"And when He thus had spoken He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, "Loose him, and let him go."
John 11:43 & 44
I have a lamp which is truly beautiful. It doesn't give any light, but it is fascinating to watch. It is a floral display of fiber optics. Now I don't begin to understand fiber optics, but then, I don't understand television or VCRs, or any number of other things. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying them.
This lamp has slender threads of plastic coming up through the center of the flowers. At the very tip end of each fiber of plastic, the light shines. The fiber itself doesn't light up, only the tip end. Since it has a color wheel under it, the colors of the light change continually. So what you get is this constantly changing panorama of twinkling star points. It's like looking up into the heavens on a beautiful clear night. Only this is in color. I can't really explain it.
And I think this is how Lazarus felt after Christ restored him to life. You notice that nowhere do we read about what he saw or did during those four days that he was dead. I expect what he experienced was so far beyond human understanding that Lazarus couldn't begin to describe it. So he didn't even try. He just enjoyed the memory and looked forward to experiencing it again someday.
That's the way it is sometimes. Some things are just to be enjoyed, not explained.
My prayer for today: Thank You Father, for the many joys You give us in life. Especially those we don't understand.
"You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say to the potter, "He knows nothing?"
Isaiah 29:16
It really bothers me that so many young people today are unhappy with their lot in life. I know a young girl who hates that she was born a girl. Yet God made her a girl, so I believe He had a purpose for her which only being a girl could fill.
All of us fall into that trap occasionally. We wish we were taller or shorter, heavier or thinner, had blonde hair or brown. And many of these we can do something about. But the things God didn't give us control over, such as where we were born, what color our skin, what parents we had, these things we have to trust to God as being right for us. We need to stop wishing we were something we aren't and start looking for ways we can best serve God as we are, where we are. Only then can we find real joy and satisfaction in life.
My prayer for today: Father, help me to be the very best I can be with who I am and do the very best at what You have for me to do in life.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
Philippians 4:6
That first phrase "Be careful for nothing" can also read "Do not be anxious about anything". It means don't worry about trivial things. Did you know that God is concerned about every single thing in life that concerns you? I have seen God work wonders in financing for our family. I have seen Him provide healing we had not dared hope for. But these are big things. I have also had Him open a space in a hospital parking lot when I was feeling desperate to get in to see a loved one. You might call it coincidence. But it has happened too many times and in too many ways for me to believe that. I believe that this verse can be taken literally. It says, "let your requests be made known unto God" and I think He means ALL our requests. When Christ walked the earth He was interested in people and their needs on a personal level. I believe He wants the same relationship today.
My prayer for today: Father, thank You for always being interested in my concerns. Help me not forget the part about "thanksgiving" when I pray.
"Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life."
Proverbs 16:31 (NIV)
We have all heard the ad, "Only her hairdresser knows for sure". I guess I am unusual, but I like gray hair. To me it isn't so much a sign of aging as it is a sign of wisdom. When I first started turning gray, my dad would pull each strand out as soon as he saw it. I used to tell him that for every one he pulled out, two grew in its place. He finally gave up, or I would be nearly bald today.
I learned to love the scriptures at my grandmother's knee and she had almost snow white hair. I loved her so very much, and I think that is why this verse is special to me. I always think of her when I read it.
If you are living for the Lord, each year just grows sweeter and age doesn't really matter so much.
My prayer for today: Father, I thank You for the godly grandmother who left so much love in my life. Help me leave that kind of legacy to my own grandchildren.
"So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."
Nehemiah 4:6
I love to read and my favorite settings are either bible times or early American history. I especially love stories set in the pioneer days. There seemed to be such unity among those courageous people who came west to settle our great land. We read about the barn raising's, where neighbor joined with neighbor to build, or rebuild, a house or a barn. Women got together to quilt or to can the produce of their crops. Doing these things together formed bonds such as we seldom see among neighbors today. Nehemiah hit it on the head with the words, "The people had a mind to work". Occasionally we read of this happening today. But it is only in times of crisis. How sad. Any load carried by two is divided in half. Why don't we practice that in our everyday lives? Why wait for tragedy?
