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Category Archives: Inspirational Devotions for Today

These articles are devotionals aimed at uplifting your faith, and reassuring you in your walk with God


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My Mum’s amazing message

I was the most fortunate of kids!

I was brought up with a Mum and Dad who loved God.

Being the youngest of five, (I had twin sisters but sadly one died of TB when she was only one year old) I guess things monetary wise were a bit stretched, but we certainly never went without the essentials and we certainly had plenty of love handed out liberally, especially by my hard-working and devoted Mum.

BUT

That didn’t stop us going off the rails – (well the boys that is) unfortunately when we became of age and even had families of our own, the world and it’s lures were all too much and even though I personally put on the face of a Christian and did all the ‘Christian” things – I was far off from the Lord.

But Mum and Dad kept on praying for us – determined and sure that God would bring us back to Him.

Personally for me their prayers have been answered.

Dad died in 1998 and our Dear Mum passed away in 2000. Before they died they both recorded a message to us from “beyond the grave” sort of thing and re-listening to them again recently I was staggered at Mum’s simple yet solid faith in God – determined that her sons would come back to the Lord.

She says at some point that she has never stopped praying for us even before we were born. And in another part that “It doesn’t matter if Dad and I don’t see it for we have prayed fervently for you all.”

Well I’m afraid they didn’t see it – But I know that one day we will ALL meet around the throne of God in unity and love of our Lord and Saviour.

Here is a transcript of her message – I pray that you will be blessed as you read it as I was to hear it.

The prayers of a faithful Mum and Dad for their kids is awesome in it’s simplicity and mighty in it’s outcome – Praise God.

(From my Mum)
As my Savior has said – Weep not for me for I have only gone ahead to rest and wait for you in a place where there is no more pain or loss.

My children, when you were under our care your Dad and I endeavoured under the scant knowledge that was ours to show you that God has an infinite plan for us.

That plan of God’s was to bring home to us the amazing power and love that is available to anyone who has surrendered their hearts and love to the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit which is the gift from God to those, when in faith believe in the hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is the Messiah, died to pay the price of our sins and that He rose again.

I tried to teach you of The advantages of a committed life, of the security we have knowing that what ever happens we are the children of the Almighty God and nothing can separate us from Him – we have someone to go to when we are in trouble – and who isn’t in this sad world of ours.

Our God is a prayer answering and miracle working God – how many times have we proven that – over and over again.

He has promised never to fail or forsake those who put their trust in Him.

Sin unconfessed is the only thing that can disturb that relationship which exists between man and His maker for sin uncovered by the sacrifice of the Son of God CANNOT, literally CANNOT, exist in the presence of the glory and holiness of the Father.

So that those who have not come in faith to the Father find that sin puts a barrier between them.

Sin estranges God and Man – for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ happened only that man may be restored to the relationship that should exist between the creature and his creator.

Gods greatest miracle is not the creation of the world, the suspension of the sun, the ceaselessness of the tide, Gods greatest miracle is the salvation of the human soul that all people should be saved and is unwilling that any should be lost and He has bound up the salvation of men and women with the prayerful ministry of his own people.

There is no doubt that the prayers for the salvation of others are well within the will of God. Your Dad and I have prayed fervently for the salvation of all our family – and this type of prayer is never in doubt and being the will of God shall in is own good time be fulfilled.

It doesn’t matter if your Dad and I don’t see it, for we have prayed for you all and these are just some of these promises we have held for you all.

Isaiah 54:13 That you all will be “taught of the Lord” and great will be your peace.
Psalm 119:11 That you all will “hide God’s word in your hearts.”
Colossians 1:9 That God will fill you all with the knowledge of His will so that you can walk in a way that’s pleasing to Him and that your lives will bear fruit.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 That your hearts will trust in the Lord and not lean on your own understanding
Psalm 5:12 That God’s favour will surround you all like a shield.

I can assure you, my children, that you were prayed for and committed unto the Lord before you were born- the Grandchildren also – and Gods promises are true.

