turned to the right. As the soldiers marched by, they also saw 
the cross and the representation of the risen Redeemer. Many of those boys 
also
drew comfort from those church symbols which had, almost miraculously, 
survived the conflict which had raged around them.

The soldiers took courage and with straightened shoulders they continued 
their march, but now with strength in their steps and a smile on their 
faces.

This morning, as I write this devotion, I don't know what battles and 
conflicts you are facing in your life. If, by God's grace, there are none, 
then I
rejoice with you. I pray that the Lord continues to smile upon you.

On the other hand, if you are struggling, then I -- like that lieutenant -- 
encourage you to lift up your downcast eyes and see your Savior. He has 
successfully
completed His divine mission of grace, which was designed to forgive our 
sins and save our souls.

Because of that, we, like St. Paul and hundreds of millions of other 
Christians, can rest secure in the knowledge that "in all these things we 
are more
than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death 
nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be 
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I may cast all my cares and concerns upon 
the Christ. Then, having done so, may I be given that peace which passes all
human understanding. This I pray in the Savior's Name. Amen.

Announcement:

If you would like to share your testimony with others, feel free to
send it for consideraion to us.

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 


Formula for Personal Growth

James 1:22

Growing in Christ involves far more than just attending church, tithing, and 
listening to a sermon. In fact, many believers do these yet remain stagnant
in their walk. There are two elements necessary for us to become more like 
Jesus: instruction and involvement.

The first of these, learning truth, is vital to a healthy walk with God. Our 
Savior proved the importance of instruction by devoting much of His time on
earth to it. The apostle Paul is another example, as he wrote letters to 
educate
Christians
about godliness.

So how can we gain knowledge and understanding? One of the most important 
and effective ways is to read the Word of God. Scripture instructs us that 
just
as newborns crave milk, we are to desire His Word so that we might grow. I 
pray your spiritual thirst will become insatiable.

Yet simply listening to the truth does not mean that we've acquired it. I 
know many people who love attending
Bible
studies and expanding their knowledge base, but their lives remain 
unchanged. Just as today's passage teaches, we have to apply the Word to our 
lives.
Even so, actual growth requires more than merely inputting information. It 
requires action. James 2:26 states, "For just as the body without the spirit
is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

Are we careless hearers, deceived into thinking that we're growing? Or are 
we listening intently and abiding in the truth? If we're truly maturing, our
lives will be increasingly Christlike, and our desires will align more 
closely with God's heart. Make sure that you are listening and responding to 
His
truth.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please 
visit
www.intouch.org.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. (c) 2009 All Rights 
Reserved.

Please Don’t Give Me a Christian Answer
LYSA TERKEURST

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35 (NIV)

I love Jesus. I love God. I love His Truth. I love people.

But I don’t love packaged Christian answers. Those that tie everything up in 
a nice neat bow. And make life a little too tidy.

Because there just isn’t anything tidy about some things that happen in our 
broken world. The senseless acts of violence we hear about continually in 
the
news are awful and sad and so incredibly evil.

And God help me if I think I’m going to make things better by thinking up a 
clever Christian saying to add to all the dialogue. God certainly doesn’t 
need
people like me — with limited perspectives, limited understanding and 
limited depth — trying to make sense of things that don’t make sense.

Is there a place for God’s truth in all this? Absolutely. But we must, must, 
must let God direct us. In His time. In His way. In His love.

And when things are awful we should just say, “This is awful.” When things 
don’t make sense, we can’t shy away from just saying, “This doesn’t make 
sense.”
Because there is a difference between a wrong word at the wrong time and a 
right word at the right time.

When my sister died a horribly tragic death, it was because a doctor 
prescribed some medication no child should ever be given. And it set off a 
chain of
events that eventually found my family standing over a pink rose-draped 
casket.

Weeping.

Hurting.

Needing time to wrestle with grief and anger and loss.

And it infuriated my raw soul when people tried to sweep up the shattered 
pieces of our life by saying things like, “Well, God just needed another 
angel
in heaven.” It took the shards of my grief and twisted them even more deeply 
into my already broken heart.

I understand why they said things like this … they wanted to say something. 
To make it better. Their compassion compelled them to come close.

And I wanted them there. And then I didn’t.

Everything was a contradiction. I could be crying hysterically one minute 
and laughing the next. And then I’d feel so awful for daring to laugh that I
wanted to cuss. And then sing a praise song. I wanted to shake my fist at 
God and then read His Scriptures for hours.

There’s just nothing tidy about all that.

But the thing I know now that I wish I knew then is that even Jesus 
understood what it was like to feel deeply human emotions like grief and 
heartache.
We see this in John 11:32-35 when Jesus receives the news that his dear 
friend Lazarus has died, “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and 
saw him,
she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother 
[Lazarus] would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who 
had
come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and 
troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they 
replied.
Jesus wept.”

Yes, Jesus wept and mourned with His loved ones in that devastatingly 
heartbreaking moment. And the fact that He can identify with my pain is so 
comforting
to me.

You want to know the best thing someone said to me in the middle of my 
grief?

I was standing in the midst of all the tears falling down on black dresses 
and black suits on that grey funeral day. My heels were sinking into the 
grass.
I was staring down at an ant pile. The ants were running like mad around a 
footprint that had squashed their home.

I was wondering if I stood in that pile and let them sting me a million 
times if maybe that pain would distract me from my soul pain. At least I 
knew how
to soothe physical pain.

Suddenly, this little pigtailed girl skipped by me and exclaimed, “I hate 
ants.”

And that was hands-down the best thing anyone said that day.

Because she just entered in right where I was. Noticed where I was focused 
in that moment and just said something basic. Normal. Obvious.

Yes, there is a place for a solid Christian answer from well-intentioned 
friends. Absolutely. But then there’s also a place to weep with a hurting 
friend
from the depths of your soul.

God help us to know the difference.

Dear Lord, thank You for being there in my darkest time. I know You are real 
and You are the only one who can bring comfort to seemingly impossible 
situations.
Please help me speak Your truth to those around me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 12:15-16a, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who 
mourn. Live in harmony with one another.” (NIV)

Proverbs 15:23, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is 
a timely word!” (NIV)



challies.com - Informing the Reforming


----------------------------------------------------------

I Forbid You To Say These Things at My Funeral
I Forbid You To Say These Things at My Funeral

YouTube told me I ought to watch a clip from a recent episode of America’s 
Got Talent. After all, who doesn’t like to see some unknown person make it 
or
blow it on the big stage? In this case the young man did a tremendous job of 
imitating Frank Sinatra and, of course, received thunderous applause for his
effort. When the cheering had subsided he was told by the judges that his 
dear grandmother must be looking down from heaven aglow with pride. Somehow 
that
kind of clichéd syrupy sentimentality is just what people want to hear in 
those moments. It got me thinking about some of the absurd statements I’ve 
heard
over the years, and especially the ones I’ve heard at funerals. Here are a 
few things I sincerely hope no one will say about me at my funeral or any 
time
thereafter. In fact, I hereby forbid it.

He is looking down on you. The Bible gives us little reason to believe that 
the dead keep an eye on the living. And, frankly, I rather hope they don’t.
When I am dead I will finally, blessedly be more alive than I’ve ever been 
because I will be free of sin and its consequences. I can’t help but think 
that
the very last thing I’d want is to look down (or up or sideways or whatever 
direction earth is in relation to heaven) and have to witness more of sin 
and
its effects. I love you all plenty, but I don’t particularly want to kick 
off forever by watching you sin. Not only that, but there’s no earthly or 
heavenly
reason you’d want or need me to. Surely you aren’t indicating that God’s 
watchful eye is insufficient and that it somehow needs to be supplemented by 
mine,
are you? No, I’m not looking at you. I’m looking at Jesus as he’s looking 
after you. You’ll be fine.

He’s with the angels now. This one gets me. Listen, I’m eager to meet some 
angels and to learn what they are all about. I’m especially eager to meet 
the
angel who comforted Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. What I wouldn’t give 
to know what words he spoke in that moment! But here’s the thing: When I die
I won’t be with the angels. I’ll be with Jesus. To say I’m with the angels 
is like watching a man walk into Buckingham Palace and saying, “He’s with 
the
queen’s secretary now.” While that is strictly true, it’s also completely 
missing the point. He’s with the queen! And when I’m no longer with you, I’ll
be with the king.

God needed another angel. Please don’t say this. Please don’t say this 
because if you know me you know that I’m no angel. But even more, don’t say 
this
because it completely misrepresents both men and angels as if human beings 
aspire to evolve or transform into some kind of supernatural being. Angels 
and
humans are completely different orders of being! Iguanas don’t die and 
become giraffes and men don’t die and become angels. I’m a human being now 
and will
be a human being for the rest of eternity.

He was a good man. He is now, but he wasn’t always. He is good now that he’s 
in that place where he has been perfected by an instantaneous act of God.
He is good now that God has transformed him to take away all desire for 
ungodliness and unholiness. He’s good now, but he wasn’t on this side of the 
grave.
Frankly, he could be kind of a jerk at times. He could be moody and arrogant 
and self-centered. He was bad. But he was also forgiven and battling to kill
his love of sin and desire for sin. He was learning and growing and 
displaying God’s grace. But he wasn’t good. Not like he is now. Not like God 
had created
him to be.

He wouldn’t want you to cry. Go ahead and cry. You don’t need to cry for me, 
of course. But I wouldn’t tell you not to cry at all. Every funeral is an
opportunity to consider the harsh reality of human mortality and the 
treasonous acts that made this mortality inevitable. There is no virtue in a 
stiff
upper lip. There is no virtue in suppressing grief. There is no virtue in 
thinking that the joy of one man entering heaven ought to dispel the grief 
of
those who are left behind. Funerals are a perfectly appropriate time to 
mourn—to mourn for the one who died, to mourn for others you miss, to mourn 
your
own mortality, and to mourn the One who died so we could live.

We’re not having a funeral; we’re having a celebration. Why pit the two 
against one another as if only one can be true? We are having a funeral and 
it
is a genuinely sad occasion. Yet we do not, can not, must not mourn as those 
who have no hope. A Christian funeral marks both a departure and an arrival;
it provides an occasion for both grief and joy. As the poet says, “One short 
sleep past we wake eternally, and death shall be no more.” A sunset brings
cold darkness but also the warm hope of dawn. Death brings the end of a very 
short life and the beginning of a never-ceasing one. It’s as wrong to refuse
to mourn as it is to mourn without hope.

nourish

How to Pray While Someone Else Leads

As a teenager I lived for several months in the Scottish Highlands and 
worshiped with a Free Church of Scotland congregation. I remember my 
surprise that
first Lord’s Day when, as the pastor began to pray, the entire church rose 
to its feet, standing together for the length of the prayer. As I joined 
them,
I was conscious of being part of a group in action.

We were not asleep. We were not listening passively to someone else pray. 
No. We were at worship, at work, and at war. We were the church, and we were
praying together.

Praying while someone else leads doesn’t always come easily. As children, we 
are prone to squirm and daydream. As teenagers, we may nod off to sleep. 
Even
as adults, we sometimes find ourselves more preoccupied with thoughts of 
football or lunch than with the glorious purpose of our heavenly errand.

But as I learned from those Highlanders on their feet, the key to praying 
while someone else leads is recognizing that we must actually pray, and that
we pray, in the quaint words of one writer, “every whit as heartily as [the] 
leader.” Corporate prayer is work for the whole church.

Pull quote

First, as obvious as it may sound, we must be present. We need to be present 
physically, “not neglecting to meet together” (Heb. 10:25). If we are not
at the meetings of the church, we miss the opportunity to pray together. 
Also, we must be present mentally, paying attention to the petitions of the 
one
who leads. Most importantly, we must be present spiritually, entering 
wholeheartedly into the common prayer.

Second, having shown up, we make it our aim to say, “Amen.” More than just a 
token ending to a prayer, “Amen” is our emphatic agreement and earnest hope
that the God who hears prayer will grant our united request. In this spirit, 
the psalmist urges, “Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’” (Ps. 106:48), and the
apostle Paul directs Christians to pray clearly so that others can say, 
“Amen” (1 Cor. 14:16). Jesus, too, elevates agreement as our chief goal when 
we
pray with others (Matt. 18:19).

Keeping this focus promotes an attitude of humility and submission. We are 
not there to criticize (or to praise) the quality of the prayer; we are 
there
to seek whatever is biblical in it and to add our assent. Even the most 
imperfect, stumbling prayers often contain truth about God and His purposes 
that
we can “Amen.” We also seek whatever application we can make to our 
particular circumstances. Is the leader confessing the sin of idolatry? We 
examine
our own hearts and repent of the instances we find. Is the leader praying 
for wisdom? We offer up to God the situations in which we find ourselves 
lacking
discernment. In this way, the words of one person become the prayer of 
everyone. And all God’s people said, “Amen.”

Of course, we cannot do any of this in our own strength. Calling on the 
promised help of the Spirit (Rom. 8:26), we should pray before praying, pray 
about
praying, and pray while praying.

Like the familiar illustration of the duck—that glides serenely on the water’s 
surface but is paddling frantically underneath—the members of the church
may appear passive when praying together, but in the invisible places we are 
each working very hard indeed.

Praying Together
Excerpted from
Praying Together
by Megan Hill.
© 2016. Crossway Books.
Used by permission.


Love Will Lift You

Love lifts a broken heart—not just any love, but the love of God. Most of us 
have sung James Rowe's hymn, "Love Lifted Me." The first verse contains 
these
words:

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me—now safe am I.

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help, love lifted me!

Sometimes nothing can lift our hearts like the love of God. Friends abandon 
us. Colleagues try to bypass us. Even our families may fail to understand 
us.
But God's love for us never changes.

Even when we act unlovable, God continues to love us. When we are 
undesirable, He embraces us. When it seems that the world has turned against 
us, God's
love remains. He has promised never to leave us hopeless.

Difficulties in life can certainly leave us feeling broken and confused. 
Many times, disappointments come in order to teach us more about the depths 
of
God's love. In desperation, we turn to God. This is when we discover that 
only His love can truly lift us up and restore our sense of hope.

We may struggle to find another way around our problems, hoping that someone 
or something will bring relief, but nothing can help us outside the love of
God. Only His love has the ability to satisfy our every need.

Maybe you are wondering if God really loves you. Have you yielded to sin? Or 
have you allowed the world and its trappings to come between you and your
Savior? Cry out to Him and He will restore the joy of your
salvation.
When nothing else can help, love will lift you.

****

devo

June Gift Challenge
Proclaim. Disciple. Help.

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borders are closed to missionaries?

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with Dr. Michael Youssef. Generous ministry partners have committed $400,000
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Help us meet our Gift Challenge goal this month!
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Listen to
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on Today's Broadcast of "
Leading The Way"
at OnePlace.com

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; 
all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
"
The Real God"
July 1, 2016
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in 
Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
A pastor friend of mine told me about a conversation he had with a lady who 
was asking about what his church believed.

Everything went fine until he started talking about God's commandments and 
the penalty for sin. Hearing about hell, the lady blurted: "Pastor, that's 
impossible!
My god would never do such a thing."

Surprised by the lady's reaction, the pastor went on to other topics as he 
tried to think of a suitable reply.

Before the end of their session, he said, "A little while ago you said your 
'god' wouldn't condemn you for disobeying his law. I think a lot of people
have that god. Their god doesn't condemn them because he likes them just the 
way they are. Their god wouldn't call them 'sinners' or call them to 
repentance,
and he certainly wouldn't suggest they need a Savior."

"The only problem with your 'god,'" my friend continued, "is that he doesn't 
exist, and he certainly isn't the God of the Bible."

"And what was the lady's reply?" I asked my pastor friend.

He said, "I don't know. I never saw her again."

You see, that lady, like many others, thought she was the master, and God 
was a beggar, who should be glad to glean any crumbs that fall from her 
table.
She thought of God as a cuddly-wuddly teddy bear, who might make her feel 
warm and secure when she needed Him, but would -- the rest of the time -- 
sit
patiently on her bed, or wherever she put Him.

She thought of God as being a spiritual Santa, who waited anxiously for her 
to pass on the list of things she wanted, but who could be ignored the rest
of the time. She thought of God as a nice grandpa, who gave gentle 
suggestions, but would never give orders.

Although she might never have said it out loud, this lady was among the 
hundreds of millions who wonder

* who does God think He is that He can tell me what I'm supposed to do?

* who does God think He is that I have to keep Him first all of the time?

* who does God think He is that He can push me around?

* who does God think He is that I'm not allowed to have anything before Him, 
alongside Him, over, under, or next to Him?

Who does God think He is?

I'm going to tell you.

God thinks He's God, and we're not. He's the God whose justice compels Him 
to condemn the sinner and the God whose grace sent His Son into the world to
save those same sinners. He is the God who says, "The wages of sin is death, 
but My free gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I always remember that You are the loving Lord, 
and I am the sinful soul. May I always remember the sacrifice made by the 
Savior,
who has given me life through His death and resurrection. In His Name I ask 
it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of
The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Readings: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Acts 10:24-48

4096 cdd Sneak Attack
Tuesday June 28, 2016
Volume 17 Number 129

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" NKJV

September 1942, a Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction 
raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States western 
coastline.
Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor in their first sneak attack just nine months 
before. The Captain of the Japanese attack submarine knew that Americans 
were
closely watching their coast line, for ships and aircraft, that might attack 
the USA mainland.

The first rays of the early morning sun were flickering off the periscope's 
lens. Their mission: Attack the west coast of the USA with incendiary bombs
in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire. If this test run was 
successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack 
the eastern
end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific.

The Japanese Navy had a large number of submarines under construction, each 
capable of carrying three bombing aircraft.

September 9, 1942: It was cold on the West coast this September morning and 
quiet. The residents of the area were still in bed or preparing to head for
work. Lumber was a large part of the industry in Brookings, Oregon just a 
few miles north of the California State line.

Just over the horizon, the submarine crew could hear the change of sound as 
the bow of the submarine emerged for its run on the surface. The crew 
quickly
rolled the airplane out its hangar which was built next to the conning 
tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and several incendiary bombs were 
attached
under the wings.

It was full daylight when the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on 
the catapult. A perfect day to attack the United States of America. The 
pilot
signaled and the catapult launched the aircraft. After a short climb into 
the sky the pilot turned on a heading directly for the Oregon coast. The 
pilot
calculated land fall in a few minutes and right on schedule he could see the 
ocean waves flashing white as they hit the Oregon shores.

The pilot of the aircraft checked his course and alerted his observer to be 
on the lookout for their target. They found it and the pilot activated the
release locks so that the bombs could be dropped. His instructions were 
simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees and circle once to 
see if
they had started any fires and then head back to the submarine.

The bombs tumbled from the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the 
pilot circled once and spotted fire around the impact point. He executed a 
180-degree
turn and headed back to the submarine. There was no other air activity. The 
small float plane returned to the surfaced submarine and landed gently on 
the
ocean --- then taxied to the sub. A long boom swung out from the stern. The 
cable was hooked between the two cockpits. The plane was picked up ever so
gently and swung onto the deck. The wings and tail were folded and the 
airplane was pushed into its hangar and the water tight doors secured. The 
submarine
submerged and headed back to Japan. This second Japanese sneak attack was 
the only time during World War 2 that an enemy plane dropped bombs on the 
USA
mainland.

In similar fashion Satan and his minions are always on the prowl looking 
where to orchestrate a sneak attack in our lives. Something can look so 
good,
so attractive, so inviting and yet behind all the alluring is a sinister 
plan for destruction.

Prayer: Father help me maintain my guard and be prepared to thwart any and 
all sinister plans prepared against me. In the name of the Lord Jesus 
Christ.
Amen!

Pastor Bill Team Prayer
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Copyright (c) 2016
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries
All Rights Reserved

Riding Out the Storm
by Chuck Swindoll

2 Samuel 12:13-25

David refused to give up. When suffering the backwash of sin, our tendency 
is to say, "I am through. I am finished with living. Life isn't worth it any
longer." But look at what David did: he "comforted his wife Bathsheba." It's 
easy to forget that she was also grieving. Both of them went through a 
period
of grief. They wept. And then they went on living.

David is once more walking with the Lord as he did in days past. One of the 
most pathetic scenes on earth is a child of God who sits in the corner too
long, licking his wounds in self-pity. It takes as much (often more) 
spiritual strength and purpose to recover and move on as it does to go 
through a crisis.
"I will go on, I will pick up the pieces, I will get back on target, I will 
go back to work, I will begin to enjoy my friends again, I will carry on as
I did before. In fact, by God's grace, I will be wiser and even more 
effective than I was before."

David, in riding out the storm, gives us some beautiful guidelines. He 
prayed, he faced the consequences realistically, he turned it all over to 
the Lord
as he claimed the scriptural truth concerning death, and then he refused to 
give up. He moved on, relying on his God for strength.

Riding out the storm is a lonely experience. You will never be more alone 
emotionally than when you are in the whirlwind of consequences. You will 
wish
others could help you, but they can't. They will want to be there, they will 
care, but for the most part, you have to ride out the storm alone.

Riding out the storm, thank God, is also a temporary experience. It may be 
the most difficult time in your life. You will be enduring your own 
whirlwind.
On the other hand, you may be the innocent bystander caught in the 
consequential backwash of another's sin. You'll feel desperately alone, and 
it may seem
that it will never, ever end. But believe me, the whirlwind is a temporary 
experience. Your faithful, caring Lord will see you through it.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll,
Great Days with the Great Lives
(Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. 
Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Reframing Life
Watch Video
Visit insight.org
Copyright © 2016 Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved 
worldwide.