My prayer for today: Father, help me to be sensitive to those around me and be a real neighbor in the old-fashioned meaning of the word.
"And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy soul,"
Deuteronomy 10:12
When my daughter was in her early teens, I wanted to teach her how to cut up a chicken. She quickly informed me that when she was grown, either the butcher would cut the chicken up for her, or she wouldn't cook it. Of course, today, we have the luxury of buying meat cut to our order, but that wasn't true back then. And I will be the first to admit that it was an ugly, smelly job. Well, think how much worse it was back in old testament days when they slaughtered all those animals for sacrifices on feast days. Can you imagine the over-powering smell of blood and the cries of the animals as they met their deaths? How grateful we should be to God for the assurance of the above verse and for the one-time sacrifice of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
My prayer for today: Father, I am so grateful I can live a life of obedience and service without the constant offering of animal sacrifices.
"Let all things be done decently and in order."
I Corinthians 14:40
It has been said that a rut is only a grave with both ends kicked out. I don't know how much difference there is between a rut and a routine, but if they are the same, I expect the person who came up with that line was young. Certainly, the older I get, the more I like things to be done "in order".
We bought some new furniture this week, and of course, it must be "out with the old" before it can be "in with the new". So we moved our old refrigerator outside on Saturday before the new one was delivered on Monday. My kitchen was pure chaos. I had no idea how often I opened the refrigerator. And every time I turned toward the buffet, it wasn't where it was supposed to be. I think we serve an orderly God, too. He gave us night and day to set up the schedules of our lives. He gave us the seventh day to rest. I like that routine. It gives order and substance to my week.
I don't mean we need to be rigid in our routines. That is when they become ruts. But it sure is nice to have a general idea what the day or week ahead holds. And it is especially nice to rest on Sunday.
My prayer for today: Father, help me discern between routines and ruts.
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Matthew 7:14
Have you ever noticed a car which has been hit broadside, how it travels down the street? It looks a little like a crab, traveling in an almost sideways fashion down the street. Our dog walks like that. Her front half walks in one lane, and her back legs in another. When we try to walk on the sidewalk with her, one of us is forever bumping into her shoulder and the other into her hips. Sometimes my spiritual walk is like that. Just about the time I think I am walking on the straight and narrow path, I look back to see a little anger trailing off to one side, or a jealous thought, or I hear an unkind remark slip out of my mouth. How thankful I am that just as folks keep driving bent up cars, and as we keep walking with a forever crooked dog, God continues to put up with my crooked ways. He loves me in spite of the fact that I can't really stay completely on the "straight and narrow way".
My prayer for today: Thank You, Father, for walking by my side always, and helping me to straighten my ways.
"House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord."
Proverbs 19:14
Let me share this verse with you from the Living Bible: "A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives." Isn't that beautiful? Stop and think for a minute about what that means to you. If your son marries an understanding young woman, there will be joy in your home as well as in his. If she is good to your son, you are going to love and appreciate her for that. If she accepts you as secondary parents, you are going to feel loved and appreciated. We have three sons, therefore three daughters-in-law. We love each of them. We love how they treat us and our sons, and we are grateful for the teachings they are passing on to our grandchildren. Truly, we feel that each of them is a gift "from the Lord" not only to our sons, but to us as well.
My prayer for today: Father, thank You for precious mates for our sons. Help us show them how blessed we feel to have them in our family.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
Isaiah 52:7
I once knew a lady who truly had the heart of a missionary. She wasn't called to foreign fields, but she was faithful to serve where she was. She never married or had children of her own, but she was a school teacher and touched untold thousands of lives of children. After school, she literally "walked" the streets, spreading the "good tidings". She never owned a car, so she walked everywhere she went and shamed those of us who thought we had it all....the family, the car, the nice home....yet we didn't have time to do what she did daily. When she retired from school teaching, she moved to Colorado to be on the staff of a YMCA camp. I read last week that she had died at the age of 87. She had requested that memorials be given to her church in lieu of flowers. Truly, she remained a giver to the very end and even beyond.