The salvation of a soul is a mighty BIG undertaking for it just doesn’t include cleansing from sin but a full commitment of a life to God’s will and the receiving of a place in the family of God and the freely given gift of a life everlasting to Christians of all ages – there is no generation gap here – and also the presence of our beloved Lord Himself.

No one can be saved unless they are convicted or conscious of sin and when that consciousness of sin is present the way is opened to bring that one to the feet of the Saviour.

To confess and repent, that is being sorry for sins committed, and being determined to turn to Christs way of living will enable us to partake freely of the peace, joy and love that can be found in this earth.

Turning from sin and trusting Jesus also includes safety and perfection in the next world when our Lords presents us faultless before the presence of His Father and ours.

Now I know we have enjoyed a happy life together in spite of troubles that may have sunk the ship, but we also shared the gift of laughter, a sense of fun, of little private jokes as well as tears and I am very pleased to have loved you all and I am so looking forward to a wonderful reunion with you ALL in our Lord’s good time.

Your dad and I praying that you all will see the value of sins forgiven, a walk in a plain path, and a keeping in a world of sorrow and danger.

May God bless you all my darlings from the eldest to the youngest child and may He give through you the answer to our continual prayer.

Will the circle be unbroken? – God grant that it may – see you in the morning – Love you – Mum.


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Tenderly

English: Jesus healing the sick by Gustave Dor...

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with the ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11:4 NIV)

 

I just completed the first draft of this post when the phone rang. It was the nurse from the elementary school calling to tell me my son was sick. He stayed in the clinic for a half hour but still wasn’t feeling better. So, she thought she should call and have me pick him up. I did but with reluctance. I have to admit, I like my quiet days when all of the kids are gone. I went to get him giving up my plans for the day.

 

I read this scripture a couple of days ago and I can’t get it out of my head. These words talk about a God who loves. It talks about a God who cares. It talks about a God who is tender.

 

I read these words and it reminded me of the many times I have taken care of my children when they were sick. My boys especially like to be taken care of when they are feeling under the weather. They like to curl up on the couch with their blankets and pillows. They turn the television on for hours of uninterrupted Sponge Bob and I take care of them. If they need a drink, I get it for them. If they are willing to eat, I make them whatever they ask for. I enjoy taking care of them for a day or two. After that, I’m ready for them to fend for themselves again. But for that short time, as they heal, I do whatever I can to make them feel better. It’s part of being a parent.

 

I thought about this with this verse today. The words that jumped out at me were “bent down to feed them”. God is talking about Himself here. He is the Almighty One, The Creator of all things. He is God and yet, He bends down to feed those He loves. He meets them where they are. He doesn’t require them to rise in order to be fed, He comes to them. I love this picture. He sees our pathetic state. We are slaves to our sin. We are without any hope of curing ourselves. We have even chosen to stay yoked together with the things that hold us captive. But He comes to us anyway. He lifts the very thing that is making us sick. He removes it. He takes it out of our lives. And He doesn’t leave it at that. He remains while we heal. As we gain our strength, He gives us what we need. He is tender in His care for us.

 

I don’t know, this just really spoke to me today. In our journey with Him, there will be times we choose to wander away from Him. We may even find ourselves in some grievous sin. But God always comes to us. He always leads us with “cords of human kindness, with the ties of love”. He removes our sin and remains with us, affectionately loving us while we regain our strength. He doesn’t walk away in disgust. He stays with us gently caressing our heads reminding us that we will feel better soon.

 

Thank You Lord for this beautiful picture of your love.

 

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Missing the Mark

Archery

Archery (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“…Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (1Cor. 5:6)

Today during breakfast, my son asked an interesting question. He asked if he had to confess his sins to his parents, or could he just confess them to God. We explained that he only had to tell God, but our curiosity was peaked so we asked what he did. He proceeded to say that he wasn’t sure if it was a sin but that he ate a piece of food that landed on the floor. He explained that it was on the floor for less than five seconds, so he wasn’t sure if that counted as being too dirty to eat. Well, we laughed and explained that it wasn’t a sin to eat off the floor. It was just gross. Then my husband said…”oh I feel a blog coming on!” So, here I am writing a blog about it. His question actually sparked a great discussion about sin and that it’s not so much the act, but that it keeps us from hitting the mark God has set for us. If we sway to the right or to the left even just a little, we can go off the course God has put us on. It turned out to be a great life lesson.