Idols in the Temple

Ezekiel 8:5-6 (NLT)
5 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I 
looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate of the 
altar, stood the idol that had made the Lord so angry. 6 “Son of man,” he 
said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the great sins the people 
of Israel are doing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see 
even greater sins than these!”

Ezekiel was led in the Spirit to see the different idols that had invaded 
the temple. This Scripture describes the first scene but he was also shown 
scenes of all kinds of creatures that had been carved and were being 
worshipped. He saw women worshipping their own god and then other men bowing 
down to the sun to honor the sun god. There was so much worship of these 
idols there was not room to worship the Lord God Almighty.

In the recent past we have seen services held in fine churches where people 
from different religions were there taking part in the service. Each was 
allowed to pray openly to his own god. All gods are not equal. The god of 
the Muslims, Allah, is not the one true Jehovah. The god that Buddhists 
worship is not the same as Jehovah either. When you have all these religions 
and their gods in a church that was set to worship the one true God and let 
other gods in you are running Him out of there. He is a jealous god and will 
not be shared with other gods.

Some church members worship the leaders over them and follow everything they 
say no matter what they say. Some churches worship their pastors. They think 
he is so handsome, intelligent, eloquent, etc. and he gives them what they 
want to hear so they end up worshipping him instead of Jehovah or his son 
Jesus Christ.

If you belong to Jesus Christ your body is a temple. Do you have any idols 
that you worship that keep Jehovah or Jesus Christ out of your life? Is 
there something in your life that is keeping you from a relationship with 
Jesus Christ? Do you make excuses for not praying and reading your bible 
because you say you don’t have time but waste time watching television or 
playing on your computer? These are just two examples of things that can 
become gods in our lives. There are many more things that can take our time 
and thus become gods that take the place of God Almighty.

If you or any churches that you attend allow these idols in, you need to 
repent and get rid of the idols like the following church did:

A church group in Chattanooga, Tennessee, stood around a muddy pit. The 
pastor read a passage from the thirty-fifth chapter of Genesis: “Then Jacob 
said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange 
gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garment.”
The group began tossing various objects into the pit. Among the “strange 
gods” was a big alarm clock that went jangling into the hole: this was a 
sign that the church was done with clock-watching during future services.
In went an old television set; also a rock-and-roll record with the 
impressive title “Ooba-Ooba-Ooba,” followed by several famous novels by 
popular modern authors. Women’s shorts and toreador pants landed on top of 
the stack, along with cigarette packs.
The minister of the church assured the newspaper reporters that these folk 
weren’t snake-handlers or weird cultists; they were plain Southern Baptists 
who wished to put away their idols and strip for the race on the gospel 
road.
—Selected

Let us all follow the example of those in that church. Let us get rid of the 
idols in our lives and follow Jesus Christ fully.

by Dean W. Masters


Why Should Christians Engage Those With Whom They Disagree?
Abby Perry

Though the call of the Christian is to be the light of the world, to engage 
the dark places with the flickering hope of the gospel, we often remain 
hesitant
to converse with or befriend anyone who does not share our faith. We 
insulate ourselves, perhaps unintentionally at first, prioritizing church 
and Christ-centered friendships and bible studies.

We find safety in numbers of people like us, and are threatened when the 
throngs of those with whom we disagree add to their camps.

We think about the “types of kids” we want our children to be friends with, 
and nearly always that “type” is Christian, parents picked out who think 
like
we do, with whom we disagree about nothing more serious than the best park 
in town. And often, before we know it, the calendar is full and the 
friendship
and social media circles include only those who post content that we nod 
along to as we read. And we have convinced ourselves that all of this is in 
the
name of Christ.

I wonder if in our efforts to keep ourselves unstained by the world, we 
forget the call to be in the world. I wonder if we love our safety or our 
opinions
more than we love the lost. I wonder if we look at the insanity of the 
political climate and feel further justified in our self-removal, “see?! The 
world
is going to burn anyway. What’s the point?”

Do you ever feel this way? What keeps you from wanting to shine light in the 
dark places? Are you curious what the point of engaging with the world 
really is?

The point is found in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, which says, “18 All this is 
from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the 
ministry
of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to 
himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us 
the
message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God 
making his appeal through us.”

Ambassadors for Christ, carrying the message of reconciliation. That’s you, 
that’s me, that’s us, believer. This isn’t an option, nor is it a specific
call only imparted to certain members of the body. This is how the church is 
to move forward as individuals and as a whole - our mission is to speak up,
serve sacrificially, give lovingly, live differently, so that the message of 
reconciliation may be received by those we know and love.

In Jeremiah 29:7, the prophet speaks to the Israelites during their 
Babylonian captivity and tells them to, “Seek the welfare of the city where 
I have
sent you into exile, and pray for the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare 
you will have welfare.”

For in its welfare; you will have welfare. For in the cultivation of the 
city where you dwell; you will be cultivated. For in the flourishing of the 
place
in which you live; you will flourish.

In order to engage the city for its good, there is one thing that we will 
always, without question have to do. We will have to talk to people with 
whom
we disagree. And, let’s just be honest, we don’t really like to do that. We 
get nervous disagreeing with other
Christians.
Too often we sacrifice genuine kindness on the altar of impression, and the 
souls of our cities suffer for it. Too often we think that exchanging 
shallow
pleasantries with co-workers or the participating in occasional service 
project is the same thing as seeking the welfare of the city as God 
commands.

I want to be clear that I think the only real way to have sustained, 
lasting, purposeful friendships with nonbelievers is to have sustained, 
lasting, purposeful
friendships with believers. The body of Christ is our family, and oh the 
sweetness when it actually functions like it is, when we actually live like 
that is true.

But the purpose of the family has never been to turn inward on itself and 
merely bless the people already in the circle.The purpose of the family has 
always
been to go forth and multiply. This is true in literal, physical families, 
and it is true just the same in the family of believers.

There are so many more reasons why Christians should engage with those with 
whom they disagree. Need just a few?

· Disagreeing teaches us how to love unconditionally.

· Disagreeing shows us our own blind spots.

· Disagreeing reminds us of the common grace of our good God when we 
encounter ways of thinking in nonbelievers that challenge our own 
selfishness and pride.

· Disagreeing stretches our faith, reminds us of the depths of God’s grace, 
of how completely separate from our own reason or logic or debating skills
our salvation rests.

· Disagreeing reveals the questions the culture is asking, the answers they 
are seeking to find.

· Disagreeing shows us how we can pray, how we can study the Scriptures, and 
how we can talk with other believers about presenting reconciliation and 
truth
to blinded eyes in a way that turns on the lights.

In Acts 17, Paul looks around the city of Athens and sees the never-ending 
supply of idols distributed about the city. Speaking from the Aeropagus, 
Paul
speaks to the religious affections of the community as he reveals to them 
truths about the One Living God. “Every part of what Paul says is deeply 
biblical,
but he never quotes the Bible; instead he shows them the weakness and 
inadequacies of their own views of the divine and lifts up the true God for 
their
admiration. He appeals as much to their rationality and their imaginations 
as to their will and hearts” (
TGC).

Paul took the time to learn about the people of the city, to discern their 
way of thinking and believing. And while his message was scorned upon 
delivering
it, “we know that a couple of centuries later the older pagan consensus was 
falling apart and Christianity was growing rapidly.” (
TGC).
Paul’s willingness to engage those with whom he disagreed had a monumental 
impact for the kingdom.

Who comes to mind when you think about “disagreeing?” Who is not like you, 
and why? Who do you avoid, even subconsciously?

What are your gifts, what are you good at? Is there an opportunity for you 
to contribute or develop your skill alongside others, believers and 
nonbelievers,
as you seek the prosperity of the city?

Keep your eyes open for opportunities to more deeply understand the context 
of your community, and the broader cultural climate. Are you intrigued by 
art
and entertainment? Consider how you can learn and engage that dimension of 
society. Government? Justice? City planning? Literature? What avenues could
you take to seek the prosperity of the city? Consider bringing this up with 
a spouse, friend or small group and discussing together the gifts you see in
one another that could be used as inroads to have conversations with people 
from other ways of life (or skin colors, or political parties, or religions,
etc.). Pray and remind one another of the call to be ministers of 
reconciliation, to be the ones through whom God is making His appeal.

Go forth, disagree, and seek the peace and prosperity of the city.

Abby is an old soul, a Jesus girl, better in writing. She is a pastor's wife 
and mom of two boys, one of whom has a neuro-genetic disorder, which Abby
writes about (among other things such as faith, liturgy, depression, social 
issues, and literature) at
www.joywovendeep.com.
Abby directs communications for a nonprofit organization and co-facilitates 
two community efforts - one promoting bridge-building racial reconciliation 
conversations,
the other supporting area foster and adoptive families. She has a soft spot 
for books, podcasts, learning about human relationships through television
and movies, personality typing, and pasta. Abby holds a B.A in Communication 
from Texas A&M University and is completing her graduate degree at Dallas
Theological Seminary.

Welcome to the Nugget
July 5, 2016
Oceans Deep, Part 9
By Answers2Prayer


Over the past 8 devotionals, we've been taking a close look at the story of 
Jesus and Peter walking on water; but this story is so concrete. The 
disciples
were in the midst of a literal storm, and they were in a real boat. Our 
storms aren't the kind that would tip over a fishing boat on the lake. Our 
storms
are the kind that will eat us up on the inside and slowly drain us of life. 
How can this story be applied to our storms?

One of the things I've struggled with since I was diagnosed with cancer is a 
very poor sleep pattern. This is actually one of the side effects of my 
medication.
Now God has been faithful. There has not been a single day when He hasn't 
been my strength and my energy, despite sleeping on the average, only 3-4 
hours
a night. And recently, thanks to the faithful prayers of my wonderful 
family, my average sleep had increased to 5 hours, and then to 5 1/2. Wow! I 
am truly
the recipient of a miracle! And it was with joy that I would measure my 
amount of sleep each morning. If I had a 6 hour night, I rejoiced that I 
would
have plenty of energy for the day, and if my night was only 5 hours, I would 
forget that 5 hours was already a miracle, far better than the previous 3,
and I would resign myself to being tired all day. On the odd day when my 
family forgot to pray with me before I went to bed, I would know in advance 
that
I wouldn't sleep as well.

About the same time as God placed this series on my heart, and exactly at 
the same time that I began asking the question of how I could figuratively 
'get
out of the boat' for the storms of my life, the unthinkable happened with my 
sleep: I suddenly jumped back to my 3-4 hour nights, and my energy was 
completely
drained. It became a struggle to put one foot in front of the other.

I turned to God with this problem, but I have to admit that I was 
complaining more than anything else: "Why, God? I thought You were healing 
me of my sleeplessness?
Why are the old patterns all coming back? And God, I've been trusting You, 
despite the lack of sleep, to give me the energy I need!"

God's response was clear: "I want you to get out of the boat!"

"But," I responded, in my habitual argumentative attitude, "I don't 
understand how to do that! I don't even know what my 'boat' is!"

I was immediately impressed with the idea that my 'boat' was three-fold: It 
was, first and foremost, that I had begun to rely on the prayers of my 
family
for my sleep. Secondly, I was relying on the number of hours of sleep for my 
energy; and finally, I had begun to rely on my physical feeling of energy
to get me through each day.

With these realizations came once again that gentle, quiet voice: "I need 
you to get out of your boat!"

"But..." I sputtered, "I..." Then it all came back to me: Everything I've 
been writing about in this series! God wasn't abandoning me to my lack of 
sleep!
I was simply clinging to my 'boat', and now, now God was calling me out upon 
the waters! He was promising that I would be able to walk across the waves
of sleeplessness instead of bobbing along in my boat at the mercy of those 
waves!

So I did it. I got out of my three-hulled boat. I renounced the need for 
prayer to sleep. I renounced the need to sleep a certain number of hours, 
and
I even renounced the need to feel energetic to be able to function. I 
stepped out into the great unknown, knowing that my feet would fail. But I 
did it
knowing that I would find Jesus there, in the mystery, in the ocean deep; 
and there I discovered that my faith would, indeed, stand.

Oh, there have been a few times since this day that I, like Peter, have 
looked back down at the wind and the waves. Take the day I was simply 
dragging,
for example. Like Peter, I, too, lifted my eyes back to Jesus, and 
instantly, though my energy didn't change, I knew I was going to be able to 
do what
I needed to do.

Recently I went for yet another of my oncology check-ups. Besides being told 
that everything was fine with no apparent return of cancer, my oncologist
decided it was time to change my medication. He actually took me off the 
medication that was making me be unable to sleep!

Is this how Jesus will calm my storm? I don't know, but I'm pretty excited 
to see how it all plays out. Since this medication stays in the system for 
up
to 30 days, I haven't yet seen much change in my sleep pattern, but let's 
remember that when Peter walked on the water, his storm didn't calm right 
away,
either. I know that the end of my storm is coming, and in the meantime, I am 
enjoying the supernatural feeling of walking over the top of my storm of 
sleeplessness.

So what is a 'boat', anyway?

It can be anyone or anything. It is whatever we are relying on instead of 
Jesus. It may be our cancer treatments. It may be our families. It may be on
our own efforts to stay healthy and prevent disease. It may be our reliance 
on a steady paycheck or on our cars for transportation. It may be that our
boats are our schedules and routines or our efficiency or the structure we 
build into our lives. Whatever it is, it is only when the storms of life 
arise
that we begin to realize how inadequate our 'boats' actually are.

Friends, in the midst of whatever storm you may find yourself in, I urge you 
to spend some time praying and asking God to reveal to you just what your
'boat' might be; and when He does, I encourage you to renounce it, to 'step 
out of it', ever keeping your eyes fixed upon Jesus, the author and the 
finisher
of your faith. For when you do, you, too, will find yourself walking over 
the surface of the storm, and you will thrill at the reality of doing what 
is
humanly impossible until the day that Jesus calms the waters.

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Do you know any facebook fans? Why not invite them to visit Answers2Prayer 
on Facebook! This is their opportunity to discover that our Heavenly Father
truly cares for them, and that Jesus is not only their Saviour by their 
friend as well!

The Illustrator and the Nugget have joined forces and are now on Facebook 
under the name Answers2Prayer. This group is dedicated to bringing people 
closer
to our loving God through daily thought-provoking devotionals and 
inspirational stories.

Invite them to join us at by clicking here. They may either sign in or sign 
up, and once into their account, they can search for Answers2Prayer in the
search bar (on the top right corner of the screen) and hit enter. Here they 
will find our new group, and they can click on "Join Group", hit "Confirm"
and then enjoy daily encouragement.

As always, this is a free. Our goal is to help your friends and family make 
Jesus their focus!

Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

Today's Daily Encounter

A Father, A Son, and a Donkey

"Five times I [the Apostle Paul] received from the Jews
the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten
with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
I have been constantly on the move. I have been in
danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger
from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in
danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger
at sea; and in danger from false brothers."1

Anyone whose aim and efforts are invested in achieving
noble and worthy goals for God will, without doubt, at
some point face opposition and criticism--and the
greater the hostility of those opposed to God's Word,
God's ways and Christianity, the greater will be the
opposition and even danger. The fact is you cannot
please everyone and those who try to do so end up
pleasing no one!

C. T. Studd, (1860-1931) the famed English missionary
who served God in China, India, and Africa, once
remarked: "Remember the miller's donkey. The miller,
son and donkey went to the market. The miller rode the
donkey all the way and people exclaimed, 'Cruel man,
riding himself and making his son walk.' So he got down
and his son rode; then people slanged, 'What a lazy son
for riding while poor old father walks.' Then both
father and son rode, and people then said, 'Cruelty to
animals, poor donkey.' So they got down and carried the
donkey on a pole, but folks said, 'Here are two asses
carrying another ass.' Then all three walked and people
said, 'What fools to have a donkey and not ride it.' So
let's go ahead with our work for God and not care what
folks say."

Studd also said, "Had I cared for the comments of
people, I should never have been a Missionary."

With a sense of God's call in your heart there may be
times when you need to do what you need to do even if
the whole world votes against you. And that can be
really hard to do, so be sure it's God's call and not
that of your mother, father, friend, or anyone else--or
from your own mixed motives--otherwise when the
pressures of opposition hammer home, you'll crumble
beneath the load.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to know without a
shadow of a doubt what Your plan and purpose for my
life is--and give me the faith, courage, and
determination to pursue and achieve that goal no matter
what--knowing that You are always with me and will
never forsake me. Thank You for hearing and answering
my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 (NIV).

<)))><

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness
for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon
Click on:
http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php.
Or
if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ,
please click on
http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php
to note this.

* * * * * * *

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by
ACTS International, a non-profit organization,
and made possible through the donations of
interested friends. Donations can be sent at:

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When copying or forwarding include the following:
"Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2016
ACTS International.


Global Prayer Digest People of the Day
Prayer Movement in China
Prayer Movement in China
Jul 04, 2016 01:00 am

Today's Devotional

Romans 12:12, NIV "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in 
prayer."

Pray that those who pray for the nations in China will be faithful and 
hopeful even if they don’t see the results in this life.

Today's People Group

Ha Bining and her husband had a dream to establish a praying church. They 
hoped to gather people from seven churches to join their first prayer 
meeting.
Instead, 70 churches came alongside. Today, over 600 churches are part of 
the initiative.
Ha and her husband, Feng Kai, are followers of Christ living in northeast 
China. In 2000, they envisioned turning a piece of property into a place of 
prayer.
According to Ha, God gave her and her husband a vision to “bring churches 
across China together for 24-hour non-stop prayer for our country and the 
world.”
They completed building of a prayer center on the land in 2009, and now, 
Chinese believers gather to pray around the clock. Two years after the 
prayer
center was completed, a seminary and Christian business school were 
established on the grounds to equip pastors and business leaders.
It’s not a stretch to imagine that what happens in China will affect the 
world. This country once known as the Middle Kingdom boasts a population of 
over
1.3 billion. Surveys estimate that anywhere from 50 to 100 million Chinese 
have embraced Christ.

Pray that God will give a spirit of unity to the many who petition around 
the clock. Ask God to answer the prayers, to work mightily in this populous 
nation,
to bring many atheists to know His power, and to strengthen believers in 
their stand against Satan. Pray that God will use Han Chinese believers to 
reach
out to all unreached minorities in their country.

Learn more at
Joshua Project.
Copyright 2016 Frontier Ventures, All rights reserved.

Welcome to the Nugget
July 2, 2016
Oceans Deep, Part 8
By Answers2Prayer


Over the last 7 devotionals, we've been looking at the story of Jesus--and 
Peter!--walking on water. We've seen:

1. How God has indeed called each of us out upon the waters, into situations 
where 'our feet may fail'! But it is there that we find Him in the mystery,
and in the deep oceans of whatever our storm may be, our feet will stand;

2. That fear is a normal part of going through the storms of our lives, but 
if we take the time to contemplate God's miracles, in our own lives--in the
Bible and in the lives of those around us--when we enter our storms, we 
won't be so afraid;

3. That Jesus doesn't always immediately come and "rescue" us from our 
storms, and sometimes, though we may see Him in the distance, it is as if He 
is
going to pass us by. In these circumstances we can hypothesize that His 
purpose in this is to grow our faith, to remind us that despite the storm, 
we are
not alone; to show us that despite the wind and the waves, we can follow His 
example and walk across the surface of the storm;

4. That Jesus doesn't wait until we cry out to Him in faith. He doesn't even 
care if we don't immediately recognize Him in the storm. The moment we cry
out, however, whether in faith, in surprise or in fear, He responds with 
"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." We also saw that although fear is 
a
normal part of going through the storms of our lives, it can be overcome by 
faith, faith that comes from spending time with Jesus, getting to know Him,
experiencing personally His love and His miracles;

5. That although stepping out into the wind and the waves is a scary 
thought, when Peter did just that, he stopped bobbing along at the whim of 
the storm,
and instead, he walked on the surface of it. When we're willing to take that 
huge step in faith as well, we, too, will walk over the surface of our storm
instead of bobbing along inside of it;

6. That God doesn't penalize us when we aren't quite ready to take that 
extra step in faith and abandon our safety nets. Nonetheless, the rewards of 
taking
the opportunities He gives us to grow our faith are beyond comprehension, 
for it is only then that we, too, can experience the humanly impossible by 
walking
over the surface of our storm;

7. Finally, we've come to learn that as we consider answering Jesus' call to 
come out of the safety of the boat, we will only be able to walk across the
surface of our storms if we keep our eyes upon Jesus. The moment we begin to 
doubt, however, all we have to do is call out to Jesus and He will reach out
and save us.

We are all going through storms right now. For some the storm is called 
"Cancer". For others it is financial difficulties, marital problems, work 
problems,
and a host of many other possible things. I would like to encourage each of 
you right now to take a moment and contemplate just who in the story you can
best relate to: Is it Peter? Or the 11 other disciples in the boat?

Let's remember that our "boat" can be so many different things. It can be 
family, friends, oncologists, jobs, counselors, pastors, padded bank 
accounts,
contingency plans...And let's remember that God didn't make the boat 
disappear when Peter got out of it; in fact, Peter and Jesus got back IN the 
boat!
This tells us that our "boats" are not bad things. They are, in fact, things 
that God may use to get us through the storm. But God is calling us out. He
wants us to put our trust in Him, to be 100% submitted to His will, no 
matter where that may lead. That's what it means to come out of the boat.