My prayer for today: Father, thank You for the joy of having known one of Your servants who really had "beautiful feet".
"And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments."
I John 2:3
The circus is coming to town. The television is full of bright, colorful advertisements filled with trapeze artists, animals, and clowns. But I was surprised to learn how many children are afraid of clowns. I thought everyone loved a clown. It seems that many don't know what the bright make-up is hiding. They don't "know" what a clown really is. According to my bible dictionary the word "know" means to "feel, to perceive, to be sure, to understand". If the children "knew" the clowns'
hearts, they could more freely laugh along with them. The same is true for us in the christian walk. As we come to "know" God and His wishes for our lives, we are better able to be what He wants us to be and live as He wants us to live. That way, others can come to truly "know" Him and enjoy His love, rather than living in fear of Him.
My prayer for today: Thank you, Father, that through Christ we can "know" You in every meaning of the word. That's what John had in mind.
"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
Matthew 25:41
Many years before I became a part of my husband's family, he had an uncle who wrote poetry. One poem he wrote was called "Hell is in Texas". I have no doubt he was inspired to write that poem during a summer such as the current one, where heat records are being toppled daily. People joke a lot about hell. I once heard a joke about a group of rich Texans who got together and air-conditioned hell. But hell is not funny. It is real. It is hot. And it is something we should warn people about. I'm thankful for a young pastor who isn't afraid to preach the "entire" gospel. He preached on the terrors of hell last Sunday and three people were saved. Hell's loss is heaven's gain.
My prayer for today: Father, I don't know what heaven is like, but I'm glad to know I can be there with You.
The Alamo
San Antonio, TX
"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings has thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."
Psalm 8:2
I recently heard a young boy preach what was only his second sermon. It was so refreshing to hear this young man. He already has a good understanding of the scriptures. The theme of his message was that we should obey God, even when we don't understand Him. "Out of the mouth of babes". He used examples such as Noah (Build a ship for a flood? What's a flood?) and Gideon (Fight with only three hundred men, Lord? But they have thousands). His words were right on target. But they are difficult words to live by. I pray God will help this be his own personal theme to live by and he will always obey God, even when he truly doesn't understand. Teenage years are difficult years, and even though he knows the right answers, he will find them hard to follow at times. Don't we all?
My prayer for today: Father, help us be as wise and obedient as men like Noah and Gideon. Men like Job and Moses and Paul and all the other great men throughout Christian history.
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
Ecclesiastes 12:7
I am very different from most people I suppose. I never visit the graves of my parents. If they were buried in a country cemetery which required that we care for the gravesites, I would certainly go. But they are in a perpetual care cemetery which is always neatly trimmed and looked after. I keep my thoughts on what they were like when they were alive and where they are now - the glory and health they can enjoy in heaven. That doesn't mean I don't understand the need others have to go and visit the graves of their loved ones. But when I think of their graves, I think of the above verse, and I would rather think of the "return unto God" than the "return to the earth" part. I guess we each grieve in our own ways. So whether visiting gravesites or not, we need to reach out to others who are grieving and offer our encouragement and support.
My prayer for today: Father, guide me to help all who grieve according to their individual needs.
"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path.
Psalm 142:3a
Think for a minute about highway "spaghetti bowls". You know, those sections where several highways come together from every direction and twist over and under and around each other. If you aren't careful you may end up heading for North Dakota instead of Arizona. And if you are as bad with maps and directions as I am, you are really in trouble. Sometimes life seems like a spaghetti bowl, full of twists and turns. The only thing we can do is stay on our particular strand of spaghetti and just follow the directions in our instruction manual, our Bible. When I was younger, my dad always gave me careful and precise directions of how to go. Now I rely on my Heavenly Father and His directions are even better.
My prayer for today: Father, thank You for caring so much for me and for giving me guidelines to lead me through even life's darkest nights.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand."
