My Journey 6/26 - 6/28/2010

God's insight to me:

I like what Adrian Rogers wrote in this devotional. This sentence stood out to me, "Indeed one may not know that God is enough until God is all one has." As a believer I have found that has come true so many times in my life. In this worldly life things change in a heartbeat. But not God. When your day starts out sunny and bright but then life's storms rush in, God is there to say, "Peace be still".

Max Lucado's devotional I thought was good as I was reading it from older eyes. As I am getting older, and days are going by faster, I loved the word "new". But what I realize as I was reading this devotional is since I have given control of my life to Christ, I have never felt younger and more alive before in my life. I am sleeping better, eating better, reading better, listening better than ever before. Yep, all because of Him! Praise God!

Dr. Stanley's devotional is a good one to follow Max Lucado's with. Several years ago a friend of mine called and asked me to get the book, "Who I Am in Christ" by Neil T. Anderson. This came to mind after reading Dr. Stanley's devotional. Once you can understand who you are, you will not remain on the emotional roller-coaster. From the day of our creation we start with a yearning for His love. We were made this way. Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; There is a gospel song titled, "When He Was On The Cross I Was On His Mind", how true. Thank You Jesus!

Charles Swindoll's devotional describes just how I felt back in 1997. As I said, "Lord You take control of my life!" total relief is what I felt. Worldly burdens were lifted from me. The Spirit that indwells in me at my moment of salvation became alive in me, because of my decision, my choice to let Him. I gave Him permission. Problems will come, and I know problems will go because Christ has won the battle. John 16:33 I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

The little poem from the Be Still devotional is a good one. "Leave the dusty road to others, Spotless keep thy soul and bright", good words to live by.

The Flowers in the Sun devotional I thought was well written. These words sometimes describes today's life for so many, disappointments overwhelm, grief crushes, expectations are frustrated. But as Marilyn Ehle writes "the warmth of God’s love begins to melt the cold realities threatening to overwhelm". Whatever this life throws our way, Christ has already overcome before us. As the bible verse stated above, ("In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John 16:33)for as Marilyn Ehle wrote "what God plants and nourishes can never die." Amen!

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June 26

True Joy & Peace Comes From the Lord Alone
by Adrian Rogers

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3

You may admit that God is necessary, but do you honestly know that God is enough and that He is, in fact, more than enough?

To find out if God is enough for you, let me ask you a couple of questions. Where do you obtain your joy? Is it from the Lord or from somewhere else? If your joy is from your health and it goes, then your joy will fly out the window. Many a believer has lost his health, his business, his family, his reputation, but has still maintained his joy because the source of genuine contentment and peace is in God. Indeed one may not know that God is enough until God is all one has.

When was the last time you visited a hospital waiting room and shared Christ with those who are hurting? Maybe you could do that sometime this weekend.

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June 26
A New Creation
By Max Lucado

“If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

At our new birth God remakes our souls and gives us what we need, again. New eyes so we can see by faith. A new mind so we can have the mind of Christ. New strength so we won’t grow tired. A new vision so we won’t lose heart. A new voice for praise and new hands for service. And most of all, a new heart. A heart that has been cleansed by Christ.

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June 26-27
The Origin of Unmet Needs
by Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 5:6-8

Emotional needs can be every bit as acute as bodily requirements. The desire for love, acceptance, and a sense of safety are hardwired into human beings by the Lord. These necessities are what cause us to seek out friendships, marriage, and, ultimately, a relationship with God. And at the root of all of our heart-needs is the longing to feel valued.

Without a solid sense of self-worth, a person cannot fully receive love and acceptance. Nor can he feel safe or at rest. The uncertain man projects onto family and friends the God-sized job of proving his value. From them, he seeks constant verbal assurance and displays of their loyalty. The problem is that no human can be an inexhaustible emotional resource.