Are we still clinging to the "boat" instead of to Jesus? Like the other 11 
disciples, have you even considered coming "out"? Or are we like Peter, ever
ready to get out of the boat, to walk across the surface of the storm, but 
the moment that storm doesn't seem to be calming, we lose faith? Do we 
become
distracted by our circumstances? Do we start to--sink?

Jesus is calling us each to come out of our boats, to put our trust in Him 
and Him alone, no matter where that may lead. He asks us to simply keep our
eyes upon Him, no matter what happens to the wind and the waves of our 
storms. In so doing, He promises that we will experience Him so much more 
fully,
and that our faith will be given so much more opportunity to grow.

In bringing this devotional to a close, I would like to ask each of you to 
take time to prayerfully mediate upon the song that began this series: 
'Oceans',
by Hillsongs United. As you read these words, ask yourselves what God is 
calling you to do. Whatever it is, I would encourage you to do it, and I 
guarantee
that if you do, your walk with God through your storm will change. I can't 
say how it will change, but it will change, and in the end, that change will
be for the better.

Hillsongs United:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

OCEANS (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you're my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Hillsongs United

But wait a minute...Getting out of the boat is such a concrete thing to do. 
We don't find ourselves in boats in the middle of literal streams. Just what
is our "boat" anyway, and how can we get out of it? Join us next time for a 
real-life example of getting out of the boat and walking on water in 'Oceans
Deep, the Conclusion'

In His love
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

FREEDOM FROM FEAR Fear of heights, fear of being alone, fear of pain, fear 
of close spaces, fear of death ... This world if riddled with paralyzing 
fear.
This all important series will be tracing fear back to its roots, defining 
it, and providing tips for complete "Freedom From Fear!" Check it out at by
clicking
here!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

CLOSE YOUR EYES

"I will not leave you as orphans." John 14:18

I recently took my mother-in-law to the orthopedic surgeon for an 
examination. One of the tests was for her to shut her eyes and try to walk a 
few steps.
She was aware her balance was off, but she did as the doctor asked anyway. 
She knew that he was asking her to do something important, and she had 
confidence
that he would catch her when she began to sway and fall.

Do we act with the same trust and faith in God as she had done with the 
doctor? When He asks us to do something we know will be uncomfortable or 
scary,
are we obedient? Do we have faith that He will be there to catch us? That 
He will not let us fall flat on our faces? That His everlasting arms are 
big
enough to hold us through the frightening times of life?

I pray we would have that type of an obedient spirit, and have that much 
faith. God tells us in the Bible He will never leave or forsake us- and His 
promises
are true! He has proved them over and over to us, time and again throughout 
the ages as well as with me on a personal level.

Thank you, dear Lord, for you promises. Especially the one that says you 
will always be with us. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 
13:5)

Marion Smith
noles65@aol.com

Welcome to the Nugget

June 30, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 7
By Answers2Prayer

Last Tuesday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 6', we saw that God doesn't penalize us 
when we aren't quite ready to take that extra step in faith and abandon our
safety nets. Nonetheless, the rewards of taking the opportunities He gives 
us to grow our faith are beyond comprehension, for it is only then that we,
too, can experience the humanly impossible by walking over the surface of 
our storms.

But let's not forget that when Peter stepped out of the boat, he sank: 
"Peter had come down out of the boat...and beginning to sink..." (Matt 
14:29-30)

Yes, in our minds, Peter sinking seems like such a hugely important part of 
the story. So gigantic in fact, that we fail to see what transpired before
he sank: "And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the 
water to go to Jesus." (vs 29)

The fact is, Peter actually walked on the water before he sank!

How and why?

Perhaps the how and why question can be best answered by looking to the 
circumstances that transpired when Peter started to sink: "But when he saw 
that
the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink..." (vs 30)

Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus! When the storm 
caught and held his attention, he began thinking about how fierce was the 
wind
and how boisterous were the waves crashing around him, and he became afraid! 
Only then did he begin to sink.

It is important to remember that responding to a call of faith doesn't 
ensure that we won't sink into the wind and the waves. What ensures that the 
storm
will not overcome us is keeping our eyes upon Jesus. It is in ignoring the 
wind and the waves, ever trusting in the Creator of all things, that we can
be sure our feet will continue to walk over the storm!

But sinking in the face of the storm is a human thing to do, and I am so 
glad that the Bible records this particular part of the story. It isn't that 
it
is wrong to look at the storm; it isn't that God cannot bless us when we 
take our eyes off of Him; it is simply that we can weather the storm without 
fear,
without sinking, if we ignore it and put our eyes upon Him instead, ever 
believing that He holds us in the crook of His hand, that His love for us is 
never
failing, that He will carry us through.

So what do we do when we take that step of faith, but the circumstances 
begin to overwhelm us and we start to sink?

We do what Peter did: "...and beginning to sink cried out, saying, 'Lord, 
save me!'" (vs 30b); to which Jesus responded: "And immediately Jesus 
stretched
out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why 
did you doubt?'" (vs 31)

It doesn't matter how badly we fall into the trap of being distracted by the 
storm; the moment we cry out to Jesus, He responds by stretching out His 
hand
and catching us, and His only reprimand is gentle: "O you of little faith, 
why did you doubt?" (vs 31b)!

Let's remember this as we consider answering Jesus' call to come out of the 
safety of the boat. Let's remember that we will only be able to walk across
the surface of our storms if we keep our eyes upon Jesus. The moment we 
begin to doubt, however, all we have to do is call out to Jesus and He will 
reach
out and save us.

Join us next Saturday for 'Ocean's Deep, Part 8'

In His love
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

That's it. You're in deep water now! What will you do? Will you sink? Swim? 
Or will you walk on the water? Check out "Oceans Deep", next Saturday, a 
miniseries
by Lynona Gordon Chaffart,

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

You Can Change the Way You Think
By Rick Warren

“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ”
(2 Corinthians 10:5b
NCV).

Here’s the secret to temptation: Don’t fight it. Just refocus. Whatever you 
resist persists.

Did you know that in the
Bible,
not once are you told to resist temptation? We are told to resist the Devil, 
and that’s a whole different issue. But the key to overcoming temptation is
not to push back. It’s to change your focus.

Whatever gets your attention gets you. The battle for sin always starts in 
the mind. That’s why the Bible says in Psalm 119:6, “Thinking about your 
commands
will keep me from doing some foolish thing” (CEV). Why? Because if you’re 
thinking about God’s truth, you’re not thinking about the less important 
stuff.

It’s true in every single area of life — good or bad. If you focus on godly 
things, it’s going to pull you that direction. If you focus on the stuff 
that’s
at the movies and in magazines, it’s going to pull you that direction. 
Whatever you focus on gets your attention. Whatever gets your attention is 
going
to get you.

The key is to just change your mind.

Temptation always follows a predictable pattern: attention, arousal, and 
action. Your mind gets hooked, your mind kicks in, and then you act on it.

So you don’t fight a temptation; you just turn your mind to something else. 
“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 
Corinthians
10:5 NCV).

The thing is, we’re not very good at capturing every thought and turning it 
to Christ, because it takes lots of practice. You can’t always control your
circumstances, and you can’t even always control the way you feel. But you 
can control what you think about. That’s always your choice. And if you 
change
the way you think, it changes the way you feel, and that will change the way 
you act.
This devotional © 2016 by
Rick Warren

God Cares
by Chuck Swindoll

2 Samuel 6:1-9

We've got David standing here mad at the Lord, when, in fact, the Lord was 
angry at David. About now you might be thinking, Well, I thought you said he
was a man after God's heart. I did—or, rather, God did. Does that mean he's 
perfect? It does not. Having a heart for God doesn't mean you're perfect, it
means you're sensitive. It means every detail is important. And when you see 
you're wrong, you face it. You own up. You come to terms with it.

The problem was that David had not done his homework. We often get into 
trouble when we don't do our homework—when we think we see pretty clearly 
what
the Lord's will is, and so in expediency or in convenience (usually in a 
hurry) we dash off to do it our way. And the Lord says, "Look, I've written 
a
lot of things in My Book about that decision you just made, and I want you 
to take counsel from Me. That's why it's not working. If you want to have a
heart for Me, then you check My Word, and you find either a precept or a 
principle then go according to that. When you do that, I'll give you joy 
like
you can't believe. If you don't, I will make you miserable." In fact, in 
David's case, the Lord said, "I'll even take some lives."

Centuries later, Ananias and Sapphira did very much the same thing. They 
presumed on the Lord and didn't take Him seriously. We see Uzzah the same 
way,
taken from the earth because he touched an ultra-holy article of furniture 
that was not to be touched, especially by a non-Levite. Who cares about 
Levites?
God does. Who cares about little ringlets and little golden poles that go 
through ringlets? God does. If He didn't care, He wouldn't have said 
anything
about it. And because He cares, we must also care.

That's the whole point here. When we begin to care about the things God 
cares about, we become people after His heart, and only then do we begin to 
have
real freedom and real happiness.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll,
Great Days with the Great Lives
(Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. 
Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Putting Down Roots
Watch Video
Visit insight.org
Copyright © 2016 Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved 
worldwide.

Welcome to the Nugget

June 28, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 6
By Answers2Prayer

Last Saturday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 5', we saw that in order to walk over 
the surface of our storms instead of bobbing along at their will, we have to
step out of our safety nets. We have to be willing to get out of the boat 
and into the heart of the storm!

But wait. Why was it that only Peter got out of the boat?

The Bible records that the "disciples" were in the boat, not just Peter: 
"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to 
the
other side..." (Matt 14:22), and these would be the same disciples who had 
walked for months with Jesus, witnessed miracle after miracle, the same ones
who had just participated in the feeding of the 5000.

We also know that Jesus appeared to all of them, because the Bible records 
the following: "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear. But 
immediately Jesus spoke to them..." (Matt 14:26,27); yet we only see one 
answering
Jesus: "And Peter answered Him..." (vs. 28).

Yet the Bible doesn't record that Jesus commanded each of them to get out of 
the boat, for only to Peter did He say, "Come." (vs 29), and then, only 
because
Peter showed interest: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the 
water." (vs 28).

So what we see here is that Jesus came to all of them, but He only commanded 
one to get out of the boat, and it was the one who responded to His initial
call.

We often hear it said that God "pushes" us out of our comfort zone. I would 
suggest that though He does give us invitations, sometimes even gentle 
nudges
for us to take that step in faith, God does not force us to go where we are 
not comfortable going. He understands, and it is only to those who are 
willing
to surrender to Him that He extends the invitation to walk across the 
surface of the storm.

Were the other 11 disciples disciplined for not getting out of the boat?

Not at all. Matthew records that the moment Jesus and Peter got back into 
the boat, the storm calmed: "And when they got into the boat, the wind 
ceased."
(vs 32); thus, all 12 disciples received the benefit of the miracle. The 
storm stopped for all 12.

So why would it be, then, that Peter was called to walk on the water, when 
the others were allowed to stay safely in the boat?

Let me ask you a different question: Who was the most blessed by this 
encounter with Jesus? The 11 disciples who stayed in the safety of the boat? 
Or Peter
who did what was humanly impossible in walking over the surface of the 
storm?

Friends, God calls us to higher and higher levels of faith. He desires to 
have us experience Him on deeper and deeper levels; but when we aren't quite
ready to go where He would have us to go, we are not penalized. The only 
thing that happens is that we don't experience God as significantly as we 
might
otherwise have done!

Not ready to give up the safety of your boat? Not ready to take that extra 
step in faith and abandon our safety nets? It's okay. God doesn't penalize 
us.
Nonetheless, the rewards of taking the opportunities He gives us to grow our 
faith are beyond comprehension, for it is only then that we, too, can 
experience
the humanly impossible by walking over the surface of our storms.

Join us next Thursday For 'Ocean's Deep, Part 7'.

In His love
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

LESSONS FROM HANDICAPS!!! Are there lessons you can learn from handicaps? 
©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

"Not Crushed"
There are times that the oddest things catch my attention. For example, I am 
fascinated about the ball in United States football. This relatively small,
oddly-shaped ball is constantly crushed beneath hundreds, and maybe even 
thousands of pounds of football players, and it bounces back every time. I 
have
never witnessed or heard of one of these balls exploding or collapsing under 
the pressure. Why is that? I cannot give you the detailed scientific 
explanation,
I do know that main reason is the air pressure inside the ball.

Have you ever seen a Weeble? It's a child's toy that carries the image of a 
person on it, but its claim to fame is that it wobbles but it doesn't fall
down. That fascinates me, too. These little toys get knocked, pushed, and 
thrown around, yet they always end upright. The reason for this wonderful 
gift
is due in part to their shape. But there are also strategically placed tiny 
weights inside the Weeble that make it possible for it to accomplish its 
feat.

Christians are a lot like the football and the Weeble. "But we have this 
treasure in jars of clay, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God 
and
not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, 
but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not 
destroyed."
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9)

One paraphrase of "jars of clay" reads, "cracked pots." That may be more 
accurate, but the key here is that we are breakable, finite beings, made 
from
the dust of the earth.. At times life pounces on we "jars of clay," like a 
ton of football players. Other times evil pummels us with blow after blow. 
Yet,
Christians continue to stand firm and strong, like that little football 
bouncing back and those little Weebles, wobbling but coming right back up to 
our
feet. The world stands in awe of the resilience of the people of God and 
wonder how they can have such peace and strength amidst the crushing blows. 
But
we know. It's what's inside!

"This treasure" spoken of in this verse is the gospel, the light and the 
person of Christ; it is the "all-surpassing power" given to us through the 
abiding
Holy Spirit. It is not us, but Christ in us. Though pressure squeezes from 
every side, the power of Christ keeps us from being crushed. Though 
perplexed
with all that is happening, we do not despair, for in Christ we know we are 
on the victorious side. Though we are persecuted, we remain strong in 
Christ,
knowing that He never abandons His people. Though at times the blows knock 
us to the ground, we rise in grace and strength in Christ, not destroyed.

"Therefore, beloved, do not lose heart. Though these jars of clay are 
wasting away outwardly, inwardly Christ is renewing us day by day. These 
pressuring,
perplexing, persecuting, knock down times, are but light and momentary and 
they are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Let
us keep our eyes fixed not on the present happenings which are so visible to 
us, but upon the eternal, which is not seen by the earthly eye, but through
eyes of faith." (Paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Gerry Whetstone

To receive The Daily Encourager FREE each weekday, click on the following 
link:
http://go.netatlantic.com/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=thedailyencourager


Who Will Be the First to Throw the Stone?"
June 26, 2016
And as they continued to ask Him (Jesus), He stood up and said to them, "Let 
him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And
once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they 
went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left 
alone
with the woman standing before Him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, 
where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And 
Jesus
said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." John 
8:7-11
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the 
readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global 
scale,
we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write 
our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through 
their
words.

In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem teaching when suddenly the scribes and 
Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in adultery.

With vigor they denounced her crime and enquired as to what the Savior 
thought they should do with the woman. The Scripture is clear about their 
motivation.
These men were not looking for any interpretation of the law or even for 
justice. On the contrary, they were trying to trick Jesus and find some way 
of
ruining His reputation and influence among the people.

The scribes and Pharisees thought they had Him.

1. If Jesus said, "Let her go," they could accuse Him of disobeying the law.

2. If Jesus said, "Stone her," He wouldn't be the loving teacher people 
thought.

Instead of providing a direct and immediate answer, Jesus bent down, and 
with His finger, started to write in the dirt. After a while He straightened 
up
and said, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be first to throw a stone 
at her."

The accusers confronted by their consciences, went away convicted and 
without the evidence against Jesus they had hoped to get.

Jesus was left with the woman standing before him.

Legally her life was forfeit, but our Lord Jesus gave her a different 
verdict than she expected. Although He could not approve the wrong she had 
done,
He saw her repentant heart and refused to condemn her. Instead, He gave her 
instructions on how to mend her life.

Brothers and sisters, what attitude do you adopt when you see someone 
succumb to sin? Are you quick to judge and condemn? Or do you entrust sin 
and sinner
to the Savior? It is He alone who can read hearts. Of course, one thing is 
certain: because of Jesus' sacrifice, the Holy Spirit can call transgressors
to repentance and offer them forgiveness and peace.

This is why those who have been saved are able to hear Jesus say to them, as 
He once did to the adulterous woman: "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from
now on sin no more."

THE PRAYER: Lord God, we ask Your forgiveness for those times we have chosen 
not to forgive as we have been forgiven. We acknowledge having acted against
Your will in word and deed. Thank You for sending Your beloved Son, Jesus, 
as our Redeemer and Rescuer. In Jesus' Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Ania 
Souman. He is a lay Christian from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of 
Cameroon
(EELC). At the Lutheran Hour Ministries office he serves as our audience 
relations manager. He is married and has two children.

There is freedom of religion in Cameroon, but radio broadcasts and 
television airings are limited. Therefore, the most effective method of 
ministry in
this country is a personalized, one-on-one approach, which brings staff and 
volunteers to the front doors of those to whom they are reaching out. Though
this method is hampered by an infrastructure with often impassable roads, it 
is effective, especially in the northern portion of the country where the
influence of Islam has been spreading.

In this country of more than 22 million people on the Gulf of Guinea in 
central West Africa, Lutheran Hour Ministries-Cameroon employs a wide 
variety of
resources to reach the local population with the message of Jesus Christ. 
Included among these efforts are radio programming, printed materials, film 
shows,
outdoor rallies, the Internet, text messaging, and hospital and prison 
visits. This ministry center also uses Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) 
and Equipping
the Saints (ETS) workshops to strengthen the faith of Christians. To reach 
young women at risk, LHM-Cameroon utilizes an holistic outreach program, 
where
vocational training and the hope they have in Christ are studied and shared. 
Other initiatives are aimed at youth, giving them guidance from a Christian
perspective and helping them to make choices to live effectively in the 
secular world.

You can check out a recent ETS workshop that was held in Dangote, in the 
eastern part of the country, by
clicking here.

To learn more about our International Ministries, click
here
or visit www.lhm.org/international.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran HourLutheran Hour Ministries

Welcome to the Nugget

June 25, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 5
By Answers2Prayer

Last Thursday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 4', we saw that although fear is a 
normal part of going through the trials of life, fear can be overcome by 
faith,
faith that comes from spending time with Jesus, getting to know Him, 
experiencing personally His love and His miracles.

In the midst of our own storms, as we contemplate this story of the fear of 
the disciples and of Jesus walking past them on the water, we wonder: How 
should
we respond to our storm?

We can learn some valuable lessons from Peter and his response: "'Lord, if 
it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'" (Matt 
14:28)

Despite the fact that Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, despite having 
heard Jesus' voice, he still wasn't sure if this was really Jesus, and so we
see him putting Jesus to the test: "If it is you..."

Is this wrong?

Not at all, we are told to test the spirits: "Dear friends, do not believe 
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God..." (1 
John
4:1) In other words, we aren't to believe everything our eyes tell us. We 
are to put what we sense to the test!

Jesus wasn't put off by Peter's little 'test' either. His response? "'Come,' 
he said." (Matt 14:29a).

And that's what Peter did: "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on 
the water and came toward Jesus." (Matt 14:29b)

There are lots of lessons that we can learn from this, but for today, let's 
just look at one tiny point: "Then Peter got down out of the boat..."

Wait a minute. In the midst of a terrible storm, one that even from the 
safety of the boat makes us afraid, would we be willing to get out of the 
boat?
But then, when Jesus told Peter to "come", he truly had no choice but to 
obey, did he? After all, he had asked for the test. And so we find Peter 
stepping
out of the safety of the boat, into the storm.

In the midst of our own storms, we also have little safety nets built around 
us. We have people -- family and friends -- who we rely on. We have our 
contingency
plans. We have our medical care and our research and our documented and 
successful medical treatments. We have bank loans and unemployment and 
welfare.
We have psychiatrists and counselors...And the list could go on and on.

But God calls us to step out of our safety nets, out into the storm.

Why?

For the same reason Jesus called Peter out of the boat: Because that boat 
couldn't save him. One big wave and it would capsize. Only Jesus could save 
him,
and in order to do so, Jesus needed Peter to put aside any other thing that 
he might be relying on.

In the face of our trials, whatever they currently may be, how can we step 
out of the boat?

By being willing to take that step of faith. In the heat of the storm, we 
need to put aside everything we have been relying upon. We need to step out 
of
our safety nets and surrender ourselves, and our 
health/money/relationship/work/etc. problems to God and to His will.

Does this mean we shouldn't pursue medical treatment? Counselling? 
Unemployment? Does this mean we shouldn't go to our friends and family for 
much needed
support? Does it mean that we shouldn't look for a different means of 
transportation?

Absolutely not.

What it means, however, is that we shouldn't put our faith in these things. 
Instead, we should put our trust in God, the only One who can calm our 
storms.

Stepping out into the wind and the waves is a scary thought; but let's 
remember that when Peter did just that, he stopped bobbing along at the whim 
of
the storm, and instead, he walked on the surface of it. When we're willing 
to take that huge step in faith as well, we, too, will walk over the surface
of our storm instead of bobbing along inside of it.

What about it, friends? Are you willing to step out of the boat and into the 
wind and waves? Believe me, the rewards are worth the leap of faith!

But why was it that only Peter was called out of the boat? After all, he 
wasn't exactly alone in that storm...Join us next Tuesday for 'Oceans Deep, 
Part
6' to discover why the other 11 disciples stayed in the boat!