So, I’ve been thinking about his question. Is it okay to eat off of the floor if the food has only been there for 5 seconds or less? Is it okay to sin if it’s only for a short time? Is there such a thing as a little sin? You know, maybe it is okay for him to eat off the floor just this once. But what if it happens again? I think he will be more likely to eat off the floor more easily the next time. The first time it’s a little gross. But the second time isn’t so gross. The idea of it being gross fades and so he does it again. What if this time the food is there for longer than 5 seconds? Does it taste any different? Is there a new level of grossness that has been reached? I would say probably not. If it’s acceptable to eat under the 5 seconds, then a few more seconds won’t matter. If he continues in this pattern, he will be eating food off the floor that has been allowed to sit longer and longer. He will keep pushing the envelope and before you know it he will want to eat his meals off the floor. That’s how sin is. It starts off small and grows.

Yesterday, while sitting in Starbucks, a friend and I witnessed someone backing up and hitting a car parked on the side of the road. Then the driver drove off. He didn’t leave his phone number with an apology. He just got out of there quickly. I couldn’t believe it. My friend called it. She knew he would just drive away. In attempt to impose justice, I took down his tag number and we left it on the car that was hit. My point is this, just because he didn’t take responsibility doesn’t mean he didn’t hit the car. In the same way, just because no one saw us sin doesn’t mean it isn’t sin. Just because no one can read our thoughts, doesn’t mean that we our thoughts aren’t sinful. We really need to come before the Lord and ask for a sensitive spirit. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to convict us. If we don’t, what seems menial will grow to something out of control. Something that started as a sinful thought will take over our lives if we are not careful. Then we will be sitting on the floor eating dirty food wondering how we ended up there.

This was a great lesson for my whole family this morning. My son, who makes me laugh daily because he is such a kid, reminded me that sin, even in the smallest form is still sin. He reminded me that I am never above the ability to sin. And even when no one is looking, my sin is still seen by the One who matters. He reminded me that sin left unchecked will turn into a more grievous sin, eventually. And that it is not being legalistic to be careful about sin. It is honoring to God to remember that the enemy is always trying to trip me up. It starts in the mind and moves into actions. It was a great reminder to me today that I need to have a healthy respect for God’s commands and keep them. Finally, I have learned that eating food off the floor, even if it has only been there for 5 seconds is still gross!!

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The Smile

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galatians 6:9 NASB)

Last week was a busy one. With middle school ending for my oldest son, there were extra things added to the schedule. Then he had graduation and a dinner dance. My daughter had soccer try-outs for next year. I started walking with a friend in the morning and my husband asked me to run some extra errands for him. I gladly do all of these things but by the end of the week I was burned out. I was tired. And frankly, I was just looking for a few minutes to myself. It seemed as though every time I made plans to do something last week, my plans were altered because someone needed something. It even seemed as though the kids were asking more questions than normal. It was a busy, chaotic week ending with church on Saturday night.

I was so thrilled to go to church because I wanted to just sit and chill for an hour. I was looking forward to being quiet and taking it all in. As we began to enter the sanctuary, someone stopped me and asked if I would be willing to serve communion. She needed someone to walk around and serve the people who couldn’t walk through the line. I agreed although in my mind I wanted to say “no”. I just wanted to sit. I just wanted to do nothing, be responsible for nothing and just take it all in. But, like the good “Christian” I am, I agreed to serve.

The time came to serve and I began my duties. I went to a little old lady sitting on the end of the row and offered her communion. She looked at me with such joy in her eyes. I don’t know if she just enjoyed being served or she was in a good mood but immediately I was blessed. I continued on with my duties looking for people with their hands raised and I offered them the symbolic body and blood of Christ. They all thanked me and when everyone was served I returned to my seat. I was surprised because I realized I was honestly blessed to serve. I did something I didn’t want to do but in the end was filled with joy. I was completely honored to serve and I guess it caught me by surprise.