Inevitably, basing worth on people's judgments and acts of love makes for a yo-yo-like self-image—it's down, it's up, it's down again. Besides, no one can build an adequate collection of good opinions to substitute for God's devotion. On the cross, Jesus Christ gave the only accurate measure of our significance: He considered every single person worth dying for. We can't buy or earn God's unconditional love. It is ours to receive with an open heart. Jesus' sacrifice stands as proof that we are of infinite value to the Sovereign of the universe.

God desires to be our unlimited emotional resource. In fact, if our self-worth is based upon anything but Him, then it is unstable. A rock-solid self-image is rooted in the recognition of who we are in Christ—beloved, redeemed, and holy children. Nothing changes His opinion.

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June 26-27
Divine Relief
by Charles R. Swindoll

Ephesians 2:1-9

What those little Visine drops do for our eyes, relief does for our sighs . . . "it gets the red out." Few feelings bring a greater sense of satisfaction than relief, which Webster defines as "the removal or lightening of something oppressive, painful, or distressing."

When we are relieved of physical pain, we breathe easier. Hope returns as pain departs. When a relationship is strained and we finally work things out, that sense of relief is better than anything money can buy. When we finally crawl out from under the load of a heavy financial debt, nothing can compare to that sweet relief.

God calls this divine gift of relief "mercy." That's right, mercy. It's a twin alongside grace.

Grace and mercy are usually seen together, but for some strange reason, mercy seems to live in grace's shadow, eclipsed by her popularity and prestige. Check it for yourself. When the two are named together, grace always comes first. I find the result of that a little unfortunate, because most folks emphasize grace so much that mercy is seldom highlighted.

So, it's time to give mercy her due!

According to Ephesians 2:4, God is "rich in mercy." He is loaded with it! And aren't we glad? If He were not rich in mercy, we might feel secure in God's love and we might be encouraged by His grace, but our lack of relief would hinder the presence of peace. The essential link between God's grace and our peace is His mercy . . . that is, God's infinite compassion actively demonstrated toward the miserable. Not just pity. Not simply sorrow or an understanding of our plight, but divine relief that results in peace deep within.

Paul, after admitting that he was "formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor," was allowed to become not only a follower of the Way, but a participant in the service of the King.

How? Read 1 Timothy 1:13 for yourself: "I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy."

In the simplest of terms, revolutionary changes occur in our lives because we were "shown mercy."

What a relief!

The essential link between God's grace and our peace is His mercy.

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June 27
Be Still
From a devotional by Mrs. Charles Cowman - Streams in the Desert

Tread in solitude thy pathway,
Quiet heart and undismayed.
Thou shalt know things strange, mysterious,
Which to thee no voice has said.

While the crowd of petty hustlers
Grasps at vain and paltry things,
Thou wilt see a great world rising
Where soft mystic music rings.

Leave the dusty road to others,
Spotless keep thy soul and bright,
As the radiant ocean's surface
When the sun is taking flight.
--(From the German of V. Schoffel) H. F.

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June 28
Flowers in the Snow
by Marilyn Ehle

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die…” John 11:26

Even before temperatures were consistently warm, the tiny purple or white bell-shaped flowers peeked up between spring green blades of grass in our front yard. The German word for these blooms is beautifully descriptive: schneeglocken, or snow bells. Because we were only renters in the house, I had no idea who originally planted the small bulbs which every year cheered both us and passersby after the grim winter days.

But another phenomenon also occurred annually: a late spring snowstorm! That first year I feared that my tiny harbingers of spring would be destroyed, but as the sun melted the top layer of icy flakes, the snow bells bravely lifted their heads toward the warmth.

New and beautiful life is planted within us when we personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior. In a very real sense, we “bloom” as God causes growth. But invariably storms come—disappointments overwhelm, grief crushes, expectations are frustrated. We wonder if our new life has disappeared. Will the beauty of Christ within us ever again bring hope to us and encouragement to others?

And then slowly, but very surely, the warmth of God’s love begins to melt the cold realities threatening to overwhelm. Perhaps a small answered prayer. Or a Bible verse flashes like a neon sign. A friend offers unexpected support. And we are reminded that what God plants and nourishes can never die.