In His love
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

That's it. You're in deep water now! What will you do? Will you sink? Swim? 
Or will you walk on the water? Check out "Oceans Deep", next week, a 
miniseries
by Lynona Gordon Chaffart,

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

Check Your “Review” Mirror
June 22, 2016

Read:
Psalm 42
My soul thirsts for God. (v. 2)

Can you go back to a place you’ve never been? Of course not. Can you miss 
someone you’ve never known or loved? No, not really. When you’re feeling 
discouraged
your heart cries out, “My soul pants for you, O God.” When such a cry is 
real, be assured. Such a cry is sure evidence you know and are known by your 
heavenly
Father and are loved by your Savior.

In the analogy of a journey, check your “review” mirror. Remember where you’ve 
been. Follow the example of the psalm writer, who was encouraged when he
recalled the high places of his journey with God in the land of Jordan, the 
heights of Hermon (v. 6). You too can recall those past moments in worship
with God’s people, rich moments of joy and thanksgiving as you heard God’s 
Word and sang hymns of praise with the congregation. Remember times when 
your
heart felt filled with God. Such memories have the power of bringing you 
encouragement when you need it now.

Again, as the psalm writer did, question yourself, “Why are you cast down, O 
my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (v. 4). Be sure to also make
the psalmist’s affirmation, “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my 
God” (v. 5).

Prayer:
God of comfort and joy, be near to all shut-ins whose great loss is no 
longer being able to attend worship. Give to each one the confidence of 
saying,
“I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Author: Chic Broersma

Encouragement for your week: Can love overcome the hatred?
Can Love Overcome the Hate?

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs”— Proverbs 10:12 
(NIV).

Injustice, chaos, violence, strife, racism and fear followed by anger, 
retaliation and nationwide unrest have come to define our country over the 
past
several months. Beginning with the mass shooting in a gay night club in 
Orlando, FL, the shooting of a black man in Minnesota and another in 
Louisiana,
and ending with the killing of police officers in Dallas, Texas, we are 
seeking answers and guidance.

Why does it take a tragedy or a series of tragedies to motivate people to 
speak out about the problems in our world? My thoughts, however, are, “Why 
are
we just talking about it?”

We can give lip service to these shootings, point fingers and blame others, 
come up with “feel-good” slogans or we can hit our knees and begin praying.

Christian author Rebecca Barlow Jordan wrote on Facebook, “Praying for God's 
comfort, love and compassion for those who have lost loved ones, friends,
and family members in Dallas, and wherever lives have so senselessly been 
taken. And praying for a nation gone so far away from God. Praying that we 
can
come back to the One who holds everything in His hand, not in a moment of 
silence, but through deep, deep, prayerful cries on our knees, prayers of 
submission,
prayers of surrender, and prayers of longing to be a people who shine as 
lights in a dark world. How we need You, Jesus! Bring us back to You!”

While I usually don’t say much politically on social media, I’ve read and 
responded to several posts since the Dallas police officers were gunned 
down.
One of my former students posted the following message with which I happen 
to agree:

“The happenings in our country right now aren’t about race or religion or 
Obama, Trump or Hillary, the FBI, open carry or even gender. It’s bigger! In
this tangled mess of our fast, daily lives, our lives so blinded and 
consumed by wanting more and caring less, by becoming so calloused to the 
rude and
evil ways of others, by being guilty even in the slightest way by turning 
our heads when we should stand up and speak, it’s about the loss of love!

“In love there is no hate. I don’t need to offer up a definition of love. I 
don't need to write fluffy sentences that sing and dance together. I’m 
certain
that you all get it. It’s love, plain and simple. We have drifted so far 
from love. So, until this hate in every heart is extinguished we will never 
know
peace. I know what you’re thinking and you’re probably right, not in this 
lifetime. But for me, I choose love. Dismantle hate when you can, love your 
neighbor,
love yourself and never forget God. God is love.”

We’re a nation in shock, grieving the loss of so many. Peace doesn’t come 
automatically. It’s active, requiring us to submit ourselves to Jesus. We 
must
walk in peace if we are to demonstrate His love to the world. Only then can 
love win.

(Note: This post was written before the officers in Baton Rouge were killed. 
However, it is even more evidence of our need to pray for our country and
to walk in peace.)

I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with 
your thoughts about this post and please feel free to share this post with 
others.
Thank you for subscribing!

For more inspiration, visit my blog at
carolaround.com
Copyright © 2015 Carol Round, All rights reserved.

Welcome to the Nugget

June 23, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 4
By Answers2Prayer
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Last Tuesday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 3', we saw that Jesus doesn't always 
immediately come and "rescue" us from our storms, and sometimes, though we 
may
see Him in the distance, it is as if He is going to pass us by. Could it be 
that His purpose is to grow our faith? That He simply wants to remind us 
that
despite the storm, we are not alone? Does He perhaps want to show us, too, 
that despite the wind and the waves, we can follow His example and walk 
across
the surface of the storm?

That's a very pretty speculation, but I can't walk on water. It isn't 
humanly possible. The disciples knew this, and that is why the Bible records 
that
they thought Jesus was a ghost:
"When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's 
a ghost,' they said..." (Matt 14:26)

In other words, despite the fact that they had just experienced and 
participated in the miraculous feeding of the 5000, in the midst of their 
storm, they
didn't even recognize Jesus. They thought He was a ghost, because He was 
doing something they didn't consider possible.

It makes me think. In the midst of my storms, when it seems that Jesus is 
miles away, is it possible that He is actually very close by, but that I 
don't
see Him? Is it possible that He is doing something miraculous, but it is too 
fantastic for me to grasp? Is it possible that, like the disciples, I figure
Jesus has truly abandoned me, and all I am seeing is a 'ghost'?

Most of us would give anything for a miraculous healing. We would love to 
see our financial difficulties disappear into thin air. We would give 
anything
for our kids to turn to God and our spouses to forgive us and return to us. 
But deep down inside, do we truly believe that healing is for us? That we 
could
be the recipient of God's miracles? When we see it happening to others, do 
we truly believe it is of God? Or like the disciples of old, do we simply 
think
it is a 'ghost', something to be feared, certainly not something to be 
embraced and accepted?

This interesting thought has haunted me a bit of late: Is Jesus perhaps 
already pouring out His miracles upon us, but we are too afraid to embrace 
them?

At this stage in the story, the disciples do something vitally important. 
They: "...cried out in fear." (Mat 14:26b)

Notice that they didn't cry out in faith, or even surprise. They cried out 
in...Fear!

In other words, it doesn't matter how we cry out. What's important is that 
we do it! And at this stage in the 'storm' of our lives, I would encourage 
you,
just like the father of the demon-possessed boy, to cry out--either in 
faith, surprise or fear--"Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!"

Jesus' response to the disciples' cry? "Take courage! It is I. Don't be 
afraid."

Let's stop worrying whether or not our faith is weak. Let's stop worrying 
whether or not we truly believe God's miracles are for us. In the midst of 
our
storm, let's follow the example of the fearful disciples: Let's cry out to 
Jesus!

But wait. With the wind and waves of life's trials are crashing all around 
us, how is it possible to not be afraid?

I believe the answer lies in the response of the Apostle Peter: "'Lord, if 
it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'" (Matt 
14:28)

Peter was afraid; however, he knew that Jesus could save him, and this 
knowledge was enough to overcome his fear.

How was it that Peter knew Jesus could save him?

Peter walked and talked with Jesus daily. He had experienced Jesus' 
miracles, he was a personal recipient of Jesus' love.

When we are surrounded by the wind and waves of the negative circumstances 
life throws our way, we, too, are afraid, and this is normal; but do we, 
like
Peter, know that Jesus will save us? Do we have that faith in Him?

Because most of us must honestly say that we do not, the question becomes, 
how do we develop that faith in Jesus?

We do it the same way Peter did: By daily walking and talking with Him; By 
experiencing His miracles; By spending time reflecting on what Jesus has 
already
done for us and for others. When we do, then we, like Peter, in the face of 
our storms, will be able to say, "Lord, if it's you...tell me to come to you
on the water." (Matt 14:28)

So when Jesus does call us out upon the waters, how should we respond? Join 
us next Saturday for 'Oceans Deep, Part 5'.

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Have you ever taken the time to contemplate, I mean REALLY contemplate the 
depth of God's sacrifice to us through the death of Jesus Christ? Visit us 
online
for the previously-published series, "
The Sufferings of Jesus".

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

Jump Into Abba’s Arms
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” 
(Hebrews 11:1NIV).

Friend to Friend

One night a family was startled from sleep by the piercing blare of their 
smoke detector. The house was on fire and smoke swirled up the wooden 
staircase.
The father bolted from his bed and ran to his children’s room. He grabbed 
his eighteen-month-old baby out of his crib, and dragged his four-year-old 
son
by the hand. They were half-way down the stairs when the little boy 
remembered his favorite teddy bear in his room and broke away to go back and 
get it.
In the mayhem and confusion, the father didn’t realize his son wasn’t with 
him until he reached the front yard.

By the time the little boy found his teddy bear, the flames had filled his 
room and trapped him inside. Smoke burned his lungs as he coughed and cried
out the open window.

“Daddy! Daddy!” he cried. “Help me!

His dad called up to the lad, “I’m right here, son. Jump and I’ll catch 
you.”

“But Daddy,” the boy cried, “I can’t see you!”

“That’s OK, son,” he called. “I can see you! Now jump!”

The boy blindly jumped from the open window and landed safely in his father’s 
arms.

I love that story. It is my story.

So many times my Heavenly Father calls me to jump. Sometimes He tells me to 
jump out of a situation, and sometimes he calls me to jump into an 
opportunity.
Either way, I usually baulk at the idea…at least a little.

“But God, I can’t see You,” I cry.

“That’s OK,” He replies. “I can see you. Now jump!”

And so I jump. And He is there every time.

What about you? Is God calling you to jump out of a fiery situation? Is God 
calling you into a new opportunity? Well sister, if He is, jump. You might
not be able to see Him, but He can see you. And that is all that matters.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for always being there for me. Help me to have the courage 
and the faith to jump out of any fiery situation that could singe my 
character,
char my faith, or leave me smelling of smoke. Help me to have the courage 
and the faith to jump into any blessed opportunity that could increase my 
faith,
build my character, and leave me wearing the fragrance of Christ.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

All through the
Bible
God called men and women to take a leap of faith. Every time God promised 
that He would be right there with him or her.

Read Exodus 3:12 and 4:12 and notice what God told Moses.

Read Joshua 1:5 and 1:9 and notice what God told Joshua.

Read Judges 6:16 and notice what God told Gideon.

If you really want to gas up your faith tank, read all of Hebrews 11.

Go back to today’s truth. How does it relate to today’s story?

If you are ready to take a leap of faith today, click over to my blog post 
and say, “Ok God, here I come!”

More from the Girlfriends

God is the Ancient of Days…and you can trust Him. If you enjoy these online 
devotions, then you’ll love our GiG book, Trusting God. It has 12 weeks of
devotions dedicated to Trusting God in every situation.
nfo@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

When the Lights Go Out
June 23, 2016

Read:
Psalm 139:1-12
Even the darkness is not dark to you. (v. 12)

I drove to the hospital. A parishioner of mine was anticipating surgery. She 
was fearful. What will happen when the lights go out, she wondered, after
she received the anesthetic? I read from Psalm 139:11-12, “If I say, ‘Surely 
the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the 
darkness
is not dark to you.” She was reassured. Dark for her won’t be dark to God.

Indeed as others have noted, God has a record of accomplishing great works 
in the darkness. When God set out to form and fill the world, “darkness was
over the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). When Israel fled Egypt, God provided 
a pillar of fire to accompany them in the darkness. When Jacob fled his 
brother
Esau, he wrestled with God in the dark of night. When Jesus died for our 
sins, darkness fell upon the earth for three hours. Jesus arose on Easter 
Sunday
morning to give us eternal life. His redemptive work began in the darkness 
of the tomb.

Reflect on your spiritual journey. When did God speak to you in 
unforgettable terms? Wasn’t it often at night? Perhaps it was when you had 
your own “wrestling
match” with God, when he was calling you to a certain path you had long 
resisted. Does your present path seem dark? Are you confused about which way 
to
go or what to do? Call upon the Lord who to this day still does great things 
in the darkness.

Prayer:
In light or dark I am yours, O Lord.

Author: Chic Broersma

Lip Service

Isaiah 29:13-14 (NASB95)
13 Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And 
honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, 
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, 14 
Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, 
wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the 
discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”

In this passage God told Isaiah how he felt about the people in their 
services at the temple. They would come and go through the motions. They 
would say the right things at the right times but their hearts weren’t 
right. They were just giving God lip service.

Some people might think that their churches are alive. They might be full of 
activities. Their services might have the congregation making a lot of noise 
. Just because the church is boisterous and full of activities doesn’t mean 
that it is alive. Those churches might be more dead than the quiet churches. 
What matters is what is in the heart. Do they love the Lord? Do they want to 
do everything to please Him at all times?

God said he was going to do marvelous things to those people. The way those 
people were just going through the motions I don’t think this means God was 
going to do something fantastically good. I believe that God was going to do 
something marvelously bad. This is what some Bible versions say. It would be 
something that they didn’t realize was coming. The people won’t know why God 
is doing it. He will confound even the wisest of them. He will do this to 
get their attention.

God tells Amos something similar:

Amos 5:21-24 (NASB95)
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn 
assemblies. 22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your 
grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the 
peace offerings of your fatlings. 23 “Take away from Me the noise of your 
songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. 24 “But let 
justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

It sounds like the people are doing the right thing with bringing their 
sacrifices and even making a loud noise with singing and musical 
instruments. God said he hated all of this. Again the peoples’ hearts were 
not in it. They were not living the way they should and only giving Him lip 
service and formality.

What did God want from His people? He wanted them to deal with others with 
justice. He wanted them to live righteous lives. That means living without 
sin. He wanted them to treat others fairly and follow all of His 
commandments. Jesus even said that if you love Him you will follow His 
commandments.

What about you? Do you just give God lip service? Do you come to church 
looking great and giving others the impression that you have it all 
together? Do you go looking like you are living the way God wants you to 
live but you are not actually doing it? Then you are playing church, giving 
God lip service. I’m afraid there are many in our churches that look good 
when we see them there but will not end up in heaven. They are just playing 
around and giving God lip service. If you are one of these, surrender your 
whole life to Jesus Christ. Turn it all over to Him and let him have control 
of your life. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. You cannot trust on 
anyone or anything else. Only repenting of sin and surrendering your life to 
Jesus Christ.

by Dean W. Masters

Owner of the Master's List

How to Make a Bad Day Better
Betsy de Cruz
When was the last time you had a bad day? I bet it wasn’t long ago.
Maybe you had an argument with your spouse first thing in the morning and 
spilled your coffee on your way out the door. Or you stopped at the grocery 
store
after work and mysteriously lost your cart after you filled it with the 
items you needed for dinner. You got another cart and filled it again, only 
to
wait 15 minutes in the checkout line with the most problems.
Have you ever wondered how to turn those days around?
Recently, a bad travel day almost undid me. My family and I were moving 
abroad, so we hauled eight suitcases to the airport. After we stood in line 
two
hours, an unhappy airline agent rejected four of our bags for being 
overweight. We dragged the offending suitcases to one side and threw away 15 
pounds
of our belongings. (Believe me, rifling through your underwear in front of 
strangers makes for a bad day!) Then we waited in line another hour to pass
through security before finally grabbing lunch at 4:00 p.m.
You don’t have to travel to have a bad day. Flat tire days, sick kid days, 
and tense work days happen to all of us.
Bad days happen, but they don’t have to undo us.
No matter how difficult our day, we can always end it on a better note with 
God. The Examen is a powerful
prayer
tool to help you find glimmers of God even on your worst days. You might be 
surprised to learn that it comes from Ignatius of Loyola, who taught his 
Jesuit
followers to look back over each day using five steps.
You don’t have to be a monk to pray like this. Amazingly, this 500-year-old 
spiritual practice remains relevant today for business executives, 
housewives,
engineers, and students.
5 steps to make a bad day better by ending it on a positive note:
1. Remember God’s presence.
"My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
(Exodus 33:14)
Even after a trying day, God will quiet your soul as you remember His 
presence and intentionally seek to enter into it. Remember He’s with you. 
Invite
Him to make Himself present to you.
2. Respond to Him with thanks.
“Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me.”
(Psalm 50:23)
Giving thanks gives God glory and helps us look on the bright side of a bad 
day. What small blessings can you thank God for?
3. Reflect on how God showed Himself to you.
“For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though no one perceives it…”
(Job 33:14)
God reveals himself through scripture, but we also see glimpses of him in 
nature, events, and people. Sometimes He shows up loudly through miraculous,
divine intervention. Other times He shows Himself quietly through the beauty 
of a flower or an earnest conversation. During my bad travel day, God 
showed
me His mercy through the kindness of an airline attendant. As you look back 
over your day, can you identify moments where you sensed God’s revelation or
intervention?
4. Repent of your failings.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that 
times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
(
Acts 3:19)
I don’t like recognizing my own sin, but repentance is key to continual 
renewal in our relationship with God. We fail God every day, but bad days 
have
a way of making sin spew out of us. We vent our frustrations. We fret and 
worry instead of trusting. We open the door to addiction. In the heat of a 
difficult
moment, we react in anger. (You should have heard my husband and I bickering 
as we went through our suitcases at the airport.)
As you reflect on your day, remember specific points where you failed. Bring 
your shortcomings before God and ask Him to forgive you.
5. Resolve to grow.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the 
day of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:6)
God is in the business of changing us, so don’t let your failings discourage 
or define you. His mercies are always new. Accept His forgiveness. Ask Him
for grace to change. Is there anything you need to make right or anyone you 
need to apologize to? What can you do differently tomorrow?
Bad days don’t have to undo us.
We can make even a bad day better when we look for glimpses of God and ways 
to grow.
The prayer of Examen gives us five steps to process our day. I like praying 
through these before bedtime to prepare for a good night’s rest, but you don’t
have to wait until then. A few minutes of prayer at lunch can press a reset 
button on your day. Prayer on the way home from work might help you get in
a better frame of mind to spend the evening with your family.
Find a time that works for you, but don’t wait for a bad day to try this. 
The prayer of Examen will also make a good day even better. Practicing this 
now
will equip you to better deal with a difficult day the next time one comes 
around.

Betsy de Cruz enjoys God, life with teenagers, and dark roast coffee. Betsy’s 
passion is to encourage women to get God’s Word in, so their
faith
can spill out, even during life’s bumpy moments. She and her family live in 
the Middle East. Most days she feels privileged to live overseas; other days
she wants to pull her hair out and catch the next plane home. Betsy writes 
about real life faith on her blog,
faithspillingover.com,

Welcome to the Nugget

June 18, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 2
By Answers2Prayer
Last Thursday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 1', we took a brief look at the story 
of Peter walking on water, a story that anyone can relate to, and we saw how
God has indeed called each of us out upon the waters, into situations where 
'our feet may fail'. But it is there that we find Him in the mystery, and in
the deep oceans of our trials, our feet will stand!

There are many lessons to be learned from this story about Peter, and these 
will be the focus of the next few devotionals. For today, let's take a look
at the setting for the story, for therein we can glean some important words 
of encouragement for each of us on our walks through the storms of our 
lives.

This story actually takes place immediately after Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 
loaves of bread and two small fish (See
Matt 14:15-21).
The Bible records that:

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of 
him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed
them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he 
was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land,
buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it." (Matt 14: 22-27).

Let's remember that the disciples had just witnessed an incredible miracle. 
In fact, they had distributed the food and picked up the 12 baskets of 
leftovers!
They had witnessed the multiplication of those 5 loaves and 2 small fish 
with their own eyes. Jesus could do anything.

Except calm the storm.

Isn't it interesting that it doesn't matter how many miracles of God we 
witness, even participate in, when we, like the disciples, realize that God 
can
indeed do anything in our live: When the storms arise: "You're fired." Or 
"You have cancer." Or "I want a divorce." Or you are required to take on a 
triple
load at work. Our response to such storms? Like the disciples, we tend to 
see that God can indeed to anything--except calm our storm.

Our memories are short indeed.

Perhaps the disciples would have been well served at this point to begin 
reliving the miracle of the five loaves and two fish in their minds. Maybe 
this
would have been a good time for a friendly walk down memory lane: (Peter) 
"Hey, can you believe what Jesus did? He actually fed all those people!" 
(Thomas)
"Yeah, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." 
(James) "And He didn't just give them enough to eat...There were leftovers! 
God's
provision is truly amazing!"

Had the discussion gone more along those lines, perhaps the disciples 
wouldn't have ended up so terrified.

Herein lies the important lesson for each of us: When our storms arise, and 
they will, let's try to spend a bit more time reminding ourselves of God's
mercies, power and grace. Let's get into the word of God and relive the 
ancient stories of God's miraculous deliverances. Let's review God's 
miracles in
our own lives. And perhaps if we do, we will not end up so terrified either.

Please join us next Tuesday for another powerful lesson on how to weather 
our storms: 'Oceans Deep, Part 3'.

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Burdened by endless trouble? Feel like you're stuck in the valleys of 
problems? Wonder why you can't spend at least SOME time on the mountain 
tops? Check
out "
Mountain Top Experiences",
an eight part mini-series designed to help us view the peaks and valleys of 
life from GOD'S perspective!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."


Sign here!

(F.B. Meyer, "The Blessed Life")

Dear Christian reader, seek some quiet spot, some still hour, and yield 
yourself to God.