I have thought about that little old lady ever since that night. Her smile remains in the forefront of my mind. It caused me to reflect on the events that took place over the last week. In all of the chaos and tasks that needed my attention God showed up. He gave a huge blessing of grace that brought me to tears. He answered a prayer for our son and provided financially for something we have been praying about. I can’t remember a day that passed where God didn’t make Himself obvious. It was an emotional week for so many reasons but at the end of that crazy busy week, God asked me to do one more thing so He could bless me. I believe I was asked to serve so God could show me one more time that He loves me and understands.

There are many times I forget to look for God. I forget He is involved in all things at all times. I complain about my circumstances. I refuse to obey. I think only of myself and my comfort. I am so thankful I agreed to serve Saturday night because God had a plan and a purpose. He wanted to show me the joy there is in serving. He wanted me to experience the exhilaration that occurs when I put my wants aside in order to make someone else feel special. The Lord works in mysterious ways and makes Himself known in the most unlikely places; even in the smile of a little old lady.

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SURVIVING A CRISIS

By Neil Anderson

Luke 11:17 

A house divided against itself falls
 
Satan’s strategy is to use a problem situation to put you and your spouse at odds with each other. Jesus said, “A house divided against itself falls” (Luke 11:17). Many times I have said to parents, “Don’t let this pull you apart.” Inevitably they glance at each other, because that’s precisely what’s been going on.
 
“If you would have been more firm with our child, this wouldn’t have happened,” one blames.
 
“It’s because you didn’t set the standards by having family devotions every night,” the other retorts.
 
Or if they did have devotions, “You just read to the children, you never communicate with them!”
 
“If you were home more often, I’d have more time to communicate with them!”
 
There may be a grain of truth in every statement above. But it’s history, and tearing each other down will only make the problem worse. You must be united in order to survive the crisis. Character-bashing is from the pit.
 
Many parents are intimidated by a child’s threats or find it easier to give in to a temper tantrum than not to. But you cannot let a rebellious child rule the home. It takes an iron will and the grace of God to stand your ground and not let your child control you. Sad are the children whose parents let them rule the roost. Even sadder are the children whose parents rule without love. If you manage to control through loveless intimidation and force, your child will be emotionally crippled. Rules without a relationship lead to rebellion.
 
Any crisis in the home can make or break you. You can choose to grow through the crisis and become a better person than you were before. Romans 5:3, 4, encourages, “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.”
 
Prayer: Lord, I refuse Satan’s strategy to divide our home by quenching our love or overemphasizing rules. Help me do my part to keep our home united in You.
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Against All Odds

Amazing and extraordinary things happen to all of us through our journey here on earth; some very good and some very very bad.

In January this year I wrote a blog entitled “Consequences”. In that blog I fictionalised a story set in World War 2 – a story where our hero or anti-hero killed a man who was looting from his friends home during the blitz.

It wasn’t until the man actually came face to face with an encounter with God that he realised his need of forgiveness and ‘owned-up’ to his crime

The consequences of our past sins, although forgiven by God can still have far-reaching effects on our lives as well as those who may have been hurt in the process.

In this blog I would like to relate the true story of George Anderson Hopper and where I will not dwell on the “consequences” of sin, I would like to emphasise the utter forgiveness of our gracious and merciful Lord; also try to come to terms with the age old question “where was God in all of this?”

George Anderson Hopper was born on the 10th June, 1955 and was executed by lethal injection on 8th March, 2005 in Huntsville, Texas for the murder-for-hire of 33 year old Ms Rozanne Gailiunas.

Hopper was sentenced to death in 1988 for the October 1983 murder of Ms Gailinuas who at 33 was the mother of a 4 year old son.

Ms Gailinuas was found still alive by her young son, but died two days after being admitted to hospital.

Hopper was ‘hired’ to kill Ms Gailinuas by William Garland who had been paid $5,000 by Dallas socialite Joy David Aylor whose husband Larry was allegedly planning to marry Ms Gailinuas and had filed for divorce from his wife.

Mrs Aylor who was ultimately convicted of capital murder in 1994 and who is now serving a life sentence.