Matthew 7:26
Have you ever noticed now unstable sand is? Dry sand shifts each time the winds blow. The wind covers footprints, so we can no longer follow the path left by others. In White Sands, New Mexico the sand often shifts across the roads, and suddenly you have a road going nowhere. It simply ends in a sand dune. Life can be like that sometimes. Things are constantly in a state of change. Memories even get blurred like the foot prints in the sand. How great to know that Christ is our solid rock and He will always remain our firm foundation. We can never become lost with Him in control.
My prayer for today: Lord, help me build my life only on the foundation You have laid for me and none other.
"Has thou given the horse strength? Has thou clothed his neck with thunder?"
Job 39:19
We passed a meadow last week and there were three or four young colts running and playing. They would kick up their heels with the very joy of living. The mothers grazed near-by, pretending to ignore them, but inwardly bursting with pride I imagine. Sometimes, as new christians, we are like those young colts. We are just so full of the excitement of our new life and we want to share that excitement with everyone we meet. We are so sure that they want to hear what we have to say and that they will gladly accept Christ too. Unfortunately, that is seldom the case, so our enthusiasm soon dries up. We need to try to keep our concern and availability in tact, even when the excitement fades. Others still need Christ, they just may not realize it.
My prayer for today: Father, help us to witness in such a way that others won't think we are just overly excited about some new teaching.
"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
II Chronicles 8:14
Today we celebrate Independence Day. It is a time to honor those who died for our freedom and to celebrate that freedom. But should this really be only once a year? Do we daily seek the face of our God in a time of real prayer for our country and her people? Daniel prayed often for his people. I'm afraid most of us pray for only our family and friends. But God exhorts us to turn to Him in repentance, seeking healing and freedom for our own souls and the entire population of our nation. Only then can we again be "One nation under God".
My prayer for today: Father forgive me where I fail both You and my country. Make me more aware of the need to confess for the sins of my fellow countrymen as well as for myself. Heal our nation please.
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"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"
Luke 14:28
Do you remember watching crayfish build their mud castles when you were a kid? I do. They so slowly and carefully added one small ball of mud at a time until it was quite impressively tall. The the sun would come out and bake the mud until it hardened. But crayfish hadn't counted on man messing up his castles. We run over them with lawn mowers. We build on top of them. Young boys love to tear them down just for fun. The poor crayfish didn't "count the cost". You and I must "count the cost" as we build our christian lives and as we witness to the lost. It is wrong to lead a non-christian into believing that christianity is an easy way of life. We can be saved in a way that is easy for us, but it wasn't easy for God. And to walk the dedicated life Christ requires of christians takes dedication and faithfulness. So when you witness to the lost, let them know the difficulties as well as the benefits. Count the cost. You will find this life difficult at times, but always worth the price.
My prayer for today: Father, make me a wise witness and a faithful builder for You.
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"A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away."
Ecclesiastes 3:6
The environment is a very politically correct subject these days and people talk a great deal about recycling. But recycling is nothing new. Ask folks who came through the Great Depression. Or if we could go even further back and talk to those who came west in covered wagons, we could really learn a lot about "wearing it out" and "using it up". But you know what? Recycling goes back even further than that. God has been recycling sinners since time began. When we are saved, God gives us a whole new identity and direction in life. Like recycling scrap cloth into lovely quilts, lives are changed into something to treasure once we are saved. That's the greatest recycling of all.
My prayer for today: Father, thank you for taking the scraps of my messed up life and making me into a usable tool in Your hands.
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"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting."
I Timothy 1:16
My husband does hobby work with wood and much of what he does is free-hand. I, on the other hand, must have a detailed pattern for the things I make in my sewing room. I want to know how to cut it, how to attach it, and what color to paint if that is part of the project. I think Christ understands this, and so did Paul. In the above scripture, Paul is writing Timothy and is providing himself as a "pattern" for christians to follow. We all need someone to look up to and pattern ourselves after. Of course, Christ is our real pattern, but often we need to follow the example of someone like ourselves...someone who experiences the same type of trials and confusion. Following a pattern just makes the job so much easier. But be careful who you choose for a pattern. Be sure they are a pattern worthy of following. Do they measure up to Christ?
My prayer for today: Lord, help me keep my eyes mainly on You...my perfect pattern.
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