Make a definite consecration of yourselves to God. With most it would be 
sufficient to write out Miss Havergal's hymn, "Take my life, and let it be," 
and
to sign your name at the bottom.

Take my life and let it be--consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days--let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move--at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be--swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing--always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be--filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold--not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use--every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine--it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own--it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love my Lord, I pour--at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be--ever, only, all for Thee!

Sign here ____________________

~ ~ ~ ~

We have published Samuel Davies' insightful article: "
The Justice of God--and the Sins of Our Country!"
Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)

"Just Keep Swimming!"
by Crosswalk.com Contributor Katherine Britton

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” –
Hebrews 12:1

On Saturday night, I let myself go limp in front of the TV. The blur of 
activity, newness, and ridiculously hot weather the week before had 
exhausted me,
so a complete mind/body check-out seemed in order. I don’t have cable and I 
didn’t bother to turn on instant streaming, so my viewing selection was 
pretty
limited. I soon found myself watching
Finding Nemo.

Remember the part where the all-important scuba mask slips down, down, down 
into the dark gorge? Marlin panics and goes after it, only to swim 
frantically
back out of the darkness. Then the crazy blue fish with a short term memory 
problem frolics her way into that same blackness with nary a care. A moment
later Dory comes back to encourage Marlin. “Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills,” she 
says, “When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?” “No, I don’t 
want to
know watcha gotta do.” “Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep 
swimming!”

Not that I’m taking lessons from a digitized blue fish, but Dory’s attitude 
reminded me what perseverance should look like. It’s not that sitting on the
couch and taking a break was evil in itself, but my can’t-go-any-farther 
attitude was. That attitude indicated that I was slogging away in my own 
strength
and had run out of energy without looking to the Lord for supernatural help. 
At points like that, even though I know the answer, “I don’t want to know
watcha gotta do” to keep pursuing what God has called me to do. Wallowing in 
my exhaustion seems so much easier.

Sunday evening, someone reminded me that, “when life gets you down” and you’re 
exhausted, God’s faithfulness has the chance to shine through. The end of
my rope is the beginning of grace made evident in my life, providing the 
strength to “keep swimming” even though I’m exhausted. And He gets the 
praise,
because I know that strength is no longer something in me. His mercies are 
“new every morning” (
Lam. 3:23)
and enough to keep me moving in the direction that He encourages me to go. 
My responsibilities are just one more way to bring me to my knees and let 
the
Lord refresh me with His grace. After that, I can keep going in His mercy, 
and even sing while I’m at it. His faithfulness never ends.

Intersection of
Faith
& Life: The
Bible
is full of reminders of God’s faithfulness to believers, and the stories all 
end with God being glorified for their reliance on Him. In the end, it’s
when we are weak that He makes us strong (
2 Cor. 12:10).

Further Reading:
Philippians 1:4-6
1 Corinthians 9:24

Welcome to the Nugget

June 21, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 3
By Answers2Prayer
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Last Saturday, in 'Oceans Deep, Part 2', we saw that if we take the time to 
contemplate God's miracles, in our own lives, in the Bible, and in the lives
of those around us, when we enter our storms, we won't be so afraid.

Today, let's take a look at the timing of Jesus' walking on the water:

Notice that the Bible records that Jesus didn't respond immediately to the 
disciples. We are told that the storm arose "later that night" (Matt 14:23),
but we don't see Jesus responding until "Shortly before dawn..." (Matt 
14:25)

I have no idea why Jesus waited, but the important thing to realize is that 
though Jesus doesn't always respond immediately, He does respond: "Shortly
before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake." (Matt 14:25).

What might we have been saying to ourselves in the stead of the disciples? 
Something like, "Lord? I saw how You fed those people. I believed that You 
would
carry me through this storm in my life; but here I am, in the midst of the 
worst storm ever, and you aren't here! Where are You? Why haven't You paid 
my
bills? Why hasn't the tumor gone away? Why hasn't my husband been delivered 
from drugs? Why aren't my teens turning to You? Lord, You promised to never
leave me or forsake me. Why then, aren't You here with me in the moment of 
my deepest trouble?"

Another very interesting point is that although Jesus was walking on the 
waters on the lake, He wasn't necessarily going directly out to help the 
disciples.
When telling the exact same story, the book of Mark records a detail that is 
not mentioned in Matthew: "Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking
on the lake. He was about to pass by them..." (Mark 6:48).

But wait a minute! If Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us, then 
why did He walk out to the boat, only to pass them by?

I do not know exactly why Jesus didn't immediately go to the disciples, and 
I don't know why, after walking all the way out to them, He was simply going
to pass them by. I can only speculate; but I invite you to speculate with 
me:

What if Jesus' purpose was to grow the faith of the disciples? If that were 
the case, then they needed to spend some time in the storm! It is hard 
indeed
to exercise and grow our faith when everything is going good.

And when Jesus came to them walking on the water, what if His purpose was 
not to get into the boat and calm the water? What if He simply wanted to 
remind
the disciples that despite the storm, they were not alone? What if He wanted 
to show them that they, too, could walk on the surface of the storm?

And in the midst of our own storms, when it seems like Jesus should have 
shown up and He hasn't, could it also be that His purpose is to grow our 
faith?
That He simply wants to remind us that despite the storm, we are not alone? 
Does He perhaps want to show us, too, that despite the wind and the waves,
we can follow His example and walk across the surface of our storms?

Think about it!

But wait...I can't walk on water. It isn't humanly possible. Join us next 
Thursday for Ocean's Deep, Part 4.

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

God is concerned about even the minutest points of our lives, and if we let 
Him, He will guide us into the right decisions, 100% of the time! Our only
job is to seek His guidance every step of the way. Visit us online for the 
previously-published series, "
God Guides"!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."


Does Prayer Really Change Anything?
ALICIA BRUXVOORT

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces 
wonderful results.” James 5:16b (NLT)

Our coffee mugs sit empty, but we still cup them in our hands as if the warm 
porcelain between our fingers might anchor our wobbling souls.

The clock pushes hard toward the school day’s end, and we know we’ll soon be 
collecting kids in the carpool line. But for now, we linger in the coffee
shop, two women sharing the mess of life over a table dotted with crumbs.

My throat swells with a lump of tears, and I can’t think of anything to say. 
Words feel like a paltry bandage for the open wound my friend has revealed.

Her marriage is flailing, and her hope is too.Drizzles of despair roll down 
her cheeks, and my stomach churns with empathy. I know of the soul aches 
that
throb loud at night and the pangs of disappointment that hover somewhere 
just beneath the heart in the waking hours.

I want to fix those lifeless eyes, but mere words can’t rebuild the shards 
of a shattered union. So with a whisper, I offer the one thing that has 
saved
my marriage a dozen times from landing in the give-up-and-walk-away grave — 
“Could we pray?”

My friend fiddles with the ring on her finger, then divulges her doubt: “Do 
you really think it will change anything?”

The weight of her honesty steals my breath.

And suddenly a poignant memory flashes into my mind and pushes me through 
the years …

I’m 9 years old again, curled up in a ball of trembling misery, with no 
words to explain my pain. I just know I feel broken inside because of that 
girl
who teases me on the playground.

“I don’t want to go to school anymore,” I tell my mom who’s perched on the 
edge of my bed.

She nods in understanding but doesn’t endorse my plan to flee. Instead, she 
murmurs, “Let’s pray for her.”

I lift my head off the soggy pillow. “Do you really think prayer will change 
anything?”

I wait for my mom to assure me that prayer will, indeed, transform my foe 
into a friend. But she just wraps her arms around me and sits long in the 
silence.
Finally, she exhales a jagged sigh and says, “Honey, I can’t guarantee that 
prayer will change her heart, but I know it will change ours …”

The whirr of the espresso machine echoes off the walls, and my friend 
shuffles in her seat, her question dangling between us.

I glance at her wedding ring and answer with a sliver of truth I learned as 
a 9-year-old. “Prayer always changes something …”

Prayer may not always work in the way we expect, but prayer does work.

Our key verse promises, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great 
power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16b).

Prayer’s no magic wand, but when we humbly place the cries of our hearts 
into the hands of our mighty God, something wonderful happens.

Prayer may not instantly fix our quandaries, but it will invariably affix us 
to our King.

My friend reaches across the table and twines her slender fingers through 
mine. “Will you say the words?” she asks. “I don’t have any left.”

Closing my eyes to hide the burning tears, I begin: “Dear Jesus, we don’t 
know what to do with this mess, but we know You are in it with us …”

I’m not sure what to say, but I trust God hears the cry of my heart. And as 
we bow our heads over those empty coffee cups, we become more aware of the
One who can fill the depths of our need with the riches of His grace.

And slowly, silently, hope swells.

Dear Lord, give me faith to pray even when I don’t have words to say. Help 
me see past the pain and look to You for ultimate hope and guidance. Lord, 
we
know You are in the business of bringing dead things back to life, even 
marriages that barely have a pulse. Help me trust that You alone can change 
the
God-sized problems in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 8:26b, “… We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but 
the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into 
words.”
(NLV)

Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, 
there I am with them.” (NLV)

© 2016 by Alicia Bruxvoort. All rights reserved.

Lost and found

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

Many people assume that since God is loving-
He will make a place for everyone in heaven.

They do not grasp the basic truths about-
“​L​ost” and “found”:

All people start life as “lost” beings.

Since he was the first man, Adam served as representative of the human race.

When he sinned against God-
- his spirit became one of rebellion and sinfulness.Genesis 3;Romans. 5:12.

That “sin nature,” which is passed along to each generation, results in our being “lost.” 

Neither our deeds nor the fact of God’s love are the determining factors.

Mankind is dead in trespasses and sins.Ephesians. 2:1.

When Adam sinned, his intimate relationship with God died.
We, his descendants, are born into that state.

Although we are physically alive at birth-
- our spirit, the only part of us that can relate to God, is dead.

We are eternal beings.
Because we are made in God’s image, our souls are eternal.

Yet Scripture tells us that those who reject Christ as Saviour will perish.John 3:16.

This does not mean annihilation; rather-
- the “lost” will experience consciousness after physical death but will be separated eternally from God.

New birth is required.1 Peter 1:3.

To have a relationship with our heavenly Father requires that the part of us that has been dead to God now be made alive.

When we trust in Jesus, the very life of God is born in us-
- and we move from being spiritually dead and lost to being alive and saved.

Our heavenly Father, out of love for us, provided just what we needed—a Saviour.

Start spreading the truth!


"A Very Present Help"
by Chuck Swindoll

1 Samuel 30:1-6

David had reached the point in life where some people think of taking their 
own lives. He was so far down the ladder of despair that he'd reached the 
bottom
rung. The last stop. The place where you either jump off into oblivion or 
you cry out to God for His forgiveness. For rescue. The wonderful thing is 
that
we do have that choice, because God never gives up on His children.

David made the right choice. "David was greatly distressed . . . But David 
strengthened himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6).

Now you're talking, David. That's the way to endure the Slough of Despond. 
The pits may seem bottomless, but there's hope above. Reach up! Help is 
there.

For the first time in months, David looks up, and he says, "Oh, God, help 
me." And He does. He always will. He is "a very present help" when needed.

Dark days call for right thinking and vertical focus. That's what David 
learns at this moment in his life. He finds that the test isn't designed to 
throw
him on his back and suck him under, it's designed to bring him to his knees 
so he will look up.

Perhaps you have known the joys and ecstasies of walking with Christ, but in 
a moment of despondency, you've opted for the wrong fork in the road, and
you're now living in the wrong camp . . . you're living in the "carnal 
corral." In the words of the prophet, you've been like those who "sow the 
wind and
. . . reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).

But, like David, you've gotten tired of feeling displaced. The 
disillusionment has bred distrust, and the depression is killing you.

Reach up. Come home. The Father is waiting at the door, ready to forgive and 
willing to restore. It's time to return and strengthen yourself, yet again,
in the Lord your God.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll,
Great Days with the Great Lives
(Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. 
Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Putting Down Roots
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Copyright © 2016 Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved 
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Welcome to the Nugget

June 16, 2016

Oceans Deep, Part 1
By Answers2Prayer

God has been speaking to me through a powerful song this week, and I am 
impressed to share it with you. I have pasted the lyrics below, but I also 
invite
you to listen to the song by Hillsongs United: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) 
. You'll find it by clicking here on
youtube.

Take a few moments now to meditate upon the lyrics:

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) -- By Hillsongs Unted

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you're my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine"

As you read this song, you will notice, as I did, that the words say we are 
called "out upon the waters where feet may fail."

This is kind of a scary concept, wouldn't you say? I mean, who wants to go 
where you know your feet may fail?

But then, it's just a song, right?

Or is it really more than that?

Let's take a moment to look at the Biblical story this song is based upon:

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of 
him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed
them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he 
was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land,
buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn 
Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him 
walking
on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out 
in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't 
be
afraid.' And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to 
come to You on the water.' So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down
out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that 
the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out,
saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and 
caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And
when they got into the boat, the wind ceased." (Matt 14:22-32)

As each of us walks life, we can relate to Peter in the storm. Oh, our 
storms may not be literal ones that could overturn a fishing boat, but they 
are
storms just the same. They may be financial difficulties, changes in health, 
relationship problems, car problems, appliances breaking down, problems with
teens, etc. But just what our storms look like is completely irrelevant. 
What's important is that there are many lessons we can learn from this 
passage
of scripture to help us during our storms, and these will be the focus of 
the upcoming 8 devotionals.

For today, I ask you to prayerfully meditate upon the words of the song, 
Oceans, for God has indeed called each of us out upon the waters where our 
feet
may fail. But it is there that we find Him in the mystery, and in the deep 
oceans of our circumstances, whatever they may be, our feet will stand!

Please join us on Saturday, for 'Ocean's Deep, Part 2'.

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, 
Author -- "
Aboard God's Train
-- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator 
for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and
Scriptural Nuggets,
a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with
Answers2Prayer Ministries.
Follow Lyn on
Twitter
@lynchaffart.

Announcement:

Do you have a prayer request? Do you know someone who needs to be prayed 
for? Prayer works! The Bible confirms this in James 5:16: "The prayer of a 
righteous
man is powerful and effective." (NIV) Send your prayer request
here
and let us pray in agreement with you! Matt 18:20: "For where two or three 
come together in my name, there am I with them." (NIV) Hallelujah!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

How to Plead for Unbelievers

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be 
saved.
(Romans 10:1)

Paul prays that God would convert Israel. He prays for her salvation! He 
does not pray for ineffectual influences, but for effectual influences. And 
that
is how we should pray too.

We should take the new covenant promises of God and plead with God to bring 
them to pass in our children and our neighbors and on all the mission fields
of the world.

God, take out of their flesh the heart of stone and give them a new heart of 
flesh (Ezekiel 11:19).
Circumcise their heart so that they love you (Deuteronomy 30:6)!
Father, put your Spirit within them and cause them to walk in your statutes 
(Ezekiel 36:27).
Grant them repentance and a knowledge of the truth that they may escape from 
the snare of the devil (2 Timothy 2:25–26).
Open their hearts so that they believe the gospel (Acts 16:14)!

When we believe in the sovereignty of God — in the right and power of God to 
elect and then bring hardened sinners to faith and salvation — then we will
be able to pray with no inconsistency, and with great biblical promises for 
the conversion of the lost.

Thus God has pleasure in this kind of praying because it ascribes to him the 
right and honor to be the free and sovereign God that he is in election and
salvation.
Copyright Information

This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.


A crowded restaurant
Do we encourage one another
only when we feel like it?
Jesus Among Us

Volume XVI, Issue 25

June 20, 2016

----------------------------------------------------------

Jesus Among Us...by Susan Paradise
An ordinary day. I sit in a busy, noisy restaurant filled with diners. 
Countless conversations mingling into garble, dishes clamoring, background 
music
playing. Suddenly a one-year-old begins to cry, quickly escalating to 
out-of-control wailing.

Conversations cease as heads turtle above short privacy walls...to see where 
the tiny culprit is, to wonder why her parents aren't doing something...to
judge. Uncomfortable stillness moves among us as the little girl continues 
shrieking.

A crying one year old girl sitting in a high chair
Two tables away, a black woman...maybe in her mid-fifties...sits with her 
daughter and two little grandsons. She quietly leaves her family and walks 
over
to the "scene of the crime". A red-faced teenage white mother frantically 
tries to stop the shuddering sobs.

Asking permission, the woman picks up the child. She holds her close and 
stands there...rocking the girl in her arms.

Slowly the child's sobs lessen as she gazes at the woman holding her, then 
glances at all the staring people sitting around them. Relaxing, she ceases
to cry. Onlookers resume their meals and begin new conversations. All is 
back to normal...almost.

Still holding the little girl, the woman takes the young mom back to her own 
table. She hands the now quiet child to her own daughter and, with mom in
tow, disappears into the restaurant's gift store.

Meanwhile, the woman's daughter jostles the child on her lap. Her two little 
boys watch wide-eyed, likely stunned with all that has happened.

The women soon return from the gift store. The young mom hands her little 
girl a brand new stuffed animal and coaxes her to come into her arms. The 
child
does and they go back to their own table. Life goes on.

Once again with her family, the woman now reaches into a sack and pulls out 
a new toy for each of the boys at her table. Their faces light up. Then she
leads her family in a blessing and they begin their meal.

Jesus Christ has been amongst us. I wonder how many noticed. What I do know 
for sure is that God noticed and was well pleased. An extraordinary day.

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the 
least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40 NIV
To God be the glory!

Susan

A past member of the Ciloa Board of Directors, Susan Paradise actively 
ministers to hurting women. She and her husband, Fred, live in Greensboro, 
Georgia,
USA.
----------------------------------------------------------

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If there were an ant at the door of your granary!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Do not be afraid--for I Myself will help you--declares the Lord, your 
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:14

Today, let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: "I Myself will 
help you! It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider 
what
I have done already. What! not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. 
What! not help you? Why, I have died for you! And if I have done the 
greater--will
I not do the lesser? Help you? Before the world began--I chose you. I laid 
aside My glory and became a man for you. I gave up My life for you! And if I
did all this--I will surely help you now. If you had need of a thousand 
times as much help--I would give it to you. You require little, compared 
with what
I am ready to give. It is much for you to need--but it is nothing for Me to 
bestow.

What! not help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your 
granary, asking for help--it would not ruin you to give him a handful of 
your wheat!
Just so, you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My 
all-sufficiency!"

"I Myself will help you!" O my soul, is not this enough? Bring your empty 
pitcher here! Surely this well will fill it. Hasten! gather up your needs, 
and
bring them here--your emptiness, your woes, your troubles. Behold, this 
river of God is full for your supply. What more can you desire? The Eternal 
God
is your helper!

"The Lord is with me--He is my helper!" Psalm 118:7
~ ~

Feel free to forward these gems to others who may be encouraged or profited 
by them!

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)


A Light Burden
June 12, 2016

Read:
Matthew 11:28-30
You will find rest for your souls. (v. 29)

The word “burden” comes up a lot when illness or injury renders someone 
dependent on the care of others. “I don’t want to be a burden,” some will 
say,
anxious not to cause undue strain on their loved ones’ time or finances. 
While these are genuine concerns, they also tend to reflect how foreign it 
can
feel to rely so drastically on others. Most of us are used to taking care of 
our own daily needs, and the prospect of needing someone else to do them on
our behalf feels like asking too much. Indeed, caregiving can be challenging 
emotionally, physically, and financially, but it can also bear unexpected
fruit. The often tender opportunities to meet the needs of a parent or 
spouse can impact us deeply with the bond of that relationship and its 
changing
dynamics over time. Caregiving can be a labor of love that is more of an 
honor than a burden.

Caregivers in turn need to be surrounded by support as well, so that if they 
do feel weighed down by the responsibilities they have assumed, others can
relieve them from time to time. Those who are in need of bodily care remind 
us that we all live in various forms of dependence, and that we are equipped
with the gifts of love that enable us to meet each other’s needs. Whether 
you are in a season marked by providing care or receiving care, may you find
the rest that Christ offers.

Prayer:
Lift our burdens and strengthen us through love.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

Revealing Is the Beginning of Healing
By Rick Warren

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be 
healed”
(James 5:16a
NIV).

Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing.

The
Bible
says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you 
may be healed” (James 5:16a NIV). So let me ask you: Do you want to be 
forgiven?
That’s the first step. Do you want to be emotionally healed? That’s 
something different.

If you just want to be forgiven, you just confess your sin to God. But if 
you want to get over this and get on with your life, you need emotional 
healing.
That means you need to tell somebody else.

You say, “Why? Why do we do this? Why does God want me to drag somebody else 
into this?” I’ll tell you why. Because God knows that the root of our 
problem
is relational. We don’t even realize that. Our messed-up relationships with 
other people are the root of our problems.

When we don’t have one person in our lives that we’re completely honest 
with, we wear masks. We pretend and we fake it and we’re dishonest with each 
other
and we play games and we’re hypocrites. We pretend that we have it all 
together, when everybody knows we don’t. We act like it’s all right when it’s 
not.

What does that do? It isolates you from other people. It prevents intimacy. 
And it keeps you from the deepest level of love. You cannot love fully with
guilt in your heart.

You are only as sick as your secrets. The fact is, the more you hide, the 
sicker you get. On the other hand, revealing your feeling is the beginning 
of
healing. When you find someone that you can trust and who listens to you and 
shares with you, you know what happens? You find that they’ve got big 
problems,
too — often the same problems as you.