Hopper’s life and the tragic events leading up to and after the murder of Ms Gailinuas has been the subject of two book and a tele-movie but they don’t tell of his obvious conversion to Christianity at sometime during his time on death row.

After searching the net and pouring over heaps of information on Hopper, the only evidence I have of a changed life of this man is in his final words before the lethal injection did it’s work.

His final words as he lay on the table that day in 2005 were and I quote:-

“I want to apologize to you, and I am sorry, I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. The things I did changed so many lives. I can’t take it back, it was an atrocity. I am sorry. I beg your forgiveness, I know I am not worthy of it. I love you Mom and Dad, and all my family. Thank you for everything. Jesus, thank you for your love and saving grace. Thank you for shedding your blood on Calvary for me. Thank you Jesus for the love you have shown me.”
(http://222.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/dr_info/hoppergeorgelast.html)

Obviously some unknown person has shared the gospel with this guy and obviously he has made a commitment to Christ. From his last words it would appear that he had accepted Jesus as his Saviour and Lord.

Against all odds, this man who was so vicious; so hard; so calculating; so cruel as to murder this young woman and mother of a 4 year old child, in such an horrendous manner, had been touched by the hand of Jesus even as he sat in death row in that jail in Huntsville Texas.

We will never understand exactly how God works and how exactly this man had been changed, or for that matter who it was that brought the good news into that jail for him to hear.

What we do know is that if he was sincere in his repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord, then he would have been forgiven his sins for as it says in John 6:37b “….and he who comes to me I will in no wise cast out”

So glad that this verse is in the Bible because there have been many times that I failed our Lord so miserably.

There have been times when I have honestly come to Him wondering how and why He could ever forgive me.

Hopper was a wicked and vile sinner who deserved nothing from God or man BUT aren’t we all?

God was merciful to Hopper even after all of what he did – Yes, he still had to pay the consequences of his sin as we all do and yes, his life was forfeit here on earth according to Texan law; but God says “I will in no wise cast out”. Full stop. Thank you Lord for that full stop because there was no “unless” after it.

There are no conditions put on coming to Christ; no provisos; nothing we can do; we just come to Him, repent and accept His gracious gift.

So if I come to Jesus; He will not cast me out. Hopper came to Jesus and I am sure that Jesus, true to His word would not cast Him out.

All of salvation is GRACE . It is the GRACE that God chose to save the ungodly; it is GRACE that Jesus came to earth to secure our salvation by dying at Calvary, and it is GRACE that changes stony old hearts to hearts of flesh; all through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can come to Jesus at all. It was only through that same Spirit that Hopper came to Jesus too.

The Bible makes that perfectly clear in 1 Corinthians 12: 3 it says:- “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

So George Anderson Hopper, convicted murderer was led by the Spirit to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and he had accepted Him to be his Saviour before his execution date on 8th March, 2005.

Amazing news, incredible and awesome – everybody, no matter who we are or what we have done can come to Jesus, repent of our sins and claim forgiveness through the blood of His sacrifice.

But what about Hopper’s innocent victim, Rozanne Gailiunas, her young son and her family and extended family?

Where was God in all of that; where was He when she was dying an horrific death?

It is so hard for us to get our minds around this eternal question!

What about the parents who pray and pray for the sick child and yet their child never gets well; how about broken relationships that never come back together; how about businesses that fail; and how about horrendous murders like Rozanne’s?

Life, it seems is just made up of tribulations and trials of every sort; situations completely out of control; completely out of left wing; everything going pear-shaped; Where is God?

There are some things that we will never understand; there are some things about God’s will that we will never understand.

But, what God does do through our trials is to give us a perspective as to how to handle our situation when bad things happen.

What would it be like if my greatest crisis become my greatest opportunity; not so much in the crisis
itself but in my very life?

What if a miracle took place through my crisis? Again, not so much in the actual crisis, but in me?

What if God used my crisis as a blessing to others and in so doing became a blessing to me also? In other words what if the Miracle in the crisis was ME?

I wonder what it would be like to seize the opportunity of my crisis to actually SEE God’s glory?

After all of that I still have no idea How Rozanne’s family and extended family coped with that tragedy; or for that matter where they all stood with God.