There’s something about telling another person that uncorks the pressure 
valve. When you let the boogeyman out of the closet, all of a sudden, the 
boogeyman
isn’t so big any more.

If you want healing, you’ve got to stop concealing. The very thing that you 
don’t want anybody to know about, that’s the area where God wants to give 
you
the most grace, mercy, and healing.

Playtoday’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

• With whom can you confess your sins and share your feelings?
• Who trusts you to do the same for them?
• Do you consider yourself a good listener? How can you improve as a 
listener?

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit
rickwarren.org

Encouragement for your week: When Jesus is On Your Side

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carolaround.com
for the online version of Carol's blog posts.
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When Jesus is On Your Side

“Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and 
the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours
is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all” —1 Chronicles 
29:11(NRSV).

More than once I’ve said to friends, “I don’t know how people make it 
through life without Jesus.”

Since rededicating my life to Him almost 15 years ago, I’ve had my share of 
trouble. While having Jesus in your life doesn’t exclude you from trials, 
you
can bet He’s by your side when those times come. And they will come in the 
form of financial, physical, emotional and relational struggles.

Evangelist Billy Graham once said, “Even the securest financial plan and the 
finest health coverage aren’t enough to hold us steady when the challenges
come. We need something more, something deeper and unshakeable, something 
that will see us through life's hard times.”

Before I had a personal relationship with my Savior and Lord, trials would 
send me into a tailspin. I’d rant, and then panic, before trying to find a 
solution.
That’s because I was relying on myself. I thought I had to solve everything 
on my own. My pride wouldn’t let me admit I couldn’t fix everything and 
everyone.
It just doesn’t work.

What does work is submitting ourselves to Jesus. While we can wrestle for 
control, ultimately, we’re not in charge. We only think we are.

In a recent “Mornings with Jesus” devotional, author Susanna Foth Aughtmon, 
wrote, “Lately, I’ve been trying to be the lord of my life. And I have this
picture in my mind of Jesus sitting back on His heels taking in my chaos and 
my sorry attempts at controlling my circumstances and my astounding lack of
resources and saying, ‘So how is that working for you?’ Of course, He knows 
it is absolutely not working for me and mostly, I am a wreck. So today I am
trying something different. I am going to let Him be Lord. Because…He is, I 
know it will make a difference.”

Although it has taken me many years to acknowledge God’s sovereignty, I’m so 
glad I did. Since then, I’ve learned He is in control. He is the One who 
opens
doors. He is the One who always makes a way. He is the One who provides 
healing. And, He is the One who brings peace—a peace that only comes when 
you surrender
to Him.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest—all of 
you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke—for it fits 
perfectly—and
let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for 
your souls; for I give you only light burdens.”

If you don’t already start your day with Jesus, spend some time with Him in 
prayer. Then, invite Him to be in charge of your life. During the day, seek
His guidance when you have a decision to make.

I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with 
your thoughts about this post and please feel free to share this post with 
others.
Thank you for subscribing!

For more inspiration, visit my blog at
carolaround.com
Copyright © 2015 Carol Round, All rights reserved.


Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; 
all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
"
A Novel Use of Church"
June 18, 2016
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak 
against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on 
the day
of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12
The Cincinnati Cyclones and the Fort Wayne Komets were playing at the U.S. 
Bank Arena.

Outside the stadium, some Baptist street preachers were telling some of the 
attendees they were going to hell. One of the hockey fans who was so 
informed
was Jake Strotman. Having had a few drinks under his belt, Mr. Strotman 
inquired of the preachers what gave them the right to judge him. Apparently, 
Mr.
Strotman asked his question in a more colorful way than I have just 
presented.

Somebody, an unidentified somebody, decided to get involved in the 
discussion by hitting one of the street preachers. The street preacher 
decided not to
turn the other cheek. It didn't take too long before the preachers and the 
lay pugilists were showing everyone that all the action was not on the ice.
Mr. Strotman found himself fighting his way out from under a bunch of 
bodies. Swinging wildly, he struck street-preacher Joshua Johnson on the 
cheek and
caused Johnson's eyeglasses to cut him.

Both Strotman and the street preachers ended up in court.

Strotman was found guilty of a low-level assault. Judge Mallory gave him a 
choice of sentences: he could spend 90 days in the hoosegow or he could 
attend
Morning Star Baptist church for 12 Sundays. That's right. The judge used 
church attendance as punishment. Part of the deal was Strotman had to stay 
until
the end of the service and have a pastor sign his bulletin.

For those who are curious, Mr. Strotman gladly accepted the 
church-attendance punishment.

As for the street preachers: the judge suggested to them that there are 
certain places where people don't want to be preached to. Being a religious 
man,
the judge said, "I admire the fact that you want to spread the Word of God, 
but ...."

Now if you are like me, that story made you smile, a little bit. Then, 
probably, you shook your head and said, "That's a shame. Christians 
shouldn't be
that way."

If you said that, you'd be right. Sadly, and in spite of God's encouragement 
to behave, we who have been redeemed by the Savior, do not always glorify
Him in the way we live. In this we are not alone. Read Scripture and you 
will see Noah getting tipsy, David getting lecherous, and the disciples 
arguing
about positions of honor.

The Christ, who always lived His life for others, deserves better from us.

This takes this devotion to a place where I can encourage you to remember 
the world is watching us. Our foolishness, failings and foibles may not 
receive
the publicity this story did, but that is of little importance.

Our appreciation of the Savior ought to go far beyond sitting nicely in 
church. Indeed, our gratitude for the salvation the Redeemer has won ought 
to permeate
every aspect of our lives, including the nights when we attend a hockey 
game.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks I am saved and repent of all the times 
when my worship of the Savior has not been reflected in my words and 
actions.
Forgive me for the past and make me Your witness in the future. In Jesus' 
Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of
The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries

Help My Unbelief

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of 
himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober 
judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
(Romans 12:3)

In the context of this verse, Paul is concerned that people were “thinking 
of themselves more highly than they ought to think.” His final remedy for 
this
pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God's free grace 
in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts.

This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away. How can we 
boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift?

This truth has a profound impact on how we pray. Jesus gives us the example 
in
Luke 22:31-32.
Before Peter denies him three times Jesus says to him, “Simon, Simon, 
behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for 
you, that
your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, 
strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus prays for Peter's faith to be sustained even through sin, because he 
knows that God is the one who sustains faith. So we should pray for 
ourselves
and for others this way.

Thus the man with the epileptic boy cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief” 
(
Mark 9:24).
This is a good prayer. It acknowledges that without God we cannot believe as 
we ought to believe.

Let us pray daily: “O Lord, thank you for my faith. Sustain it. Strengthen 
it. Deepen it. Don't let it fail. Make it the power of my life, so that in 
everything
I do you get the glory as the great Giver. Amen”
Copyright Information

This devotional is written by John Piper. For more information about Piper's 
ministry, writing, and books, visit DesiringGod.org.

THE GLOVE

"You're so quiet, Son. What's on your mind?" asked Ben's father as he 
stopped at Ben's room to tell him good night.

Ben put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling above his bed. 
"Oh, I've just been wondering if I should be a missionary."

"You don't seem very excited about the idea," said Dad.

"It seems like such a hard job," said Ben, propping himself up on one elbow. 
"I have this feeling that I might not be any good at it. What if God calls
me to do something I can't do!"

Ben's father thought for a moment, then reached over to Ben's desk and 
picked up his baseball glove. "What's this?" he asked.

Ben laughed. "Don't be silly, Dad! It's my ball glove."

Dad walked over to the corner of the room. He propped the glove against the 
wall, found a baseball, and threw it at the glove. Though the ball hit the
center of the glove, it rolled to the floor. Dad picked up the glove and 
looked at it in disgust. "This glove is a total failure," he said, shaking 
his
head.

Ben laughed and laughed. "Oh, Dad, you know it can't catch by itself! It has 
to have a hand inside."

Dan smiled at Ben. "You're just like this glove," he said. "God has a 
purpose for your life, Ben, just as there is a purpose for this glove. You 
put your
hand inside the glove to give it guidance and strength----you give it power 
to catch the ball. In the same way, God will give you power to do whatever
He calls you to do. Don't worry, Son, God will never prop you in a corner 
and leave you alone. It's His mighty hand that does the work when you are 
willing
to be used."

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except 
it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the 
vine,
you are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth 
forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

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Safety Straps

Sometimes we hear of someone on a construction job that was not wearing his 
safety strap. Then he falls from a height to either hurt himself badly or be 
killed.

Jude, the brother of Jesus., wrote a letter that is included in the New 
Testament. He was writing to a church that was having problems and was close 
to splitting. He gave them a “to do” list which are like safety straps to 
keep them together. These are also good safety straps for each of us 
Christians in our daily lives.

Jude 20 (NRSV)

20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith;...

The main way we build ourselves up in the faith is to read the Bible from 
cover to cover. God is the same God from Genesis to Revelation. WE can't 
just read our favorite verses or skip parts we don't understand to fully 
understand God.

Jude 20 (NRSV)

20 ...pray in the Holy Spirit;

Along with reading the Bible another safety strap is praying as led by the 
Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit leads our prayers we won't pray selfishly.

Jude 21 (NRSV)

21 keep yourselves in the love of God;

The third safety strap is love. If we realize the love God has shown for us 
then we will show His love to all we come in contact with.

Jude 21 (NRSV)

21 look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal 
life.

With this strap we look forward to the time when we will meet Jesus Christ 
face to face in Glory. We must realize it is nothing we have done that gets 
us there but only through the mercy of God. Then as we realize the mercy God 
continually shows us we will show mercy to others.

These four safety straps are things that we must do so we don't fall. But 
Jude reminds us that the main safety strap has nothing to do with what we 
do. Read what he wrote in his benediction:

Jude 24-25 (NRSV)

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand 
without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, 25 to the only 
God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and 
authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

by Dean W. Masters


Born This Way
Jon Bloom / June 9, 2016
Born This Way

Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) speaks for millions in her song “Born This 
Way,” when she declares,

I’m beautiful in my way,
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way (Streamline/Interscope/KonLive, 2011)

The song is a hodgepodge of pluralistic affirmations, but its dominant 
message is unmistakably sexual, which Gaga’s music video makes explicitly 
clear
(viewer discretion strongly advised):

No matter gay, straight, or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born to survive

“Born This Way” is a pop anthem of Western culture, a musical declaration of 
sexual independence. But it is not revolutionary, like Queen’s “We Will Rock
You” or “We Are the Champions” from a generation ago. Gaga (a name inspired 
by Queen’s “Radio Gaga”) is singing a mainstream manifesto, a dominant 
cultural
belief about self-identity: I am my sexuality (my sexual desires and 
self-determined gender identity), I am beautiful, and I was born this way.

As Christians, how do we respond? This question is crucial. And for many of 
us it is not abstract, but personally painful. For not only do we live daily
engaged in a war of resistance against our own sexual brokenness, but people 
very precious to us have anguished and struggled over disordered sexual 
orientations
and desires and, not seeing change, have embraced this manifesto. And in our 
biblical convictions they often hear an unloving rejection of who they 
believe
they are as persons. What do we say to them?

A Loving Affirmation of True Personhood

The first thing we say without hesitancy is that we really do love them 
deeply. And God, who is love, also loves them deeply — deeper than they (or 
we)
comprehend (1 John 4:8; John 3:16).

And we do love them for who they really are as persons. But who they are 
fundamentally is something far greater than their sexual experience, as 
prominent
and at times dominant as that can feel. They are glorious creatures uniquely 
made in God’s image as males and females (Genesis 1:26–27).

Though Christians are accused of holding bigoted and inhumane beliefs about 
sexuality, this is not true. Our view of sexuality is rooted not in fear or
self-righteous prudery. It is rooted in our high view of human dignity as 
God’s image-bearers. That’s why we do not believe that sexuality defines 
humanity,
nor do we believe humanity defines sexuality. Being human, and thus made in 
the likeness of God, is so noble a thing that God alone reserves the right
to confer the definition of our true personhood. We do not say with Lady 
Gaga, “I’m beautiful in my way.” We say, “I am beautiful in God’s way.” To 
the
degree that we abandon God’s way, we abandon our beauty.

We Were Born Broken

This then leads us to say something about our personhood that is not 
beautiful: We are broken image-bearers. There is a profound truth in the 
statement,
“I was born this way,” but not in the sense that Lady Gaga means. In myriad 
ways, we were all born broken (Romans 1:29–31). We are not “on the right 
track,
baby,” we are off the tracks.

Our sexuality is a particular witness against us that something is wrong 
with us (Romans 1:26–27). We all know this (Romans 1:32). The spectrum of 
human
sexual brokenness is broad, covering almost everything imaginable, even if 
unspeakable, since almost everything that can be sexually imagined, 
experienced,
and practiced beyond God’s design has been imagined, experienced, and 
practiced by people since times ancient. That’s why the sexual prohibitions 
cataloged
in Leviticus 18 are so specific: They were the (often literally) familiar 
sexual practices of the peoples of Canaan (Leviticus 18:24). And this list 
is
not exhaustive. Some things simply shouldn’t be said (Ephesians 5:12).

But they are said. And done. We are reminded daily that all the sexual 
practices in times ancient are practiced today. This sexual brokenness is 
not beautiful.
Our brokenness is not beautiful and none of our manifestos can make it so. 
Calling our brokenness wholeness does not make it whole. It only affirms the
disintegration of our true personhood.

For our brokenness is part of the curse from the fall and fueled by our 
indwelling sin (Genesis 3:16–19). Our deepest brokenness is not our defects, 
but
our defiance against God, our desire to be our own god. This sin infects and 
affects our whole being, making us “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) who
participate in “unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11).

We were born this way: broken. What we need is to be born again (John 3:3).

God Makes No Mistakes

This is where we have abundant hope to offer. “For God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only Son” who came “into the world [not] to condemn the 
world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16–17). He 
came to pay the penalty for our sin, to provide the power for us to once 
again
walk in the freedom of faith in his word, no longer slaves to sin-induced 
brokenness (Romans 6:17). He came to save us from the way we were born and 
give
us new life.

“God makes no mistakes,” that is true. Not one of us is a mistaken creation 
(Acts 17:26). But it is a mistake to infer from this, as Lady Gaga does, 
that
all our various sexual inclinations are gifts from God. For that’s not what 
God says. God makes no mistakes, so we must listen to him.

That is the path of life. That’s what a Christian does: We listen to God the 
Father who says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” (Mark 
9:7).
And only Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:68), the truth that can 
set us free (John 8:32).

Whoever really wants to be on the right track, whoever wants to be truly 
beautiful, whoever wants to be born into a “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) 
must
believe in the God who makes no mistakes. We must trust his promises to 
redeem us and make us happy more than we trust the promises that our sexual 
preferences,
orientations, or imaginations make to us.

Better Than the Way We Were Born

Jesus does not promise that if we believe in him all our broken inclinations 
will disappear in this age (though he promises this in the age to come). But
he does promise that if we will deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and 
follow him, we will save our lives (Luke 9:23–24).

This was not a popular invitation when it was offered, and it is not popular 
now. Lady Gaga’s manifesto is. But not all ways that seem right lead to life
(Proverbs 14:12).

Though our biblical convictions might sound like unloving rejection to a 
loved one, they are not. What’s not love is to simply let a loved one gain 
the
world and lose his soul (Luke 9:25). There is a better way to live than the 
way we were born.

Fiery Trials

When I was a little girl, my grandfather, a Cherokee Indian, spent hours 
telling stories to his grandchildren. One story has stayed with me all these 
years,
tucked away in my heart as a valuable jewel is locked in a safe.

On an autumn day, my cousin and I were sitting with Grandfather under a big 
oak tree. Grandfather began breaking twigs and laying them in a circle on 
the
ground. On top of this he placed shredded leaves. In the center of the 
circle he placed a tiny caterpillar, and then he lit the circle of leaves 
with a
match. The helpless caterpillar began to slither from side to side, trying 
to find a way out, finally curling into a small fuzzy ball.

Grandfather asked, "What do you see?"

My cousin spoke up first, "It's cruel, Grandfather. The little caterpillar 
is scared, and he can't get out of the fire." Grandfather reached into the 
fiery
circle. The caterpillar crawled onto Grandfather's large, worn hand. He 
lovingly stroked the little creature and gently moved it away from the fire.

Then Grandfather said, "Life is cruel, full of fiery trials. You don't 
understand this now, but you will walk through many fires. You can walk 
alone or
with the Lord. If you trust in Jesus, there is no need to be afraid, because 
his strong hands will hold you."

In the midst of life's trials, rely on the strong hand of God.

"The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty 
things!" (Psalm 118:16)

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PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Today's Devotional

Be Strong

Deuteronomy 31:6 – So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not 
panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He
will neither fail you nor abandon you. (NLT)

Sometimes, what's ahead and behind is just as important as what's in the 
middle. My wife and I took a vacation to visit my brother and sister-in-law, 
who
recently moved to West Virginia, USA. They live in an area where coal mines 
are prevalent, but not much else. Their home is situated on the side of a 
mountain
and in a valley where the sun doesn't rise until 10 a.m. and sets at 3 p.m. 
Across the highway is a small stream paralleled by railroad tracks. Several
times each day, I heard a whistle blow, saw a bright light, and then 
marvelled as two engines pranced around the corner of the mountain pulling a 
number
of cars loaded with coal. After what seemed like an eternity, the end 
arrived, pushed by two equally strong engines. What pushed and pulled the 
train was
just as important as the precious cargo in between.

Moses led the Israelites through forty years of wilderness wandering. God 
went before them to the Red Sea and positioned Himself behind them when 
Pharaoh's
army pursued them. He led them with a pillar of cloud during the day and a 
pillar of fire at night. Neither their shoes nor their clothes wore out. He
supplied water, meat, and manna. Now, it was time for Moses to die. Joshua 
would take over. God would be the energy behind Him and the Israelites as 
they
conquered the Promised Land.

God gives believers the same promise. I've learned that when I don't let Him 
go before and behind me, I'll make a mess of things. He doesn't appear in
a pillar of cloud or fire, but rather in the continual, abiding presence of 
His Spirit residing in me. If I pay attention to the still, small voice 
speaking
to my heart, I'll find power to make the right decisions, take the proper 
paths, and find the correct answers to life's most important questions.

Like the train engines, God provides the strength. All I must do is rely on 
it. What are you finding strength in to face each day?

Prayer: Father, we pray for Your strength to face life's journey and all it 
holds. Amen.

Martin Wiles <

We Belong to the Lord
June 9, 2016

Read:
Romans 14:7-9
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. (v. 8)

When trying to comfort the grieving, it can be all too easy to resort to 
platitudes. Ask any bereaved person what kinds of comments they found more 
hurtful
than helpful after their loved one died. Although people are trying to be 
supportive, their rather trite phrases like “She’s in a better place” or 
“God
needed him more than we did” don’t always have the intended effect. Even 
when we do believe, for instance, that a person has been mercifully freed of 
bodily
pain through the release of death, comments like these oversimplify the 
situation and can leave grievers to feel like they “shouldn’t” be sad.

This verse from Romans risks sounding like a platitude, as though death isn’t 
that big of a deal. But its truth runs far deeper, and its intent is to 
grant
comfort. It doesn’t mean that death doesn’t matter, but that death does not 
have the power to take us out of Christ’s hold on us. As the first question
and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, our only comfort both in 
life and in death is that we belong to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. 
This
doesn’t trivialize death, but instead it extols the power of Christ, who 
died and lives again. Neither his death, nor ours, can take us outside the 
realm
of God’s care. With both anguish and hope, we can entrust our loved ones 
into God’s hands.

Prayer:
We belong to you in life and in death; grant us courage and comfort.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

4082 cdd Horse Experiences
Wednesday June 8, 2016
Volume 17 Number 115

Today's Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own 
understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your 
paths" NKJV

We're told that it is a very frightening experience for a wild horse to feel 
a saddle on his back for the first time. Some horses react with anger. They
rear back kicking and struggling to get away. Their nostrils flare, their 
eyeballs roll back, and panic takes over. Other horses are so afraid when 
they
feel the saddle that they can't move. They just stand in one spot frozen, 
shaking, and trembling like a leaf on a tree.

Many Christians are just like that. When something unpleasant or threatening 
happens (their personal saddle) they react with anger --- lashing out at 
other
people; even at God! Perhaps their saddle was something that occurred which 
cannot be harnessed, changed or undone. Uncontrollable anger rises up 
against
the originator of the saddle. Revenge takes over dictating that someone is 
going to pay.

One will say, "God, You did this to me!" or another asks, "God, why did You 
let this happen?" While others react with such fear that they are 
essentially
immobilized? Afraid to move left or right --- thinking any move at all would 
be a fatal mistake?

The seasoned Christian on the other hand is constantly growing in Christ and 
can be compared to a horse which has learned to trust his trainer. They know
and understand what a saddle is for.

The seasoned Christian knows that when the saddle of troubles, challenges or 
difficulties suddenly appears, it is there for a purpose. That purpose is
currently only known to our Heavenly Father --- but as long as the Christian 
knows the Lord is in control the saddle has a specific purpose. There is no
need to kick and rebel. He looks to the Lord for the solution.

Prayer: Father thank you for watching over me and helping me recognize 
troubles, challenges and difficulties for what they are --- part of Your 
plan for
my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Pastor Bill Team Prayer
Father please bring 1............. 2............. 3.............. into your 
kingdom.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Copyright (c) 2016
Pastor Bill Christian Cyber Ministries
All Rights Reserved

True Belief in True Things"
June 16, 2016
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they 
are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are 
spiritually
discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
It's difficult for us to imagine what was in the minds of the Melanesian 
natives when they saw American and British engineers descend upon their 
islands
and clear the ground for airstrips.