All I know is whatever happens, our God is just and merciful and whatever he decides will be fair and accurate.

So when things go pear-shaped, frustrating and confusing; I wonder if it would be possible to seize the opportunity to see the potential to trust in Jesus more instead of blaming Him for whatever it is that is sinking our ship.

Thinking like that makes me wonder; just maybe our greatest set-backs may become our greatest building blocks to a miraculous and super natural relationship with our Heavenly Father.


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How Can We Escape if We Ignore Such a Great Salvation?

Hebrews 2:2-4: “For since the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. This salvations, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

You know, today people are looking for an escape. I have no doubt that many are seeking God out of the deepest and darkest pits of their life. And others are looking for something else. They’re turning to idols and those idols will never satisfy them. They’ll never comfort them. 

I have friends of mine that are in this boat that the verses above mention. They want to serve Jesus. I have no doubt about that. The problem is that they are missing, or rather ignoring the escape or the salvation that Jesus is extending to them. It’s frustrating because they want to do what is right. They want to get rid of their idols and follow Jesus with everything they are, but they just can’t seem to. As soon as something comes along they decided to put God on the back burner. It’s grievous to me. How can they escape if they ignore such a great salvation? They can’t. Jesus is the only Way out. God isn’t something we run to when our boyfriend or girlfriend other cheats on us. He isn’t something we run to when things don’t go our way. And He’s not something we run to when tragedy strikes. He should be our life. We shouldn’t be able to function properly without first seeking the Lord. Yeah, you’ll have to dump some things you might enjoy. But it’s so worth it. 

If you find yourself in this situation, I urge you to come to your senses. God is extending his beautiful grace to you. All you have to do is take it. Surrender your life to Christ completely because he bought you with his life. You will either be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. You pick. 

If you will please join me in praying for those friends I mentioned. I pray that anyone who reads this is just solidified in the faith. I pray that if you are going back and forth with God, you stop and surrender to Him. You’re fighting a losing battle if you don’t 

God bless!

-Austin

P.S. Sorry for not being able to post much lately. School is in the process of rapping up (just six days left!) for the summer and I have been busy with other obligations. I’m so grateful God has given you to me as an audience so that I may bring His Word to you. 

 


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A Little Piece of Wood

I’ve been spending a lot of time on my back porch lately. The cooler weather makes the screened porch a perfect place for me to reflect and pray. I love to sit out there and write enjoying the sounds of the birds singing and watching the squirrels hop through the yard. It is so peaceful. I find myself daydreaming about how I would love to improve the back yard. I’d love to plant roses along the back fence. There is a lot of painting to do. The workshop needs some repair. I spend time thinking about what I would do if I only had the time and the money. The task seems overwhelming but I have to start somewhere, so I decided to start on the porch.

I took a deep breath and looked around to decide where I would begin this mammoth job. There is a piece of trim hanging from the ceiling that needs to be replaced. It has bothered me forever and was marked as water damaged wood when we moved in. So, this weekend, I decided I would replace it, prime it and begin the painting process. I climbed up the stepladder in order to detach the piece of trim and what I found was water damage. As I tugged on the wood, I realized it had come loose because there was nothing for it to grip to. The wood underneath had rotted causing the trim to hang down. Being the curious one, I started removing the rest of the fascia so I could see the extent of the damage. What I found were several pieces of wood in one area with water damage. They had begun to rot away.

As I looked at the mess of our roof, I thought about my heart. Today I read this. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28 NIV). Those are some harsh words given by Jesus to the Pharisees. But I have to say, it spoke to my heart. Over the last week I have spent several days and sleepless nights asking the Lord to examine my heart. You see, there was this area that just wasn’t right. I was becoming increasingly frustrated and was blaming the circumstances instead of looking at my heart. It was like that piece of wood hanging down. It was ugly and annoying but I just pushed it aside and ignored it instead of fixing it.

Unfortunately for me, once I tugged a bit, I realized behind it all was a heart that had not forgiven. Instead of dealing with the issues, I pushed them aside unwilling to confess and seek forgiveness. I had piled each offense on top of the last thinking I was doing the right thing. But instead, I became angry. Last week, my heart was exposed and what I saw was ugly. It was unforgiveness left to fester and it was rotting away.