It was World War II, and these people -- almost untouched by civilization -- 
must have been amazed. They were even more astonished to see giant silver
birds begin to land: planes that came out of nowhere, planes whose bellies 
were bulging with every imaginable commodity.

With considerable faith and an eye for detail, the natives began to build 
their own airstrips.

They had every confidence that when they were done, the cargo planes would 
bestow heaven-sent goodies upon them as well. They cut down trees, moved 
rocks,
ripped out vegetation for their runways. When the islanders were done, they 
waited, but no planes came.

Which is why the natives looked around for something they had missed. 
Finally, one bright individual figured out what they had done wrong. They 
had nobody
in the control tower. So they put an individual in the control tower and 
gave him headphones made out of coconut shells. They had been sincere in 
their
belief, but their sincerity wasn't enough.

You see, belief, when it is belief in a wrong thing, is never enough.

Most people, when they hear about the Melanesian cargo cult shake their 
heads in disbelief. "How," they ask, "can anyone fall for such foolishness? 
Even
the uncivilized eye ought to know complex bits of machinery like airplanes 
and guns have to be made by someone. They just don't fall magically from the
heavens." Then, sort of smugly, they add, "I'm glad I'm not that na ve or 
gullible."

Unfortunately, many of them are that gullible, but in different areas.

For example, how many people do you know who believe that this universe, 
which is far more complicated than any cannon or aircraft, just happened, 
without
any divine intervention? How many people think judgment for their sins will 
never happen and, if it does, they will be found guiltless?

The truth is this: we, and all around us, have a Creator. The Creator who 
made all things perfect is justly displeased that we have made a mess of 
things
and deserve to be punished. Yes, we deserve punishment, but our Maker would 
prefer to offer us forgiveness and eternal life. To that end, He promised to
send His Son to take our place and keep the laws we had broken. God's plan 
said Jesus would take our sins and carry them to His death, where He would 
pay
the penalty we had deserved.

His Son's life, death and resurrection are proof the Creator's promise has 
been fulfilled, and the plan is real, sufficient and able to save all who 
are
brought to faith in the Redeemer.

And that is the catch, isn't it? People still have to believe. They still 
have to believe in the right thing. This is why Lutheran Hour Ministries and
your church try to reach out to those who -- like the natives in the story 
above -- are still believing the wrong thing.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks the Holy Spirit has called me to faith 
in the Redeemer. Now I pray for those who are still in darkness. While there
is time, may they be allowed to see all You have done for them. In Jesus' 
Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of
The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Readings: Proverbs 16-18; Acts 2:22-47


God Whispers

Years ago I heard a story about a young man and an old preacher. The young 
man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. So he went to see 
the
old preacher.

Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his problem. 
Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say something
to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn't God answer?"

The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in 
reply -something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped 
across the room.
"What did you say?" he asked.

The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So 
the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.

"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, 
the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we
will move closer to hear Him."

This time the young man heard and he understood. We all want God's voice to 
thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But many times, 
God's
voice is the still, small voice... the gentle whisper. Perhaps there's a 
reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper.

God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my 
head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my 
answer.
Better still, I find myself closer to God.

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Welcome to the Illustrator
Today's Bible Verse:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust 
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves 
treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not 
break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-2o

True Treasure

The story begins about a month ago in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This story centers around a homeless man who has asked that his name not be 
shared by the news organizations, which have been telling his tale. The 
public
part of the man's account began when he found a suitcase on the street. 
Understand, this was not just any old suitcase; this was a suitcase with 
$2,000
in it.

Now nobody can tell you whether the man was tempted to keep the money for 
himself.

No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man took the suitcase to 
the police and turned it in. Later on, he explained: it was "the right thing
to do." Now that story touched other folks and some of them began to raise 
money to help the homeless man. More than $5,000 was raised to help give the
man a new start.

Now nobody can tell you if that man had a "check list" of the ways that 
money could be spent.

No, we don't know that, but we do know the homeless man declined the money 
for himself and asked it be given to a local homeless shelter. They 
contributors
gave him time to reconsider. When they saw the homeless man the next day, he 
gave them a note. The note reaffirmed his desire to have the shelter benefit
from the gift, but the man had now added a request.

He said he would sure appreciate it if someone might help him find permanent 
employment. By saying that, it shows he understood the old adage: "Give a
man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for 
his life."

You know, I wish the rest of the world were as wise as this nameless, 
homeless man.

Think about it for a moment. We are like that man in Vancouver. We've got 
nothing. But then the devil and the world walk in and say, "You know, you'd 
be
happy if you owned this or had that or ...." Well, they come up with a 
million things that are supposed to make us happy.

And those things might do the trick ... for a short time.

But short-term satisfaction is not what we need. Short-term satisfaction 
doesn't change our circumstance or situation. What we need is something that 
lasts
an eternity. Our happiness, hope and joy in life must be based on a gift 
that does not tarnish, which can't be lost or stolen.

And that's where the Lord steps in.

He says, "Here is My Son. Believe on Him as your Savior; rely on Him and 
your life now -- as well as throughout eternity -- will be transformed. Not 
only
will you be forgiven all your sins, you will also have the assurance that 
the Lord is with you and always listening to you. Believe on Jesus as your 
Savior
and you will have a home in heaven and a seat at the eternal banquet.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I have the wisdom to see the contrast 
between the time-sensitive gifts which are offered by the world and the 
devil and
the eternal blessings which are provided by You, when we are given faith in 
the Savior. This I ask in His Name. Amen.

Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries
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Announcement:

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give."


Prayers on Our Behalf
June 7, 2016

Read:
Romans 8:18-26
With groanings too deep for words. (v. 26)

Paul’s letter to the Romans runs deep with conviction about what the death 
and resurrection of Christ mean for believers. What might it mean, for 
instance,
that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that is 
going to be revealed to us (v. 18)? Sometimes our sufferings, or those of 
others
near and far, feel downright crushing; it is hard to imagine a glory so 
spectacular that we would think back to those sufferings and say, “Never 
mind.”
This is part of the challenge of living between the times of Christ’s 
resurrection and his ultimate return. The whole creation longs for the 
fullness of
God’s purposes to be made real, and we humans find ourselves in situations 
where “we do not know what to pray for as we ought” (v. 26).

I have witnessed many of those situations. Do we pray for a miracle? Do we 
pray for this person’s suffering to be alleviated, even if that means death
is close at hand? The image of the Spirit groaning on our behalf is a 
picture of intercession that surpasses our words and our control. It is a 
groan that
echoes the labor pains of all creation, pushing toward the restored life 
that is God’s ultimate trajectory for creation. It is the groan that 
understands
the sting of death, and which holds the promise of that new dawn—a dawn that 
is both in the past and in our future—when death has lost its sting forever.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, conform our prayers to your will.

Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

Stuck with Paul
by John UpChurch, Crosswalk.com Contributor

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can 
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear
without someone preaching to them?”
Romans 10:14

You can’t escape Paul forever. At some point, every Christian must set aside 
self-righteousness and drink Paul’s writing, which can be akin to slurping
down pickle juice. The sharp bitterness sends shivers through the whole 
body—and yet hydrates from the inside out (which is really what pickle juice 
does).

The bitterness, however, isn’t from what Paul says exactly; it’s from our 
reaction. Each word hurts because it’s true. Sometimes he hits our 
recklessness,
and sometimes he hits our legalism, helping us to
clean the glass so that we can see clearly.

Far worse, in my mind, is Paul’s refusal to let us gloat or raise ourselves 
up. There’s no place for that, no room for a trophy case. Being isolated by
my own sense of holiness would be easier; I’d love to slip away into my 
happy world of playing Christian.

Paul doesn’t even let me close the door.

“Look ‘out there,’” he says. “You see those people? That’s you—each one is 
just like you. They need the gospel. They need grace. You know all about it.
You’ve met the same Jesus I did. They’re not coming in here, bub. So, get 
out there and do something.”

It’s an uncomfortable feeling, trying to understand how to be like Christ, 
how to shine through pitch. I want to pursue Him with all I am, but He keeps
going out where the tax collectors and sinners are
—people like me. The only difference is that I realized how much I needed 
Him; they haven’t yet. And perhaps the very reason they haven’t is because I’m
not out there telling them.

Or as Paul might put it (at least, in my head), “They ain’t gonna hear if 
you don’t speak up. And they ain’t gonna fall on their knees if you’re too 
chicken.”

Jesus
went to the synagogue
—and then took the synagogue to the people who needed it most. He did most 
of His miracles out in the thoroughfares, tombs, fields, and corners of the
world. His loudest messages echoed from hills and street corners. In fact, I 
didn’t meet Him in a church—or a

study or a church event. I met Him
where Matthew did:
in the middle of my sin.

Some sinners come running to steeples. Some sinners come running to Jesus in 
the streets.

Intersecting
Faith
and Life: We all need Paul to smack us around on occasion. He keeps us from 
digging a bunker to hide from the messy world outside. He reminds us that
Jesus picked us off the ground, not to look down at those still trying to 
stand, but to show them the One who can make it happen.

For Further Reading
Romans 1-2
Matthew 9

A Fearless Intermediary
June 3, 2016
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for 
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Haus, the adopted German Shepherd, cannot read a calendar.

He had no way of knowing that Friday the 13th is supposed to be an unlucky 
day.

Nor did Haus know that the DeLucas, the family who had adopted him, owned a 
house near a Florida state park. Haus could not have understood such state
parks can be a fine habitat for rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and other 
dangerous critters.

All Haus knew is that an unfriendly beastie had managed to slither under the 
DeLuca's backyard fence and was advancing toward the family's seven-year-old
daughter. Watching from the home's backyard porch, the girl's grandmother 
saw Haus jump in front of the little girl and fight an unseen something in 
the
grass.

When the battle was over, Haus was bleeding.

A quick trip to the vet showed that Haus had been bitten three times by an 
eastern diamondback rattler. Immediately, pain killers and anti-venom were 
administered.
The vets explained that treating the dog would be expensive. Each day Haus 
stayed in the intensive care unit of the hospital could cost over $1,000 and
each shot of the anti-venom would be over $600.

Haus was having four or five of those anti-venom shots each day.

Friends of the family set up a GoFundMe account so kind people could help 
the DeLucas pay for their dog's treatment. They set a goal of $15,000.

Asking people to give $15,000 to save someone else's dog is asking a lot -- 
even if that dog is a hero.

Would it surprise you if I said that people have given $35,000 to saving 
Haus, the German Shepherd? That magnificent outpouring of love is twice as 
much
as had been hoped for.

Two-thousand years ago God's Son was born into this world. Although nobody 
could have demanded it of Him, His job was to put Himself between sinful 
humankind
and save them from its just punishment. To accomplish that purpose, Jesus 
was rejected and despised. He was ignored, denied and betrayed. He was 
beaten,
whipped, spit upon, crowned with thorns, and crucified.

There was no amount of anti-venom that could save Him. It was necessary for 
Jesus to die so that all who believe on Him might be forgiven and be saved.

Now the question is how should the world respond to what Jesus has done?

Should it thank Him or hate Him? Will it praise Him or will it curse Him? 
The answers to those questions are ongoing. Still, I think it must be right 
and
proper if we show our appreciation for the Savior with as much enthusiasm as 
we would for Haus, the adopted German Shepherd.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I be thankful for the Savior whose sacrifice has 
won forgiveness and eternal life for me. In Jesus' Name may I always give 
thanks.
Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus

Anne Graham Lotz - A Promise of Hope!
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A Promise of Hope!
The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be 
changed.

1 Corinthians 15:52, NIV

What will it be like on that day when we hear the clarion call of the 
archangel’s trumpet? Quicker than you or I can blink an eye, believers will 
feel
their feet lifting up off the ground, we will be aware of certain changes 
taking place in our bodies that will enable us to physically live in 
eternity,
and we will look up-into the face of Jesus! We will be swept into the clouds 
of His glory! And if we can drag our eyes away from His beautiful face, we
will see that Jesus is surrounded by our loved ones who had trusted Him by 
faith and who had been raised from the dead!

Jesus Christ is coming! He is coming! On any day, at any moment, “in the 
twinkling of an eye . . . at an hour when you do not expect him . . . he who 
is
coming will come and will not delay” (1 Cor. 15:52; Luke 12:40; Heb. 10:37). 
Now that’s a promise that gives us HOPE!

Blessings,
Copyright © 2016 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.


Stepping Out in Faith
By Skip Heitzig

I've always been fascinated by a short little passage found in Numbers 27. 
It's really the first women's rights movement in history. And what I love 
about
it is that it was sanctioned by God. Just in case some of you still believe 
that God is a chauvinist who's not interested in women's rights and that it
was all about male domination in the Old Testament, you need to read this.

"Then came the daughters of Zelophehad…and these were the names of his 
daughters: Mahlah,
Noah,
Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the 
priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of
the tabernacle of meeting, saying: 'Our father died in the wilderness…and he 
had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from among his 
family
because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers'" 
(Numbers 27:1-4).

These ladies brought up an interesting case that had not been discussed yet 
in the old covenant Law: their father had died, but he had no sons to give
his inheritance to. The Law stipulated that when a person died, property was 
passed on to his eldest son. But what would you do if you didn't have a son?

Now, ancient cultures were male dominant. Women had very few rights. But 
that wasn't the Lord—that was the culture. Back in Genesis when God created 
woman
out of man, remember what Adam said? He didn't say, "This is my property. I 
own this chick." He rightly said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" 
(Genesis 2:23); they were joint heirs together (see 1 Peter 3:7). When we 
get to
the New Testament, Paul said, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is 
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all 
one in
Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). God is not chauvinistic. People need to pay 
attention to what their Bibles say.

But I love that the daughters of Zelophehad didn't bring this issue to court 
or to a counselor's office; they boldly came and brought the case to the 
church:
"Let's get God's wisdom on this." Read the next section: "So Moses brought 
their case before the Lord. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'The 
daughters
of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession 
of inheritance among their father's brothers, and cause the inheritance of 
their
father to pass to them'" (vv. 5-7). This was unheard of in ancient times, 
but here was God saying, "You know, Moses, they're right—you ought to give 
them
an inheritance." God stood up for the rights of women.

Now, here's something we all can take away from their example. I think that 
the Lord gives principles in revelation—in His Word—but He wants you to seek
Him for the particulars. He wants you to find the wisdom of His Spirit for 
your situation. It's not that the Lord hadn't addressed this issue because 
He
hadn't thought of it. No—the Lord knew this day was coming, and He was 
waiting for these women to come to the tabernacle to seek Him so He could 
give them
more information.

I come across a lot of people who want me to tell them what God's will is 
for their lives, and sometimes they get angry that I won't: "Well, you're 
the
man of God. Certainly you know some Scripture about what I ought to do in 
this situation." And I can give you the biblical principle, but as to the 
particulars,
you need to seek the Lord and apply that principle to your situation.

These daughters of Zelophehad came boldly before the throne, so to speak, 
and it paid off (see Hebrews 4:16). You know, we wouldn't even have heard of
the name Zelophehad were it not for his daughters stepping up and stepping 
out in faith to seek the Lord's will for their situation. I think we could 
all
take a page out of their book.

Copyright © 2016 by Connection Communications. All rights reserved.

For more from Skip Heitzig, visit
ConnectionRadio.org,
and listen to today's broadcast of The Connection with
Skip Heitzig
at OnePlace.com.


Every year, when the Baseball All-Star Game is played, I am always reminded 
of a devotional thought that we've shared before as a Daily Encourager...

YOUR WILL

During the late 50's and early 60's, a man by the name of Bobby Richardson 
played second base for the NY Yankees. Bobby Richardson was nominated as MVP
of the American League nine times. He played in seven All-Star Games. He won 
five Gold Glove Awards. And he was the only man in baseball history to ever
win the World Series MVP Award while playing for the losing team.

In the later years of Bobby Richardson's career, he coached the baseball 
team at Liberty University. The reason such a great player was willing to 
coach
at a Christian university was because Bobby Richardson was himself a 
committed follower of Jesus Christ.

During a speech at a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bobby 
Richardson was called upon to pray and here is his prayer: "Dear God, Your
will. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen."

May that be your prayer today. "Dear God, Your will. Nothing more, nothing 
less, nothing else. Amen."

To receive The Daily Encourager FREE each weekday, click on the following 
link:
http://go.netatlantic.com/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=thedailyencourager

Can Your Weakness be a Strength?

AmyLayneLitzelman.com
Shareables - Unique Inspirations
When we think of being hidden in the stronghold of God, we often see 
ourselves as large, powerful, and robust, standing firmly with magnificent 
armor.
And, sometimes, this is true. But the picture I saw this time was quite 
different. I was weak, weary, and exhausted. I appeared, from all exterior 
views,
to be failing in several areas of my life, not handling certain situations 
as I longed to handle them.

I thought of Jesus and how He must have appeared the days and hours before 
His death. Again, from all exterior views, He seemed to be failing; He was 
weak,
bloody, beaten, and broken. But in reality, He was in a place of which His 
enemy knew not—a place of incredible hiddenness—a place of supernatural 
strength.
How?

You see, the adversary focuses on the outside, the obvious. He looks at our 
flesh and exterior circumstances and is quite content when we appear 
defeated
in our human bodies. But our Lord knows all things; nothing is hidden from 
His eyes. Behind the curtain of our weakness, He perfects and pours out His
strength. Through our weaknesses, He builds His kingdom.

Paul was in a place of great frustration and pain, tormented by Satan and 
crying out to his God for relief when he heard the Spirit say, “My power 
works
best in your weakness.” What was Paul’s response? "So now I am glad to boast 
about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me” (2 
Corinthians
12:9, NLT).

The Amplified Bible says it this way, “Therefore, I will all the more gladly 
glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of 
Christ
may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!”

~ Excerpt: This Beloved Road - A Journey of Revelation and Worship ~
Copyright © 2016 Amy Layne Litzelman, All rights reserved.

Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah
Today's Turning Point
Thursday, June 2

Don’t Give Up

Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest 
beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
Acts 27:20

Recommended Reading
Acts 27:20-36
One morning last year—it was 3:20 a.m.—actor Chris Pratt was riding through 
Atlanta following eighty hours of exhaustive filming on a movie. Looking 
over
the darkened streets, he felt burdened for the downtrodden. Pratt, who 
professes Christ, wrote a note on Instagram. He recalled the many years when 
he
had to “hustle hard and go hungry. I had to eat sardines and figure out how 
to get gas money,” he said. “Don’t give up.” Pratt credits his inspiration
to an encounter outside a liquor store when he was 19. A stranger stopped 
him, told him about Christ, and gave him a message that changed his life.

Listen to Today's Radio Broadcast
When you’re eating sardines and seeing meager results, and when neither sun 
nor stars appear for many days, it’s easy to give up. In the story of the 
storm
in Acts 27, even the seasoned sailors—even the writer, Luke!—gave up. But 
God had not given up, and He was stronger than the storm.

When discouragement begins to creep into your life, look to Christ and don’t 
give up. He will keep you from sinking.

His we are by creation, for He made us; by preservation, for He maintains 
us; by redemption, for He bought us. We are more His than our own.
Matthew Henry

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Job 25 – 30
David Jeremiah's

A Wise Heart
June 4, 2016

Read:
Psalm 90
Teach us to number our days. (v. 12)

The psalmist depicts a stark contrast between the everlasting nature of God’s 
presence and the swift passage of human life. If anything sends us the 
message,
“your days are numbered,” it is the realization that life can change in an 
instant, that the end of our lives or of those we love can come upon us in 
startling
ways. Like the psalmist, we may entreat God to prosper the work of our 
hands, hoping that what we have accomplished in our lifetimes will be a 
legacy for
those who come after us. For those who live with chronic or terminal 
illness, each day may bring new challenges and new insights into what it 
means to
live out our days in grace and trust.

Gaining a wise heart can often come at great cost. But knowing that our 
lifetimes are in God’s hands can offer us new freedom instead of fear, no 
matter
our age or state of health. A mind-set in which we number our days leads us 
to regard our days as gifts, rather than taking them for granted. Entrusting
our lifetimes to God allows us to see the abundance of what our lives 
contain, even in moments where the remainder of our time on earth may seem 
scarce.
None of us knows what tomorrow will bring, but we can measure today in the 
light of God’s mysterious gift of life, seeking the wisdom that equips us to
face with courage whatever tomorrow brings.

Prayer:
Grant us wisdom to live out our days with hope and purpose.
Author: Jessica Bratt Carle

Choosing Joy On The Way To Grouchy-ville
AMY CARROLL

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 
(NIV)

One recent morning, I woke to a strange reality. Instead of my usual sunny 
“Good morning, world!” reaction to a new day, for no good reason I felt 
dread
and anxiety the moment I opened my eyes.

Through the groggy lens of grumpiness I rolled over, grabbed my phone and 
read a middle-of-the-night text from a friend. The worrisome text only 
deepened
my funk, so I shuffled downstairs before the sun had barely risen to try and 
find some hope in my coffee cup.

By the time my sweet hubby came down for breakfast, I was on the verge of 
tears. He wrapped his arms around me in concern and asked, “What in the 
world
is wrong?”

“Nothing,” I sniffled. “Except a hundred little things.”

Guilt immediately tiptoed into my heart, because I have some friends dealing 
with truly catastrophic circumstances — an unfaithful husband, a cancer 
diagnosis,
a missing loved one — and here I was crumbling to pieces simply because of a 
few minor problems. What in the world was wrong with me? Even though there
was no big crisis, the weight of a list of little things had sunk my soul. 
Ever been there?

Recognizing my sorry state, I quieted my anxiety long enough to remember a 
favorite family saying: Choose joy!

In this circumstance, and maybe in yours today, we have a choice to make in 
the moment. We can either continue to let our day roll downhill, or we can
intentionally take steps to turn our mood around. I don’t always make the 
right decision, but that morning I chose not to park in the pit of 
grumpiness.
Instead I took some wavering strides toward joy.

• I repeated to myself what Paul emphatically commanded God’s people to do 
in our key verse, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: 
Rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4).
• I focused my mind on the Scripture I had read earlier. Even though it was 
noon before I realized that I needed to steer my wayward, negative thoughts,
God gently whispered to my heart that it wasn’t too late to start fresh.
• I took a short break to get out into the sunshine for a walk. Despite the 
fact that I felt like I didn’t have time for it, I knew I needed the 
exercise
and vitamin D more than the check on my to-do list.
• I reached out to a friend to tell her how much I love her. Initially, I 
began a text to ask for prayer, but on this day I decided it would be more 
beneficial
to concentrate on someone besides myself.
In a few easy steps, I refocused my day and felt the gloom start to lift. I 
can’t tell you that I switched completely into cheery mode, but I didn’t 
stay
stuck in Grouchyville, either!

This intentional act of choosing joy isn’t just Pollyanna philosophy. It’s 
actually Scriptural. Colossians 3:1-2 says, “Since, then, you have been 
raised
with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the 
right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”
(NIV, emphasis added).

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, 
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 
whatever
is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such 
things”(NIV).

God is so good! He not only offers us His complete and abundant joy, God 
gives us directions on how to choose it. Instead of allowing our emotions to 
determine
our day, we determine our thoughts to shape our day.

He gives us the option, so let’s do it. Choose joy!

Lord, we thank You that You are the giver of joy. If we choose joy and ask 
You for it, You never fail to fill us. Thank You for such a wonderful gift!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your 
joy may be complete.” (NIV)Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
In her book,
Breaking Up with Perfect,
Amy Carroll will show you how to embrace the joy God gives.
Amy’s blog
today to download a beautiful PDF of joy reminders and to enter to win a 
free copy of Breaking Up with Perfect.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Create a handwritten list of Scriptures that restore your joy when you read 
them, and post them in your home.

What other actions or steps can you take when you need joy-renewal?

© 2016 by Amy Carroll. All rights reserved.

The White Cat

WE are used to seeing animals come onto our property. WE have a large yard 
and a pasture. One day there was a totally white cat which we had never seen 
before sitting near our bird feeder. It was intensely watching it. A few 
minutes later we saw it move a tiny bit like it might be getting ready to 
attack something. Suddenly it floated in the air and stuck to some plants 
along our fence row. It was not a cat at all but a white plastic bag!

Just like we were fooled by the plastic bag we can also be fooled by people 
who preach or teach. WE need to make sure that the people we listen to are 
telling us the truth of God. We need to do what the Bereans did:

Acts 17:11 (ISV)
11 These people were more receptive than those in Thessalonica. They were 
very willing to receive the message, and every day they carefully examined 
the Scriptures to see if those things were so.

WE also need to do what the apostle John tells us to do in his first 
epistle:

1 John 4:1-3 (ISV)
1 Dear friends, stop believing every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to 
see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out 
into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit: Every spirit 
who acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 3 But 
every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the 
spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is 
already in the world.

So we should not take everything we see and hear at face value. Check them 
out for ourselves. What you think is a white cat may just be a white plastic 
bag.

Prayer: Father, Thank You for sending Your messengers to us. Help us to know 
the Scriptures and know who Your true messengers are. In the name of Jesus 
Christ, Amen

Thought: Let us study the Scriptures daily so we won’t be led astray.

by Dean W. Masters

Don’t Overlook This Important Relationship
KATY MCCOWN

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already 
doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

I answered the door with a red, swollen face. My tears glistened, and I 
dared not blink for fear the waterfall that would flood my soul.

On the other side of the door stood my friend, Stephanie, with two 
smoothies. One for me; one for her. Just a few minutes earlier, I had called 
her with
the news, “It’s a tumor.”

With a growing bump on my baby boy’s head, we arranged to see a pediatric 
specialist. For most of his life we’d observed this spot on Elijah’s skull, 
but
I still didn’t expect to hear those three words.

We scheduled surgery two weeks out and made arrangements for pre-op visits. 
But shockwaves rumbled through my soul. What about right now? I silently 
screamed.
What do I do while I wait?With my husband at work and family hundreds of 
miles away, my fingers quivered as I dialed Stephanie’s number. “Do you need 
me
to come over?” she asked. At first I refused, but as the reality of going 
home to an empty house consumed me, I called her back.

She took my smoothie order and minutes after I walked through my door, she 
knocked.

The rest of the afternoon she sat with me. She didn’t do or say anything 
special. But she just sat with me.

She let me unravel and face my deepest fears. She listened to the cry of my 
heart. She supported me and believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure I couldn’t
handle this.

A few years back as I read through the Bible, I moaned at the sight of my 
assigned text for the day. It was a list full of names I couldn’t pronounce 
and
how many sons they had … and all their names.

It’s places like this in Scripture that I sometimes wonder, Why is this in 
here? I know all Scripture is inspired by God, but what am I suppose to do 
with
this? Then, there it was.In the midst of the list of King David’s 
counselors, advisers, army commanders and officials, God breathed this, 
“Hushai the Arkite
was the king’s friend” (1 Chronicles 27:33b, NLT).

In a “Who’s Who” text of all King David’s men, God named his friend.

This glimpse into the life of a man after God’s own heart challenges me to 
rethink my friendships. Sadly, in the busyness of life sometimes my friends
fall to the bottom of the list. And we all know we never make it to the 
bottom of the list.

Too often my friendships go unnourished. It can even feel selfish to seek 
out time with them. An inner whisper suggests I’m skipping out on 
responsibilities
or neglecting duties far more important than “girl time.”

But as our key verse reminds us, God wants us to “encourage each other and 
build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11a). And to do that we have to 
prioritize
each other from time to time.

Friendships might seem trivial or even optional, but in God’s design it 
seems they are as important as counselors and commanders.

A few weeks later, the surgeon successfully removed the tumor from our son’s 
skull and deemed it benign. In the following weeks, while our baby wore a
bandage that wrapped completely around his head, a carousel of friends 
tended to us. They brought food, called to check on us and loved on our 
little patient.

They encouraged us and built us up.What an important reminder to invest in 
our friends. Prioritize them and pray for them. And let’s start today!

Dear God, it’s awesome to consider Your purposes for friendships. Thank You 
for making me Your friend, through Jesus. Thank You for the gift of earthly
friendships that sharpen me and challenge me to be more like You. Move my 
heart to love my friends the same way You love me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know 
his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything 
that
I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (NIV)Job 2:11a, 13, 
“When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got 
together
and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him … Then they sat on 
the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, 
for
they saw that his suffering was too great for words.” (NLT)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Do you want more time to invest in your friendships but feel chained to your 
to-do list? Glynnis Whitwer’s book,
Taming the To-Do List,
will help you find practical ways to take back your schedule!  
© 2016 by Katy McCown. All rights reserved.


Music's Effective Ministry
by Chuck Swindoll

1 Samuel 16:21-23

God had His hand on this young man whose music not only would fill the heart 
of a depressed king overwhelmed by blackness, but also would someday fill
His written Word. Thus, David, with his primitive stringed instrument, 
walked bravely into that dark place where Saul was living.

Saul was willing to try anything. "Provide a man," he says. "I don't care 
who it is. Bring him to me."

Somehow David's music unleashed the caged feelings inside this tormented man 
and then soothed the savage beast within. By the time David left him, Saul
was relieved. The evil presence had departed.

God used the gift of music to put David into the very presence of the king's 
chamber. And the king not only found relief from his inner torturings, he
found love in his heart for the young shepherd boy whose music touched his 
soul.

The Spirit-filled saint is a song-filled saint. And your melody is broadcast 
right into heaven—live—where God's antenna is always receptive, where the
soothing strains of your song are always appreciated.

Never mind how beautiful or how pitiful you may sound. Sing loud enough to 
drown out those defeating thoughts that normally clamor for attention. 
Release
yourself from that cage of introspective reluctance. SING OUT! SING OUT! 
You're not auditioning for the church choir; you're making melody with your 
heart
to the Lord your God! If you listen closely when you're through, you may 
hear the hosts of heaven answering back for joy

Soft music for a hard heart, that's what David provided for Saul. That's the 
soul music that Christ the Savior provides, and that's the place we all must
begin. He died for us. He rose from the dead to give us the desire and the 
power to live a positive, fulfilling life free from the clutches of human 
depression
and despair. He is our shepherd, and we are his sheep, needing the music of 
his voice. We can rejoice and exult in God together. Let's do more of it!

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll,
Great Days with the Great Lives
(Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. 
Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"To Pray or Not to Pray"

May 31, 2016

lighthouse bv
Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His Name; make known His deeds among 
the peoples! Psalm 105:1

Would you agree with me if I were to say there are two kinds of people in 
the world?

Some people will accept that statement and some folks won't, which, I guess, 
means that there really are two kinds of people. That the world is divided
into two groups of people is hardly an original thought. A lot of famous 
people have come to that conclusion:

Robert Frost said, "There are two kinds of people: some willing to work and 
the rest willing to let them."

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said, "People can be divided into two classes: 
those who go ahead and do something, and those who sit still and inquire, 
'Why
wasn't it done the other way?'"

James Thorpe threw in his two cents when he said, "The world is divided into 
two types of people: those who love to talk, and those who ... hate to 
listen."

The great philosopher Dear Abby said, "There are two kinds of people: those 
who walk into a room and say, 'There you are' and those who say, 'Here I 
am!'"

Indira Gandhi, quoting her grandfather, said, "There are two kinds of 
people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to be in 
the first
group; there was less competition there."

Here's one that wasn't said by a famous individual: "There are two kinds of 
people in this world. There are those who believe in the willingness of the
Triune God to answer prayer, and there are those who wish they believed in a 
Lord who was caring and committed to His people."

Me?

I'm in that first group. I hope you are too.

If you are unsure about the Lord's commitment to you, I would say look at 
God's Son, our Savior. His life was spent winning your salvation and His 
resurrection
proves His work was successfully completed.

Yes, look at Jesus who often stopped what He was doing to answer the prayers 
of a cripple, a blind man, a leper, a possessed person. Look and see how 
often
Jesus responded favorably to the needs of those who had been abandoned by 
the world.

Then, having looked at what Jesus did, listen to what the Lord has said:

* The Lord has told us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us (see 
1 Peter 5:7).

* The Lord said we should call upon Him in the day of trouble and He would 
deliver us (see Psalm 50:15).

* Scripture assures us: "For everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will 
be saved" (Romans 10:13).

So, once again I ask in what group of people are you?

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks You are willing to incline Your ear to 
Your people who come to You in the Name of our Savior. It is in the Name of
Jesus we offer up this thanks. Amen.

Pastor Klaus
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of
The Lutheran Hour
®
Lutheran Hour Ministries

Welcome to the Nugget

May 31, 2016

Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name
By Answers2Prayer
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I'm glad I grew up in a church where The Lord's Prayer in unison was 
repeated meaningfully. We did not rush: Even we children could keep up, 
conscious
of the meanings as we prayed with everyone.

Jesus said,
"when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans ....
This is how you should pray:
'Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one'" (Matthew 6:7-13).

Now, I like to repeat The Lord's Prayer in the morning as I gaze out the 
window while my oatmeal porridge bubbles in the microwave.

But when I sometimes caught myself babbling meaninglessly, I had to trace 
back to where my mind separated itself from the meaning of the words. Then I
tried something to keep my mind with the words of the prayer: I used the 
prayer to guide and expand meanings and related ideas for my prayers to 
begin
the day. For instance, like this:

'Our Father in Heaven, (And, Father, you are also right here with me in your 
Spirit.)

hallowed be your name, (May I hold your name holy to the extent that others 
will be influenced to do so too.)

your kingdom come, (Your kingdom come in all the earth -- especially we pray 
for the people suffering in Nepal. Send people to share you Spirit, your 
Word,
your physical help.)

your will be done (Give me, please today, your words of assurance of your 
love and grace and eternity to speak to the gentleman I will visit who's 
dying
with cancer.)

on earth as it is in heaven. (Keep me reading and obeying your Word so my 
words and actions will be in line with your way and will.)

Give us today our daily bread, (For your bountiful supply I praise you. 
Cause me to choose healthful foods -- and not too many.)

Forgive us our debts, (Those hasty words for which I must apologize.)

as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Strengthen me to forgive instantly.)

And lead us not into temptation (Save us from selfishness. Cause us to be 
liberal in our giving for your Kingdom's expansion.)

but deliver us from the evil one.' (Shield us from Satan's subtle wiles.)

This way of praying will be different and new every time it is used. Enjoy 
it, I pray, for Jesus sake, Amen.

Isabel Alison

Announcement:

Just what IS love, anyway? Check out "
Lessons In Love From 1 Corinthians 13",
a mini-series by Soyna Richards, to find out!

©Copyright 2011 Answers2Prayer | Matt 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely 
give."

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word With You
A Word With You
Fighting For That Person You Love - #7673
Anne had ridden her mountain bike through a California wilderness park a lot 
of times before, but the ride this day would change her life. She was 
attacked
by a mountain lion that hours earlier had killed another biker. As the cat 
literally held her in his jaws by the back of her neck, all she could do was
pray. Humanly speaking, her friend Debbie was her only hope. Debbie jumped 
off her bike, grabbed Anne's leg, and screamed for help just kicking at the
mountain lion. Thankfully, Debbie's screams finally brought the help of some 
men who had been biking with them. Debbie continued to hang on as the men
pelted that lion with rocks. Suddenly the animal released his victim, and 
Anne's life was saved. Debbie just gave everything she had to keep the 
promise
she had made to her friend in the middle of that struggle. She just 
screamed, "I'll never let go of you!"

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fighting 
for That Person You Love."

There are people you know whose lives depend on you being a friend like 
that - a friend who loves them enough to fight the lion for them - whatever 
it
takes. In the Bible, God calls the devil "a roaring lion, looking for 
someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). The lion's ultimate goal is to take people 
you
work with, people you go to school with, people in your personal world, to 
hell with him. If he can just keep them from ever putting their trust in the
Savior who died to save them. If he can just keep them from ever really 
understanding what Jesus did for them. If he can just keep you from telling 
them.
Humanly speaking, their only hope may be someone who will fight for their 
life, and since you know Jesus and you know them, that someone is probably 
you.

The command of Proverbs 24:11 is our very important word for today from the 
Word of God. "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those 
staggering
toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he 
who weighs the heart perceive it...Will he not repay each person according
to what he has done?" The Bible makes it plain. It says, "He that does not 
have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). I'm sure you know 
some
folks who probably don't have the Son of God in their heart. Which means no 
real life here and no eternal life when they die.

Don't just let the lion have them right before your very eyes. Fight for 
them! Jude 23 commands us, "Snatch others from the fire and save them." Put 
the
name of someone you know in that verse, "Snatch (there's the name) from the 
fire and save that person." Someone you want to have in Heaven with you who
probably isn't headed there right now.

How can you fight for their eternal soul? First, you show love to them in 
ways that will mean something to them, that displays God's love but in a way
that communicates it in their language of love. Show them the difference 
Jesus makes by being like Jesus in ways that will stand out to them in 
contrast
to the other people that they know in that same environment. The real fight 
for them, though, is in the Throne Room of Almighty God. Keep storming 
heaven,
praying for their rescue every day. Pray for them by name. Don't let them 
go.

Ask God to open a door, a natural opportunity for you to explain your 
relationship with Jesus and the difference He makes. Pray that He will open 
their
heart to Him and to you, and He'll open your mouth to tell them about Him. I 
call it the 3-open prayer. "Lord, open a door. Lord, open their heart. Lord,
open my mouth."

Saving them is going to take a friend who will take the risks, pay the 
price, and make the changes necessary to rescue them, and to never, never 
let go.
As long as there's breath, there is hope! And for your friend, this fight is 
life or death!
Anne Graham Lotz - The Focus of Our Faith
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The Focus of Our Faith
We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in 
hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:2, NKJV

Sometimes, when faced with great problems, our tendency is to focus on the 
hands of God – what He has not done for us and what we want Him to do for us
– instead of focusing on the face of God – simply Who He is. Our depression 
can deepen through this kind of self-preoccupation. Often, in the midst of
great problems, we stop short of the real blessing God has for us, which is 
a fresh vision of Who He is. When we stop focusing on our problems and on 
ourselves
and focus instead on our almighty and omnipresent God, our problems, as the 
old hymn promises, “grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Have you grown so impatient, wanting your problems solved now, that you are 
missing the vision of His glory God has for you? Get your eyes off yourself,
your problems, your circumstances, and look to the face of Christ!

Blessings,
Copyright © 2016 AnGeL Ministries, All rights reserved.

How to Pray when You Can't Find the Words
Kelly Stanley
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what 
we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through 
wordless
groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because 
the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."

(Romans 8:26-27,
NIV)
One Sunday morning, a man visiting my church stood to give his testimony. In 
broken English, he described the scene in which he first saw the woman who
would become his wife, the moment when he first felt God calling to him.
“These people were singing, but not with their mouths,” he said. “It was a 
deeper song.”
That’s when my tears started. Because isn’t that what most of us want? To 
reach God, to commune with Him? With or without words.
Let’s face it. I am a writer, and even I have those times when the words won’t 
come.
Usually when we’re without words, it’s because we’re hurt. Cynical. 
Disillusioned. Heartbroken. Weary. We may have lost a parent or sibling or 
child or
friend. We may be facing a broken
marriage,
a suicidal teen, an addiction, financial devastation, or abuse.
Or maybe we’re just uninspired. Tired. Worn out from carrying our fears 
around. Exhausted from overscheduling and under-resting. Dealing with 
depression
or illness or a million tiny little worries.
I’ve been there, desperate for God but unable to draw my mind in, unable to 
reach out to Him, either verbally or in writing. And even in those moments,
I’ve felt the irony. The only One who can truly make a difference in the 
situation is the One I can’t seem to talk to.
But the truth is that words are not required. Prayer, in its most simple 
definition, is communion with God. I often think of it as a conversation, 
but
it doesn’t have to be.
Have you ever sat in companionable silence with a spouse, parent or friend? 
Enjoyed a peaceful afternoon on the porch with a grandparent, no words 
needed?
When I gave birth to my children, I had no words to describe what I felt, so 
I just sat there, looking at that beautiful new creation, soaking in 
gratitude.
When my mom died, as I stood in the receiving line, some of my favorite 
people walked up, looked into my eyes, hugged me, and moved on. Without 
saying
a single word, they communicated everything I needed to hear. Everything 
they wanted to say.
Next time you feel stuck, when you stumble over words or are wrestling with 
emotions you can’t seem to wrangle, why don’t you try something new? Sit in
silence, your mind focused on God. Look around and find the beauty in your 
environment. Draw a picture, doodling names and images and offer it as 
prayer.
Work your way through your daily tasks, and keep the mindset of dedicating 
your work—laundry, cleaning, dishes, gardening—to God as an act of worship.
Listen to a piece of worship music and let yourself get lost in the sound.
Or sing a new song, from a deeper place.
It just might help you get past whatever it is that is blocking your path. I 
promise you, God will receive it. He will understand that it is prayer. He
will know what your heart feels and what your soul needs.
And before long, the words will come. But even if they don’t, you’ve still 
prayed, and in the process, you’ve drawn closer to God. Because wherever God
is, lives are changed.
With or without words.

Kelly O’Dell Stanley is the author of
Praying Upside Down
and Designed to Pray.

In the Presence of God

Surveying the Crisis of Worship

There is a crisis of worship in our land. People are staying away from 
church in droves. One survey indicated that the two chief reasons people 
drop out
of church are that it is boring and irrelevant.

If people find worship boring and irrelevant, it can only mean they have no 
sense of the presence of God in it. When we study the act of worship in 
Scripture
and church history, we discover a variety of human responses to the sense of 
the presence of God. Some people tremble in terror, falling with their faces
to the ground; others weep in mourning; some are exuberant in joy; still 
others are reduced to a pensive silence. Though the responses differ, one 
reaction
we never find is boredom. It is impossible to be bored in the presence of 
God (if you know that He is there).

Neither is it possible for a sentient creature to find his or her encounter 
with God a matter of irrelevance. Nothing—and no one—is more relevant to 
human
existence than the living God.

Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God

Do you find worship boring and irrelevant? If so, pray for a renewed sense 
of God's presence.

For Further Study

Psalms 95:6:
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our 
Maker."
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved.

Pray Forward
AmyLayneLitzelman.com

Thank You...
Holy God and Friend, thank you for all who have gone before me. Those who 
have believed and sacrificed. Those who have walked against the current and 
broken
through into new territory. Those who have torn down and those who have 
built up at Your leading, for an eternal purpose. Thank you for calling me 
to be
more than I could imagine and for empowering me by Your grace to walk it 
out. May I find joy in every step, knowing you are the Author and Finisher 
of my faith.
Copyright © 2016 Amy Layne Litzelman, All rights reserved.