That piece of wood hanging down in my porch fell down because there was nothing for it to hold on to. The board it was attached to had rotted away. Rotting often starts on the inside and works its way out. My heart is like that. I had held in all that had upset me instead of laying it all before the Lord. Because I didn’t bring my heart before the Lord, unforgiveness crept in. It grew and took over causing my actions and attitudes to be tainted.

All week long I have gone before the Lord seeking forgiveness and repenting of my sin. I am starting to see things more clearly. I have a long way to go but exposing my heart is the first step. And I have to say, I feel much relief and freedom. I can’t explain it, but it just feels good to be out from under that pile of hurt. There is a lot of work to do on the porch. There is much work to be done on my heart. Revealing the rotten parts was just the beginning. Now the work of removal and repair begins. Who would have thought a little piece of wood could expose so much.

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PRAISING GOD

by Neil Anderson

May 9

 
Psalm 100:4 
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name
 
Praise and thanksgiving are part of every level of prayer. They are continuous as we walk in the light. To come before God with thanksgiving is no different than coming before our earthly parents with an attitude of gratitude. Nothing disturbs a parent more than a child who is always demanding, forever complaining, and never satisfied. How would you feel if you’ve given as much as you can as a parent and your child still wants more, more, more? On the other hand, how would you feel toward the child who snuggles up and says, “Thanks for being who you are. I just love you and I know you’re doing the best you can for me.” What a great parent-child relationship.
 
Can you imagine approaching God and demanding, “I want more!”
 
And He responds, “I gave you My only begotten Son.”
 
“But I want more!”
 
We ought to start every day by saying, “Thank You, heavenly Father. I deserved eternal damnation, but You gave me eternal life. How may I serve You today?
 
Praising God is acknowledging His attributes. I try to be aware when I pray that God is the ever-present, all-powerful, all-knowing, loving heavenly Father. I don’t praise Him because He needs me to tell Him who He is. He knows who He is. I am the one who needs to keep His divine attributes constantly in my mind. I try to keep the knowledge of God’s presence foremost in my thoughts. No matter where I go, He is with me.
 
I’m always disturbed when I hear people asking God to “be there.” It’s like we are questioning His omnipresence. The same goes for asking God to be with our missionaries. We have the assurance of Scripture that He will be with them unto the ends of the earth. We can confidently acknowledge that He will neither leave us nor forsake us. We ought to thank God for His presence and ask Him to bring to our minds anything that may be keeping us from having perfect fellowship with Him.
 
Prayer: Father God, teach me to practice the awareness of Your presence and accept the sufficiency of Your attributes.
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THE PROPER USE OF WORDS

By Neil Anderson

May 3

 
Ephesians 4:29 
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
 
How do we express our perceptions of people? Primarily by what we say to them. Studies have shown that in the average home, for every positive statement, a child receives 10 negative statements. The school environment is only slightly better; students hear seven negative statements from their teachers for every one positive statement. No wonder so many children are growing up feeling they are losers. Parents and teachers are conveying that perception every day in how they talk to their children.
 
These studies go on to point out that it takes four positive statements to negate the effect of one negative statement. You probably verify that finding every time you wear a new suit or dress. A number of your friends may say, “Oh, what a good-looking outfit.” But it only takes one comment like “It’s really not you” to send you scurrying back to the store for a refund. We affect others significantly by what we say about them, and what we say is significantly determined by how we perceive them.
 
If we could memorize just one verse from the New Testament, put it into practice and never violate it, I believe we would resolve half to three-fourths of the problems in our homes and churches. The verse is Ephesians 4:29. Isn’t it amazing that you and I have the power to give grace to others through the proper use of our words? If we said nothing to put others down, and only built up others as Ephesians 4:29 commands, we would be part of God’s construction crew in the church instead of members of Satan’s wrecking crew.
 
Prayer: Father, I know my tongue is capable of blessing or cursing others. Guard my words today so I may edify others through what I say.
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